- 5 months ago
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00:00Matt, what's the most people that have ever been in a fantasy league in which you play?
00:07I feel like 12 is the max.
00:10Because, you know, after 12, you start to run out of players to draft.
00:16And you're having to start, I'm trying to think of just a random receiver.
00:22Russell Gage.
00:23I was about to say Russell Gage.
00:25That's so funny.
00:26Yeah, you'd have to draft Russell Gage in your league.
00:30So that's a rule.
00:31Never go above 12 players.
00:33And never draft before Labor Day, I would say, is another rule.
00:38That's pretty late, though.
00:40I mean, it takes a lot of coordination.
00:42You know guys like me, Matt, who have too many leagues.
00:45If you save them all for Labor Day, you're busy the whole week.
00:49That's true.
00:50But, I mean, there's so many things that come into focus right before the game,
00:56like Amari Cooper signing today.
00:57Yep.
00:58And there's going to be more moves like that probably throughout the week.
01:02So, yeah, I mean, if you had picked Isaac Garendo last week and then the 49ers
01:07signed Brian Robinson, you might not be quite as high in that Isaac Garendo pick
01:13as you were prior to the trade.
01:15What about the Juwan Jennings pick that will be made, I'm sure, by somebody in this cockamamie
01:2116-team league?
01:23Where would you put him on your fantasy draft board, considering what we know right now
01:27about his willingness and their availability?
01:29I would still draft him.
01:32I wouldn't draft him really high because I think that he's somebody that could get a lot of reps early on.
01:39And then everything goes according to plan for the 49ers.
01:42He probably doesn't get as many targets later in the season because you've got Brandon Aiyuk,
01:49you've got DeMarcus Robinson, etc.
01:52But, I mean, obviously things are at a standstill right now.
01:58No one's quite sure what's going to happen.
02:01I will say, though, that he's got a lot of money tied up this season in incentives.
02:07So, you know, if he's not playing 17 games, if he's not out there, you know, every game,
02:15he's more unlikely to reach those incentives.
02:18So, basically I'm saying he has an incentive to get something done and to get onto the field.
02:26The 49ers obviously have an incentive to do that as well, given the state of their wide receiver room.
02:32So, I still feel optimistic that he's going to be out there for week one against Seattle.
02:38Matt, are we comfortable officially just saying that this is a holdout and not an injury?
02:43No, I'm not.
02:44We don't know, you know, some holdouts are so public that you know everything that's going on.
02:54John Jennings has decided to not make himself available.
02:59His Instagram post the other day suggests that it is.
03:04He certainly wants to get a long-term deal done.
03:08It just doesn't seem like that's in the offing right now.
03:11Now, whether he takes that to the next level, whether there's, you know, more issues once the week of practice before the Seattle game starts, I don't know yet.
03:23Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch will talk to the media on Wednesday.
03:28That's one day after their initial roster is composed.
03:32So, I can guarantee you that the first 13 questions will be Juwan Jennings related.
03:37And when you look at tomorrow and cut down day, how do you think they're going to navigate this with, assuming that they don't have resolution with Juwan Jennings?
03:47Are there some receivers that might get kept temporarily while Juwan Jennings is still trying to figure this out?
03:54Yeah, I mean, I can't see how they can avoid doing that.
03:57You know, and we're talking Russell Gage, we're talking Robbie Chosen would probably be the two veterans that you would keep around.
04:06And it's a good, you know, argument between those guys.
04:10Who would you prefer?
04:12Right now, Russell Gage isn't even practicing.
04:14He's got a knee issue.
04:17So, you know, it might be down to just one, Robbie Chosen.
04:21I do think that the 49ers are going to scour the waiver wire.
04:26We learned today, what we probably expected was that they were in on, or at least interested in, Amari Cooper.
04:35Not interested in paying Amari Cooper a lot of money.
04:39Because they're sort of in this awkward situation where they don't have any receivers to begin the season.
04:43But by midseason, they could have their whole core of receivers back.
04:49So, you don't want to commit a lot for someone who's only going to have a bit role with your team.
04:56But I do think that, you know, the waiver wire will be something that they look at very closely.
05:01Because that's something where you don't have to commit a lot of money to somebody.
05:05Kendrick Bourne is made available, and some people in New England think that's the case.
05:11That, to me, seems like an obvious add.
05:13Someone who could come in very quickly and get up to speed with the offense and help you out even as early as week one.
05:21So, there are maybe a few guys in that category.
05:26But, you know, for the most part, it's Ricky Pearsall.
05:30It's hopefully, for the 49ers, from the 49ers' point of view, Juwan Jennings.
05:35And then Sky Moore.
05:37Those are your one, two, and three.
05:40And don't ask me to name four through six.
05:43Right now, that's a little bit up in the air.
05:46You know, what I just wrote about in The Athletic is that, on the flip side of things,
05:53they are deeper at running back.
05:55They do have a blocking tight end this year.
05:58You know, they're one of the few teams that have a fullback.
06:02So, theoretically, they could just, you know, slightly change their philosophy.
06:08If they're weak at wide receiver to open the season, maybe they go a lot of two tight end sets.
06:14Maybe they go a lot of two tight end, two running back, 22 personnel.
06:19They at least have the option to do that if there's a true crisis at wide receiver.
06:25Matt Barrow's with us here on Willard and Dibs, 95-7 the game, talking out all things 49ers.
06:33By the way, while we're on receivers, Matt, it was reported earlier today,
06:37when Amari Cooper went to the Raiders, that the 49ers were one of the teams calling
06:42and were potentially in on him.
06:44Is that your understanding as well?
06:46I don't know that from my reporting.
06:49I think that's Diana Rossini, my colleague, was reporting that.
06:52And she's always right on this stuff, so I believe it.
06:57And it makes total sense because, you know, the 49ers were in need of wide receivers.
07:04He was the best wide receiver remaining at the free agent.
07:07I actually asked specifically about Amari Cooper, I think, when Jordan Watkins got hurt.
07:16And, you know, Shanahan said, yeah, these are some of the things that we're going to have to think about
07:22if this continues to be a problem.
07:25So it would not be a surprise at all if Amari Cooper was on their call list.
07:31I do wonder, though, if you go sign somebody like that who has a little name value,
07:36like maybe, I mean, you know, what if it's Gabe Davis tomorrow or what have you?
07:42If you bring someone like that in, what if things go well health-wise as the season goes on?
07:49And then there's Demarcus Robinson, and then there's Brandon Iyuk,
07:52and you get your young guys back who I know they want in Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowling.
07:59Like, how many wide receivers are you going to keep in the middle of the season?
08:04Yeah, that's the counterargument to adding a big-name guy,
08:08that after week six, you might not need that guy.
08:12You know, but by midseason, you could have Iyuk, Jennings, Pearsall, Robinson,
08:19Watkins, and Cowling all in your lineup, all healthy.
08:23And Sky Moore, I didn't even mention Sky Moore there.
08:26So it does sound, you know, like they could have an embarrassment of riches at some point.
08:33The counterargument to that, and I'm sure there are thousands of 49ers fans screaming right now in their cars,
08:42is that between now and week eight, there are bound to be additional injuries at that position.
08:49So you can make the argument that you can never have enough wide receivers,
08:54especially on this team, especially given the injury situation that they've had this year.
08:59But, yeah, I do think that it's going to be somewhere in the middle.
09:03They could find a serviceable wide receiver, somebody who knows this offense,
09:10who's been either with the 49ers, like a Kendrick Bourne,
09:14or who has played in Green Bay or Miami or one of these other places, Los Angeles Rams,
09:21where you could easily come in and hit the ground running in San Francisco.
09:26How big of an addition is Brian Robinson to another room that seems like it might be a little bit thinner
09:33than what the 49ers want?
09:35I think it's big.
09:37I think it's potentially very big.
09:40I think the 49ers, you know, they feel like Christian McCaffrey is back.
09:45He looks like himself.
09:46But, you know, he's a running back in the NFL, and he's approaching 30.
09:51So you can't rely on him to be a 17-game starter.
09:56And then they look at the number two back, or their former number two back in Isaac Rendo.
10:02You look at his injury history.
10:05And they just needed another reliable body there, and they got a big body.
10:10And like I said earlier, I mean, this could be a team that maybe runs the ball more than it throws the ball
10:16to begin the season.
10:17They have the wherewithal to do that.
10:19But I think that Luke Farrell, he's the big block in tight end that they signed in free agency.
10:26That could be a big component of this.
10:28I think they end up going to tight end a lot more than they did last year.
10:33They barely did that last year.
10:35And I think it's something that they want to do a lot more,
10:38and that would allow you to get away with having fewer wide receivers.
10:42Matt Barrows, the athletic here on the 49ers.
10:46Look, we haven't even gotten to Jake Moody yet, and we certainly need to.
10:50Like, I know what they said, and I get the draft value and all of the reasons,
10:57but inside their hearts, like I saw those facial expressions, Matt.
11:02So did you.
11:03How do you think they're feeling about this situation right now?
11:07I think that they're willing to go into the season with Jake Moody and, you know,
11:12thinking that he's going to find his groove at some point.
11:15But if he doesn't, I think that they believe they've got options.
11:19I mean, you know, they cut Greg Joseph in early August, and he's still out there.
11:24And, you know, we're coming up on roster cut-down day,
11:29so that there will be more, not fewer, kickers available after Tuesday.
11:35So I just feel like they are pretty confident that, okay,
11:40even if things go south with Jake Moody, we will have an option at kicker.
11:46And, you know, there's always the possibility of injuries, too.
11:50Jake Moody, you know, had a severe high ankle sprain last year.
11:53But they had to find extra kickers.
11:56There are a whole group of kickers that are basically journeymen and go from,
12:03they're like, you know, the David Banner on the Incredible Hulk,
12:07just kind of hitchhiking down the road for the next opening that pops up.
12:14And there's, you know, six or seven of those guys every season.
12:18And the 49ers are pretty familiar with one of them in Greg Joseph.
12:23I think he would obviously be their first call should that happen.
12:26How much leash or slack do you think Jake Moody has if he comes out and has a bit of a slow start?
12:33I mean, does it cost him games?
12:36You know, if he goes three for five in Seattle and the 49ers win by ten points,
12:42I don't think it's going to matter.
12:45If it comes down to a 35-yard kick at the end and the 49ers are trailing by two and he's wide left,
12:53yeah, I think that'll be very problematic for this team.
12:59You know, I don't know if it's one game, I don't know if it's two games,
13:02but I don't think the leash is as long as the 49ers are saying it publicly.
13:07Matt, it feels like the Niners are all banged up.
13:11And then I was reading all of your reports, everybody who was out there,
13:16that Pune was on the side and maybe there's some optimism there for his availability for week one.
13:22And I started thinking that, like, outside of Ayuk and Mustafa,
13:26who can we sit here today and say we know is a key piece of this team
13:31and we know they're not going to be available for week one.
13:34And all of a sudden I was like, well, nobody, nobody.
13:37Like, is there a chance this team is actually relatively healthy come next week?
13:42Yeah, you know, that still doesn't mean that they're deep at that critical spot, wide receiver.
13:48I mean, DeMarcus Robinson can be perfectly healthy,
13:52but he might not be playing the first three weeks because of his suspension.
13:56I think it's clear that Jacob Cowling is out for an extended period.
14:02I mean, he's a IR candidate.
14:05It doesn't look as if Jordan Watkins, the rookie wide receiver,
14:10who looks so good in the spring and early summer, is going to be back for week one.
14:15Week two, week three, I think that's more of a possibility.
14:18But, yeah, I mean, that was the hope all along.
14:23That was what was sort of Kyle Shanahan's saving grace,
14:27was that, yes, they had a lot of injuries, but very few of them were season-enders
14:33or even ones that would kind of bleed deeply into the season.
14:38And the hope was that they'd start getting guys back.
14:41I mean, one of the guys who hasn't come back yet is Upton Stout.
14:45You know, he had one of those calf injuries that they initially said was going to last a week,
14:51and it's been, you know, more than three weeks now since he's practiced.
14:56So I think they're starting to get a little bit nervous there.
14:59He just looked really good.
15:01He's still their number one option.
15:04But, you know, I think it's a real silver lining that Chase Lucas looks so good in the preseason.
15:11He got his opportunity because of that Upton Stout injury.
15:15He made the most of it.
15:16And now I feel like they're a little bit more reassured at that spot if Stout isn't, in fact, ready.
15:23Is there anybody on the roster now who won't be tomorrow that you think would come across as a big surprise on cut-down day?
15:33Tim Calakami and I had this discussion on our podcast, and he picked Isaac Garendo.
15:39So I can't see that just because Jordan James, you know, if they got rid of Garendo,
15:46James would be their third running back, and I don't know where he is as far as coming back from his finger injury.
15:53But the guy that I've thought about all offseason really is Jair Brown.
15:57You know, their highest pick, what was it, in 2023, third rounder, that was when Steve Wilkes was the defensive coordinator.
16:08Steve Wilkes had a big hand in bringing Brown here.
16:13Steve Wilkes is now with the New York Jets.
16:15I think that it's shaping up to be Jason Pinnock and the rookie, Marquise Siegel, as the starters in Seattle on September 7.
16:27The team also has Richie Grant.
16:29He was back in practice today.
16:31I think that they'll probably at least consider keeping Suron Neal because he's sort of a versatile piece.
16:38He can play safety.
16:39He can play cornerback.
16:41He's really good on special teams.
16:42And it might mean that Jair Brown is expendable.
16:47And I'm sure they're interested in, or at least, you guys turned these into headlines, so I have to watch my wording carefully.
16:57Say it, Matt.
16:58I got my pen out.
17:01Actually, I'm about to tweet it.
17:03I'm on Twitter right now.
17:04Go ahead.
17:04It wouldn't surprise me if they got on the phone with the Jets and Jair Brown's name came up because of that Steve Wilkes connection.
17:14Okay, hang on.
17:15Matt Barrows.
17:16Barrows predicts Brown to be dealt.
17:20Do you like the word likely?
17:21How about likely?
17:21Matt Barrows says it's likely that Jair Brown is traded to the Jets.
17:26Do you want me to hit post?
17:27Yeah, 49ers insider.
17:28Insider, colon, big scoop, Jair Brown on his way to Jets.
17:34No, that's not correct.
17:35I'm just saying it's a vague possibility out there.
17:39Okay.
17:40Hey, what were your first impressions of Brian Robinson, Jr.?
17:44Well, he's the biggest 49er tailback out there.
17:48You know, he sort of reminded me of a bigger Jeff Wilson in that sort of linear, tall guy sort of runs upright in that way.
18:00You know, he had his first practice today, just did a very, you know, it was a light practice overall, and he was just getting his feet wet.
18:11But his size sticks out, and he spoke to the media afterwards, and he's obviously intent on making a mark on this team.
18:21So, I don't think he's someone who's coming in to kind of hold the clipboard and ride pine.
18:29He expects to be worked into this offense this season.
18:32Matt Barrows says Brian Robinson will start by week three.
18:38Post.
18:39Breaking.
18:40Yeah.
18:40All right.
18:41We got everything we need, Matt.
18:43You've been aggregated.
18:45Appreciate it.
18:47Matt, thank you.
18:48Thank you for trusting us with your words.
18:50You're welcome.
18:51Thanks for having me on, guys.
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