Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon

Latest Episodes:

Preseason Week 2 standouts + identifying draft sleepers and the All-Boring team Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Chances are your most important drafts are fast approaching and happening the next two weeks. No better time to kick off 'Conviction Week' on the pod and provide our strongest and final takes heading into the 2023 fantasy season. Scott Pianowski joins Matt Harmon to identify the biggest sleepers in drafts this year.

But first, the two recap a jam packed Week 2 of the preseason highlighted by Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy making their return to the field. The two then identify the rookie WRs, RBs and QBs that are showing an immediate impact for their teams.

Pianowski and Harmon then share their secret list of draft sleepers at each position. In order to be a sleeper, no player identified is currently a consensus top 6th round selection. The two then end the show by sharing their favorite rookie sleepers and the 2023 Yahoo All-Boring team.

0:50 - Kicking off 'Conviction Week' on the pod

1:50 - Biggest fantasy headlines and observations from preseason week 2

2:05 - Denver RB Javonte Williams makes his return

4:55 - Who could be Mr. September this year?

7:30 - Brock Purdy and Tua make their 2023 debuts

10:30 - We in love with Jordan Love yet?

15:45 - Rookie WRs making a splash in the preseason to note

24:20 - Rookie RBs to note that are flashing in the preseason

27:45 - One rookie QB that's making waves this preseason

32:10 - Our 2023 draft sleepers

54:30 - Matt Harmon's favorite rookie sleepers

58:30 - Yahoo's 2023 All-Boring team

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

Mock Draft 4.0 + Salary Cap draft strategy Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

We conclude strategy week on the pod with a deep dive into everything you need to know for salary cap drafts. Scott Pianowski, the ultimate expert in salary cap drafts, joins Matt Harmon on the pod to let you know the strategies you have to consider going into your draft.

But first, the two react to all the latest injury news at the WR position including the top two targets in Detroit. The two then debate if Titan's WR Treylon Burks is still draftable after his knee injury. The two then debate if the Dolphins are the most fragile team in the league after the injury scare to LT Terron Armstead. The two also try to make sense of the on going drama taking place in Indy with RB Jonathan Taylor.

Pianowski and Harmon then explain everything you need to know about salary cap drafts and what makes them fundamentally different from snake drafts. Pianowski then shares the top strategies and hacks that one can use to maximize their budget and player pool during salary cap drafts.

The two end the show with our 'Build your team' segment by debating if you should prioritize decent players on good offenses over star players on bad offenses in the draft.

1:28 - Lions WR Jameson Williams injured... time to jump ship?

10:05 - Titans WR Treylon Burks injury enough to take him off the board?

12:55 - Russell Gage out for year, what to think of Evans/Godwin in TB?

17:45 - Are the Dolphins a jenga set this season?

22:55 - Carolina's RB Miles Sanders' groin injury a lingering concern

24:50 - As the Jonathan Taylor world turns

31:52 - What you need to know about salary cap drafts

38:40 - What makes salary caps different from snake

41:10 - How to maximize your nominations in salary cap drafts

49:20 - Why size of league impacts salary cap draft strategy

52:30 - What is the end game for salary cap drafts?

57:30 - Build your team segment: decent players in great offenses vs. star players on bad offense

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

Ekeler's Edge: What went wrong for RB's value this offseason? Can it be fixed? Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

Ekeler's Edge is back and better than ever before. Los Angeles RB Austin Ekeler joins Matt Harmon to kick off the show's third season with a mission to provide the best real, and of course fantasy, football conversations and content this fall.

Ekeler and Harmon start off the pod by recapping a rather tumultuous season for Ekeler and the RB position in the NFL. The seven-year veteran explains how the narrative around the running back's value to a team has gotten out of control and why the franchise tag is hurt, not helping, players try to maximize their earning potential.

The two then breakdown Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott's landing spots and why both will help, not hinder, the RB1s in place in New York and New England. Ekeler then reveals the RB he's most intrigued to watch this year and then takes us 'Under the Hood' of training camp to explain how fast he's learning Kellen Moore's new offense in LA.

The two end the show by providing their boldest fantasy prediction for 2023.

2:15 - Ekeler's Edge 3.0 is bigger, literally, than ever

9:15 - Ekeler's explains how tumultuous offseason has messed up RB's values

17:30 - Is the Franchise Tag to blame for RB's current value?

23:15 - New faces in new place: Ekeler reacts to Dalvin Cook going to Jets

30:30 - Ekeler reacts to Zeke joining the Patriots

34:05 - Which RB is Austin Ekeler most intrigued by in 2023

38:20 - Under the hood: How long does it take to learn a new offense?

44:55 - Ask Austin Mailbag is back! We want your bold fantasy predictions

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

How to construct the perfect fantasy roster + Justin Jefferson interview Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

We continue strategy week on the pod by doing the impossible: Constructing the perfect roster. While fantasy drafts can feel like a zero sum game, Matt Harmon and Dalton Del Don tell you the best strategy for each position to create the perfect complimentary roster.

But first, the two react to the big RB news with Dalvin Cook officially joining the New York Jets and Ezekiel Elliott joining the New England Patriots. They debate how each impacts their team's backfield and the additions should devalue Breece Hall and Rhamondre Stevenson's ADP.

On a show devoted to constructing the perfect roster who better to guest appear than Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. The fantasy, and real life, superstar joins Harmon at the end of the show. The two discuss if he should go number one in drafts, who are his top five route runners in the league, and if he thinks he can eclipse 2,000 receiving yards in a single season.

1:52 - Dalvin Cook joins Jets... what is the fantasy impact for him and Breece Hall?

11:15 - How does Zeke impact Stevenson's fantasy value in New England?

15:27 - The RB position in fantasy is chaos

17:31 - Ravens RB JK Dobbins 100% healthy = 100% buying in?

21:20 - Cowboys Tony Pollard is having the best week ever

25:00 - Praise be, Colts name Anthony Richards QB1

28:41 - Constructing the perfect fantasy roster

55:00 - Justin Jefferson Interview

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

QB draft strategy: How valuable are they and the SuperFlex evolution Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Yahoo Sports' Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski join forces to recap preseason week one and give their takeaways and biggest surprises before diving into quarterback draft strategy and how to approach quarterback in a Superflex league.

2:00 - Preseason week one headlines: Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor will return to practice soon according to head coach Shane Steichen, but Matt and Scott aren't convinced the contract dispute will be resolved any time soon. Meanwhile, Arizona Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has been cleared for week one, but he is likely not a player you should be targeting in your drafts.

10:10 - Matt and Scott give their takeaways from playing time of various players in preseason action, including Tank Bigsby, Greg Dulcich, Khalil Herbert, Alexander Mattison and Kenneth Gainwell.

29:55 - The quarterback position is evolving. The top quarterbacks have more value than they have in previous years, so how should you best approach the decision of whether or not to draft one early? Both hosts discuss their process for finding the next quarterback who could break into that group of elite QBs. Players like Justin Herbert and Justin Fields have a chance to join the group, or you could wait until later in the draft and chase the ceiling of guys like Anthony Richardson or Geno Smith.

54:50 - Superflex has emerged as an improvement upon two-quarterback leagues, and Matt and Scott give their ideal strategy for drafting in a Superflex league. Scott thinks it's best to take three starting QBs: two who are at least solid starters, and one sleeper with a ceiling. Scott points out Mac Jones, Brock Purdy and Kenny Pickett as good sleeper options.

Check out all the episodes of the Yahoo Fantasy Football Show and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

ON-LOCATION at the Fantasy Football Expo: We kick off draft strategy week Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

From Canton, Ohio at the Fantasy Football Expo, Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens connect in person to kick off our draft strategy week by hitting on all the biggest pre-draft strategy talkings points this month.

But first, the two react, and try to not overreact, to the biggest storylines from this weekend's preseason action. Harmon and Behrens discuss if preseason games actually matter and what, if anything, can be extrapolated for fantasy drafts later this month.

For strategy week the two debate the difference between pre-draft strategies and letting the board come to you. Harmon ponders if your draft position actually matters. Behrens recaps his salary cap draft from the Fantasy Football Expo and explains how he's treating the RB position in drafts this year.

The two then debate the evolution of the QB position in drafts and the importance of grabbing top WRs early and often. Harmon and Behrens end the pod detailing their experience at the Fantasy Football Expo amidst a torrential downpour outside.

0:14 - ON-LOCATION at the Fantasy Football Expo

3:05 - Does Preseason football matter?

4:30 - Can we trust Bucs QBs to keep offense fantasy viable?

7:53 - Can the Steelers be this year's Seahawks?

11:20 - Here's what really matters in the preseason

17:05 - Bears = Super Bowl contenders?

22:20 - We kick off draft strategy week! At the... Fantasy Football Expo?

25:10 - Does your draft position matter?

29:35 - Zero RB or Hero RB... or something else?

31:30 - Pre-draft vs. in-draft strategy

35:34 - Surviving the Ohio storm and your league

38:15 - WR-WR-WR?

41:40 - What people should know about the Fantasy Football Expo

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

Yes, it's the K & DST position preview Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

They said it couldn't be done. They said our positions week already covered the four major categories in quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers & tight ends. But they have underestimated us once again, because this is indeed, our kickers & defensive position preview episode.

Yes, that's right; Matt Harmon & Andy Behrens devote a bulk of this episode to preparing fantasy managers for the two most overlooked and eye-rolled positions on the roster.

Before diving into Ks & DSTs, the guys react to recent comments from Cincinnati Bengals HC Zac Taylor about the health of QB Joe Burrow's calf and some indications that the Bengals passer might not be ready to start off the season. They also chat about Kareem Hunt passing up a deal with the Indianapolis Colts & New Orleans Saints, and how a few key running back injuries are making the current free agent pool of RBs is presenting some interesting scenarios in the fantasy landscape.

For the bulk of the episode, Andy & Matt discuss why kickers & defenses matter, how to draft and manage the positions through the year and why the scoring for these oft-overlooked positions can certainly be described as volatile, but never random.

In the second half of the show, the guys talk about a recent dynasty startup mock draft they participated in, what they learned from the results & some counter-intuitive strategies for nailing your dynasty roster both in the short- and long-terms.

3:10 - Joe Burrow's calf injury update

7:35 - Sneaky RB injuries

13:15 - Why you shouldn't think of kickers as random

25:55 - Why defensive scoring is so volatile

44:00 - Strategy for dynasty drafts

Check out all the episodes of the Yahoo Fantasy Football Show and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

Everything you need to know about TEs this fantasy season Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

Some want to morph the position with the WRs. Some want to get rid of the position all together in Fantasy. We at the Yahoo Fantasy Football Show are proudly pro-TE and happy to continue our positional preview week by diving deep into the much maligned position.

Scott Pianowski joins Matt Harmon on the pod to take a wide angle view of the TE position to see if anyone other than Chiefs TE Travis Kelce will make a championship-level impact for fantasy teams in 2023.

The two then look at the intriguing rookie TEs to see if any of them can make an immediate fantasy impact. Pianowski and Harmon then go head-to-head on TE rankings and debate the fantasy value of players like Darren Waller, Tyler Hibgee, David Njoku and Jake Ferguson.

Harmon and Pianowski end the show by identifying the TEs that can make the leap in 2023 and picking "Their Guy" this season at the position.

2:25 - Preseason depth chart season is upon us and it's wild

9:40 - Positional Preview: TEs

10:35 - TE draft strategy: Kelce and what else?

22:25 - Consensus top 12 TEs: Who's got top 5 upside?

29:50 - Which rookie TE should you target late in drafts?

35:10 - Biggest player disagreements at TE

47:15 - TEs that can make the leap in 2023

55:00 - "Our Guy" in 2023

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

Everything you need to know about WRs this fantasy season Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

We continue positional preview week on the pod by taking a look at Matt Harmon's claim to fame and favorite position: The wide receivers. Joining Harmon on the pod is Fantasy Life's Dwain McFarland to dissect arguably the single most important (and polarizing) position in fantasy football.

While the two mostly agree on the top 13 WRs heading into 2023, that's where most of the agreement ends. Harmon and McFarland go head to head on their WR rankings and debate where the likes of Christian Watson, Jerry Jeudy, Keenan Allen, and Terry McLaurin should land in drafts.

The two then discuss WRs that can make the leap in 2023 which include the likes of Drake London, Skyy Moore, George Pickens and the top guys from the 2023 rookie class.

To end the show, both reveal 'their guy' at the WR position in 2023 with Matt explaining how it's not one player but a whole team he wants to invest in this year at the receiver position.

3:10 - Positional Preview: WRs

6:50 - WR draft strategy: Does it get late early?

11:11 - Top 12 consensus WRs... any out of place?

18:28 - One WR Matt and Dwain are really high on in 2023

22:05 - Biggest player disagreements: WRs Dwain is higher on than Matt

32:15 - Matt and Dwain have the Jerry Jeudy debate

45:00 - Player disagreement: WRs Matt is higher on than Dwain

1:01:30 - "Our Guy'" in 2023

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts

🎧 Spotify

🖥️ YouTube

📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv

And check out Matt Harmon and Yahoo Fantasy on our socials:

📷 @YahooFantasy: https://www.instagram.com/YahooFantasy

⌚ @YahooFantasy: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoofantasy

🐦 @YahooFantasy: https://x.com/YahooFantasy

🟦 @YahooFantasy: https://www.facebook.com/YahooFantasy/

Everything you need to know about RBs this fantasy season Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

It's a position in flux but it may be the position that makes or breaks your team this year: The running backs. We continue our positional preview week by taking a look at all fantasy angles of the RB position in 2023.

For positional preview week we break up the position into four conversations: Wide angle view, identify candidates that can make the leap, biggest players we disagree on and then we end the show with Matt and his co-host picking ‘their guy’ for 2023.

Making his podcast debut, Yahoo Fantasy contributor Jorge Martin joins Matt on the show to discuss all things RB. The two begin the show debating which of the high profile free agent RBs (not named Dalvin Cook) will have fantasy relevancy this season.

The two then discuss the hottest debates at the RB position this draft season: What to make of the Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor situations, how to manage Breece Hall and Javonte Williams injuries, and how to get clarity out of the most convoluted committees in the league.

Harmon and Martin end the show discussing their biggest disagreements at the position then reveal 'their guy' at RB in 2023.

1:58 - Hunt visits Saints... which FA RB will have most fantasy value?

6:27 - Positional Preview: RBs

6:54 - Defining the RB dead zone in drafts

13:20 - Biggest observations around consensus top 10 RBs

17:35 - How much concern around Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor situations

21:30 - Big injuries to note and committees to clarify

34:00 - Biggest disagreements at the RB position

48:13 - RBs that can make the leap in 2023

55:55 - "Our Guy" at RB in 2023

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on your favorite podcast app:

🎧 Apple Podcasts