Fantasy Focus Football Podcast Summary

Episode: Week 14 Lineup Locks + Starts of the Week
Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp

Overview

In this jam-packed episode, the Fantasy Focus crew – Field, Daniel, and Mike – break down Week 14’s key fantasy football matchups and storylines. They review Thursday Night Football highlights, review player injury news, debate tough sit/start decisions (including Patrick Mahomes’ spot in rankings), tight end streamers, waiver wire opportunities, and preview their “Starts of the Week” with a side of fun, jokes, and slightly unhinged punishments. If you’re heading into the fantasy playoffs or clinging to a playoff spot, this episode is loaded with actionable insights and quick banter to prepare your lineups for crunch time.

Thursday Night Football Recap: Lions vs. Cowboys

[03:14 – 13:14]

• Jameer Gibbs (DET): Huge performance (37 fantasy points), including 14 in the first quarter alone. “If you started out on a Thursday night game with 37 fantasy points…it’s a heck of a feeling.” – Daniel [03:17]
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET): Cleared to play, solid outing with 6 catches/92 yards/15.2 FP. “If you started him, you were justified.” – Field [04:13]
• Jameson Williams (DET): Not hurt by St. Brown’s return, had 7-77, 17+ FP.
• Jared Goff (DET): 17 FP – productive but hampered by four rushing TDs stealing ceiling. “He played really well, but when you have four rushing TDs, you just don’t need to do as much with your arm.” – Daniel [05:51]
• David Montgomery (DET): One of his best games this year, found the end zone.
• George Pickens (DAL): Disappointing floor game (5-37 on 9 targets, 8.7 FP). “This felt like Pittsburgh Steelers George Pickens.” – Daniel [06:34]
• CeeDee Lamb (DAL): Great before injury (6-121, in just two and a half quarters). Concussion clouds Week 15 status: “If not, Ryan Flournoy…is a guy we have to keep an eye on.” – Mike [08:17]
• Ryan Flournoy (DAL): Led game in targets (13-9-115-1), priority add if Lamb is out.
• Takeaway: 74 total points were scored, but few actual fantasy superstars produced ceiling games outside Gibbs, Flournoy, and kicker Brandon Aubrey. “Kinda weirdly disappointed that in a 74-point game it wasn’t the superstars, other than Jameer Gibbs, who went nuclear.” – Daniel [09:39]
• Kicker Talk: Brandon Aubrey historic, deserves higher salary? “He kicked three 55+ yard FGs, first time ever in NFL history.” – Field [11:49]

Quarterback Talk: Patrick Mahomes and Others

[16:32 – 20:39]

• Patrick Mahomes vs. Houston: Start or Sit?
  • “Not one QB has reached 20 fantasy points against the Texans all year.” – Field [17:16]
  • Hosts agree Mahomes is likely still a start, but only a low-end QB1. “I've got him at QB9…four spots lower than Daniel and five lower than Mike.” – Field [18:22]
  • Texans’ defense is “no joke”, rough matchup.
  • Options in his tier (Burrow, Love, Lamar, Herbert, etc.) all have warts this week.

Tight End Streamer Decisions

[20:39 – 24:27]

• Orande Gadsden: Trending down, sits recommended (Eagles have been dominant vs TEs).
• Dalton Schultz: Reliable, consistent volume, start.
• Harold Fannin Jr.: “Number one” for CLE, starting volume but limited ceiling, only a deep start.
• Dalton Kincaid: “If he’s active, he’s a start for sure. Bengals have allowed the most points, catches, yards, and TDs to tight ends.” – Mike [23:34]
• Discussion: Bengals defense vs. TEs is historically bad (see “Check Out This” segment for dramatic stats).

Notable Quote

Daniel [26:06]:
“Bengals defense has allowed 275 points to tight ends this year – the gap to the next worst team is so huge, it basically covers the next 20 teams. It’s just historically bad.”

Waiver Watch – Wide Receivers

[27:50 – 31:45]

• Jacoby Myers: “Maybe not a lock, but he’s at least a flex in Week 14 against the Colts.” – Field [28:36]
• Brian Thomas Jr: Still a play over Myers for ceiling, though Myers is preferred for floor.
• Jacksonville WR Room: Messy; emergence of Myers is good, but too many mouths to feed and questions with health/depth.

Zay Flowers: Panic or Patience?

[33:28 – 38:50]

• Trending the wrong way: zero TDs since Week 2, only one end-zone target all season.
• “You’re getting 11–12 points almost every week…but the ceiling just isn’t there.” – Mike [35:09]
• “He is just who he is: good floor but unpredictable for boom games.” – Field [36:28]
• Offensive structure in Baltimore depresses WR1 value, but Flowers’ target share is still elite.

Upside Dart Throws: Christian Watson, Michael Wilson, More

[39:04 – 45:16]

• Christian Watson (GB):
  • Seeing increase in targets and air yards since Week 8.
  • “If you need an upside play, Christian Watson versus the Bears is a sneaky top-25 play.” – Daniel [40:15]
  • Bears have been most generous to WRs over last month.
• Michael Wilson (AZ):
  • If Marvin Harrison Jr. is out, Wilson is a lineup lock.
  • “He and Puka Nakua are the only two players to have back-to-back 10+ catch, 100+ yard games this year.” – Field [43:19]
  • Rams are a tough matchup, but volume is projected to be overwhelming.

Injury Update Blitz & Start/Sit Reactions

[46:31 – 52:15]

• Lamar Jackson (BAL): DNP but expected to play.
• Jayden Daniels (WAS): Full participation, trending to play. "If Jayden Daniels goes, you have to start him over most alternatives." – Mike [47:28]
• Omari Hampton: Top-20 RB if active, but monitor status closely after a non-contact jersey Thursday.
• Tee Higgins: Full practice, very likely to play despite still in concussion protocol.
• Drake London: DNP with knee; Mike has removed from projections, not optimistic for a Week 14 return.
• Rome Odunze: Two DNPs, likely OUT.
• Chris Olave: Limited, expected to play.

Shadow Report: WR/DB Matchups – Upgrades & Downgrades

[52:23 – 56:26]

Upgrades:

• Jerry Jeudy (DEN) vs. TEN: Facing a vulnerable secondary.
• Browns WRs vs. Titans
• Justin Jefferson & Jordan Addison (MIN) vs. WAS: Seven WRs have reached 20 FP vs. WAS, five in last six games.
• Devaughn Vele (UTAH) vs. TB: Cheap DFS sleeper, 8-93-1 last week.

Downgrades:

• Jamar Chase (CIN): Christian Benford shadow, Bills secondary has contained star WRs lately.
• Chiefs WRs vs. HOU: Only five WRs all year over 13 FP against Texans.
• Eagles WRs vs. Chargers: LAC D has locked down perimeters & slot.
• Raiders WRs vs. DEN: Likelihood of shadow, but most not in lineups anyway.

Starts of the Week: Sour & ASMR Edition

[56:41 – 65:11]

Each host introduces punishment twist for this weekly segment:

• Field: “Super sour” candies while listing his starts.
• Mike: Normal list.
• Daniel: ASMR microphone setup.

Notable “Starts of the Week” Picks:

Field Yates:

• QB: Lamar Jackson
• RB: Chris Rodriguez
• WR: AD Mitchell
• TE: Dalton Kincaid (“If out, Juwan Johnson is my pivot”)

Mike Clay:

• QB: Lamar Jackson
• RB: (Wild Card) Chase Brown
• WR: Chris Godwin
• TE: Brenton Strange

Daniel Dopp:

• QB: Lamar Jackson
• RB: Bijan Robinson
• WR: Jordan Addison
• TE: Brenton Strange (delivered in full ASMR glory with props and sound effects; [62:05–64:09])

Top Quotes & Moments

• On Bengals' TE matchups:
  “Bengals defense against tight ends this year…they are so, so bad, so historically bad, that if you have Dalton Kincaid, he is a top-seven play.” – Daniel [27:38]

• On Pickens' dud:
  “It looked like he gave up on a couple of routes…he was not fully interested.” – Daniel [06:34]

• On Zay Flowers:
  “You’re getting 11 or 12 fantasy points almost every single week…but the ceiling is just not there.” – Mike [35:09]

• On injury optimism:
  “I would be surprised if he [Hampton] didn’t go, based on that quote from Harbaugh.” – Mike [48:34]

• Funniest moment:
  Daniel’s elaborate ASMR segment: “My running back…my wild card running back is named Bijan Robinson this week against the Seahawks.” [62:40]

Quick Hits & Strategy Advice

• **Start Patrick Mahomes “with caution” – he’s a QB1, but closer to QB9 due to Houston’s elite pass defense.
• Lamar Jackson is a “starts of the week” consensus, despite underperforming. All three hosts selected him.
• If Dalton Kincaid plays, “fire him up” against Cincy, who are allowing by far the most points to TEs.
• Michael Wilson is a lineup lock if Marvin Harrison Jr. is out for Arizona.
• Christian Watson a viable ceiling flex if you need to chase points.
• Monitor late-week injury reports for Tee Higgins, Omari Hampton, and Drake London – all could create viable waiver or streaming pivots.
• Jacoby Myers trending safe as a WR2/3 with better floor than expected.
• Streaming TEs? Ranking order (if available): Kincaid > Schultz > Fannin Jr.

Closing

• Week 14 is rife with injury landmines and “who do I trust?!” decisions. The hosts emphasize sticking with strong volume and talent, chasing upside where needed (Christian Watson, Michael Wilson), and leveraging matchups (Kincaid, Godwin, etc.).
• For full rankings and Mike Clay’s famous “Shadow Report,” visit ESPN.com.

Final Words:
“Thanks for hanging out with us! Good luck in Week 14. Be kind to yourself and others, and tune in Sunday morning for Fantasy Football Now for all your last-minute lineup questions!” – Daniel [65:41]

Missing a week? Check ESPN.com or your podcast app for the full archive. Good luck, fantasy managers!