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I'm NFL linebacker TJ Watt and this is my personal best. YPB by Abercrombie is the activewear I'm always wearing. That's why I reached out to co design their latest drop. I worked with designers to create high performance activewear that holds up to my toughest workouts. Shop YPB by Abercrombie in store, online and in the app because your personal best is greater than any.
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Fantasy. You're in the whole 6, 010 Focus Fantasy Fantasy Focus. What's good friends welcome on into Fantasy Focus Football alongside Field Jates and Mike Clay. My name is, I think, Daniel Dopp.
C
You are giving me Daniel Dobbs.
A
Sort of.
C
Of course. I should have just googled this prior to actually beginning the show, but you look like a character from Scooby Doo right now.
A
I sort of do.
B
I am paying off my start of the week punishment by wearing a wig for the entire show. So if you do not watch our YouTube chat, now is not a bad time to be able to tune in and see it.
A
Or it's a terrible time. Well, one of those two.
B
How dare you. I thought I looked pretty good today. Thank you very much.
C
You look good. I just. You just look different.
B
I do look different.
C
Like, I have a lot of. I'm an audio podcast listener to a lot of my favorite shows, but I can't. Like, every once in a while I do dip the toe into the video version of them and it's a great experience because a lot of I do a lot of my podcasts listening in the car, driving to and from work or if I'm at the gym or something like that, where watching a video is not possible. But if you're finding yourself at night looking for something to do on a Tuesday or Wednesday when there's no football, check out Fantasy Focus on Video and you'll see some of this cool stuff.
A
This guy. Yeah. Doesn't even grind tape while driving. Like, what?
B
What do you watch?
A
Tape, bro. Come on.
C
Not on. Not while driving. No.
A
Well, maybe you should step your game up right, if you want to be the best.
C
I only do it when I'm trying to hold both of my kids at the same time. The same time. Wow. Gets them all 22 in on the packers offense.
B
For what it's worth, me wearing this wig is a punishment, like I said, for the starts of the week because I came in last place. We'll see how it goes. It's going to get my eyes a little bit here, but you mentioned being a dad. I Just wanted to throw this out there really quickly. I watched a video this morning of Shaq Barrett.
A
Yeah.
B
On Instagram.
A
Yeah.
C
That was a nasty one.
B
Jumping out of the way of projectile diarrhea. Is that a thing that you guys have had to deal with as parents?
C
Oh, Daniel, every parent gets forged in the fire. That is projectile diarrhea.
B
Okay.
A
Yeah, yeah. It's. It has happened every once in a.
B
While because like Mike Michael will sometimes send us in our group chat like these videos in the morning of just like some fun stuff. It feels like that you've been like scrolling through. And that one I almost sent to you guys and I was like, I don't know if I can send that one in a passion. I'm good, I'm good, I'm good. Speaking of, I was also pretty good last night not having to watch the dolphins go to.03. Although they were more surprising than what I thought they were going to be. They found the end zone a couple of times.
C
Gritty effort. I mean, I don't know if moral victories count or not, but they're now oh and three. But their best effort of the season. It was a seven point game. And they had an opportunity to tie the game with a little over three minutes to go. Tuo was picked off by Terrell Bernard. The Bills eventually kick a field goal that puts the game out of reach. We were talking about this pre show even last night. Like not a lot of fantasy curveballs last night.
B
No.
C
Josh Allen confirmed. Good. James Cook continues to be very busy. He is cooking so far for the Buffalo Bills. He is his own Margaret magnet. The biggest takeaway that all three of us kind of landed on is that maybe it's just more likely than not that there's not a Bills pass catcher you really want to focus on every single week.
A
Well, we might have won. How about a career high in fantasy points last night for Dalton Kincaid?
C
Okay, so we might. But like is one out of three good games for Dalton contained in F1?
A
He had his. What was it? Week one, he had 14.8. That was higher than any total he put up last year.
C
All right, so we're trending up.
A
It's definitely a change for Dalton Kincaid. The target volume is what would make me a little nervous. Cause you probably need those touchdowns to your. So to your point, five, six targets might not cut it, but he's trending the right way again. He's already had two games this year that were better than his best game all of last season. That's a point in the Right direction. Also, it seemed like they, you know, the scheme was built for him in a way yesterday, you know, so he.
B
Almost had a second touchdown down the sideline.
A
Yeah, right. He got tripped up at the one. So, yeah, I mean, he did have a dud two weeks ago, but at least he's pointed in the right direction. But I agree with the wide receivers. I mean, two duds in a row now for Keon Coleman and they just refuse to feature him. He's just not the first read most.
C
Four targets last night for Keon Coleman.
B
That is not.
C
Khalil Shakir in the offense is incredibly efficient. Josh Allen was 22 for 28. Did you guys know that? It was the. I think it was the first game in his career in which he did not complete a pass over 10 air yards down the field. They didn't need to. And I know that the Bills are not going to play a defense as bad as the Dolphins, perhaps any week going forward, except for when they play the Dolphins again.
B
Sure.
C
The schedule, though, is remarkably favorable. And by the way, the Bills aren't getting a pass from the league. The schedule is determined by a formula. They have an incredible schedule where Josh Allen could remain this insanely efficient, that even on a night in which he only has 213 passing yards and he only has 25 rushing yards, he'll still probably finish the week as a top seven or eight quarterback.
A
That's why he's so great. That's why we draft him in round three.
B
I feel like this is what we were worried about. You look at his stat line and as we said to ourselves, is this what he's going to have at halftime and then he just gets pulled and doesn't even play the second half?
A
Yeah, we talked about that on EBL last night and that the idea we were. That was what made us nervous with overs on the Bills. But we thought with the injuries for the Bills, the Dolphins will be able to hang a little bit. Also, there was a. I don't know who it was, but there was a really good post on social yesterday. McAfee used it yesterday as well. Teams that are 0 and 2 cover at a really high rate. Massive rate. Yeah. So the Dolphins sort of hanging. And there's going to be other teams that fit that bill this weekend as well. At the very least will hang in games because like you said, you're desperate. You can't go in three. You just can't go in three. In the NFL, Your season's pretty much over. I think it's in the last three years, one of 50:03 teams made the.
C
Playoffs since the new wild card format was instituted. Only the Texans a few years ago started at 03 and then went on to make the playoffs. Yeah, go ahead, finish it in this division. It's just going to be. I mean the Dolphins are all but done in the AFC east that have to go on a ridiculous run to just make a wild card spot.
A
Tyreek Hill trade, I was going to say could be getting closer.
B
We may. Honestly, the only person I feel super confident in is Devon Achan. Do you think he's. I mean, is it. Is he the second best pass catching running back in the NFL at this point? Is it CMC and then him is Jameer Gibbs right next to him? Maybe.
C
I mean term best meaning like most talented or best.
B
Let's say from a fantasy perspective for.
C
Us, it's probably Devon Hin.
B
Devon HN you think is number one.
C
He's on pace for over 100 catches this year. Now.
B
It's unreal.
C
The passing game is largely designed around the two receivers in Devon Achan we're talking about. Who was it? Oh, the Chargers where they can support potentially three receivers because they get nothing from the tight ends and the running backs. The Dolphins get nothing from the tight ends and nothing from a third receiver. So it could be Devon Achan finishes the year with 95 catches.
A
Yeah, and he's generally a very efficient player. Obviously ran the ball well by the way. Just threaded the needle perfectly because I have him in in the FF Now League. But also I had the under 12 and a half carries at exactly 12. So great job Devon. Nice job for coming through for me.
C
Way to go.
A
Just 29 yards and seven catches. You know, he's always wide open like he's whatever. That's Mike McDaniel's special skill is scheming him wide open. But the yards aren't there. It's like two is just not taking the ball and throwing it to him immediately like they had. It's not good for the offense to run it this way. They got to be better.
C
Of course not. It is not. But I don't know that they have the capacity to change things much. So Devon H.N. lock it in. Both receivers last night were solid. Tyree kill at 10 targets. Found the end zone for the first time this season. If there's anything, anything whatsoever that I will note from last night, it's now three weeks in and has been solidified. If something happens to Devon Hn, I think the first man on the Field behind him is Ollie Gordon.
B
Yeah, you're burying the lead here. Field. This was one of your headlines from the future. Earlier this off season you said that Ali Gordon was going to cement himself as the dolphins RB2. It only took three weeks and that seems very clear.
C
And he got a touchdown last night on very short goal line carry which is going to be a specialty for him. If they get the ball to the one yard line, there's a pretty decent chance Ali Gordon will get the first crack at it. Right now it's not nearly enough of a role to be in fantasy lineups, but if something happens to Devon Hn, it will be a split. It will not be the Devon Hn show like it is right now. But if something happens to Achan, then count on Ollie Gordon being a guy that we'll be talking about as a Jordan Mason type player.
A
In my opinion, there were two guys that kind of fit that bill of they were looked like they might be number two running backs, kind of late round flyers essentially insurance backs Jalen Wright and Ro Sean Johnson. Throughout the off season both of them were hurt. Both of them now have been back for one game and both of them were actually third on the depth chart. The non guy in Chicago remain the two last week. That could be a ramp up thing with Roche. Almost seen. It could be a ramp up with Jalen Wright too. But they gave Ali a lot of carries last night. That makes me think you're right.
C
Yeah, I think it's probably in the case of Kyle Manungai and Ali Gordon their job to keep for the rest of the season.
B
All right, I think that's going to do it. For our Thursday Night Football recap. There wasn't a lot to be able to take away. It was kind of a chalk performance on both sides of what we expected.
A
This project, my score projection which again was like 30. Yeah. Was almost aligned with with the book. I mean so nothing. It's not like controversial but it was almost right on target. So you're right. Chalky game.
B
All right, let's move ahead then and talk about some QBs on watch here in week three.
C
My friends, let's dive into our preview for the Sunday and the Monday ahead. By the way, just one Monday Night Football game this week. We have two more next week so we'll get right back into that double header in week four. But week three, just one. That of course being Daniels Lions and the Ravens.
B
That's right. So let's start with the Cincinnati Bengals because if you've got Joe Burrow there are a lot of questions or anyone attached to a Joe Burrow led offense. There are a lot of questions for you. So I want to just open up the field here. How much does open up the field? Maybe that's what you say right to it.
C
Yeah, I mean this is really like major storylines that we are questions that we are asking going into the weekend for week three. And I think it's obvious that how much, if at all does the Bengals offense regress with Jake Browning as opposed to Joe Burrow? I think we can categorize this two ways. One like sort of qualitatively and then second is actionable items. Jamar Chase is going to be in your lineups. No two ways about that. But if you gave me the opportunity to start Jamar in a very in a two team league where you play one receiver and it was Jamar Chase or Puka Nakua or CD Lamb, those are examples of wide receivers that might normally be behind Jamar Chase in the rankings. That he has now slid behind T. Higgins does make me nervous and I want to talk about a sneaky and we can talk about T more in a second. A sneaky slow start for Chase Brown. Yeah, it has been. And Chase is still going to be ranked very high. He's still top 14 for all three of us. The volume has been solid. The efficiency has been unbelievably poor. Yeah, and this is a smaller back behind a bad offensive line. Do you guys think there's a turnaround coming here for Chase Brown or juiced up passing game volume? Because that was the secret sauce for him last year on top of the incredible rushing production.
A
Yeah, I mean I think he's going to be okay because he's just. He has no competition and they're still going to throw the ball. He's still going to be involved in passing situations. I will get a little more into this in a second, but when Jake Browning played two years ago, Joe Mixum was very good in fantasy. So you know, he was a guy that didn't really see much of a hit. They did run him more. They were extremely pass heavy with Joe Burrow that season. They were still pass first with Jake Browning, but it was a little more balanced that allowed more rushing volume. So unless they had a running back, I don't see a big problem here for Chase Brown.
B
I am hoping that there is more pass catching available to the running back because I think normally Joe Burrow would be trying to find his guys downfield. But in this offense is there a chance we Just get more dump offs which like you said, could lead to more fantasy value for Chase Brown. First two weeks have not been as expected and that inefficiency has been not great. The only way it feels like we're going to overcome that now in this offense is with more volume in the passing game.
C
Does Sea Higgins go from in your lineup to out of your lineup?
B
He is a risky flex option for.
A
Me, not a lineup block for me. He did catch a touchdown from Browning last week, so that's good. I will say this though, hold on.
B
That touchdown that he caught, basically the two defenders tried to tackle each other then tackle T. Higgins like. Like it was. It was a weird looking play for him getting in the end zone.
A
Fair point. Not the end of my evidence though. Okay. That's his. I think we're still going to get big passing yardage totals out of this offense again. They're still going to throw the football plenty of. But look, Jake Browning stepped in last week, had 241 yards and three total touchdowns in place of Burrow. You look at those games in 20, 23, 7 games he played most of the snaps. He was actually the number four scoring fantasy quarterback during those weeks, believe it or not. He added a little bit with his legs. Three. Three. What's that?
C
I don't believe.
A
I don't believe that's true.
C
I'm believing that's true.
A
19.1 fantasy points per game, threw 11 touchdowns, ran for three more guys. He averaged 267 passing yards per game. That's a pretty big number and I don't know that that's going to change because you're still run through two extremely highly paid wide receivers and T. Higgins and Jamar Chase. By the way, last week Jamar Chase had 10 catches for 120, 128 yards. Not in the game, just with Jake Browning in the field, on the field. So I feel pretty optimistic that these guys are going to be able to hang. Chase still wide receiver 1 Higgins, not as cemented as where we drafted him, but still a guy that most weeks you'll have in your.
C
I was going to say like that's been kind of the case for Teagans throughout his career. Right. There haven't been too many like, you know, eight game stretches where you're like Tea Higgins, lock tee against lock. Like you're going to have to ride the wave a little bit with T because of the nature of this offense, his game and the fact that there's a guy named Jamar Chase opposite of.
A
Him and by the way, they're two and oh so it's not like they're owing to and they're just like all right, we're packing it in for the year. They're motivated to still try to get in the playoffs and get Joe back. And so that's good. And, and by the way, Browning, we're probably going to be talking, you know, I, I just laid out he was QB4. We're not going to rank him there, but he could have some, some streaming weeks if he plays decent ball. So he's got a, you might needed.
C
This given how many quarterback injuries.
A
Exactly, right. Yeah, he's a fine super flex head for sure.
C
Which I think brings us to the second question of the week. Right?
B
Second question of the week is what do you think about this Minnesota offense? If Carson Wentz is going to be under center, it's going to be can it get better or I mean, sorry, can it get worse than what it.
C
Feels like we see? Yes, it can get worse. It can get worse. I mean Wentz has played the stat. I know Bill Barnwell had it first and I know that 95 people have since tweeted it for the engagement without mentioning the fact that Bill dug this up first because that's how Twitter now works. I know you people who hear this know exactly what I'm talking about.
A
I'm talking about weak for Bill on this pod. Yes, it is. We love Bill. You know what?
C
Bill's everybody outstanding what he does and he works very hard as well. But this is now, I think the seventh straight year the Bill that Carson will start for a different team. Maybe it's the sixth straight year. As you know, managing maintenance, repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Grainger has your back. From professional grade products you can count on to fast, dependable delivery, they're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Grainger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner in protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by.
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Ish.
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C
The bottom line is this. Carson Wentz is well traveled. He hasn't played great football recently. Last year against the Chiefs, I'm throwing away that start. It was week 18. They were playing nobody. Yes, so it can. But. But it's not like Carson Wentz has evidence recently. We played for the Rams two years ago. Like, okay, Carson Wentz solves a lot of things. It can get worse.
A
Yep.
C
But it's not a high bar to clear. Which is why I can get better. And sometimes when your backup quarterback is coming in and it's a backup quarterback who by the way, has been with you for like three weeks maybe when signed late in training.
A
Sure.
C
Maybe it's for maybe it's a month he's been around with the Vikings. Maybe part of the mentality for Kevin o' Connell is almost treating Carson Wentz like we see teams treat young quarterbacks making early action. It's like, hey, let's like get the ball in Justin Jefferson's Hands a lot, you know, wide receiver screens and dump offs. And Jordan Mason's going to run the football a lot. So maybe things do get better for this offense. I don't have a great grip on it. Mike, what do you think?
A
Yeah, I look back at weeks one through six back in 2020 because that was the last time Carson Wentz was a regular starter. It was only lasted six games in.
C
A Colts or the Commanders. Commanders. Commanders.
A
Last time he played a handful of games in a row as a starting NFL quarterback those weeks he averaged 16.2 fantasy points per game, which is QB14, not terrible. Antonio Gibson was 24th in fantasy points. That was with a lot of JD McKissick involved in that offense as well.
C
Throwback.
A
Yeah, throwback. Terry McLaren was 41st, which isn't great. But Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson were actually top 30 in fantasy points during those weeks. Believe it or not. John Dotson hanging there in the. In the top 30. So he spread it around a little bit. It wasn't like a complete offensive disaster obviously and that was a few years ago. But I just wanted to like get a little perspective on, you know. Cause remember he got bench so it was like.
C
Yep.
A
How bad really was it? It was not great but it wasn't horrendous from a fantasy standpoint. So it gives me a little hair of optimism. I didn't like seeing where McLaren was. Hopefully he's better about featuring Justin Jefferson. I think that's the key for us. Like get enough to Hawkinson to keep him in the tight end one mix. But do not ruin our first round pick. You have to get 10 targets a game to Justin Jefferson. You do that, we will be. We will be happy.
B
That should be like a contractual thing. Like when you sign on as the quarterback, it's like you will make sure Justin Jefferson gets 10 targets a game or we're going to dock you from your game check. I feel like like that makes a ton of sense to me.
A
That's like my like my contract has a maximum of times I can go on this show.
B
Is that what it is? That's why you only do Wednesday, Thursday, Friday exact.
C
Can we reduce that?
B
Yeah, I would love to bring that down.
A
I mean that was my idea.
B
I was looking at something similar ish. When you were talking about his last year as a starter from 2016, which is when he came into the league as a rookie to 2022, his last time as a starter. Over that stretch he was the second highest passing quarterback to tight ends, only behind Patrick Mahomes. Part of that is he had a really dominant Zachary in Dallas Goddard, so he had guys to be able to factor in, you know, as a part of that offense.
C
I wonder if that's the driving force behind those kind of stack.
B
Well, I'm going to hope that this is a tj. I mean, but he knows if his tight ends are open, he knows how to be able to find him and do a thing. I'm going to hope that maybe TJ Hawkinson gets a little boost because to start the season, it has been awful for Hawkinson managers.
C
Definitely dubious on tj. We shall see though. Last thing I'll say on this offense is Kevin o' Connell's giving us some signals that this might be more on Jordan Mason's plate than we saw last year in San Francisco. We saw it last year as a runner. We might see it as a runner and a receiver, which if that's the case, you're talking about for four weeks, possibly a top 15 running back. And I believe the potential that the running back depth chart switches upon Aaron Jones return. But like if he plays great, it's not like Aaron Jones was, you know, rumbling, stumbling and bumbling in the first two weeks. If Jordan Mason plays great and gives his offense a jolt of energy in the running game, he could remain as the lead back going forward.
A
And by the way, Mason already had a pretty good handle on carries as is. So if he picks up his receiving a little bit, he's had some kind words about Xavier Scott too. I don't know if that was coach speak or they.
C
Kevin's a nice guy.
A
Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean that's.
C
He is like the nicest coach in the entire league.
A
Yeah.
C
And.
A
And that. I've said the same thing within the last, you know, the first two shows of the week. Like Mason has a path to all of it. Yeah, he really does. I mean, he does. If he played 74% of the snaps this week and has 19 carries against a defense that you could run on Cincinnati and has four targets, that would be great. And that would not be shocking either.
C
Like Chase Brown of 2025.
A
Yeah. I mean, not as the Chase Brown of 2025. Oh, got it, got it, got it. I don't know if a little different. Yes.
C
A job where the guys are kind of splitting duties early and all of a sudden one of them just goes to the moon.
B
We got more quarterbacks we got to talk about, unfortunately, guys, because Jaden Daniels has not practiced either the first two days. And we were kind of told like, Friday's the day we're looking for. Today's the day. I want to see like does he practice? What does he look like? Assuming that he's out there. We got two different conversations here. If Jaden Daniels is out there, how are you guys approaching these two pass catchers? And if he's not out there and it's Marcus Mariota, how are we doing it that way? So let's start with Daniels on the field.
C
Yeah.
A
So.
C
And by the way, if you're listening to this, you might already have this information. So we apologize. We're taping this or we're having this conversation at 10:20am Eastern Time. Yeah. You're playing them like you have been playing him so far this season. I still have. I have depressed expectations for Terry McLaurin, but nine targets last week, that's important. And Deebo has back to back games with seven catches. Like, and I think I saw it's the stats already out. Maybe it was Mike, what was the number of catches out of those 14 that have been like at or behind the line of script?
B
Oh, that was nine. That was me.
A
Yeah, that was you.
C
That was somebody.
A
That's guy of the show. That was.
B
Yeah, he has nine catches at or behind the line of scrimmage. Zero yards.
A
It's.
C
Which is fine. Oh, who cares for PPR scoring? Who cares?
B
Dude, half the time I want to just. Just throw the ball there, give me the one point and let the guy make a play with his legs. Like how many guys in the NFL tonight?
A
Exactly.
C
It doesn't matter. So, yeah. So Debo is a top 30 wide receiver option for me. McLaurin probably a couple spots. Just a couple spots higher.
B
I have him a couple spots lower actually than you, but I mean I've been. I've swapped them, but we have them in the same range.
C
Great matchup. As Mike referred to yesterday, do you.
B
Think that if you have Marcus Mariota under center that you would move one of these guys higher up than the other?
C
Debo be higher for me and McLaren would drop down below.
B
I think that's where I was looking at it too.
A
Yeah, I looked at. There was one game last year where Mario to filled in for Daniels. Remember that game against the Panthers? He left like right off the bat. And that was a great matchup against the Panthers, but this is also a great matchup. So I thought there was something to learn from this. And Mariota played great. He was 18 of 23 for 205 yards, two touchdowns, ran for 34 yards McLaren caught all six of his targets for 98 yards and Zachary scored a touchdown and had 40 yards in that game. Ben Senate also caught a touchdown in the game as well. So he leaned a little toward the tight ends. And that one, maybe some short range looks for Deebo makes sense, but McLaren, he had a good connection with McLaren. I think that is notable if you're, if you're panicking a little bit there.
B
All right, we'll continue to monitor that. Obviously that's probably one of the biggest ones because that's still in play here heading into week three.
C
Yep. And the good news about Jada Daniels, I mean the injury sucks, but given how prominent of a player he is, oh man. Everybody will know exactly what his status is by probably this afternoon, but definitely by Sunday morning.
B
Let's talk about one more quarterback. We've had two unbelievable weeks of Daniel Jones. I did not believe. I mean first week made a ton of sense against the Dolphins. Second week I did not see this one coming against the Denver Broncos. Mike, do you believe that two weeks is enough time to be able to say that this guy is a lock it in, set it and forget it starter, or do you need to see one more week here against the Tennessee Titans?
A
I, I'm curious to see what he does in this one because the Titans have been terrific so far against quarterbacks. They second fewest fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford at 17.3 and then a crush Bo Nick 6.8 in the opener. And by the way, that's despite facing the 8th most pass attempt so far. So they've done a really nice job. If Jones puts together a top 10 week against this defense now. So three, whether that be 22 plus points and three, three in a row. If he could pull that off, then yeah, I mean he's a weekly QB one, I mean with his rushing ability, even if he has a down passing day, he's going to lift the floor rushing the ball. So he's getting there in the conversation. I'm still, let's say cautious pessimism on this one. Based on. Because we've seen this before. We have, we've seen him do this before and then go right down the tube. So we'll see. Still cautious pessimism. That's where I'm at right now.
C
This is a note that goes out the door after this weekend. But at this time last year going into week three, the best offense in fantasy football was New Orleans Saints. So tread lightly on making sure or sort of writing things in stone.
A
Just two games. I will say this. I will say this. Sometimes a great team can protect a average or below average quarterback. I talked about this in the preseason. I felt like the Colts had a borderline top five roster quarterback aside and maybe that counts for something. If they stay healthy and he just stays in his lane and does his thing, maybe, maybe he can hang and just put together a big season. So maybe, maybe I'm. Maybe it's cautious optimism now. I don't know. Maybe I'm talking to myself and Clay.
B
Yeah.
A
Flip Flopping. I think he'll be a streamer matchup dependent streamer. But maybe, maybe not. Maybe.
B
Where do you guys have him this week?
A
I think I've got him as a top 12 guy. I'm at 10 after we pulled out Jones from last night. So borderline starter. Yeah.
C
I'm going to bite my tongue because I've got some thoughts on Danny Dimes later on.
B
I like it Field. All right, that's going to do it for QBs on watch heading into week three. Let's talk about a bunch of backfields that now through two weeks we still have a bunch of questions on trying to figure out what's real and what isn't real. I want to start in the Giants backfield. Cam Scatterboo and Tyrone Tracy taken on the Kansas City Chiefs who have, I believe allowed like they're one of the best defenses through the first two weeks against running back so far, 17, just.
A
To put a number on it, 17.4 points to Saquon Barkley, which is fine.
B
If you hold saquon to under 18.
A
Chargers running backs had 10.1 combined. So they've done a nice job. Yep.
C
So we do this is. It's like one, none or both in terms of who we're starting here. Right. And it might be that a lot of these skewed towards a particular part of that category. But cam Scatter Boo vs Tyrone Tracy Jr is a very interesting one. Tracy dominated snaps in week one. Scatter Boo I think had three total opportunities in that game. And then last week, especially as the game kind of got rolling here, Scatterboo took over. He was the man. Yep. Not totally surprising because we talked about this all off season that like these guys both like Scott who has legit talent.
A
Right.
C
And Tracy had a grip on the starting job. But it's not like he was a second round pick. He was a fifth round pick. I thought Tracy ended up being a decent round value. I think where I land for this week is because each of them has Had a chance to play meaningful snaps. If I had to guess, coming into the week, Scatterboo plays a bit more sort of a hot hand approach, but not to the point that I can state with confidence that either of them is a top 20 running back. And in very few leagues do I have a running back in my flex position.
A
Yeah, a couple of things here. First of all, agree I'm not starting either one. If I had to pick one, it's Scatter Boo this week, especially because Tracy's been out of practice too. So that's a factor here. I agree that this could flip flop quickly because if you combine their numbers so far, it is atrocious. They're averaging 2.9 yards per carry and 4.3 yards per target. Terrible. Yeah, maybe. I don't know. I don't think so. I think they'll try to get the most out of one of these guys and the other pieces. And this is. This is for you, field. You're not going to like this.
C
Air yards.
A
This is bad. No, this is bad news for Tyrone Tracy Jr. He was our kick returner last week. That's always. That's always not. He was not in week one. Week two, he was. And then you're like, okay, that's not great because that means it's possibly going to take, you know, maybe Scatter Boo is the one A. Now if Tracy's going to focus a little bit on returns, which that's more valuable now. Like that is a team isn't going to say you're on return so you're less valuable. They're going to say, you know, we need you there. That's huge now because you're returning basically every kick, so. But not great for fantasy, obviously.
B
You said Chargers had how many points from the running backs last week?
C
10.4.
A
Two weeks ago, the Chargers against them against 10.1.
B
Would you take the over under or on 10.1 fantasy points?
C
I think that you have to take the overs because it's such a low number. That being said, it's a very good run.
B
How about this? Would you take the over under on either running back reaching 10 fantasy points?
A
You know, it's hilarious.
C
My projections have amazing.
A
Oh, my God. No, I'm not even joking. My projection, I swear to God, I'm not making this up. My projections are 10, 30.1 and 10.4. Wow. That's just a coincidence.
C
That is amazing.
B
That's so good. Okay. But I would rather not start either of these guys, especially because they would be flex plays. They're not RB twos. And in the flex just like you field, I have a number of wide receivers that I would probably rather start than a running back by committee.
C
By the way, I think I heard some Delco coming out of that last sentence by you, Mike.
A
What's that? What did I say?
C
Doco is a Philadelphia. It's reference to a Philadelphia accent.
A
What did I say?
C
The way you said hilarious sounded very Del.
A
Hilarious.
C
Hilarious the way you said it. Now you're focusing too much.
A
Yeah. Now thinking about it.
C
Yes.
A
Just another word I say wrong, guys. Correct.
B
When you were talking about a quarterback going down the tubes, was that Daniel Jones? All I was thinking of was Mario. Mario. How do you say it?
A
Mario.
B
Mario. Yeah, you say that.
C
That's a word you say wrong.
A
I know it is, but that, you know, I have to stick with it now.
B
Yeah.
A
At this point, it's a shtick now.
C
No, it's.
A
It's.
C
It's incorrect. It's disrespectful to a fictional character. Joe would say that's respectful.
A
No, he wouldn't.
B
We didn't even talk about the one number one quarterback. That should be on everyone's minds. Are you guys going to watch the Chad Powers season on Hulu? No. Have you not seen any of this?
A
Yes.
B
Okay. All right. I was just curious.
A
Yes, of course.
B
All right.
A
Sports brand.
C
No idea what you're talking about.
B
Nope, he doesn't. That's. All right.
A
Chad Powers is. That's the Eli Manning thing, right?
C
Eli Manning 1 under covers as Chad Powers now being acted by somebody just a little bit different than Eli Little.
B
A little different than Eli. But it is now going to be a TV show. All right, let's dive into another backfield here because the Seattle Seahawks have been really frustrating for fantasy major.
A
Boys, boys, boys, though.
C
Boys, boys, boys. Might have a little bit of an opportunity here, gentlemen. In which way back days, Zach Charbonnet.
A
Has not practiced no practice.
C
Seattle Seahawks with a foot injury gets a DNP for a third straight day. That probably tells us it is not going to be Kenneth. It is not going to be Zach Charbonnet on the field on Sunday. Either way, we talked about this last week. Mike laid out all the numbers, which are. They're not opinions, people. They're numbers. They're facts. Kenneth Walker III actually played less in week two than in week one. He just was incredibly efficient. Back to back games of Zach Charbonnet being bad on the ground. Maybe two games of Zach Charbonnet underperforming. Plus Zach Charbonnet now being banged up could lead us to what we need, which is one week for Kenneth Walker III to be the man by himself and to have an opportunity to rush for like 140 yards and a touchdown against the Saints, by the way, and just take this backfield over.
B
It's going to be the door is open.
C
The door is open, people.
A
Yeah, I'm glad you put it that way because we haven't seen him being featured as the one yet.
C
Yep.
A
But the door is open for him to take control.
C
Just takes one game, right?
A
And, and you're right, this is a great opportunity against this defense. Against Saints, 22.7 points to Christian McCaffrey, a combined 22.9 to James Conner and Trey Benson. And again, if Charbonnet doesn't play or is limited, it could be Walker taking most of that most of that work. So yeah, he has a shot.
C
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B
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C
Event invites and pin messages so no.
B
One forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption.
C
It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn more@WhatsApp.com Random note to share with you guys to get your opinion on. So the game is in Seattle on Sunday, 4:05 kickoff time. The Saints left for Seattle yesterday. Thursday. The Saints traveled for a road game on Thursday.
A
Well, they're running the fastest offense in the NFL, so you know, they got to stay ahead. You know, that's, that's their thing this year.
B
Maybe they wanted to see the redwoods.
C
Yeah.
B
They must be have something up there they're owing to.
A
Right. They got to win. They got to win.
C
Yes. But like I've seen teams like in the, like the dead winter who are playing a tropical team go somewhere south to get a little bit of heat exposure. Right. Like the Chiefs and Chargers left on Wednesday for a Friday game in Brazil. Yes. And I just, I don't know why that was intriguing to me, but I haven't heard of a team leaving three days before a road game. It's like a four hour flight.
A
Tell you what, if they pull off the upset before, they're going to be like maybe they're onto something here.
B
Helen Moore really wanted to get down to the fish market in Seattle before it closed.
A
Maybe that's what it was, a little vacation. Yeah.
C
You know, by the way, if Charbonne's out, Walker would be a lineup lock for me. Lock him in.
B
You're not worried about George Holani?
A
Yeah.
B
Being able to come in and out. Snap Ken Walker, the third in this one.
C
Well, that happens. I will go into a deep, dark place.
B
I feel like this is set up for, this is fantasy land. Right. But this is set up for Ken Charbonnet. Ken Sharon, Zach Charbonnet doesn't play because of that. We have huge expectations because of the matchup and then Ken Walker ends up with like eight fantasy points and we're.
C
Like, now what are we supposed to. Well, now that you said that, it'll probably happen, so thanks.
A
I will say this. I do. And I've talked about this before. I love Ken Walker. I think he's a top 10 talent at running back and I think he'll take advantage of this opportunity. So I'm with field. If he goes, I have high. You have to, you have to play. There's no shot of my expectations.
B
Agreed. Agreed. Let's talk about the Patriots Running backs. But maybe we keep this as quick as possible because it's just gross talking about it.
C
Yeah. It's straightforward for right now. Right. Ramon Dre Stevenson is going to be the man in his backfield. It might be that Antonio Gibson plays a little more than he has in the first two weeks. So until Travion Henderson re earns those opportunities in the Patriots backfield are going to keep him on benches, I think. Here's what I would say the path the hope is for Travion Henderson managers is one like he gets a few opportunities in this game and he shows the spark.
A
Yes.
C
One 36 yard run, one long pass catch, one dazzling kickoff return to remind the Patriots, hey, like you need a little more dynamic ability in the backfield.
B
Dynamicism.
C
Sure. That works the other one and this would be not fun for the Patriots. But like we know Ramondra Stevenson puts the ball on the ground.
A
Yeah.
C
If he puts the ball on the ground once or twice in this game, it could easily flip back to even if it's not Henderson by himself. Henderson playing a more prominent role than he is expected to play this week.
A
Yeah. And he is playing well when he's had opportunities. 4.6 yards per. Gary, he's caught all eight of his targets so they just don't trust him yet. Like I said, he hasn't been given opportunities to pass block. He just hasn't been out there. So for now, Stevenson is the guy. And by the way, The Steelers allowed 16 plus fantasy points to Ken Walker and Breeze hall already. So maybe Stevenson's the third one online. If you have to pick between the two, he just has to be the guy. He's dominating usage in the passing game and the running game.
B
Another guy that I just continue to want to be able to put in trade offers for Travion Henderson until he takes off. Because I do believe that there is a finite amount of time that Ramandre Stevenson will be the lead back of this offense.
A
You could fill in the blank for basically all the rookie running backs. Yes.
B
Yeah.
A
Just put in like they're all under.
B
Trade offers for all these guys.
A
I mean.
C
Yeah, this got me thinking. I just want to.
B
Let's think about it. Let's think about it.
C
There was an offer that I was thinking about making you. You prompted that. I want to see if this.
B
All right.
A
You will take the show over. You just do your trades.
C
You guys have been taking the show over for the entirety of the season right now.
B
Ramon Dre Stevenson taking on the Steelers this week, not an RB2 I guess a shaky flex play.
A
29. Yeah.
C
Yeah.
A
Okay. I would say low ceiling flex option. Right.
B
If you have to. If you're bench.
A
Yeah.
B
I'd rather go a different direction, but if you need him with how she's playing.
A
Agreed. You probably have a better opt. But yeah.
B
All right, let's talk about another rookie running back, Mike Clay, because a good one. Quinch on Judkins. Oh, I mean, we got our first look last week and he actually looked pretty fantastic for the Cleveland Browns running the football. It was clear he had 13 touches, 71 total yards, 10.1 fantasy points. Clearly looked like he's going to be the future of this backfield after one game. He has more fantasy points than Ashton Genty, more fantasy points than Omarion Hampton, more fantasy points than Travion Henderson. It is so frustrating right now. The only rookie running back with more fantasy points than Quinn, Sean Judkins, is his teammate Dylan Sampson right now. We did not choose this when we thought this was going to be an unbelievable running back draft class.
A
And you know what's wild is Jerome Ford actually crushed him in snaps last week, too. So all three guys played. That's the concern right now. However, I do think the fact that he was not. Yes. The fact that he was out for so long, just joined the team at like two practices and was immediately the leader in terms of carries at three targets. Yeah, that's just going to ramp up. So I think this is a guy pretty quickly that's going to get a pretty, pretty high chunk of the carries and obviously a handful of targets. I don't know how long it's going to take until we phase these other guys out because they can't keep going with three. Someone's got to be out.
C
It's probably.
A
However, ford again played 35 steps. He's actually led the backfield in snaps both games, even though Sampson was the better fantasy option. And we just. I will say this about Judkins if I'm picking between the three, certainly he's the choice in fantasy, but I only have him projected for nine points against the packers.
B
So Green Bay.
A
That's why for 2.4 yards per carry so far, they're shutting down the run.
C
Gave script a problem too here.
A
Yeah. So I don't. I don't necessarily want him in my lineup, but if I have him on my team, I feel like, okay, I might get. I might get RB2 numbers going forward. Yeah.
B
Love that field. Anything different or you cosign on all those things?
C
I cosign all Right. Cosign Sohcahtoa.
B
Let's talk about another rookie running back then, because this has just been the bane of our existence right now. Amari and Hampton, we had huge X expectations coming out of the draft. Do you still believe Field Jates that Amari and Hampton is a must start for fantasy managers that drafted him, knowing how much more the team has relied on the passing?
C
No, definitely not a must start. He is outside my top 20 for this week, but I mean, he could certainly be a starter for some teams. I think we all by now know the negatives. The negatives are that he is not seeing that much work. Najee Harris, more work in week two than he did in Week one. Hampton's hardly being used in the passing game. So let's try to look for the positives.
A
Three straight goal line carries last week. None. None worked. But I mean, they tried.
C
It's hard to find many more positives than that. Yeah. Other than the fact that he's this very talented player. Right. But it's like the usage went down from week one to Week two. The snaps went down from week one to Week two. This is a team that's going to be, as we discussed yesterday, very pass heavy. And while there are other offenses that might be stuck in neutral at best, where you'd say to yourself, like, Zach Charbonnet should not be playing as much as Kenneth Walker the third because he's ineffective. Like, who's going to decry the Chargers throwing the ball like they have been so far, given the fact that they're two and oh, with, you know, probably the best resume, so to speak, or one of the best resumes in the AFC so far. Like, there's no reason for them to fix what's not broken right now. So yeah, it's, it's, it's pretty dire at the moment. Pretty dire.
A
Guys, I will say this. If you want a positive, if you're thinking about, oh man, I really want.
C
To plug him in Broncos run defense.
A
Yeah. Remember this happened a couple years ago against the Dolphins and Devon H. That massive breakout game and it. I remember it was wild. Well, it kind of happened last week, too. 215 yards and 29. 29.5 fantasy points for Jonathan Taylor. So maybe that's it. Maybe if that. Look, if Hampton does get, he still played 62% of the snaps. That's a decent number for a lead back. So if that continues, the efficiency improves and maybe in this game he finds the end zone and the efficiency, he might finish RB 15 or 10 or you know what I mean. So there's enough here that keeps him in the conversation. But Also I have RB26 so the bottom line is you probably do have a better option.
B
Yeah, unfortunately I there I have a league where I have Amarian Hampton and I'm thinking about replacing him unfortunately with a wide receiver in my flex spot. I thought it was going to be Omarion Hampton and Ladd McConkey as the two fantasy like trustworthy guys in this offense. It has been Quinton Johnston and Keenan Allen. So that has been a frustrating two weeks weeks to start the season for us to say.
C
Yep.
B
Let's talk about the Jaguars backfield field yesterday. Yesterday last week when we were on fantasy football. Now Shefty came on and said some things about baal Tootin, Adam and when Adam talks, we listen.
C
Yeah. And I know you were gone on Tuesday but that's why he was in the must ads for the waiver wire this week. Grab yourself some Bashel Tutin who saw an improved role in week two compared to week one. He had a receiving touchdown as well. But that's for like the rest of the season for week three still clearly the Travis ETN show. He should be started as a top 20 play this week. Tutin is a nice bench option who we could be talking about in a different light half a dozen weeks from right now. Maybe sooner than that, maybe later than that. But yes, to be very clear, still the Travis ETN Jr show.
A
Yeah, it was 46 to 18 in snaps and that was also you had Lequin Allen played 11 snaps and ran seven routes. I mean ETN still dominated. So we're not there. We're honestly we're nowhere close on tune. We're nowhere close. He, he might need an ETN injury or he needs ETN to struggle for.
C
A couple or the Jaguars lose like five straight games.
A
They sort of shake stuff up. Yeah, well once which I don't think they're going to. Yeah. If something changes or the snaps flip flop then we can have a conversation about starting him. For now he's a bench dash.
B
Basil Tutin available still in 53% of.
C
Leagues after watts raining in the right direction.
A
Yeah. And honestly that's fine. I think that's fine. In 10 team leagues, you know we have some as you guys know. I mean in 10 team leagues oftentimes your bench is like got some good players here. Oh yeah, of course. Yeah.
B
Let me ask you this because we just talked about two other backfields. If you had Jerome Ford on your bench and Bashel Tutin was out there in the waiver wire. Would you drop Jerome Ford?
A
I would want two and over Ford. Yeah.
B
What about Najee Harris in that backfield? Would you rather have Bashel Tutin than Najee Harris?
A
Yes. Okay.
B
Just looking at the last two backfields that we talked about and seeing a couple guys that are rostered in enough leagues that you could consider dropping someone. All right, let's talk about the Arizona Cardinals. We thought this was going to be a little bit of the. We thought this was going to be the James Conner show and that Trey Benson was going to get more run. We heard the coaches talk about it. James Conner in the off season talked about it. It hasn't. I mean, James Conner has gotten far more opportunities, but Trey Benson has been unbelievably efficient and very productive.
C
I think there's a caveat here that needs to be mentioned and Mike either said this directly or referenced it. Arizona's played two cupcakes to start the season. I think part of what they're doing, like the first couple of weeks has just been like, let's work on things that we in an ideal world would have buttoned up. But when they played the 49ers this weekend, a team that's also two and oh, a team that is good even if Mac Jones is starting for the 49ers, I think it's going to be the James Conner show because they're going to try to win this game and they may not be up by 24 points in the third quarter.
A
Yeah, and by the way, the snap, if you compare, you know, all the categories of Connor to Benson, Connor has an edge of 64 to 43 in snaps, 23 to 11 in carry. So Marlin doubling them routes are about even. Connor actually has 10 more fantasy points as well. And you might say, well, that's just because of the touchdowns. Two to nothing. That's just because of the touchdowns, which is true. However, if you look at carries inside the five yard line, all Connor, three to nothing edge for him there. Benson does have one more target, but I don't know that that's going to sustain because as I talked about in the off season, James Conner is the best catch rate among running backs in the NFL since he came into the league. I mean, among qualified pass catchers, of course. So he's really good at that and I don't think he's going anywhere. He's playing fine. Yeah.
C
Nice to see for Trey Benson. We were probably a year too early in anointing him like A must have insurance policy. Last year he hardly played. You can see why they use a third round pick on him this year. Yes, but still not enough to take away from James Conner's value.
B
I think he needs to be rostered though. Like, he looks like he's got a lot more juice than James Conner does when you see him out there making those big plays.
A
Yeah, if we're talking like Tootin or him, it's him. He's one of the best insurance backs in the league. If something happens to James Conner, I mean, we're gonna be ranking fringe top 10 for sure.
C
Totally. Yeah. And by the way, yes, he has more juice than James Conner. The good news is like, like we haven't been drafting James Conner for his juice. Right. We've been drafting James Connor for his elite volume, his excellent power running and his outstanding, as Mike mentioned, power, yes. Receiving ability.
B
By the way, Trey Benson still available in 45% of leagues right now. Like, I think he should be on some rosters. All right, last one is another rookie running back and we're talking about RJ Harvey and J.K. dobbins. Mike, this has been the J.K. dobbins show to start the season. Unfortunately for Harvey managers.
A
Yeah. Again, looking at the edges, same thing I just did in the other categories. Edges are 62 to 39 in Snapchat snaps, 30 to 11 in carries. Dominating the carries. And then passing game usage is where it gets tricky because it's a three man weave in passing situations. It's 21 to 20 in routes, four to three in targets over RJ Harvey. But Tyler bidet, eight targets on 24 snaps. So you have 21 routes, 20 routes, 17 routes. They're using all three guys in any sort of rotation. And by the way, they're playing the Chargers who've led the third most fantasy points to running back so far. Not a good situation here. Three guys playing. Did I say third most? Yeah, yeah. Third view is. So Dobbins is my top of the group easily, but he's 28th in my rankings.
C
He's a flex option this week.
A
Yeah, yeah.
B
Would rather not if we did not have to. Well, hopefully we get a couple of nice games from these rookie running backs because through the first two weeks of the season they have not returned value based on where we have drafted them slow starts. But I think we're gonna get into a better spot as the season.
C
Really the one that I think that we need. And this is a bit selfish because I do have some investment in him. I think we all do is we need an Ashton Genti breakout. We absolutely need, like just it's. It's the sixth overall pick in the draft. He's already saying some things that I interpret as like a touch of frustration. He had some comments about, like, I don't think you draft me 6 overall to not play me a ton, basically. There's not like friction, I don't think. I just think that he.
B
That's like the Devonte Adams statement last year, wasn't it? Didn't Devonte Adams say something similar where it's like, you don't pay me all of this money to not throw me the football. Or am I making that up? Was that another wide receiver that had said something like that?
A
It sounds like something a receiver would say. I just don't know which one it was.
B
Like someone had said, I feel like it was Devonte Adams and they were talking about, like, what's the best way to win the football game? Well, giving me the football is the best way to win the football game.
A
Like, that's like an annual tradition somewhere. Wide receiver.
B
Someone's going to say that somewhere.
C
But we really need one for Ashton Genti because it's the stickiest of any of the players that we've talked about, right? Like, there's zero and there should be zero competition for opportunity here. Omarion Hampton's nipping on the heels there and I'm not saying that Najee Harris is any great shakes, but Najee Harris is like a, he was a four year starter for the last four years in the NFL. Like it's, it's, it's definitely. He's more competition by himself than anything that Ashton Genti faces in Las Vegas.
A
If there's a big topic next week, like the grand topic of the week, I hope it's breakout week three for rookie running backs. I'm like, that's what we want. We need these guys.
C
Donate.
B
All right, let's talk about some tight ends here. Some tight end talk. We had an injury we'll dive into at the very end of this one. But I want to talk about some guys that will potentially be playing this week. Sam Laporta has kind of struggled through the first two weeks. Feel James sort of 13.9 fantasy points.
C
But I think Laporta falls in the category of you either do or you don't. And I do. Like, you just do. Like you just play them right. Like there's going to be enough solid weeks to offset the dud weeks like last week of 5.6 points. The way that we are ranking each week is which player has the highest chance to finish as the top scoring player at his position. Right. I think Sam Laporte has a better chance to be a tight end one or the tight end one than guys like Mark Andrews or Dallas Goddard or players that are Jake Ferguson a little bit further down the list. He's super talented in a very explosive offense.
A
Yeah, I take umbrage with saying he's struggling. Okay. He had 13 plus fantasy points and six straight games tracing back to last year before last week. Love that he heated up in the second half last year. He got the target share back on track after a terrible start and he's been fine ever since. So target share overall is up from last season. He had a big week one. Yes, he had a dud last week, but the offense was terrific. They just didn't need him really last week. And by the way, the Ravens have already allowed 40 plus yards to three tight ends. Only played two games so far. Two were Chicago or Cleveland, and one of them, Harold Fannin, who's basically playing wide receiver, but nonetheless, that position has. Has done a nice job against them.
C
So what does Sam Laporta look like he does for a living when you're watching him on this?
B
He looks like Luigi. He looks like Mario.
A
Like.
B
He looks like the other side of. Yeah, whatever's going on there. Yeah, a little bit.
C
He. That is Mario plus mustache right there. Joe Fortenbaugh is somewhere right now. Oh, my God. That is just like. That is. Joe Fortenbaugh is so envious.
B
He's upset. Yeah, he's upset because it's someone stealing his thunder here. I do want to say this. Detroit Lions over the last 25 years have only beat the Ravens one time.
C
How often have I played over the past.
B
Six times.
C
Six times.
B
So they've won one game and 67.
C
Yard field goal a few years.
B
It did not feel good. My buddy Kurt was at that game with his daughter and she did not totally understand what happened when that happened.
C
Why is my father crying?
B
Yeah, what's happening? Like the whole stadium just like did this thing. But it feels like if you look at the way that the Ravens have played offense Detroit, this could be like a shootout game. And that's why I like Sam Laporta for sure in this one. That would be fantastic. What about Kyle Pitts? I mean, can I ask?
C
I think he's close. I think he's trending. Not to the same tier. Trickorta. No, I think he's. Either you play him or you don't. Right. Like he's clearly more involved in this offense.
B
He is.
C
We are. I don't think we're ever going to get back to the point that we had hoped for early on in Kyle Pitts career, but in a position that is exceedingly thin.
B
Yep.
C
I think Kyle Pitts is somewhere between the 8th and 12th best tight end in fantasy football. How's that for a take?
A
That's a good take. He is. He's seen career highs in snapshare, route participation and target share so far. All good things. And that includes his rookie season when he was tremendous in fantasy and at over a thousand yards. And also the Panthers have allowed the most yards tight end so far this season. So a good matchup. The only thing I'll say is we have all this optimism for him and his, his stats have not been good so far. He is 59 yards in week one, which is fine. He had 37 last week. So he's trending the right way in terms of usage. But the fantasy output has not been there. But cautious optimism here on Kyle Pitts. I agree he's a fringe starting option.
C
Again, it's the context of Kyle Pitts hasn't been great. But when you juxtapose him with the guy we're going to talk about next, Mark Andrews, he feels like Peak Gronk.
A
Yeah.
B
Do you have cautious. Go ahead, Go ahead.
A
I just wanted to say since I took Umbridge on laporte, I want to take Umbridge here as well because I disagree. I think Kyle Pitts is what, 24. I think he can get back to where he was as a rookie. A post. Post someday, post type sleeper. Yeah, I think he can get back.
C
I do not.
A
He used the raw skills and sometimes these guys that come in, you know, it takes him a while and maybe he turns the corner.
C
I don't know. Like, is there a board bet here that has like a 10 year shelf life on it, you know.
A
Well, you'll be retired by then, so that's. You'll be on to NFL draft full time.
C
Wow.
A
Retired from.
C
Excuse me.
A
Well, I'm just saying you're. You're.
B
Yes. You're gonna be. You'll probably be hosting get up and then you'll be like there's a lot that's gonna be happening.
A
Yeah.
C
I don't think America won.
A
Yeah, I mean we know you're, you know, working on the hair so you can host one of them big shows.
B
That's it.
A
Have your own the field, you got a haircut.
B
Though recently, it looks like. Did you get yesterday? I was gonna say it looks nice.
C
You guys. 48 minutes to say it didn't take.
B
Me 48 minutes to notice. I just didn't want to one up Mike Clay by noticing before he did.
C
Everybody's distracted by your work.
B
Yeah, that's what it is. Mike, do you have cautious optimism on Mark Andrews? That seems to be a theme for you today.
A
Umbrage on his utilization since last year. Umbridge is the word of the day. Seven yards and four targets in two games so far, and that's with Isaiah likely out and that's with him playing almost 80% of their offensive snaps. The Lions have done a terrific job against tight end, so I don't think that changes. And honestly, if I'm looking at waivers and I see Isaiah likely out there, I'm throwing them on the end of my bench because I think there's at least a chance that they say, you know what? Likely is our tight end of the future. Andrews is not going to be on this team next year. I can't imagine. I would be surprised if that were the case.
C
I'm not sure he's even a contract for next year.
A
Yeah. So. Yeah, maybe not. So I think there's a chance. They say likely he's the guy of the future. He's going to be a free agent. So he's the guy they're going to resign. I would imagine in the off season. We're going to feature him now he's our guy. That I'm not saying that will happen, but it's at least a possibility to the point that I would put him on my bench because if he becomes that feature target in this offense and as a 18, 20% target share, he's going to be a tight end one and he's out there sitting on waivers in most leagues.
C
I said this two weeks ago, maybe a week and a half ago somewhere on the show that Isaiah likely was one of my favorite dynasty targets. Because you were getting him for nothing. Because he was hardly playing. He wasn't playing. Excuse me. And it's like if he duds this week as well, Isaiah likely does. Which is possible. Right. Like we have seen him be on the field and not have monster production. I would still make that offer because to Mike's point, a year from now, the Ravens offense through the passing game is going to be built amongst or between or around Zay Flowers 1 and either Rashad Bateman or Isaiah likely to. I get it's a very low passing volume offense that being said, if you can be potentially the number two target for a Lamar Jackson offense.
A
Yeah. By the way, if you think we're overrating Isaiah likely, go back to the offseason. Jeremy Fowler goes around and talks to GMs and coaches and he gets anonymous rankings essentially of all the tight ends. Mark Andrews was, I think, like fourth on that list. Isaiah likely was eighth. So team, you know, front office evaluators felt like the 8th best tight end in the NFL right now. Is Isaiah likely. So he is going to get paid this offseason?
C
Yeah, I think it's going to happen maybe during the season. Like a nice $15 million per year.
A
That'd be awesome. Yeah. Make that. Make your dynasty trade before that happens.
C
Ready for this? It's. This is the arc that I would think there's a chance he follows. Do you guys recall when the Browns paid David and Joku and everybody was like, like, oh my God, that's a lot of money. A lot of money for that guy. He then exploded.
A
Yep.
C
Same thing could happen with it.
A
I agree.
B
I would love that. All right. Do you guys remember when. Who was it that played Austin Hooper.
A
A bunch of money.
B
Was it the Browns? Browns paid Austin Hooper a bunch of money.
A
Yeah.
B
I feel like we have more tight end, big tight end paychecks than I had ever realized in recent years. And they're not even just for pass catching.
C
The problem is that, that it's the top of the market so low that like it's, it's insane to me. And we're getting off track here. Let me do it for 10 seconds.
B
I love being off track. Please.
C
The fact that Travis Kelce's highest per year salary was $17 million, like peak. Travis Kelce was making half of what these top receivers are making is mind boggling.
A
Yep. Wild. Agreed.
B
That's why he had to marry up. I like, that's really what it is. He's struggling right now. Everyone knows it.
C
So it's like 17mil per year to.
B
Live off of one more tight end that we have to make sure that we mention Tucker Kraft unfortunately got hurt at practice yesterday. We're going to continue to monitor that situation. Check out fantasy football now on Sunday morning. We'll have the latest.
C
It's strange, but it was like, but I don't know, like the fir. The first report was kind of ominous. Like, hey, he avoided something serious.
B
Correct.
C
Like got hurt. Then the follow reporting was like, hey, after evaluations, like, things look pretty good. Is that pretty good compared to like a torn ACL or is that pretty good? Like, hey, he's pretty good to play this weekend. We'll get some clarity probably by Friday at 4pm you know, I have a.
A
League where I start two tight ends. And I picked up Luke. I have craft, so I picked up Luke Musgrave just in case. But it sounds like he might play this week, so I'm not super concerned about it.
B
Okay, let's move on our starts of the week.
A
Yeah.
B
As a reminder, I'm wearing a wig today because I lost a bet. Mike had to wear a jersey also earlier this week. We're trying to pay them off a little bit.
A
Haven't been too punishy.
B
They haven't been too punishy yet. But I have a feeling that, especially in our YouTube chat, if you want to head in there and give us a handful of punishments you think should make the punishment wheel, we can add stuff to it. Absolutely.
A
Yeah. I think if we use one, we should cross it off and replace it.
B
Agreed.
A
Oh, yeah.
C
If we got a good suggestion. I am all about that.
B
Yeah, let's make that happen. One thing I want to say quickly before we get to the start of the week. My start of the week today is going to be my wife, Rosie Shimada, because she turns 39 on Sunday. So happy birthday, Rosie. I love you, babe. So glad that you were in my life, and I'm just going to leave it at that. Super glad that we're able to spend our lives with each other. So I love you.
C
We all love Rosie. She's the best. It's my sister's birthday today, too.
B
Birthday.
A
Wow. It's my birthday.
B
No, it's not.
C
All right.
B
That's amazing. Hey, Nothing. But I love Friendship Friday. Like, this has been good. We haven't really made fun of each other a lot. Well, this week, I think, has been Friendship Friday. Other than you guys making me wear.
A
This silly wig, you earned that, though.
B
But we've been real nice. Well, all right. Well, why don't you go first, Mike Clay, with your starts all the time.
A
How much time do we got here? We had seven minutes. All right. So I don't have to super rush here.
B
Quick reminder, let's tell people what our parameters are.
A
These guys have to be outside the top eight quarterbacks, top 15 running backs, top 20 wide receivers, and top five tight ends. So I still think there's too many good players to choose from. Maybe we need to move these barriers a little bit.
C
25 and 10 or something like that.
A
Yeah. Because I'm going to pick my quarterback just Stinks this year, guys. Justin Herbert. Oh, my God. It's tough. It's tough. I had to settle outside this.
C
Okay, well, let's change it up next week.
A
Yeah, we should. A little bit. I. I haven't ranked a little higher than you guys. Obviously, he's been terrific this season. They're playing Denver, which might be a reason for pause here, but they did give up 22.8 points to Daniel Jones. So I'm still ranking higher than you guys. That's what I kind of look for when I was looking through our rankings. Like, guys, I'm. Where are you at outside these windows? But I'm optimistic on Jaylen Morton. Same thing. I'm super high on this guy. I talked about this before the season. RB13 for me this week. And we saw a bump in usage last week. 14 carries and four targets. Believe it or not, he's ninth in scrimmage yards among running backs through two games, despite kind of a lesser role than we hope for in week number one. Patriots gave him 26 points to Devon H. And last week. So I really like Warren's prospects this week. Wide receiver. I. We talked about this and I, you know, it's all yours, Mike.
C
It's all yours.
A
What? Oh, you see it on the screen? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I. This was one where I felt like, okay, I was optimistic about him early in the week. I put my foot down about it. It was a. Check this out.
B
It was all that.
A
I have to go. Marvin Harrison Jr. Here, he's my guy at wide receiver. I think the game scripts, which have not been helpful for their passing game so far this season, will be a little bit better in this game against the San Francisco 49ers. And by the way, this also really quickly applies to Trey McBride. McBride only has three more fantasy points and Marvin Harrison this season. It's not like he's dominating the stat sheet either. So I think the Arizona passing game will have more volume this week. And that leaves tight end coming off a big week last week. Jake Ferguson. 78 yards on 12 targets last week. Another. He also had six targets in week one, which was good. Remember Ferguson, big paycheck in the off season. This guy is a featured part of this Dallas offense. That's not going to change or for.
C
52 mil for Jake Ferguson.
B
Yeah, we just.
A
I like this squad.
C
This guy a touchdown.
A
I like this squad. And Harrison's going to lead me to triumph.
C
All right. We'll see.
A
I'm not scared.
B
Are you sure about that?
A
Not scared at all.
B
Are you sure about that?
A
Yeah, I'm very sure.
B
All right. Feel like you go next.
C
All righty. Well, because you guys don't like Dan Dimes.
A
I do.
C
You know why? Because he drops dimes. He's going to drop you guys once again in starts of the week. I've got Dan Dimes inside my top eight for quarterbacks. He is not inside the top eight consensus ranks at quarterbacks. However, Jordan Mason we talked about a little bit earlier on in the show. I think there's a real chance he handles 20 to 25 total opportunities. They play, of course, the Bengals in the not JJ versus not Joe Burrow bowl. My wide receiver is George Pickens. Mike just mentioned Jake Ferguson. We want as much of this game as we can possibly find. Yep, Pickens had a big game last week. The Bears are not only thin at cornerback in general, they are also banged up at cornerback in jet right now with Jalen Johnson expected to miss potentially the entirety of the season. Last but certainly not least, Zach Ertz, who has been really good so far this season. He will play with either Marcus Mariota or Jaden Daniels. I think Ertz has another solid Sunday.
B
I like that crossover from you, David. I got a little bit of crossover.
A
Quick nugget here.
B
Yeah.
A
Fun fact for your George Pickens number. I know he's off to a bit of a slow start. Only three players in the NFL. More than three end zone targets this season. They all have five. It's Devonte Adams.
C
Collins.
A
What? Nico Collins is not Devonte Adams. Malik Neighbors, and George Pickens is the other one. Wow. There you go. F3 or more than three. Okay, more than three.
C
Only three last week.
A
Oh, God. Collins has three. Exactly. Kayshawn Booty has three and so does Hunter Renfro. There's only. They're the only ones with more than two this season. There's only six of them. So it's always fun.
B
All right, my starts of the week, I do have a little bit of crossover with you. Specifically field G8. I went with my quarterback. I decided why not. I think it's going to be a high scoring game. Let's have some fun. And it's going to be Jared Goff on Monday Night Football. So I decided to go with Jared Goff. Coming off of what was a huge week, I knew that would make Mike angry. And so after this part, I just wanted to be able to make that happen.
C
Generally speaking, a good approach. Yeah.
B
My running back is Jordan Mason. I don't need to add anything to what you said. I think he's just going to touch the ball a ton and potentially be utilized in the passing game. So I like him. My wide receiver. I have a caveat here. My wide receiver is going to be Debo Samuel. But I want to ask you guys, if Marcus Mariota plays, I want to change my wide receiver to the wide receiver that I had written down, which also was George Pickett. But if Mariota plays, I don't feel the same way about Debo.
C
Zach Ertz and I said, whether it's Marcus Mariota or Jaden D. Okay, then.
B
I'm going to stick with Debo Samuel. Let's leave it there.
C
The integrity of the game.
A
I thought you said if Mariota was in there, you like Debo more.
B
I do like Deebo more, but I don't like the quarterback situation. I like Deebo more than I like Terry McLaurin.
C
I think you have to plant your flag now.
B
All right, then I'm going to plant my flag on Deebo Samuel. And then at tight end spot, I'm just going to keep going back to the well. And this is why I think we need to change the tight end parameters. But Juwan Johnson is still outside the top five of our rankings. Rankings right now, which is crazy. So he's tight end two. Right now he is leading the position with 20 targets. So I'm going to go with Juwan Johnson there. So I got Jared Goff, Jordan Mason, Juwan Johnson, and Debo Samuel. I really need another J name. So do you field?
C
Yeah.
B
Like our wide receivers. Oh, no, that's you, Mike.
C
That's Mike.
B
Our wide receivers are really pulling down the average here.
A
I like my squad. JLo would have been a good one.
C
I think next week we officially stamp it outside the top 10 of quarterbacks, top 20 of running backs.
A
Top 25, at least.
C
How about 30 at wide receiver?
A
Top 30. Good.
C
30 at wide receiver. And let's go.
A
Top eight.
C
Eight.
A
I think eight's a good number.
C
Let's start there, and if it gets too, you know, that's good. Redundant. Then we'll switch things up.
B
So give me that one more time. Outside the top 10, a quarterback, top 20 running back, 30, a wide receiver and top eight at tight end. That'll be our changes for week four. All right, I like that. I like that. We got a couple of questions. By the way, those starts of the week are going to continue every single week, so we're excited about those. We got some tag board questions here from our.
C
Were you trying to say they were brought to you by Somebody.
B
I was thinking about it.
C
Yes. There we go. Uncle Rico.
B
I'm not going to say who these are from. Lex Luthor says. Not the wig. No, not the wig. Of course Lex Luthor would say that. That's fantastic. You look at. Oh, this is from Mama Dot. I do look like I have my grandma's hair. It just needs to be whiter than this. Yeah, rushman says, wow, the 90s grunge hair look is definitely a thing of the past.
C
Rushman is jacked. Shout out to Rushman.
B
Yeah, shout out to Rushman for that one. Alex Gallagher. That wig got me acting up. All right, I hope you're not at work right now. I don't know what that means. I need you to be safe. And Jacob Waltrip, this is outstanding. Thank you very much.
C
Good.
B
This is. All we're looking for is a little bit of engagement here, my friends.
C
Honestly, Daniel, I think those last words were so encouraging that you should consider wearing this wig full time.
B
Yeah, I may wear it the rest of the day. I mean, Rosie and I had some plans for her birthday, but you know what, Maybe we just say, I gotta roll with it.
A
Oh, yeah. I mean, you just walk up to a fancy restaurant for a reservation, when they see that, they're gonna be like, we will clear a table for you. You're clearly important, sir.
B
Clearly, sir. You are an important person here that's gonna do it for our show today. Do you guys have anything else you wanna add heading into week three?
C
So I think that if we're gonna do the starts of the week brought to you by, we should do something that is funny that our producer on first draft often does, which is, you know how guys, Jim Harbaugh says, who's got it better than us? And they all go, nobody.
B
Yes, yes.
C
Starts of the week brought to you by. And then Mike and I go, nobody. And that will hopefully incentivize somebody to one day sponsor starts the week.
B
I love that. All right, well, quick, our YouTube chat has weighed in on our teams field. Yates has 36% of the vote. Mike has 35% of the vote margin, and I am at 29% of the vote. So we are all right there next to each other.
A
You're getting punished again next week.
B
I don't know.
A
We're in the margin error.
C
He's not fair enough.
B
What I go, I go through and I look at the projections for each one of my players and then I say, whichever ones has the highest, I know that team is actually going to finish last.
C
Love it. Love it. Love it.
B
All right. We love you guys. Don't forget to love each other. Be kind to yourself and have a ton of fun here in week three. Check us out on Fantasy Football now on ESPN2, 10am Eastern. We'll see you guys then. Have fun with football this weekend.
C
All righty.
B
Fantasy, you in the.
A
Talk about stepping up.
B
It's time to level up your game. Introducing the all new ESPN app. All of ESPN all in one place. Your home for the most live sports and the best championship moments. The electricity is palpable. Step up your game with no annual contract required. It's the ultimate fan experience. Level up. For More on the ESPN app or at stream.espn.com sign up now.
Date: September 19, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp
Theme: In-depth analysis of confusing NFL backfields, evolving quarterback situations, and actionable advice for fantasy football managers as we approach Week 3.
This packed episode dives into the most perplexing backfields and quarterback controversies across the NFL as fantasy managers try to make sense of usage patterns, injury fallout, and depth chart shakeups. Field, Mike, and Daniel pepper each other with stats, hot takes, historical context, and tactical advice, all while keeping things lighthearted with show banter and their ongoing "starts of the week" segment. If you're looking for clarity on who you can trust in fantasy lineups—especially at running back—this episode delivers data-driven perspective, injury updates, and bold opinions.
Quote:
_"The passing game is largely designed around the two receivers and Devon Achane." – Field Yates (06:46)
Parameters: Outside top 8 QBs, top 15 RBs, top 20 WRs, top 5 TEs. (58:30)
Mike Clay’s Picks:
Field Yates’ Picks:
Daniel Dopp’s Picks:
Segment includes light competition, friendly ribbing, and a look ahead to tightening the criteria for future weeks.
On Devon Achane:
“He’s on pace for over 100 catches this year…” – Field Yates (06:42)
On Kenneth Walker’s Opportunity:
“This is a great opportunity against this defense...if Charbonnet doesn't play...it could be Walker taking most of that work.” – Mike Clay (31:52)
On Giants Backfield:
“If you combine their numbers so far, it is atrocious: 2.9 yards per carry and 4.3 yards per target.” – Mike Clay (27:50)
On Rookie RBs:
“If there’s a big topic next week…I hope it’s breakout week three for rookie running backs. That’s what we want.” – Mike Clay (48:56)
On Sam LaPorta ‘struggling’:
“I take umbrage with saying he’s struggling…target share overall is up from last season.” – Mike Clay (49:45)
On Kyle Pitts:
“He can get back to where he was as a rookie. Post-hype sleeper.” – Mike Clay (52:41)
On Start/Sit Philosophy:
“He is a risky flex option for me, not a lineup lock.” – Mike Clay re: T. Higgins (12:00)
If you missed the episode:
You’ll get clarity on muddy backfields, the effects of key injuries, and which emerging rookies to roster vs. start. Expertise mixed with sharp banter and lots of actionable advice for setting fantasy lineups in a tricky Week 3.