Colm Kelly cautioned that Terry McLaurin’s 2023 touchdown reel is packed with one-off, non-repeatable plays—contested catches where defenders fell down or a busted coverage against Dallas that turned into a long score. McLaurin has never consistently commanded elite target share, so losing those low-probability TDs would leave drafters holding a shaky weekly floor on a third- or fourth-round pick. Kelly believes that makes McLaurin one of the scariest sink-hole selections in season-long leagues, preferring to chase younger receivers with ascending usage profiles instead.

Colm Kelly said MarShawn Lloyd is one of the few late-round rookie backs who does not need an injury to matter right away. Kelly reminded Kevin that Lloyd’s 2023 season disappeared for “a variety of reasons,” yet the coaching staff had been talking up a breakout before that setback and the entire offense projects to take a step forward this year. Because of those circumstances, Kelly expects Lloyd to claim standalone snaps immediately—something he is not projecting for fellow rookies Will Shipley or RJ Giddens. Grabbing Lloyd after that contingent-only tier, in Kelly’s view, gives the roster an extra source of usable RB points early in the Best Ball Mania V regular season while still preserving the normal rookie upside later in the year.

Colm Kelly justified spending a late pick on rookie Will Shipley even after loading up on other backs. Colm sees virtually zero stand-alone value while Saquon Barkley is healthy but emphasized that Shipley’s 4.39 speed and 76-catch college resume make him an instant three-down replacement if Barkley breaks down. The Eagles averaged 29.6 running-back PPR points per game last year and return the entire offensive line, so any multi-week Barkley absence would turn Shipley into a potential league-winner right when fantasy playoffs start. Colm admitted rookie-heavy backfields can leave early-season holes, yet he felt comfortable adding Shipley as RB6 because Jordan Mason and Chubba Hunter already provide short-term floor. The pick is a classic “nothing now, everything later” dice roll he loves in Best Ball Mania.

Colm Kelly targeted George Kittle if he slid to the middle of Round 4, calling it a perfect sweet spot in a non-TE-premium format. Kittle generally goes three picks later than their slot, so Colm framed him as a small ADP win that unlocks multiple construction paths: you secure elite tight-end production early enough to stop at two TEs, yet you avoided spending Rounds 2-3 capital that could have gone to wide receivers. Snagging him also opens a cheap San Francisco stack; Colm immediately queued Jauan Jennings and later-round 49ers options, noting that Week 17 correlation comes almost for free once Kittle is on the roster.

Colm Kelly endorsed Will Shipley as a final-round dart despite conceding the rookie offers little standalone value while Saquon Barkley is healthy. Barkley just helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl, so Colm expects the team to ride him early and often. Still, Shipley flashed enough in late-season mop-up duty to convince Colm the staff will trust him if Barkley misses time. On a roster that already invested heavily at wide receiver and secured early-season floor with veterans like Jordan Mason, Shipley’s contingent upside is exactly what Colm wants from his RB6.

Colm Kelly wanted to grab rookie WR Tett McMillan in Round 3 and circle back to George Kittle in early Round 4 because the pair gives you Week 17 49ers-Cardinals correlation without sacrificing ADP value. Kittle usually lasts three picks past their slot, making the double tap doable even on a 20-second clock. Kelly noted that because BBM is not TE premium, he prefers loading up on wideouts first, then adding an elite tight end once the WR pool flattens. Landing Kittle there unlocks multiple San Francisco bring-back options (e.g., Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall) and keeps roster construction flexible the rest of the way.

Colm Kelly urged listeners to tread carefully with Travis Etienne even when he falls to the ninth round. Kelly said Etienne’s production "has been on a slope the last couple of years" and argued that rookie back Tutton could start siphoning touches if Etienne’s early-season efficiency disappoints. Instead of paying Round-9 capital for a back who may end up in a committee, Kelly prefers grabbing higher-upside receivers or contingency backs available later. His takeaway: Etienne no longer provides the structural advantage drafters need at that price, making him a fade unless he slips well past current ADP.

Colm Kelly grabbed Troy Franklin in the 20th as a stack-correlated upside dart with earlier QB pick Bo Nix. Kelly said Franklin’s ADP has flat-lined because the market worries about Denver’s depth chart, but he believes camp news could rocket the rookie into the teens— especially if Joe Flacco earns early-season starts and pepper-throws the outside. Franklin’s 4.41 speed and 2.9 collegiate yards per route give him a unique ceiling that simply does not exist among the dusty veterans still on the board. The click also protects their Jerry Jeudy shares, letting any Broncos breakout funnel points into this roster no matter which receiver emerges.

Colm Kelly welcomed Cole Kmet’s 18-19th-round slide, saying the Bears tight end is the perfect TE4 in FFPC Best Ball. Because the format offers 1.5 PPR for tight ends and two flex spots, Kelly expects there will be weeks where managers start three or even four TEs. Grabbing Kmet after ADP gives his roster a reliable bye-week plug-in with real flex viability—Kmet finished 2023 with six double-digit fantasy weeks and has averaged 20.2% of Chicago’s targets since the middle of 2022. Colm added that taking Kmet now preserves structural freedom later; missing him would have forced them into desperation darts like Noah Fant. The falling ADP plus the FFPC scoring wrinkle makes Kmet “easy closing-line value” according to Kelly.

Colm Kelly called rookie Ray Davis a "priority target" after landing him in the mid-13th round, noting the 9-round gap between Davis and James Cook (4.02). Cook has not settled his contract situation, and Kelly believes any training-camp holdout would spike Davis’ price into the 5th round overnight. Even without a Cook absence, Davis’ pass-pro chops and downhill style fit Buffalo’s short-yardage needs, giving him immediate flex utility in a roster that already leans on rookie backs. Kelly framed the pick as classic zero-RB leverage: standalone touches now with league-winning upside if the depth chart tilts.

Colm Kelly said Rhamondre Stevenson works perfectly as a discounted "bridge" back while their rookie duo (RJ Harvey plus another first-year RB) ramps up. Stevenson is slipping a full round below spring ADP and, unlike most backs in this pocket, projects for locked-in Week-1 volume as the clear early-down option in a New England offense that averaged 26.9 RB touches per game last year. Kelly admitted he is "not overly optimistic" about Stevenson's year-long ceiling but stressed that securing 12–15 opening-week touches lets drafters chase pure upside later without risking early zeros in FFPC Best Ball playoff pods.

Colm Kelly labeled Jordan Mason an “interesting pivot point” in Minnesota’s backfield now that the Vikings have paired the veteran Aaron Jones with a younger, cheaper hammer. Sean Siegle’s rankings tag Mason as RB32 with an eighth-round grade, matching the exact slot where he was available. Kelly likes the asymmetric upside: if Jones shows his age or the offense shifts toward a committee, Mason could own early-down work in a Kevin O’Connell scheme that finished top-10 in red-zone plays last year. At that price you’re paying for a contingency profile but getting standalone flex equity if Mason grabs goal-line duties—a profile Kelly believes matters even more in FFPC’s playoff pods.

Colm Kelly called Jayden Reed a "transition receiver" who keeps you in the WR talent tier while others reach for quarterbacks. Reed is WR34 in their rankings (mid-6th) but still available at WR43 in the late-8th; Kelly happily paid two picks above market to avoid the post-Reed cliff that forces drafters into narrative-based dart throws like Jalen Hyatt. He expects Green Bay to lean pass-heavy after last year’s late-season breakout from Jordan Love and likes Reed’s slot-plus-debo role—45% of his rookie touches came on schemed motion or backfield snaps, hinting at manufactured volume. The pick also leaves the door open to stack Love at an 11th-round ADP or pivot to Bo Nix if the board breaks differently, maximizing roster flexibility while banking a player who averaged 2.05 yards per route in his final six games.

Colm Kelly argued that T.J. Hockenson is being drafted a full round too late relative to his projection in FFPC Best Ball. Kelly said he views Hockenson and George Kittle as virtual peers, noting that the gap between Travis Kelce (TE1 by ADP) and Hockenson (TE4/TE5) is larger than the gap between Hockenson and Kittle in actual weekly scoring. His case hinges on three points: 1) Hockenson averaged 8.6 targets per game with Minnesota before tearing his ACL and should again push 125-plus targets once cleared. 2) The Vikings project to be top-10 in pass rate over expectation after adding rookie QB J.J. McCarthy, further insulating that volume. 3) In FFPC’s 1.5 PPR for tight ends, every 80-catch season from a TE equates to WR1 production, yet Hockenson routinely slips to the early fourth while Kelce still costs a late-second pick. Kelly concluded that scooping Hockenson a round after LaPorta/Kittle is a simple way to gain closing-line value without sacrificing ceiling at a fragile position.

Colm Kelly pushed hard to grab Sam LaPorta at 4.04, saying he is still an "elite tight end" who comes at a discount relative to Travis Kelce and the Bowers/McBride tier. LaPorta is TE4 by both ADP and Sean Siegle’s rankings (3.10 in the ranks, 4.07 by ADP), but Colm is willing to reach six-to-eight picks because FFPC’s 1.5 PPR scoring makes him a weekly difference-maker. He reminded listeners that LaPorta’s target share spiked after he overcame his mid-season knee issue last year and that locking him up prevents the positional dead zone that often forces drafters into Evan Engram or worse. Given the opportunity cost—James Cook, Chuba Hubbard, and mid-tier QBs—Colm would rather secure LaPorta now and enjoy maximum roster flexibility later.