COSTLY MISTAKES That Will KILL Your Playoff Chances! | Fantasy Focus 🏈

Summary

Fantasy Focus Football — "COSTLY MISTAKES That Will KILL Your Playoff Chances!"

ESPN | Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp
Date: December 4, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Liz Loza and producer David (with guest appearances by Scott Fish and some lively listener contributions) break down the emotional rollercoaster facing fantasy football managers heading into the playoff stretch. The episode hones in on frustration, hope, and the costly mistakes that jeopardize playoff chances, blending listener "crash outs" (fantasy meltdowns), expert insights, and a fun interview with Scott Fish about charity in fantasy football. While the ESPN crew isn’t at the foreground, the energy channels the heart of Fantasy Focus: strategic advice, relatable fixes, and community vibes — all as Week 14 looms large.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Playoff Pressure and Lineup Headaches

[00:42 – 01:47]

• Week 14 is framed as the ultimate test, with listeners split into playoff-bound, hopefuls, and the spoilers.
• David's pressure-coping strategy:
  • Early lineup setting, avoiding last-minute tinkering.
  • Chilling with some cold ones and a pep talk.
  • “I try not to tinker with my lineup last minute... I’m just hoping for the best.” (David, 01:16)

Listener “Crash Outs”: Catharsis & Commiseration

[02:21 – 08:44]

• Listeners submit voicemails and messages about soul-crushing fantasy moments:
  • Lamar Jackson Frustration:
    • A listener vents: "Lamar Jackson is now droppable. I don't care what anybody says. Dude's a bum." (Jackson, 02:48)
    • Liz pushes back, noting the athleticism but admitting to legit concerns about his recent production and health.
    • “I am not confident at this point that there is going to be a bounce back… he is the ESPN consensus QB11 heading into week 14.” (Liz, 03:06)
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown Injury/Bust Week:
    • “St. Brown killed me in two leagues. OMG.” (AO44, 05:13)
    • Liz: “Variance is part of what makes this little hobby of ours thrilling… He’s been wildly consistent… but it’s also part of what makes everything so exciting.” (Liz, 05:35)
    • Tangents into debate about condiments (“mayo is disgusting. Ketchup is awesome. Ranch is better than all of them. Next.” (Liz, 06:20))
  • First-Time Fantasy Manager Meltdown:
    • Listener rookie: “I hate it. I’m stressed. I don’t want it to end. My bench loves to show off.” (Melena Celiani, 07:07)
    • Welcomed to “the healthiest, most toxic relationship you will ever be in” — embracing the agony and addiction of fantasy.

Week 14 “Delicious or Impressive” — Positive Spins on Key Players

[10:05 – 15:13]

• Joe Burrow’s Return:
  • “Props to anybody who actually started Burrow who was without T. Higgins… Bengals are 3–0 when Burrow is starting… he is the ESPN consensus ranked QB6 for the week.” (Liz, 10:15–11:40)
  • Week 14 presents a tough matchup, but better times ahead with a strong schedule.
• Terry McLaurin Resurgence:
  • “McLaurin showed up to cook the haters… 22 fantasy points and finally found the end zone… Talent is always the tiebreaker and McLaurin has tons of it.” (Liz, 12:16–13:38)
  • Temper expectations versus Minnesota but keep confidence in him.
• Darren Waller’s Versatility:
  • “He led the team in receiving yards… one fewer end zone target than Jalen Waddle on the entire season despite missing seven games.” (Liz, 13:58)
  • A fine streaming TE in Week 14 for TD-hungry managers.

Opening Up for “Fantasy Therapy” & Victory Laps

[15:13 – 17:49]

• Listener Alex shares a “cash out” — locking up the one-seed despite benching points, serving as a positive counterpoint to earlier woes.
  • “I still sweated out a two and a half point win and locked up the one seed.” (Alex, 15:49)
• Liz turns therapist, asking about holding/letting go of Ricky Pearsall (49ers WR):
  • Alex: “You let Ricky Pearsall walk… just too much risk. Pearsall should be dropped.” (Alex, 17:19)
  • Liz congratulates him for well-reasoned, rational advice — the ideal “fantasy therapy” outcome.

Special Interview: Scott Fish (Scott Fishbowl & Fantasy Cares)

[18:12 – 31:50]

• Origins of Scott Fishbowl:

  • Created to blend experts and fans, originally a giant 96-team league: “Each year we just kept growing… At a certain point we added a charitable element.” (Scott, 19:01)

• Fantasy Cares Charity:

  • Scott’s heart attack inspired a drive to do more — now a national Toys for Tots partner, with impactful toy shopping trips, and charitable campaigns.
  • “If you’re out there and you’re playing fantasy football, take one entry fee, give it to charity. You could do a ton of good with it.” (Scott, 20:58)
  • Liz shares a touching toy-shopping experience — “the best kind of chaos you can experience… there was zero whining… It’s because Fantasy Cares was created in such an organic, honest way...” (Liz, 22:27)

• Diabolical Scoring & Fantasy Philosophy:

  • Scott tweaks rules every year to keep things fresh — even “sabotage droppings” of stars like Justin Jefferson for playoff games.
  • “I made that a thing… it creates interest in what the league is doing, and then they realize, oh, this is why the league exists.” (Scott, 25:13)

• Playoff Sits & Starts:

  • Scott’s playoff “hate”: “I just don’t want any part of Justin Herbert on Monday night. There’s just too many question marks for me.” (Scott, 26:32)
  • Playoff “like”: “I might go RJ Harvey… 14 touches on that half snap count last week.” (Scott, 27:23)

• Rapid-Fire “Fact or Feeling” Game:

  • Fact: Justin Jefferson “might be” the bust of the season.
  • Feeling: “Pop” vs. “soda”… hot Minnesota regional takes (“Duck, Duck, Gray Duck comes from Anka… it’s a Scandinavian game... Minnesota we call it duck, duck, gray duck. The other 49 states… duck, duck, goose. No, thanks.” (Scott, 29:48))
  • J.J. McCarthy as Vikings starter: “I think that’s feeling… they’ll dig in because… they’re going to have other parts to blame and they’re going to keep trying next year…” (Scott, 30:28)

• How to Get Involved:

  • scottfish24 (social) | fantasycares.org for campaigns and donations | scottfishbowl.com for next season sign-ups.

Episode Sign-Offs & Memorable Quotes

• “Today we learned that Brits cannot properly pronounce Joe Burrow’s name, that Scott Fish has some big feelings about gray duck facts, and that win or lose, fantasy morsels are meant to be savored.” (Liz, 32:02)
• “Until next time, may your facts be solid, your feelings be right, and your bust be someone else’s problem.” (Liz, 32:53)

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Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On Lamar Jackson’s down weeks:
  • “There was no excuse, frankly to manage single digit fantasy point total in a gettable matchup against the Bengals at home, no less.” (Liz, 03:06)
• On the agony and allure of fantasy football for first-timers:
  • “It is the healthiest, most toxic relationship you will ever be in.” (Liz, 07:32)
• On Scott Fishbowl’s charity mission:
  • “If everyone did that, we could do a ton of good… we’ve just grown this Fantasy Cares idea into a full blown charity that uses fantasy sports to inspire people to do good with the hobby of ours.” (Scott, 21:09)
• On regional rivalries:
  • “Duck, Duck, Gray Duck comes from Anka. It’s a Scandinavian game… The other 49 states, apparently, you know, all say duck, duck, goose. No, thanks. I will not be diplomatic on that.” (Scott, 29:48)

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Timestamps for Key Sections

• Playoff Pressure & Listener Crashouts: 00:42–08:44
• Delicious/Impressive Players: 10:05–15:13
• Fantasy Therapy (Victory Laps): 15:13–17:49
• Scott Fish Interview & Charity Focus: 18:12–31:50
• Fact or Feeling Game: 27:54–31:06
• Closing Reflection: 32:02–32:53

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Tone and Style

This episode is equal parts heart, humor, and strategy. Liz Loza’s vibrant, slightly mischievous tone keeps things bouncy and personal, while guest Scott Fish supplies warmth, charity, and sharp fantasy insight. Listeners are drawn in by real stories, cathartic rants, and actionable advice — all in a brisk, friendly, and community-driven atmosphere.

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Summary Takeaways

• Trust your gut but avoid panic moves, especially in the playoffs.
• Bad beats & variance are part of the joy and agony of fantasy football.
• Celebrate small victories and seek community solidarity (via therapy and “cash out” stories).
• Give back where you can; the fantasy community shines brightest in charity, as shown by Scott Fish and Fantasy Cares.
• Don’t be afraid to bench struggling stars (yes, even Lamar, even Herbert, per Scott) and ride the hot hands.
• Fantasy football is a delicious, often toxic, but always entertaining companion — don’t forget to savor every morsel, win or lose.

Transcript

[Liz Loza]

Hey, I'm Liz Loza and this is facts versus feelings. Your amuse boost to your fantasy focus Main course we are bringing more fantasy, more facts, more feelings and of course, more fun. And now that I have your attention, today's feeling is deliciousness.

And we have producer Presley back for another episode. David, did you enjoy your Thanksgiving?

[David]

I did. I had a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for having me back two weeks in a row. Aren't you lucky? How was your Thanksgiving, Liz?

[Liz Loza]

You know, honestly, it was wonderful and I have to say, like, what a great experience when there is too much food and not enough time. So no complaints.

[David]

That's good. Too much booze, too much food, not enough time. It is my favorite time of the year in fantasy football though. Week 14. You've got people that are, yeah, people are already in the playoffs. You've got. This week will be super nerve wracking for people that are trying to make the playoffs. And then you've got the people that are out entirely but can ruin people's chances of making the playoffs. And that's one of my favorite things to do.

[Liz Loza]

Oh, I know you like to play spoiler Dave, but I have to ask you, like, how do you personally. Because I have my own answers and I think everyone does. How do you handle the pressure of this week when you're like, okay, I gotta make it happen.

[David]

Oh, I try not to tinker with my lineup last minute. I'm a big fan of like, I'll do my research, I'll get in there. Obviously I'm watching FF now on Sundays. I'm watching the advice that you're giving to just to make sure, you know, is that tight end that maybe I can throw in there that you're always calling to get a touchdown. Brendan Strange from last week. But yeah, I'm just not tinkering last minute. I probably got a couple cold ones there just to take the edge off and I'm hoping for the best, you know, maybe a little pep talk to the team ahead of time. Pep talk with myself in the mirror, you know, really get ready. But it's a nerve wracking.

[Liz Loza]

You have to hype everyone up. You have to manage this squad. Yes. And I like that. In fact, I like it so much that I would encourage everyone else to like it as well by actually pressing the like button and subscribing. You do press a like button, right? And subscribe to the.

[David]

You can smash it, you can press it, you can subscribe to the channel and you can call up voicemail number. What's the number, Liz.

[Liz Loza]

914-348-1893. Had it highlighted on my rundown.

[David]

Oh, you did? I can't see. I can't look at the screen. So I don't know if you look down there. Should we hit the disclaimer?

[Liz Loza]

Do it.

[David]

Fantasy football is a game of inches, luck and irrational confidence. Proceed with caution, trust your gut and remember situation. Side effects of listening to this podcast may include spontaneous victory dances, mild trash talking, and a belief that your sleeper pick is better than everyone else's. Take the facts of fantasy football seriously, but consult your feelings before making any lineup changes. We're starting out a little differently this week, Liz. I am calling an audible because as you know, I love a good crash out and this crash out got me because I can relate to it. I roster this player everywhere. Hit it. Let's, let's listen first.

[Jackson]

Lamar Jackson is now droppable. I don't care what anybody says. Dude's a bum.

[David]

Dude is a bum. One touchdown over the last month. Bum. Liz. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of it. Talk me out. I'm just kicking him out of my team entirely.

[Liz Loza]

I am not going to talk you out of it. I do take a little bit of an objection with calling a professional athlete a bum. I mean, I don't mind calling people out. I don't really like the words we're using because Lamar Jackson is incredibly athletic. Though I will admit that athleticism, particularly as it relates to his rushing ability, has dried up. I'm wondering if he is healthy. There was no excuse, frankly to manage single digit fantasy point total in a gettable matchup against the Bengals at home, no less. So yes, I, I am not confident at this point, you know, that there is going to be a bounce back. Of course the minute people bench him is when he will rebound just to like because Murphy's law. That's the way that it happens. But for what it's worth, he is the ESPN consensus QB11 heading into week 14. Who are you starting instead of him, Dave, if you're benching him everywhere.

[David]

Uh, I mean I do have like a Jackson dot on the bench. I think I, I managed to snag Daniel Jones in one league. In one league. I have him. It's a, it's a super crazy league. It's like you get relegated and promoted between like eight different leagues. It's a 2 QB league. So I only.

[Liz Loza]

This is like a soccer situation.

[David]

Yeah, I can literally only play him and Trevor Lawrence. Shout out to Joey Wright. I'M still suffering from that one. But, you know, QB. QB 18 on the season for Lamar. I mean, I'm gonna have to start him in some leagues, but I could relate so hard to this crash out. I'm okay. We won't call him a bum. You know, he's much more athletic than me, but come on, man.

[Liz Loza]

But does he play disc golf? I don't know.

[David]

Probably not. No. It's. I mean, would you say you could play it in like, two tries? Anybody who plays disc golf out here, Liz thinks that she could be an expert. And two. Two tries at disc golf, write her in the DMs. But, you know, I'm. I'm. I'm going to be looking to pivot if I can, because I'm kind of sick and tired of. Of being let down. That's just kind of the way it goes.

[Liz Loza]

Before Dave is further triggered by my disc golf trash talk and Lamar's lack of production, can we get to another person's crash out and change them?

[David]

Sure, we can get to another crash. Yeah, before I crash out even harder on you. Crash out number two comes from a social. Social DM. It's from AO44.

[Scott Fish]

Love.

[David]

A little bit of Mayo. A regular listener. Apparently, St. Brown killed me in two leagues. OMG. Me too. Mayo. Me too.

[Liz Loza]

Okay, first of all, which do you prefer, David? Mayo or ketchup?

[David]

Oh, I hate ketchup. Don't. Don't even pass me to ketchup. Don't. Don't even offer me to pass you to ketchup. Ketchup's gross. Ew.

[Liz Loza]

Okay, so Amon Ra posting what he did is gross. However, can we please acknowledge that he was hurt? And can we also acknowledge that variance is part of what makes this little hobby of ours all thrilling? We're not robots. It's the unknown that every week keeps us at the edge of our seat, glued to our second screens, watching Red Zone. All of the things tuning into this podcast. Right? So Amon Ross. St. Brown has also been wildly consistent and productive. So I get the crash out the like, oh, my gosh, he got hurt. That hurt. That sucks so bad. But it's also part of what makes everything so exciting. And mayo is disgusting. Ketchup is awesome. Ranch is better than all of them. Next.

[David]

Hot. Hot sauce beats them all out though, right?

[Liz Loza]

Oh, yeah. Also hot sauce in the ranch.

[David]

Okay, I could get down with that Chicken tendy.

[Liz Loza]

That is the best chicken tendi. A little bit of, like, the red. The. What is it called? The red hots. Well, you know, I like actual hot. Everyone's Frank's Red Hot, but, like, that's mild. But I'll take a bunch of the Frank's Red Hot, put it in either ranch or blue cheese, and then smash those tendies. That's like, you give me that instead of a turkey on Thanksgiving and I am happy.

[David]

Hey, I'm all for it as long as you're not spilling that ranch all over the table. Yeah, you know, injuries happen, but he cost me a playoff spot getting hurt. And I know we can't control it, but it hurt me. Last crash out. And this one is my favorite. And I think you're going to love this one. This comes from Melena Celiani. First fantasy season. Liz. I hate it. I'm stressed. I don't want it to end. My bench loves to show off. Can we just give a nod to all those people that are playing fantasy for the first time and just going through it and experiencing that? I wish I could go back in that time and be like, this is my first time ever playing fantasy football. What's it gonna be like? It's hell. The best kind of hell.

[Liz Loza]

It's addictive, but it's the right. This, like, welcome, by the way, to fantasy. You have now experienced that which we are most joyfully afflicted with. It is the most. It is the healthiest, most toxic relationship you will ever be in. So embrace it. And remember that, like, it's a seasonal relationship. Like, you're off the hook after. You don't even have to worry about this on Valentine's Day. Like, you would an actual, like, situationship.

[David]

No, that's a good point. That's a good point. I mean, it's going to be over in a few weeks. Don't worry. And then you're going to be craving. Yeah, you're going to be craving it. And that's when you'll get hooked on best ball, and you'll get hooked on best ball, and then it starts even earlier. DFS over the. Over the playoffs. I mean, welcome.

[Liz Loza]

That is, you know, that is the. That is the. Like, you're going to go no contact, and then Mercury will go retrograde, and then you're going to hear from this stupid ex and you're like, no, no, no, no, no. I don't need that toxicity in my life. And then sure enough, he's going to crawl back and you're going to say, okay. And then you're. What did I just say? All of that.

[David]

Then you're going to draft Lamar Jackson as one of your leading, leading QBs, and then he's going to stink. And then you're gonna be right back here again.

[Liz Loza]

You're also gonna work the waiver wire and find someone better.

[David]

Oh, positivity. I love it. Yeah, speaking of positivity. Okay, let's talk about some guys that are actually gonna do something good this week.

[Liz Loza]

Let's do it.

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[Scott Fish]

By hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you.

[Liz Loza]

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[Scott Fish]

The gift of 50% off unlimited.

[Liz Loza]

To be clear, that's half price, not half the service.

[Scott Fish]

Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price.

[Liz Loza]

So that means a half day. Yeah.

[Scott Fish]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Liz Loza]

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[David]

Delicious or impressive? Delicious is impressive. The first player on this list list Joe Burrow. He was back and making the holidays extra tasty on his return for the Bengals.

[Liz Loza]

I love that you say Joe Burrow like all of a sudden you're not from Manchester but you're like from the Bronx. You're like Joe Burrow back to make it tasty. He did bro. He absolutely do it did. Joe Cool served up an upset on the field and fantasy sweet managers in the virtual realm and it was delicious to watch. Props to anybody who actually started Burrow who was without T. Higgins in a division rival matchup. Interestingly, the Bengals are three and oh when Burrow is starting and one in eight when he has been sidelined and that one win came in a last second field goal. Now I like that he's got T. Higgins back so he's got all of his weapons at his avail in week 14. I will admit however that the matchup a little bit truck, a little bit tricky. The Bills have held 11 straight quarterbacks under 17 fantasy points. But as we saw on Thanksgiving. If anyone can buck a trend, it is Joe Burrow. He is the ESPN consensus ranked QB6 for the week. He also has a great upcoming schedule, even if we are tempering our expectations in week 14 because he gets Baltimore, then Miami, then Arizona. So managers should feel rather full of excitement, if you will, for this second helping of Burrow that we're getting down the stretch.

[David]

Definitely. I mean I think fantasy managers that roster borough were a little nervous that they wouldn't be full of excitement because, you know, because he, he didn't have to return. They're four and eight.

[Liz Loza]

Yeah.

[David]

So just the fact that he even decided to come on the field and you know, serve the fans and play with the guys, that's going to be awesome to hear. If you're playing next to him, I think that's, that's great. And if you do roster him, consider yourself lucky with the that is a.

[Liz Loza]

Feel good fact and we like that here.

[David]

Well, another player that's going to be feeling good after he came back from injury and had a pretty stellar performance in week 13. That is one. Mr. Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders. I think you're pretty fired up about this one.

[Liz Loza]

One of my favorite players in the league. Great guy, incredible talent, performs even before Jaden Daniels was under center. He is so talented and we saw that he in this primetime effort. The sod didn't matter. The questionable calls didn't matter. The pat certain of it all didn't matter. McLaurin showed up to cook the haters. He posted his highest fantasy total of the season, 22 fantasy points. And he found the end zone after a four week absence. Even better, he did it against the Broncos defense. This unit was allowing the third fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and had only given up four wide receiver touchdowns on the season. Enter scary Terry, we are glad to have you back.

[David]

I mean I love it. Are you a little nervous this week though, Minnesota tricky defense. Does that downgrade him at all for you?

[Liz Loza]

The matchup is definitely tricky. Other people might be worried about the quarterback, but I do want to say that every single one of McLaurin's double digit fantasy totals came with Marcus Mariota under center. So we have seen him produce without Jaden Daniels for all of the years before Jaden arrived in Washington. So I'm not worried about that piece of it. But you do bring up a good point about the Vikings defense. I would, you know, temper some expectations. He's my wide receiver, 25 on the week. But regardless, talent is always the tiebreaker and McLaren has tons of it.

[David]

You heard it first. Scary Terry is back, baby. Liz, you mentioned something about all the years in that last statement and this player had been around in the NFL for many years. Then he left, became a rapper, then he came back and ended up dominating for a couple of games, then hit the IR and I was excited until I had to drop him. But now it sounds like you are excited about one Mr. Darren Waller.

[Liz Loza]

You just took us on a journey and I appreciate it because it's very reflective of Darren Waller's NFL and off field experience. You know, he returned from injury and didn't exactly roast the competition, but he did prove for all intents and purposes that he is Miami's number two wide receiver in terms of production. He led the team in receiving yards. He's also lining up all over the field, left wide right, wide slot, tight end. So he's being used in a multitude of ways. We love that. He also has five deep looks over five games. He converted three of those by the way for 89 total yards. And this is my favorite stat. He has just one fewer end zone target than Jalen Waddle on the entire season despite having missed seven games. I expect that he will be on the field more in Week 14 as he was eased back in in Week 13 and the matchup against the J. It's gettable. You know the New York has been middle of the pack in terms of fantasy production to tight ends, but the jets have given up seven scores to the position and knowing what we do about Waller's end zone presence and ability, I think he's a good bet for a TD and therefore a fine stream. If you're needy, I love it.

[David]

As I always say, the jets are going to jet so that touchdown is most likely to happen. And when it does happen, Liz, I am going to need plenty of our next segment and that is Fantasy therapy. This is a safe place.

[Liz Loza]

It's a place where we can feel.

[David]

Free sharing our feelings.

[Liz Loza]

Now let's get comfortable on the couch and dive into Fantasy Therapy, a safe space for all your fantasy football questions. Producer Presley what do we have? Something positive?

[David]

Maybe we do. We're gonna have our first ever cash out here on Facts versus Feelings and I'm gonna welcome in our co producer. You're familiar with him, It's Alex. He's got the first cash out. Alex, take it away.

[Alex]

Ka Shane, this ain't a crash out. This is a cash out. Because in my home league, even though I left Jacoby Myers and his 18 points, Bam Knight and his 15 points on my bench and made the brilliant decision to start Kenneth Gainwell at flex. I still sweated out a two and a half point win and locked up the one seed. Sunday Night Football was crazy. I had Troy Franklin. My opponent had Courtland Sutton. I got it done. One seed, no bye week, but one seed is one seed. I played the dregs in the first round of the playoffs.

[Liz Loza]

That is a Thanksgiving miracle and you were due. We love to see the fantasy gods honor and bless. Congratulations and thank you for spinning it positively instead of saying you were crashing out because you made two, you know, pretty big blunders, especially since I've talked up Jacoby Myers on the show. But I will not mention that. I will instead applaud the positivity with which you, your team and you are moving forward. I have a question though for you. I'm gonna turn the tables a little bit here, Alex, because I know, as since you are my producer and we are friendly, that you are a 49ers fan and I received a question. Since this is fantasy therapy and we are supposed to give advice, not just talk about our own teams. I received a question from Khan Bashir and he asked me, would you hold on to Ricky Piersoll or let him go? As a member of the 49ers faithful, I ask you.

[Alex]

It hurts. I think you let Ricky Pearsall walk. At this point, it's not about talent. The way the 49ers use him in their offense to me, just doesn't make sense. He runs almost all of his routes way too deep down the field. There's never any short dump off screen passes to get him a little bedrock of points. It's just too much risk. Pearsall. Pearsall should be dropped. They get the ball to CMC Jennings. Kd. It just. It just isn't working for Ricky.

[Liz Loza]

Look who has been paying attention to the therapist. I have never been more proud in my life. Alex, that was an awesome answer. I agree. What a great session that we all had today. What a positive. I'm leaving today's session feeling wonderful.

Our guest today is a fantasy lifer. He's been in the business 20 years. That's two decades, folks. He is the architect of the Scott Fishbowl and the founder of Fantasy Cares. I am talking about none other than Mr. Scott Fish himself. Scott. Hi, friend. Welcome to the show.

[Scott Fish]

What's going on, Liz? Known you for most of that 20 years. It feels like at this point, or at least a very good chunk, there.

[Liz Loza]

Is no way that I'm old enough to have been in the business at 20. I mean, although I, you know, I started in high school, obviously.

[Scott Fish]

Yes, yes, of course. No, it's good to be on. Thanks for having me on.

[Liz Loza]

I mean, let's start with what you are probably the most famous for, although you have a resume filled with accolades, the Scott Fishbowl. Can you tell me how this. And I know the answer, but can you tell everybody else how this came into being?

[Scott Fish]

Yeah. In 2010, I was running a website and we wanted to put together this reader league, listener league thing. Thing. But instead of just your basic 12 team league, we wanted to get analysts from other sites. We got like I believe you and Mike Clay from Pro Football Focus at the time and, and a bunch of analysts to come play with our readers and listeners. And we made this 96 team league, which was giant at the time. And then each year we just kept growing it. We kept getting more analysts to play. And at a certain point we added a charitable element and that caused a lot more people to want to be a. Want to play and be a part of it. And it is snowballed into this giant thing over the course of the last, wow, 15 years.

[Liz Loza]

Yeah. Can you talk about the fantasy cares element? I would like to tell everyone that I sit on the board, so I am personally attached to the organization. It's one of the great honors of my life. But how you grew this into an actual 5013C organization.

[Scott Fish]

Yeah, so I think it really started. We started this as a fundraising group. We just kind of went toy shopping each year, donated toys for tots. Then it became a nonprofit. Then. Then a, you know, an accredited 501C3AS. As you mentioned, basically about a little over 11 years ago, I had a heart attack. I had a heart attack November 12, 2014. And it made me see the world so young.

[Liz Loza]

Sky that is wild to me. Like.

[Scott Fish]

Yeah.

[Liz Loza]

How old was Ian when that happened?

[Scott Fish]

Your son Ian would have been just before his second birthday, I believe.

[Liz Loza]

Birthday. Yeah.

[Scott Fish]

Yeah. So, yeah, it changed a lot for me. It changed the way I see the world. I had, I was young. I had five cardiologists trying to figure out why I had a heart attack at my age in the shape I was in. Because I was working manual labor at the time. So I was in really decent shape.

But basically it changed the way I saw the world. Like, I wanted to be the best possible version of myself. I wanted to be a good role model to my, you know, 12 year old kid. I wanted to Lead by example. I knew I had a platform and I realized if I have a platform, I should be doing good with it. So I pushed forward on this Fantasy Cares thing and I would go on shows, I went on your show and I would tag end the end of every episode. If you're out there and you're playing fantasy football, take one entry fee, give it to charity. You could do a ton of good with it because there's 100,000 leagues out there. If everyone did that, we could do a ton of good. So over the years, we've just grown this Fantasy Cares idea into a full blown charity that uses fantasy sports to inspire people to do good with the hobby of ours.

[Liz Loza]

What is the charitable endeavor that Fantasy Cares has successfully executed that you are the most personally proud of?

[Scott Fish]

Boy, there's. It's, there's actually quite a few of them, but I. The thing I love the most is our toy shopping trips because it's something that we can show pictures of and videos of and we can take friends and family. Coming with. We're a national partner with Toys for Tots. We go on shopping trips in over 20 different cities buying anywhere from 2 to 20 thousand dollars worth of toys in each of those cities. And I love that our toy shopping with Toys for Tots shows people what it's doing and it hopefully teaches people and gives people like inspiration to do that on their own.

[Liz Loza]

I love it. I love the community aspect. It's so funny that that is the one you mentioned, because two years ago I just looked up what I wrote facts versus feelings about, and it was about the toy shopping trip where I was given $10,000 to spend at Target, myself and my two elves, I called them in the article. My. My kids. And we met the Marines. And not just the Marines, but the spouses of the Marines, the children of the Marines. And we started this little like a cavalcade throughout the target. And what I remember and what I wrote in the article was that by the end of the trip, which took a very long time and was wonderfully chaotic, the best kind of chaos you can experience was that there was zero whining. No kid said, oh, can I get this? For me, it was all very clear what the objective of the mission was. And everybody was so aligned. Even the, like, poor people trying to do errand shopping on a Sunday were like, oh, no, no, no, go ahead. That's amazing. That's amazing. What are you guys doing? Like, I think just because Fantasy Cares was created in such an organic, honest way and because you are truly and have an award to show this the kindest person in fantasy that the mission is always so success because it comes from such a genuine place. So I just want to personally thank you for including me in the journey and of course for beginning it. It is interesting that we all consider you so kind despite the diabolical scoring that you insist on implementing every year into Scott Fishbowl Scott, you know I adore you. We're buddies, we talk separate. We talk like you know on the phone and stuff. But like man what what do we every year like are you not yet tired of coming up with some hair brained to make everybody just be like well I guess this year it's I don't even know what like I runs over 50 yards, gets 30 more points or whatever. I hope I didn't just give you an idea for next year.

[Scott Fish]

Those tweaks generally tend to be thematic or based on something people are talking about that year. So like one year kick returns were changing in the NFL so I implemented kick return specific like boosts rules, et cetera. One year sacks being a quarterback stacked versus an on offensive line stat was being lobbied about, talked about a lot in the industry. So I made that a thing. This year it was Travis Hunter. He's going to play both positions should he get his defensive scoring which led to okay, I'll add some IDP rules and really just anything you do on the field should be scored. So like volume's going to be king this year. I want analysts to come in and they're not just on autopilot and they just don't care about the league and they just do it by changing up the scoring. It creates interest in what the league is doing and then they realize, oh, this is why the league exists.

[Liz Loza]

I love that you are so strategic and thoughtful about this league and I think that's why it continues to be such a success and draw so many people, both analysts and newcomers to the hobby altogether to it. I am interested though to know whether or not you are as strategic and thoughtful about your own fantasy teams and if so, is there a player you've had in your starting lineup all season that you're now moving to the bench for the playoffs.

[Scott Fish]

I. I have, I have. Like part of me wants to go hometown and be really gross about it and piggyback off a show I did last week where a friend of mine said Matt Harrison said you should just sabotage drop Justin Jefferson at this point. Oh, because if you drop him, someone has to spend waiver money on him and then they put him in their lineup and then they lose games.

[Liz Loza]

Sabotage. Dropping Justin Jefferson, who plays for your hometown team. That is Chef's kiss. That is. Again, they don't. You are diabolical, Scott Fish. Like, I love this whole I'm super kind, but also the like, little mean streak makes you so much more interesting. Um, I am interested to hear who your most confident sit for week 14 is. And it can't be Lamar Jackson right now.

[Scott Fish]

It's. It's not Lamar Jackson. But actually, the more I think about this, it might be cheating because despite being QB8, I just don't want any part of Justin Herbert on Monday night. We don't know, you know, how he's going to handle gripping that, gripping that ball like with both hands or whatever. Like Omarion Hampton might be back. They might just run a ton more. With Hampton and Vidal both healthy on Monday night, I don't care that he's the top 12 quarterback. There's just too many question marks for me and I don't want to make that. You can't pick up Jalen hurts as a pivot on Monday night either.

[Liz Loza]

I was really optimistic that Herbert would bounce back last week because of the matchup. I was not anticipating that he would break his hand in the middle of the game. Um, I agree with you that despite the ranking, he's someone that I'm not considering starting, but I am considering starting however many other people. Who is one of those for you?

[Scott Fish]

I might go with RJ Harvey. He gets a match up against the Raiders. Harvey, over the last couple weeks, he's got seven targets. I believe he's got 11 red zone opportunities. I didn't love the snap count from last week, but when he was in, he got the ball. He had 14, 14 touches on that half snap count last week. So I like, I like RG Harvey in this one. And plus they'll be. They'll be big favorites Denver in this one, so they might run a lot more.

[Liz Loza]

I'd also love to play a game with you if you're up for it.

[Scott Fish]

Let's do it.

All right.

[Liz Loza]

We're going to play a round of something called fact or feeling. I will read a statement and then you will tell me if that is a fact or a feeling. Got it?

[Scott Fish]

Yeah.

[Liz Loza]

Here we go. Number one, Justin Jefferson is the bus of the season.

[Scott Fish]

I think that that might be a fact. There's a couple that come to mind. Brian Thomas Jr. AJ Brown was in that category until the last few weeks, but Justin Jefferson, just with that Top six adp. You might be right on that one. It might be Justin Jefferson.

[Liz Loza]

Fact or feeling. Minnesota is the best state to hail from.

[Scott Fish]

Oh, boy. I love Minnesota. I love all the seasons. I know you do. I have no other experience. I love the cold, though. I. I really enjoy the cold. I was born on the Minnesota Canadian border. I feel like it is. I feel like when I want to fly somewhere, I'm right in the middle of the country. So it's a quick trip, like, wherever I'm going, usually under three hours. So I'm going to go with yes.

[Liz Loza]

Fact, fact or feeling. You will take Liz Loza ice fishing before 2030.

[Scott Fish]

I'm good. That might be feeling. We both have so many busy schedules. We have so much busy schedules, and I rarely ice fish. I would love for it to be fact, but I think the likelihood is probably more on the side of feeling. I think that'd be fun, though.

[Liz Loza]

Fact or feeling. Pop is the correct way to say soda. See, you know where I feel on this, where I stand on this.

[Scott Fish]

I. I don't. I. I don't know that I'm fine with people calling soda. I call it pop. I'm from Minnesota. I'm gonna go with feeling, because I think that's just. Just true to wherever you're from.

[Liz Loza]

Okay, fine. You are so generous about this talk. You are diplomatic. I have never stopped saying pop, and if I get enough beers in me, I'm going to say pop. And just as you're mentioning everyone, except that we have, like, these local colloquialisms, and they're, in fact, rather charming.

[Scott Fish]

Yep, yep. And. And to. To piggyback off that. I won't be diplomatic on this. Gray. Gray or duck. Duck. Gray Duck is the correct term. Not duck. Duck. Goose. Duck. Duck. Gray Duck comes from Anka. Anka. Gr. Anka. It's a. It's a Scandinavian game. The original name is duck. Duck Gray duck. Minnesota we call it duck duck, gray duck. The other 49 states, apparently, you know, all say duck, duck, goose. No, thanks. I will not be diplomatic on that.

[Liz Loza]

Your passion is palpable, and I will not challenge. I would like to know, however, factor feeling. J.J. mcCarthy will not start for the Vikings in 2026.

[Scott Fish]

I think that's feeling. I think that they're still going to trot him out there and give him a shot. I think they're going to bring in more competition for him, but I think they're still going to dig in because I don't think Quasi or KOC are going to be fired after this season. I think they're going to look at all the injuries we had all year long, 18 different offensive line arrangements and they're going to have other parts to blame and they're going to keep trying next year, but they will bring in competition.

[Liz Loza]

Thank you so much, Scott, for coming on the show and for everything you do for the fantasy community. Can you please tell all of our listeners and viewers where to follow you, find your stuff and also more importantly, how they can contribute to Fantasy cares.

[Scott Fish]

Yeah, yeah. I'm Scottfish24 on everything except blue sky. I'm Scott Fish at Scott Fish, but FantasyCares.org is is the charity where you can find the campaigns we're running right now. You can go donate to our 25 days, 25 jerseys campaign where we give away a signed jersey every single day to someone who donates to that campaign for the, you know, December 1st through the 25th. So that's an easy way to not only go do some good and donate to fantasy cares, but also potentially win a signed jersey, which is, which is a lot of fun. And if you want to sign up for Fishbowl next year, play against me and Liz, scottfishbowl.com is the site for that.

[Liz Loza]

Thank you so much, Scott. Happy holidays. I will talk to you soon. Appreciate you always.

[Scott Fish]

Thanks a lot.

[Liz Loza]

Today we learned that Brits cannot properly pronounce Joe Burrow's name, that Scott Fish has some big feelings about gray duck facts and that win or lose, fantasy morsels are meant to be savored. Big thanks to Scott Fish for coming on the show and playing along and as always, to producer Dave for doing whatever it is that he does here. Be sure to check out my Week 14 edition of Facts vs. Feelings, the column which is currently live on the dot com. And remember, you can leave us a voicemail. That number to call is 913-48-1893. Until next time, may your facts be solid, your feelings be right, and your bus be someone else's problem.

[Jackson]

What's up, y'? All? It's Jackson from Chicago with another Sunday night post work crash out.

I got off my shift at the restaurant and I checked my fantasy matchup and I'm staring at DeAndre Swift and Jameson Williams on my bench and I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to start Troy Franklin, but he's in my flex and I got Jalen Frickin Wattle in my second wide receiver spot. I'm gonna lose my damn mind. For the last two weeks on a two game losing streak. I can't seem to make the right calls. I'm gonna get into the playoffs probably just by the skin of my teeth.

[Scott Fish]

I don't know.

[Jackson]

I'm pissed. What they is fantasy football. I don't know why we do this to ourselves. I think most of the time it's fun.

[Liz Loza]

I love that. I love him. I love him. Oh, my God.