Season 4 Episode 2
AFC North & South Preview | Guest: PGA Tour Caddie Jeff Hamley
The Screenplay Podcast — Season 4, AFC North & South Preview
The Screenplay Podcast continued its division-by-division preview with a look at the AFC North and AFC South, joined by PGA Tour caddie and lifelong Cleveland Browns fan Jeff Hamley — who caddies for co-host Andrew Novak. Hosts Evan Grenus and Andrew Novak then broke down every team in both divisions, covering real-life storylines, win totals, and a full fantasy football position-by-position guide.
Guest Spotlight: Jeff Hamley on Caddying, the Browns, and the QB Carousel
Jeff Hamley, in his eighth year caddying for Andrew Novak, opened with a look inside tour life: a Tuesday-through-Sunday routine built around scouting courses before his player even arrives, Torrey Pines as the most straightforward course to caddie because it offers so few options, and Augusta National as the hardest because of its wide-open shot possibilities and old-school lack of yardage-book detail. He ranked his top three tour caddies as Ted Scott (Scottie Scheffler), veteran Joe LaCava, and JJ Spaun's Mark Carens — and named John Harbaugh, an Ohio native, as the NFL coach whose style most matches his own.
On the Browns, Hamley raised concerns about new head coach Todd Monken calling plays alongside two first-time coordinators — Travis Switzer (poached from the Ravens' run-game coordinator role) on offense and Mike Ruttenberg on defense — neither of whom has held a coordinator job at any level before. He predicted Deshaun Watson won't be the Browns' quarterback beyond this season and named Baker Mayfield as the QB from Cleveland's long carousel he most wanted to see succeed, pointing to Mayfield's 2020 playoff win over the Steelers as the high point of his Browns fandom. On the offseason's biggest trade, sending Myles Garrett to the Rams for Jared Verse and three future picks, Hamley called it a painful but necessary move, comparing it to Cleveland's loss of LeBron James in free agency with no return.
Hamley also shared his history as a fantasy football veteran dating back to 1998, when box scores still came from the newspaper the next morning and his first-ever draft pick was an aging Dan Marino.
The Deshaun Watson Cap Hit Game
A recurring Screenplay Podcast segment tests Andrew's knowledge of 2026 NFL salary cap numbers, this time using Deshaun Watson's contract as the baseline:
Question
Answer
Deshaun Watson vs. Dak Prescott
Prescott higher
Deshaun Watson vs. Joe Burrow
Watson higher
Deshaun Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes
Watson higher (Mahomes is 11th among QBs)
Deshaun Watson vs. Justin Herbert
Herbert higher (2nd-highest QB cap hit)
Deshaun Watson vs. Lamar Jackson
Watson higher
Watson ranks as the fifth-highest-paid quarterback in football this year, taking up nearly 14% of Cleveland's salary cap. The top of the list runs Stafford, Herbert, Allen, Prescott, Watson — with Baker Mayfield close behind.
AFC North Preview
Cincinnati Bengals
Odds: +184 to win the AFC North, 22-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 9.5 (Evan predicts 11-6).
Cincinnati went all-in on fixing a defense that ranked 31st last season, trading for Dexter Lawrence and signing Jonathan Allen, Bo Mafe, and Bryan Cook, while losing Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens. Both hosts agreed the offense doesn't need to carry the team alone if the defense can climb into the middle of the pack. On fantasy, both hosts are bullish across the board — Ja'Marr Chase as their No. 1 wide receiver, Tee Higgins as a safe WR10-20 finisher, and Chase Brown locked in as a high-volume RB1 in a offense both hosts called close to a perfect fantasy environment.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Odds: +510 to win the AFC North, 50-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 8.5.
Mike McCarthy takes over play-calling with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and new additions Michael Pittman Jr. and Rico Dowdle, while the defense remains the NFL's most expensive for another year. Both hosts questioned whether Rodgers still has the arm to hit DK Metcalf deep after posting a career-low average depth of target last season. On fantasy, Pittman is viewed as the safer PPR option working underneath, Metcalf as more boom-or-bust, and the Jaylen Warren / Rico Dowdle backfield as a true weekly coin flip.
Cleveland Browns
Odds: +2100 to win the AFC North, 200-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 5.5.
New head coach Todd Monken brings in Travis Switzer (formerly Baltimore's run-game coordinator) as OC and Mike Ruttenberg as DC, with the offensive line reworked around new additions Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins. Both hosts landed around five wins, citing the untested coordinator staff and the loss of Myles Garrett. On fantasy, Quinshon Judkins projects as a high-floor, low-ceiling option behind a bottom-five offensive line, tight end Harold Fannin is expected to see steady usage, and the rest of the receiving corps — led by rookies Casey Concepcion and Boston — is viewed as mostly dart-throw territory in a offense that may not score enough to reward it.
Baltimore Ravens
Odds: −110 to win the AFC North (division favorites), 11-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 11.5.
New head coach Jesse Minter arrives after serving as the Chargers' defensive coordinator, pairing with Lions-tree offensive coordinator Declan Doyle in what both hosts view as the swing factor for the season. The offense loses key blockers in Patrick Ricard and Charlie Kolar, but both hosts expect Derrick Henry to remain a lead-back workload. On fantasy, Henry is viewed as a safe top-10 running back at his RB12 price given four finishes in the top eight over the last four years, Zay Flowers is coming off a career year, and Mark Andrews is a bounce-back candidate at tight end 17 with Baltimore's other tight ends departed.
AFC South Preview
Indianapolis Colts
Odds: +380 to win the AFC South, 60-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 7.5.
Shane Steichen enters year four with full continuity on his coaching staff, plus a one-year deal for Keenan Allen, while the defense retools around rookies CJ Allen and rookie playmakers out of Georgia and LSU. Both hosts flagged Daniel Jones's health and effectiveness coming off an Achilles injury as the swing factor for the season. On fantasy, Jonathan Taylor remains the engine of the offense with no real competition in the backfield, while Keenan Allen's arrival is viewed as a potential target-volume drain on breakout candidate Josh Downs. Tyler Warren, RB4 last season before Jones got hurt, is viewed as a strong value if he slips to the fourth or fifth round.
Houston Texans
Odds: +110 to win the AFC South (division favorites), 18-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 9.5.
Houston overhauled its offensive line with seven total additions after CJ Stroud struggled behind poor protection last season, adding veteran David Montgomery to lean on one of the league's best defenses. Both hosts see a boom-or-bust team capable of beating anyone behind its defense but questioned whether the offense can keep pace in shootouts. On fantasy, David Montgomery is viewed as a low-ceiling volume play similar to last year's Tony Pollard, Dalton Schultz offers late-round tight end value at TE24 coming off a TE10 finish, and both hosts agree the Texans' defense is a strong but not draft-early fantasy asset.
Tennessee Titans
Odds: +800 to win the AFC South, 140-1 Super Bowl odds. Win total: 6.5.
New head coach Robert Saleh takes over play-calling duties with Gus Bradley running the defense, after Tennessee spent heavily in free agency (big deals for Wandale Robinson and John Franklin-Myers, plus multiple cornerbacks) around a still-developing Cam Ward behind the NFL's worst-ranked offensive line. Both hosts expect another difficult season, with Andrew predicting a slow start and stronger finish as Ward gains experience. On fantasy, neither host found much to like beyond a late dart throw, citing the offensive line and Calvin Ridley's disappointing prior season as red flags across the receiving corps.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Odds: +245 to win the AFC South, 30-1 Super Bowl odds. Both hosts view Jacksonville as the division's most complete team.
Liam Cohen's staff returns mostly intact after last year's division title, with Andrew calling the Jaguars the most complete roster in the division and expecting the defense — anchored by a healthy Travis Hunter playing more snaps on that side of the ball — to take another step. The team also faces an unusual schedule quirk: one home game between Weeks 4 and 11, sandwiched around two London games, due to stadium construction. On fantasy, the Bhayshul Tuten / Chris Rodriguez backfield is viewed as a lottery ticket, Parker Washington is viewed as a strong value at WR35 off a strong final nine games last season, and Brian Thomas Jr. is viewed as a boom-or-bust best-ball asset after falling from WR4 to WR42 year over year.
Screenplay Podcast Survivor Pool
The Screenplay Podcast is running its Survivor Pool again this season: $0 entry fee, $250 cash to the winner, hosted on Sleeper. Pick one team each week — win and advance, lose and you're out, with no revives. Sign up through the link on the show's Instagram page or website.
Listen to the Full Episode
New episodes of The Screenplay Podcast drop every Wednesday at 8 a.m. wherever you stream podcasts, hosted by Evan Grenus and PGA Tour winner Andrew Novak, running from now through the Super Bowl. Next week's episode covers the NFC East and West with special guest Henry Markin (@HSMarkin), a 49ers fan and sports content creator.