WEEK 13
On the Audio Version Today:
NFL Weekly Schedule Preview
NFL RB Rooms (Who needs a future RB1?)
1 Round 1 QB Mock Draft
CFB Weekly Schedule + Weekly What to Watch
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Apologies for being just a bit late this week. As I mentioned last week, I’m dialing back a bit during the holiday season. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that most likely I will be releasing an episode on Thursday as I record them on Wednesday, but if I get behind, that episode might be delayed even further due to the holidays. We’ll discuss the Friday CFB games on the Tuesday show as well as potentially the Thanksgiving games as this will give some flexibility on the schedule if that show is delayed.
RB Rooms
No detailed write-up for this, and it may very well be self-explanatory, but just to cover the biggest point of the RB Rooms section of Fantasy for Real today, there are 7 teams I would list as most needing a RB for the 2025 season. Keep in mind, I’m taking contracts seriously, so teams like the Steelers or Vikings might be seen as plausibly keeping the same RBs, but there is no indication that will happen contractually. With that in mind, our 7 teams are the Cowboys, Browns, Steelers, Vikings, Broncos, Raiders, and Chargers.
There are more minor takeaways to make, but this did give me a bit more faith & confidence in Chase Brown’s ability to be a long-term or at least 2025 Starting RB. This goes for Tracy as well, but this show was always on that drumbeat. Seeing as many as 7 teams have a greater need on paper for 2025 than the Bengals/Giants gives at least some idea that they could hold on to those players as core assets to their RB Rooms moving forward.
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1-Round 1QB “Gut Reaction” Mock
Tetairoa McMillan
Ashton Jeanty
Luther Burden III
Emeka Egbuka
Quinshon Judkins
TreVeyon Henderson
Nicholas Singleton
Omarion Hampton
Evan Stewart
Kaleb Johnson
Elic Ayomanor
Isaiah Bond
Focusing on the changes from the last 1-Round, 1QB Mock Draft from October 17th, the top 7 players are the same with the top 3 players being in the exact same order. The Dane Brugler-based mock put Jeanty at 1, but that mock used the assumption that Jeanty was going in the 1st Round. When more substantial resources like Daniel Jeremiah start taking on the class in full, if Jeanty has the buzz of a first round RB pick, he will likely be my 1.01 pre-draft. As is, the size and position alone give me skepticism about how highly Jeanty will be drafted. In regards to the rest of the top 7, the biggest changes are Egbuka rising to the top of that tier with Singleton falling to the back end.
When it comes to picks 8-12, three of these players (Stewart, Johnson, and Bond) were also in the 8-12 on the October mock. Hopefully, that signals strong things for their profiles and not just leaning on my own priors. Adding to the 8-12, we have Omarion Hampton & Elic Ayomanor. Hampton was covered in more detail in the previous post, but the dynamic with Hampton is not about what he does well but how to make sense of it. Take Rachaad White as an example. Though these are not the exact same complaint, White is a player who was marked down on my rankings as I felt he struggled to run between the tackles. We’re now multiple years into his career, and that concern is well founded. However, Rachaad White has also been an easy hit at his rookie draft investment. As it continues to trend towards Hampton having this large profile, if he is drafted fairly highly, that takes away some of the floor concerns. When focused on ceiling, the combination of size, explosive ability, and pass catching ability is tantalizing.
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Times are in Eastern. Players without years are eligible for the NFL Draft. Years are when players are first eligible.
CFB* Schedule (*I somehow wrote NFL here last week I’m now seeing. Apologies.)
TOP TIER
Indiana @ Ohio State on FOX at Noon
Key Players: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State ; TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State ; Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State ; Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (2026) ; Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State (2027) ; Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana ; Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
While this is a match-up of top-5 teams, and while Indiana is having a magical season, there are still no players I identify on this Hoosiers team that are on a Day 2 trajectory to my eyes. A player like Sarratt even has some skills and traits, but is more likely a late-3rd Round at best right now on my board. Still, this is a top tier game this week due largely to the top tier RB/WR options on Ohio State, including 3 players in my 2025 top 7 and two more players who could be the respective WR1s in their Draft Classes (Tate in ‘26, and Smith in ‘27).
Ole Miss @ Florida on ABC at Noon
Key Players: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss ; Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss ; D.J. Lagway, QB, Florida (2027) ; Jaden Baugh, RB, Florida (2027)
Perhaps the best QB match-up this weekend, there is no player in CFB more exciting right now than D.J. Lagway. A mobile QB with the potential to lead the FBS in Big Time Throws, Lagway has already pulled off one major win down the stretch against LSU, and looks to pull out a second in the Swamp. Dart has had some better games recently, but needs to play high-end, clean football the rest of the way in SEC play to make up for some of those struggles early in the season. If he regresses back towards those struggles, Dart may not be even a Day 2 pick, though I would say Round 3 is still his most likely destination in my eyes.
Colorado @ Kansas on FOX at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado ; Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado ; Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
Now in the driver’s seat and controlling their own destiny, Colorado just needs to win the next two games and the Big 12 Championship and they will be in the College Football Playoff, potentially even with a bye, and either way just a few wins away from the Nat’l Title. Most likely they don’t get all the way there, but the playoffs are certainly achievable. Sanders does not have elite tools, but is a very good QB. How he finishes out this season will be critical towards how highly he goes in that first round.
Alabama @ Oklahoma on ABC at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama ; Jamarion Miller, RB, Alabama ; Justice Haynes, RB, Alabama (2026) ; Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama (2027) ; Jackson Arnold, QB, Oklahoma (2026) ; (several injured WRs) ; Taylor Tatum, RB, Oklahoma (2027)
At the very least, while the Oklahoma side of the ball may not deserve to be in this tier necessarily, the Venables defense presents an intriguing challenge for Jalen Milroe. On top of that, at least Deion Burks did play in the last game, and so if some of these intriguing WRs for Oklahoma start to get healthier, that side of the ball may become more watchable.
Texas A&M @ Auburn on ESPN at 7:30 PM
Key Players: Terry Bussey, WR?, Texas A&M (2027) ; Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn (2027) ; Malcolm Simmons, WR, Auburn (2027)
Another game that potentially belongs in a lower tier, but A&M is just one of the trickiest teams to evaluate for this project I’ve ever had. Usually, it is easy to identify which teams will be discussed often and which teams will be discussed very little. A&M has had a top QB prospect that they’ve benched at least once, and their top player in Devy currently on my list entered the season reported to be focusing on the Defensive side of the ball. All that said, this game showcases some intriguing WRs with high-end upside for the 2027 class. It may have only come against UL Monroe, but Cam Coleman’s game last week (8 for 100+ and 3 TDs) was hopefully a sign of things to come for the talented freshman.
TIER TWO GAMES
No T2 write-ups this week. Small notes can be found by listening to the audio version.
Illinois @ Rutgers on Peacock at Noon
Key Players: Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois ; Zakhari Franklin, WR, Illinois ; Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers
Iowa @ Maryland on BTN at Noon
Key Players: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa ; Tai Felton, WR, Maryland ; Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland
Arizona @ TCU on ESPN+ at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona ; Savion Williams, WR, TCU ; Jack Bech, WR, TCU
Kentucky @ Texas on ABC at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Dane Key, WR, Kentucky ; Barion Brown, WR, Kentucky ; Jamarion Wilcox, RB, Kentucky (2026) ; Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas ; Jerrick Gibson, RB, Texas (2027) ; Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas ; Matthew Golden, WR, Texas ; Ryan Wingo, WR, Texas (2027) ; Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
Penn State @ Minnesota on CBS at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State ; Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State ; Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State ; Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State ; Darius Taylor, RB, Minnesota (2026)
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma St. on ESPN+ at 3:30 PM
Key Players: Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech ; Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma St.
UCF @ West Virginia on ESPNU at 3:30 PM
Key Players: RJ Harvey, RB, UCF ; Jahiem White, RB, West Virginia
Pittsburgh @ Louisville on ESPN2 at 4:00 PM
Key Players: Eli Holstein, QB, Pittsburgh (2026) ; Desmond Reid, RB, Pittsburgh ; Ja’Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville
(QB Game – Cam Ward) Wake Forest @ Miami (FL) on ESPN at Noon
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Thank you all. I do apologize for being a bit late this week. I also do not mean for this to undercut that apology, but it does stand to reason that there’s a chance next week’s second episode comes a full day or more later as well. Perhaps not, but we shall see.
C.J.
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