Fantasy Focus Football

Episode: Week 7 MUST Starts of the Week + Key Injuries to Monitor
Date: October 17, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Daniel Dopp, Mike Clay

Episode Overview

This week’s episode of Fantasy Focus Football dives into the aftermath of Thursday Night Football, addressing standout player performances and underwhelming defenses. The crew—Field Yates, Daniel Dopp, and Mike Clay—debate Week 7 must-starts, discuss key injury situations, and answer listener mailbag questions. The episode is packed with actionable fantasy football insights, memorable moments, and lively banter, aiming to set fantasy managers up for success in Week 7.

Thursday Night Football Recap

(00:32–10:22)

Key Highlights:

• Joe Flacco and Jamar Chase Deliver

  • Jamar Chase dominated: 16 catches, 161 yards, 1 TD, with an incredible 23 targets (third-most ever in a game).
  • Joe Flacco’s performance “understood the assignment”—peppering superstars and reviving the Bengals' passing attack.
  • “It felt like with Joe Flacco under center... just keep throwing him the football on that exact same route over and over and over again.” — Field Yates (01:29)
  • Mike Clay, often critical of older players, admitted: “I tweeted out hashtag elite last night.” (01:24)

• Steelers Defensive Struggles

  • The Steelers defense failed to adjust throughout the game, shining a light on future streaming opportunities for fantasy players targeting this unit.
  • “The Bengals just kept doing the same thing over and over last night.” — Daniel Dopp (03:53)

• RB Performances

  • Chase Brown: 11 carries, 108 yards; more explosive than prior weeks.
  • Jalen Warren: 137 total yards, continues to earn RB1/FLEX consideration, even with Najee Harris looming.
  • “Warren has punched above the expected weight... He has proved me wrong.” — Field Yates (06:25)

• Tight End Takeover

  • Touchdowns aplenty for tight ends: Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington.
  • “It’s not helpful for us ... he just spreads it all out among four tight ends.” — Mike Clay (07:27)

AFC North & Division Outlook

(10:22–12:44)

• The hosts debated AFC North trajectories, with consensus leaning toward the Ravens.
• Schedule quirks and upcoming matchups for the Bengals and Steelers affect playoff races and fantasy outcomes.
• “The Steelers play with their food and find ways to not win games they should win... classic letdown game.” — Field Yates (08:29)

Week 7 Preview, Part II

(10:43–24:13)

1. Jackson Dart: Top 12 Fantasy QB This Week?

(10:43–13:44)

• Dart is QB9 over his three starts, thanks to his rushing upside.
• Facing a Denver defense strong against rushing QBs (“10 more sacks than any other team this year”), his ceiling is capped.
  • “Is this the week he puts himself in the conversation, or does he come back to earth?” — Field Yates (10:48)
  • “It is not sustainable.” — Mike Clay (12:44)

2. The Tight End Rollercoaster

(13:47–19:10)

• Michael Mayer: Career-high snaps, trending as a streaming TE option vs. a Chiefs defense soft underneath.
• Dallas Goedert: High target share, but inflated by unsustainable TD rate. Caution for rest-of-season.
• Juwan Johnson: Rapid decline after early success; target share plummeting, no longer a reliable starter.
  • “If he’s your tight end one right now, don’t put all your eggs in that basket.” — Mike Clay (18:09)

3. Chargers WRs: Johnson, McConkey, Allen

(19:10–22:30)

• Quinton Johnston remains WR1, but the order shuffled: Ladd McConkey surging; Keenan Allen cooling.
• All 3 Chargers WRs ranked within top 25 (QJ15, Ladd20, Keenan25).
• “It’s possible all three... are pretty close to usable every single week.” — Field Yates (21:31)
• Need more TDs from this group; only one of four teams with two or fewer WR TDs per game since week 1.

4. Rams Skill Players in London

(22:32–24:58)

• Expecting Puka Nacua out; only Devante Adams (and Kyren Williams) engender confidence.
• Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington are deep-league considerations, but usage is volatile.
• “If you can avoid the Rams, you would.” — Field Yates (24:54)

Week 7 Key Must-Start Players

(42:03–48:52)

Quarterbacks

• C.J. Stroud (HOU): Two straight 18+ point games; draws Seattle’s defense.
• Jared Goff (DET): QB15, strong MNF matchup.
• Jordan Love (GB): Rushing floor rising; Cardinals neutral matchup.

Running Backs

• J.K. Dobbins (BAL): Good bounce-back candidate vs. Giants.
• Kimani Vidal (LAC): Next-man-up RB for Chargers; primed for 15+ touches.
• Rhamondre Stevenson (NE): Great matchup vs. Titans who have allowed 10 RB TDs, plus high workload.

Wide Receivers

• Michael Pittman Jr. (IND): Target bump with Josh Downs unlikely.
• Jordan Addison (MIN): Opportunity spot as Eagles will likely shadow Jefferson, opening things up.
• Matthew Golden (GB): Quietly increasing production—over 100 yards vs. Bengals.

Tight Ends

• Zach Ertz (WSH): Upside with McLaurin and Deebo hurt.
• Michael Mayer (LV): Career-high usage, soft matchup.
• Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE): “Already TE8 before David Njoku projected out; could vault higher if Njoku sits.” — Daniel Dopp (28:44)

Notable Quotes and Banter

• “How many targets did he end up having?” — Daniel Dopp
  “23.” — Field Yates (02:43)
• “Warren has just been ... he has punched above the expected weight that I had for him as a lead rusher.” — Field Yates (06:25)
• “If he’s your tight end one right now, don’t put all your eggs in that basket.” — Mike Clay (18:09)
• “If you can avoid the Rams, you would. If you are desperate, we mentioned two names for you.” — Field Yates (24:54)
• [Board bet challenge between Kendrick Bourne and Xavier Worthy for Week 7 fantasy points, with “the chat” involved in the voting] (40:10)
• Daniel Dopp’s marshmallow “punishment” for losing Starts of the Week is both hilarious and awkward, with playful ribbing from Field and Mike.
  “You respect chipmunks more, dude.” — Field Yates (49:09)

Injury Roundup & Key Updates

(33:34–39:34)

• Puka Nacua (LA), Brock Bowers (LV): Not expected to play.
• Chuba Hubbard (CAR) / Rico Dowdle (DAL): Hubbard trending in, but Dowdle the preferred RB2 start.
• Jacoby Myers (LV): Limited practice; trade rumors swirl.
• Calvin Ridley (JAX), Terry McLaurin (WAS), Deebo Samuel (SF), DJ Moore (CHI): All missed or limited in practice, monitor for Sunday.
• Notable take: If Deebo and McLaurin sit, Zach Ertz vaults into immediate TE streaming range.

Listener Mailbag Highlights

(49:29–54:59)

• Dak Prescott vs. Drake May: Consensus is Dak for Week 7 due to better matchup and passing volume.
• Diggs, Keenan, Pittman vs. Rico Dowdle: Play Dowdle along with Diggs and Keenan; Pittman is fringe FLEX.
• JCM vs. Cowboys or Tet McMillan vs. Sauce Gardner? Play JCM—should be busy in a plus-run matchup.
• Mason Taylor TE debate: Offense hasn’t proven enough upside; he'd be a desperation top-20 option only.

“Your team, your rankings, your choice. If you feel like Mason Taylor should be started... by all means, go for it. It's a funny game we play.” — Field Yates (54:46)

Fun & Memorable Moments

• The "chat" gets involved in poll bets and chooses Kendrick Bourne over Xavier Worthy for Week 7, leading to a first-ever "chat board bet."
• Daniel Dopp stuffs 12 marshmallows in his mouth during “Starts of the Week” as his punishment, to the growing amusement/distress of his co-hosts.
• Playful acknowledgment of fantasy managers’ validation-seeking: “You didn’t ask this question because you wanted my opinion. ... You asked for validation.” — Field Yates (54:46)

Final Thoughts

This episode successfully blends strong, practical advice with humor and relatability, mixing deep-dive analysis (especially on tight end volatility and RB workload splits) with unique fantasy community moments like the chat board bet and live “punishment” stunts. Injuries and lineup uncertainty are a thread throughout—be sure to monitor final news through the weekend.

For those leveraging their starts/sits and waivers—keep an eye on the Chargers WR order, the roulette at TE, and the increasingly usable committee RBs. Continue monitoring injuries as Sunday approaches, and, as the pod reminds, trust your own research and instincts as well!

For more, catch the show Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, on ESPN’s Fantasy Football Now.