Sep 4, 2026 · 24 min
Fantasy analysts weigh scarcity, scoring and patience before draft day
Answering Your Most Pressing Questions Ahead of Labor Day Drafts! | ESPN Fantasy
The mailbag turns late-draft uncertainty into concrete decisions about positional value, quarterback formats, player regression and keeper risk.
- 1Deep superflex leagues reward early quarterback and tight-end scarcity before high-volume wide receivers become priorities.
- 2Passing bonuses elevate pocket passers, while Josh Allen remains a second-round target after securing an anchor running back.
- 3Brock Bowers and Jaxon Smith-Njigba emerge as the preferred keepers despite uncertainty at running back.
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Liz Loza and Daniel Dopp argue that Josh Allen should wait until at least the second round, after an anchor running back.
The brief
Liz Loza and Daniel Dopp turn a bonus voicemail mailbag into a practical draft clinic, mixing positional strategy with playful debates over hot takes and team names.
In a deep two-quarterback, two-tight-end league, they prioritize scarcity at quarterback, elite tight end and running back before targeting high-volume wide receivers later.
The hosts expect Dallas Goedert’s touchdown rate to regress, while viewing DeVonta Smith’s top-five receiver case as plausible if health and alpha status hold.
Passing-yard bonuses and six-point touchdowns shift value toward high-volume passers such as Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow, with Brock Purdy also considered.
Their clearest timing call comes on Josh Allen: wait until at least the second round, taking an anchor running back first rather than paying for quarterback certainty.
For the keeper dilemma, they choose Brock Bowers and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, accepting running-back uncertainty because the other positions offer stronger value.