Which WR's have the Best Matchups in Week 3? 👀 | Fantasy Focus 🏈

Summary

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Fantasy Focus Football – Week 3 WR Matchups & Shadow Report

ESPN Fantasy Focus Football – “Which WR’s have the Best Matchups in Week 3? 👀”
Hosts: Field Yates, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp
Date: September 18, 2025

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Overview:

This episode delivers a comprehensive Week 3 fantasy outlook, with a focus on wide receiver matchups, injury status, trade ideas, and Mike Clay’s Shadow Report. The crew debates emerging breakout WRs, deep dives into passing attacks across the NFL, and provides practical start/sit advice for specific players—especially for Thursday Night Football (Bills vs. Dolphins). As always, the tone is energetic, conversational, and filled with insider banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chicago Bears Wide Receivers: Is Rome Odunze the New No.1?

• Rapid Ascension:
  • Daniel Dopp opens discussion on the Bears’ surprising WR depth chart.
  • Mike Clay declares: "Yes," it took only two weeks for Rome Odunze to become the Bears' WR1.
  • Field Yates: "My answer is actually no. I think it happened, like August 10," suggesting Odunze’s takeover was inevitable given his draft pedigree.
• Fantasy Implications:
  • Mike Clay has Odunze ranked 12th, DJ Moore at 25th: "Dunes A for me is a top 15 option right now until he proves otherwise." [04:36]
  • Target shares heavily favor Odunze; DJ Moore remains startable, especially in creative rushing usages.
  • Tight end Colston Loveland—a first-round pick—has been a non-factor, benefitting Odunze.
  • Field Yates: “It’s not a surprise... The conversation actually shifts at some point from is he the number one? ...to is he a top 15 wide receiver, top 12?” [03:38]
• Bears' Offense Deployed Unusually:
  • Alameda Zaccheaus is 2nd on the team in targets, ahead of DJ Moore. Bears' rookies (Luther Burden and others) haven't seen the field.
• Value in Fantasy Drafts:
  • Mike and Field agree Odunze has outperformed WRs like Jerry Jeudy and George Pickens so far.

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2. Viewer Question: Drake Maye/DJ Moore vs. Odunze/Cup in Trade

• Field Yates explains, “In a 12-team superflex... Drake Maye for Rome Odunze is a legitimate, legitimate superflex league discussion.” [07:24]
• Consensus: If QB depth is needed, trading Odunze for Maye (plus receiving Quenton Johnston and DJ Moore) makes sense.

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3. Will DJ Moore Be Traded?

• Mike Clay brings it up; Field Yates doubts it happens this year: “Luther Burden’s not ready yet. If he were ready, he’d be playing.” [08:28]

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4. Chiefs Wide Receivers: Xavier Worthy Injury Fallout

• Mixed optimism if Worthy plays through a shoulder injury; Field Yates: “The question mark is... is it just basically a ticking time bomb?” [09:48]
• Mike Clay: Projections for Worthy (12.5 PPR) and Wan’Dale Robinson (11.6) are nearly identical due to injury uncertainty.
• Worthy viewed as a risky flex in 12-team leagues, best avoided in 10-teamers.
• Mike Clay: “I put the target share a little lower... I feel like it’s concerned” [12:08]

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5. Rashee Rice – Buy Window

• Daniel Dopp: “If the Rice manager is struggling, I’m putting in a hefty bid to try and get him before he comes back...” [17:04]
• Mike agrees: “It might not even have to be hefty.”

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6. WR Start/Sit Debate: Xavier Worthy vs. Wan’Dale Robinson

• Panel splits; rankings almost identical.
• Mike Clay: “I have him [Robinson] ranked back to back with Xavier Worthy... I think he’s on the flex radar.” [19:32]
• Banter: Phil Yates jokes he’ll “egg Mike’s house” if he chooses Wan’Dale and Worthy outscores him.

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7. Eagles WRs Outlook (vs. Rams)

• Both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have had slow starts.
• Mike Clay: “I think they get back on track this week... injuries in the Rams secondary... All systems go.” [21:43]
• Brown ranked WR15, Smith WR36 (WR3 territory).

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8. Chargers WR Committee: Sustainable Success?

• Mike Clay details: "They are the pass heaviest offense in the NFL... 73% of the targets have gone just to those [three] guys." [23:41]
• Consensus: Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey, and Quentin Johnston all in play, but Johnston's TD rate is “unsustainable.”
• Daniel Dopp: “Did I just find a diamond in the rough or do I need to...parlay this into a better player?” Discussion tracks values for possible trades (e.g., Marvin Harrison Jr., George Pickens, Devonta Smith). [25:23]

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9. Deep Shot: Troy Franklin (Denver)

• Breakout candidate—30% target share, 100 yards, 9 touches last week [27:06].
• Still largely available, could become a league winner if usage holds.

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10. Lions vs. Ravens Monday Night Preview — WR Outlook

• Must starts: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Zay Flowers, Jameer Gibbs, Sam LaPorta.
• Mike Clay: “Goff is a fringe starter. Montgomery is in that RB2 conversation as usual... Jameson Williams is a pretty clear WR3 option.” [30:18]
• Jameson carries boom-or-bust risk but has significant upside.

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Notable Quotes & Banter

• Field Yates on Odunze as WR1: “I think the conversation actually shifts...to is he a top 15 wide receiver, top 12? How high?” [03:38]
• Mike Clay on Xavier Worthy: “It’s baking in the risk that he’s limited... That’s why I projected him as like a flex option.” [12:08]
• Mike Clay on Chargers WRs: “You have like Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey more short range...Quentin Johnson’s the deep threat, he’s the big play guy.” [24:35]
• Phil Yates on Wan’Dale Robinson: “East Coast Tyler Lockett.” [19:26]

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Mike Clay’s Shadow Report (38:02)

Downgrades:

• Brian Thomas Jr. (vs DEREK STINGLEY JR.)
  • Stingley shadowed Devante Adams (7.2 pts), Mike Evans (10.6 pts) last two weeks; Thomas likely faces similar treatment. [38:09]
• Davante Adams (vs. Quinyon Mitchell, PHI)
  • Elite target share and red zone presence, but will be shadowed by Philadelphia’s best corner. [39:08]
• Mike Evans (vs. Sauce Gardner, NYJ)
  • Slow start despite heavy usage; will be shadowed by Gardner. [40:05]

Upgrades:

• Washington Commanders WRs (vs LV)
  • Raiders’ defense has allowed 4th most points to receivers. [41:58]
  • Caveat: Jaden Daniels (QB) questionable; Mariota could start.
• Bears vs. Cowboys WRs
  • All WRs in this game get a bump: Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Alameda Zaccheaus.
  • Dallas and Chicago have allowed top-three WR fantasy points.
  • Similarly, CD Lamb and George Pickens facing an injury-depleted Bears secondary.

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Terry McLaurin vs. Deebo Samuel (Washington WRs)

• Mike Clay: “McLaurin will be better... but his target share... historically not big.” [43:34]
• Deebo gets more manufactured touches (9 behind the LOS so far). Daniel ranks Deebo ahead this week.

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Shadow Situations to Watch (45:02)

• L'Jarius Sneed (KC) likely to shadow Michael Pittman (IND)
• Surtain (DEN) on Quentin Johnston (LAC) — “He’s the guy Surtain usually shadows... a little bit nervous about that.” [45:02]
• A.J. Terrell (ATL) on Tet McMillan (if active)

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Thursday Night Football Preview — Bills vs. Dolphins (48:47)

• Field Yates: “How many Bills are too many Bills to start? I think two are startable.” [48:47]
• Must-starts: Josh Allen, James Cook, Keon Coleman (as WR).
• Dolphins: Tyreek Hill = WR2, Waddle = Flex.
• Mike warns: “Same issue with Josh Allen and Keon Coleman—got to hit early, or this could be a dud with a blowout.” [55:35]
• Projections for Waddle and Troy Franklin: Waddle preferred as a slightly higher-upside play [54:37].

Projection Explanation

• Mike breaks down how fractional TDs are handled in his projections — they don’t round to zero [53:14].

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Listener Mailbag & Chat Involvement

• Engaged deeply with live chat and YouTube questions (trade valuations, start/sit, and more).
• Phil Yates polls chat: 71% want to start Wan’Dale Robinson over Xavier Worthy as a flex. [48:11]

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Notable Memorable Moments

• “East Coast Tyler Lockett” for Wan’Dale Robinson (Phil Yates — 19:26)
• Playful anger: “I will probably egg Mike’s house if I choose Wanda Robinson and Xavier Worthy outscores him.” (Phil Yates — 19:59)
• Technical breakdown of why projections may show zero TDs but have higher point estimates (Mike Clay — 53:14)
• Nostalgia: Boomer’s NFL Primetime referenced as the hosts’ favorite growing up (Daniel/Field — 62:14)

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"Long Shot of the Week" Picks (57:41)

• Daniel: Brashard Smith (RB)
• Mike: Kendrick Bourne (WR)
• Field: Tez Walker (WR)
• Producer Pick: Cole Kmet (TE, Bears)
• Rule twist: Players must be <0.5% rostered.

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [03:25] – Bears WRs Depth Chart Shakeup
• [07:24] – Superflex Trade Question (Odunze for Maye)
• [09:30] – Chiefs WR Worthy Injury Fallout & Start/Sit
• [17:04] – Buy Low for Rashee Rice
• [19:32] – Worthy vs. Wan’Dale: Start/Sit and Banter
• [21:43] – Eagles WRs Outlook vs. Rams
• [23:41] – Chargers WR Committee: Allen/McConkey/Johnston
• [27:06] – Troy Franklin: Potential Breakout
• [30:18] – Lions vs. Ravens Monday Night Football: WRs
• [38:02] – Mike Clay’s Shadow Report (Detailed WR upgrades/downgrades)
• [48:47] – TNF Preview: Bills vs. Dolphins; WR Projections

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Tone & Style

• Banter-rich, highly interactive with both chat and hosts challenging each other’s assumptions.
• Data-driven insights blend with practical advice and actionable start/sit guidance.
• The team frequently brings up live rankings, projections, and real-life league dilemmas.

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Bottom Line

This episode is a goldmine for anyone needing nuanced, up-to-the-minute advice on wide receiver situations for Week 3, with plenty of humor and strategic depth. The hosts deliver a masterclass in managing risky start/sit choices, understanding the “why” behind WR rankings, and exploiting hot waiver trends.

Memorable Quote:

“Dunes A for me is a top 15 option right now until he proves otherwise.” – Mike Clay [04:36]

Listener Tip:
Monitor late-week injury updates, especially for Jaden Daniels (affecting all Washington WRs), Xavier Worthy (KC), and Ladd McConkey (LAC), as their status impacts fantasy start/sit decisions.

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For further detailed matchup guidance and to catch part two of the Week 3 preview, tune in tomorrow!

Transcript

[Daniel D]

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[Mike Clay]

US.

[Daniel D]

What'S good, everybody? Welcome into Fantasy Focus Football alongside Phil Jates and Mike Clay. My name is Daniel do and we have a huge Thursday show planned for you. It is our week three preview, part one. Talking about a bunch of wide receivers and the wide receiving core we're going to dive into as well as Mike Clay Shatter report. Maybe we're going to give it a long shot or two towards the end of the show as well. And then obviously a Thursday Night Football preview between the Bills and the Dolphins. So a lot planned on the show today. I obviously am wearing buttons as I always do because you guys decided not to wear nice shirts today.

[Phil Jates]

We're casual as usual. We are casual. It's dressed down Thursday.

[Daniel D]

Is that what it is?

[Phil Jates]

I don't know.

[Daniel D]

You guys didn't text me in the group.

[Mike Clay]

No. Well, you do the opposite.

[Daniel D]

Oh, that's right.

[Mike Clay]

Okay, so you dress fancy.

[Daniel D]

I gotta dress up on Thursdays.

[Phil Jates]

Actually, Daniel, I don't mean to out you, but a little peek behind the curtain. Mike and I did text you.

[Daniel D]

Oh, wow.

[Phil Jates]

Nobody reads their phones less than Daniel.

[Daniel D]

Slower and less than I do. That's fair. That's fair. That checks out.

[Phil Jates]

How many unread texts do you have right now?

[Daniel D]

Right now. My unread text messages. Hold on, let me pull them up. A number on my phone. Only 14.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Daniel D]

Only 14. Surprisingly, I see why it works for you.

[Phil Jates]

Is that you don't have me.

[Mike Clay]

Probably not.

[Phil Jates]

Not to throw away like all of your life, but like you. You don't have it, like as a solo icon on your phone. No, you have to like enter a folder to get into your messages.

[Daniel D]

Correct. I have all of my, my work emails and Slack and my Microsoft Teams and all that. The problem is Field and I don't know if you guys ever do this, but Rosie and I just got a rower, so. So we've been trying to like work out more. I've been rowing more often recently. I actually recently discovered where my hamstrings are.

[Mike Clay]

Oh. Because I'm working on that.

[Daniel D]

I had no idea where they existed until they started to hurt. And I was like, I don't think my, like something's wrong with my legs. And I think I recognize now what all these NFL players go through on a daily basis.

[Phil Jates]

Ah, so you are rowing too much.

[Daniel D]

I'm doing too much. Exactly. So I can't look at my phone. Guys, I'm.

[Mike Clay]

We're at that age now. Guys.

[Daniel D]

I got it.

[Mike Clay]

Well, you and I are.

[Daniel D]

Yes, Field. You're still young.

[Phil Jates]

Getting there.

[Mike Clay]

He is a year or two.

[Daniel D]

Your age starts with a T still rather than an F. I'm in my mid-30s. All right, well, quickly, before we get into anything else, I'll give big shout out to our friends over at Trophy Smack. Head over to trophy smack dot com. Use the promo code focus10 for 10% off your first order. It's a lot of good stuff over there for your league. So go check them out. Trophy smack dot com. All right, let's dive into the ultimate wide receiver outlook here. My friends talk about a bunch of different wide receivers here. We got a couple of games we're going to talk about, but let's start with the Chicago Bears wide receivers. If you don't mind, because I want to ask you guys a question about this.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Daniel D]

Do you think that it only took two weeks for Roma Dunes A to become the number one wide receiver in Chicago?

[Mike Clay]

Yes.

[Daniel D]

That was fast.

[Phil Jates]

My answer is actually no. I think it happened like August 10.

[Daniel D]

Maybe before the season.

[Phil Jates]

Yes.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Phil Jates]

But I'm making the same point that Mike is like, it's not that crazy of a thought. It was maybe a bit of low hanging fruit, but it was one of the bold predictions we had during the preseason was that sooner rather than later, Roma Dunze becomes the guy in the Chicago wide receiver room. I made this point earlier on in the week. This is not like a fourth round pick who has a good training camp who leapfrogs a guy who's been there, done that for eight years of the franchise and is still very much in the prime of his physical career. Rome's awesome. He's a second year pro, is the ninth overall pick in the NFL draft last year who could have gone even higher than that and nobody would have been surprised. He's got a chemistry with Caleb Williams. It's a new play caller in Ben Johnson. So it's not like the offense they are playing now is the exact same one they were last year where most of it might have been funneled through DJ Moore. It's not a surprise and I think, I think the conversation actually shifts at some point from is he the number one receiver in Chicago? We agree that is the case to is he a top 15 wide receiver in fantasy top 12? How high?

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I mean I have him ranked as such this week. I have him 12th. I have DJ Moore at 25th. So I will say this, we love them both this week. It's a great matchup against who has struggled third most fantasy points to receiver so far. And you've just seen it on film too. Could have some help back with Daron Bland, but nonetheless it's a situation where they're gonna be throwing the ball. Plenty good matchups for the most part. So we like them both. But yeah, I mean Dunes A for me is a top 15 option right now until he proves otherwise.

[Daniel D]

I have the same thing right now. Consensus at ESPN Aroma Dunes a wide receiver 13 D.J. moore wide receiver 25 so it definitely feels like here two weeks into the season things have kind of shifted. D.J. moore still startable?

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Phil Jates]

Moore's got 11 targets in two weeks. I think a Dunesday is now. Plus D.J. has three or four rushing attempts so they're they're using D.J. a little bit creatively. And by the way, DeAndre Swift is banged up right now, so perhaps D.J. moore gets five carries this game. I'm not sure it'll amount to a ton. But still, every touch does help you just a little bit. But it's clearly Roma Dunze is their number one target option and for now, and this could change. But for now they're getting virtually nothing out of Colston Loveland, the 10th overall pick in this year's draft. One of the concerns coming into the season was have we gotten too far in over our skis with all members of the Bears offense? Like, is there a pathway for Roma, Dunes A and DJ Moore to be startable and Colston Loveland to have real value as a tight end? Maybe that can still happen. It hasn't yet. And the fact that Loveland has been such a non factor is actually a benefit for Roma Dunes such a bummer.

[Daniel D]

To me that Loveland has started the way he has because Alameda Zakias is actually second on this team and targets even ahead of DJ Moore. I think the.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah, like I'm okay with him.

[Daniel D]

Yes, he's fine. But when you draft a tight end in the first round and then you go out and get a Luther Burden, they haven't even played either of their second round picks yet. I realize we're talking fantasy here but like Bears have had an interesting first two rounds of their draft with how they have been deployed through the first two weeks of the season.

[Phil Jates]

Early. It's early. It's early. It's early definitely. But so it's been a big benefit for ome. But yeah, I mean I think it's. He's proved to be one of the better value picks in fantasy so far.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

At least amongst wide receivers. I remember the big conversation Mike always said in the preseason like wide receiver 18 to like wide receiver 35 felt the same.

[Daniel D]

They're very close.

[Phil Jates]

Like the range of outcomes for those players.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

But Rome has separated themselves from that pack that includes the likes of and I'm just going to throw a couple names out there, Jerry Judy and George Pickens and Jalen Waddle who were drafted around Roma Dunes A obviously through two weeks. Just two weeks. But through two weeks Dunes A has been better than any of those names mentioned.

[Daniel D]

Over in our YouTube chat right now, our buddy Eric Moody hanging out. And we actually have a question from our YouTube chat. This one comes from Josiah Baker. In a 12 team super flex league he got offered Drake May, Quinton Johnston and DJ Moore for Roma Dunze and Cooper Cup.

[Phil Jates]

That's pretty enticing, I'm not going to lie. Because it's a 12 team super flex which means it's basically a two quarterback league. So to me clearly the two most valuable assets in that deal right now, Drake May and Roma Dunze. Honestly, like even if the deal was just straight up Drake May for Roma Dunes, like that's to me a legitimate, legitimate super flex league. Yeah, super flex league for sure. Rome Drake has more upside than probably any of your wide receivers or running backs that you would reasonably have as your super flex option.

[Daniel D]

So yeah, the idea I could trade Roma Dunz for the other wide receiver in Chicago and get a quarterback. Feels like great value.

[Mike Clay]

I would take that. I'd be curious to know what his quarterback situation is. You know, if May's your third quarterback because it's week three so in theory you should already have two starting quarterbacks. So. But if maybe May is could have been a Joe Burrow, maybe Joe Burrow situation. That would make a difference for sure. Also like, do we think DJ Moore gets traded?

[Daniel D]

Yes. Thank you so much. I was going to bring this up, Michael.

[Phil Jates]

I don't think it's this year.

[Mike Clay]

You don't think so? Even if they, if they're, I mean, they're what, they're 02, right?

[Daniel D]

They are zero and two.

[Phil Jates]

I don't think it's this year. I think that a couple things here. Luther Burden's not ready yet. If he were ready, he'd be playing.

[Mike Clay]

But is he ready in week eight?

[Phil Jates]

Maybe.

[Mike Clay]

I mean if you're out of it. If you're out of it, it seems like maybe it depends on how Smart move.

[Phil Jates]

It depends on how discontented the player is.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, well, I feel like he was discontent last year and I don't think.

[Phil Jates]

I don't know how much. It wasn't said. It was not overtly stated by DJ Moore. Like I'm, I'm unhappy to be here. There certainly were some disconcerting signs for sure. He was my, my bust pick at wide receiver this year.

[Mike Clay]

DJ Moore was.

[Phil Jates]

So I'm not totally shocked by the start of the, of the season for him. It's also early. He could definitely get back on track. Like if he had an 11 target game with, you know, 9 for 89 in the touchdown this weekend, none of us would be surprised. I'm still a very talented guy.

[Daniel D]

I got both of these wide receivers as starters. I'm not starting either. Bears tight end in the other side. They're taking on the Dallas Cowboys. I think we're starting all the pass catchers here, CD Lamb and George Pickens. And I'd start Jake Ferguson with what the tight end situation looks like.

[Mike Clay]

Cool, baby. Yes.

[Daniel D]

Going to be a very fun passing game between the Bears and the Cowboys this week.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I can't wait for that one.

[Daniel D]

Let's talk about the Chiefs. I mean, a little bit of news here because right now Xavier Worthy is practicing.

[Phil Jates]

Yep.

[Daniel D]

There's at least rumblings that he might be out there on the field. But field we talked about with Stefania. What is he going to look like when he comes back knowing that he's potentially going to still be dealing with that shoulder injury?

[Phil Jates]

Yeah. The question mark is if he plays on Sunday, is it just basically a ticking time bomb, you know, like really takes a dramatic hit or a big hit, is he going to take one hit, get knocked out or get knocked down? Excuse me, not knocked out. But if he gets knocked down, takes one above average Hit. Is he yanked from the game? So actually, so to me, it's a decision you have to make. You dance with the devil or you don't. There's plenty of upside. Because I want to call back to something that Kurt Warner said on the Week one broadcast down in Brazil because he was talking about. And this was after Xavier Worthy got hurt. They were describing the impact of this and he was saying, we're talking to Andy Reid and Matt Nagy and they're telling us left and right how much the offense is going to revolve around Xavier Worthy.

[Mike Clay]

And.

[Phil Jates]

And there are a lot of reasons why the Chiefs are struggling right now on offense that might be a decent level of explainer for it.

[Daniel D]

Right.

[Phil Jates]

Like if the guy that you were planning on building your passing attack is gone or all but three plays is gone, like that would help excuse some of the very pedestrian numbers so far.

[Daniel D]

When. When the guy misses the game after playing three snaps and then the person that takes over his role gets 16 targets correct, it makes me think that there was a large game plan set up for that person.

[Mike Clay]

And that was the case for what, six to eight weeks then last season. So that was not a surprise with Rashee Rice out and yeah, they. I mean, they maybe beat the Eagles if they have Worthy. I mean, it's. That was a big loss for them and it has really crushed their passing game.

[Phil Jates]

So let's work through this. If he doesn't play, obviously, we know what that means.

[Mike Clay]

It means you're playing Hollywood and Travis Kelsey and that's it.

[Daniel D]

That's it.

[Phil Jates]

If he does play. Mike. And I was looking at the projections.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

And I was a little surprised. So I have him in the war room league. And the team is off to a rough start and part because we lost our fourth round pick three plays into the season. And then our quarterback not long after that. And then our backup quarterback, Nagla. So for the walking wounded. But you know what? A lot of. Gotta believe. You gotta bow, Lee, baby.

[Daniel D]

That's right.

[Phil Jates]

But I was sitting there looking at the projections. We happen to have Wanda Robinson on the bench and the projections this week are actually not that far off between Xavier.

[Mike Clay]

0.9 points apart. Yeah. You just know that.

[Phil Jates]

Top of your head.

[Mike Clay]

It's right in front of me. Okay. They're playing each other. They're literally right next to each other.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

12 and a half for worthy, 11.6 for Robinson.

[Daniel D]

I was like, I thought for Sugar. Mike just was locked in.

[Phil Jates]

Definitely did not tell you that beforehand. So is the pessimistic projection for worthy because. Healthy. Worthy because the injury. That's it.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, well, it's, it's baking in the risk that he's limited. Okay. So, you know, I don't like, I think if a guy's projected for 14 points and he's like 50, 50 to play, I don't put him at seven.

[Phil Jates]

All right.

[Mike Clay]

I either pick. He's either in or out. However, in a situation like this, I don't know if they're. He's going to be on a snap count or something or there's. There's a possibility of him having a setback. So I put the target share a little lower than I would if he was a hundred percent healthy. Like if we were at. Let's say we. He's healthy through week one, week two, he might be at a 25% target. I'm like at 20.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

So I feel like it's concerned.

[Phil Jates]

It feels like it's kind of you're in or you're out, right? Like I'm out. You can't. Oh, you're out.

[Daniel D]

Okay.

[Phil Jates]

So I mean, I mean, on the player. On the player, like, I'm saying, the team either says, like, you're either playing or you're not playing. Not like, hey, you're playing, but we're only going to play you 60% of the naps. I think he reaches a threshold where it's like, you're good enough to play and we just hope for the best while you are healthy because it's something you're one hit away from having to go down the other path might be. Might be surgery, but until that time, you are playing.

[Mike Clay]

So do you think, like, he's a guy that'll handle 5% of the carries as well, so you think they're really going to hand it off to him?

[Phil Jates]

They might be smarter about how they.

[Mike Clay]

That's what I like. That's what I baked in a little bit of that. Like, there might be certain things he can't do. And also I also kept it a little lower because what if he does? What if he can't do it? What if he's in there and he's playing a little bit and he falls or he takes a hit and he's just like, I would suck. Like, I mean, that's why, that's why I projected him as like a flex option. So 10 team leagues, I think you avoid him. 12 team leagues, he might be your best flex option. Yeah, that's how I projected him this week. And I think that's how I'm approaching him. I have him on some teams I believe you do as well. Like that's how I'm looking at it.

[Daniel D]

All right, so then let's take another question from our YouTube chat right now because YouTube is popping off with us talking about Xavier Worthy. A lot of people have questions because.

[Phil Jates]

Is it Xavier Worthy vs Robinson Cameron Mitchell I like.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Daniel D]

Is Xavier Worthy a better flex option than DeAndre Swift?

[Mike Clay]

We don't mention the word Swift around Worthy. Okay. That's why it's about why Travis Kelsey ran him over. You know, Taylor had some nice things to say about Savior.

[Daniel D]

We got Savior Worthy.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

I don't know.

[Mike Clay]

No, I'm joking obviously. But this is an easy one for me. It's DeAndre Swift. I love him. In this game against Dallas I'd be looking at anytime touchdowns. I'd be looking at a lot for the this one.

[Phil Jates]

Could you be cooking up a parlay for espn? Bet this I am.

[Mike Clay]

He he's not in that one. Someone in on Chicago is going to be in the parlay so we'll get to that at some point. So so working on that but I'm I'm going to be invested in that game and I have no issue obviously using Swift. I actually when I was working on it last night I don't think he had an anytime touchdown listed listed just yet. But anyway keep an eye out for that one. I think it might have came in this morning at around even money. So like anyway that's an aside regardless. DeAndre Swift featured in week one and then last week we saw him featured again. There was a little bit of got.

[Phil Jates]

Banged up for a minute.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, he was mixed well. He was mixing. He was getting a series here or there throughout the entire game but and then Swift rested at the end of the game. But up until that point he played like 68% of the snaps. Week one he was 81% so he has been featured. He looks good. He we need a little more passing game involvement but and the offense is scoring just enough so I think the easy call here.

[Daniel D]

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[Phil Jates]

Ish.

[Daniel D]

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[Phil Jates]

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[Daniel D]

Quick break. Let's talk defense. Football's on your screen, but peace of mind starts at home. Blink outdoor for security cameras offers up to a 2 year battery life and sync module XR so you can cover more space without constant maintenance. No wires, no fumbles, just easy coverage that works in the background. You've got your team on the field now. Get your defense at home. Get Blink today at the Home Depot. How doers get more done this week? I would rather not play Xavier Worthy because I'm just worried about what happens if he exits the game early. Not just because even he's hurt, but because he just realizes I'm going to be on a snap count. We're only going to have a certain amount. I would rather go a different direction with my flex play. I want to ask you one question really quickly about this team's wide receiving core and then we can move on. But knowing that this has now happened to Xavier Worthy and we have some potential panic around what the rest of his season looks like, I am I'll say this as a statement if the manager of Rasheed Rice has started 03 after this week, knowing what I think Rasheed Rice's role will be in this offense now that Xavier Worthy is banged up, I am putting in a hefty offer to try and get him before he comes back because I could see Rice just coming in immediately and being the de facto wide receiver one. And we thought it was going to be a wide receiver by committee once receipt Rasheed Rice came back. So I'm thinking about if depending on not every league is going to work out this way. But if the Rice manager is struggling, I'm putting in a hefty bid to be able to see if I can get him from the squad.

[Phil Jates]

It might not even have to be hefty.

[Mike Clay]

I mean, if they're 03, they need moderate.

[Daniel D]

Yeah. So, all right, for the other side of this, just really quickly, obviously you're starting Malik neighbors, but would you guys start wand Robinson after the start that he's had?

[Phil Jates]

I'm dissolving myself from this conversation. I have the Xavier Worthy versus Wanda Robinson in a 16 team.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, 16 team league. What would you do? Mike, let me ask you a question.

[Mike Clay]

Have you ever heard of Ready Steward?

[Daniel D]

Ready Stewart? That's a NASCAR driver. No, it sounds like it. Maybe a pit crew manager.

[Mike Clay]

That was the slot corner for Dallas last week because Duron Blaine was out. Okay. Robinson, he had a big game. Okay. He had a big game in that one. That's kind of why we're keeping an eye on Duron Blaine this week, because that could be your guy. Zakia still would match up with him. Yeah. He took advantage of a good situation. They are utilizing him a little differently. His route tree a little bit, which I like to say. I think he's a player. What?

[Phil Jates]

Do you know who he is now? Oh, Wandale Robinson.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, of course.

[Phil Jates]

No, do you know who he is now?

[Daniel D]

Who has he become?

[Phil Jates]

East Coast Tyler Lockett.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Phil Jates]

Russ was drawing that comp and you kind of make sense.

[Mike Clay]

All right.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, I like.

[Mike Clay]

But anyway, the short answer is yes. I mean, I think he's on the flex radar. As I mentioned, I have him ranked back to back with Xavier Worthy. So guys are zero help. Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

Which really makes it difficult on fiat. Hey, Chat, help me out here. Let's do a poll. Yeah, poll in the chat. Who would you rather start, Xavier Worthy or Wanda Robinson?

[Daniel D]

I'd be.

[Mike Clay]

I'd be nervous. I feel. On which Robinson.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

Okay. I feel like Robinson this week. I'm just looking for an excuse to bench Worthy. I feel like if he catches a long touchdown, I'm okay with it for this week. Just for this week.

[Phil Jates]

I will, I will. I will probably egg Mike's house if I choose Wanda Robinson and Xavier Worthy outscores Him, just for the record. But it's, you know, it's at least under discussion.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, that's fair.

[Phil Jates]

I want Chat's thoughts, though, too.

[Daniel D]

I would love to know. Honestly, this is. This is going to be a really interesting situation because I think a lot of people, if you have Xavier Worthy, you just know he's so much better than a lot of the guys that you're starting around. But you've just got to be able to keep all the things in mind, unfortunately. All right, let's dive into Mike Clay's shadow room.

[Phil Jates]

What we're doing to do anything.

[Daniel D]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah.

[Daniel D]

I did not realize that you guys had your own versions of things.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah, we've got lots of wide receiver conversations.

[Daniel D]

Oh, this is on me. That's my fault, my friends.

[Phil Jates]

All right, Mike, you go first.

[Mike Clay]

Me? You go first. Okay. First one on my list here is the Eagles against the Rams. We're looking at Eagles wide receivers and how we feel about them right now because it's been a slow start for both A.J. brown and Devonte Smith. Look, I think that they're going to be okay. I think it's kind of all systems go. You look at week one, we've talked about this. I won't go too into it, but Dallas was very sewn heavy in that game. Lot of too high. And so naturally the Eagles didn't try to force the ball downfield and it worked out well for them. Last week they tried a 41% target share for A.J. brown. Nine targets, but just 27 yards. Devonte Smith a little better. Six targets and 53 yards. Look, the Eagles have only attempted 45 passes so far this season. All five of their touchdowns have been rushes. That'll be closer to 50, 50 like it's been the last few years. And some injuries in in the Rams secondary with the killer Witherspoon done for the year, probably their best corner. So I think this will be a competitive game. I know it's in Philly. Last time these teams played it was the snow game, so we didn't see much out of them. But earlier in the regular season, both Eagles receivers were much better. So I think they get back on track this week and what should be a good game.

[Phil Jates]

Fun fact. Saquon Barkley has over 200 rushing yards in each of his last two games against the Rams. Just a fun fact that does tie into this game. I'm not saying it changes how Mike stated the wide receivers may or may not do, but if Saquon goes off this weekend Once again.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I called Rams. I called it good. But the secondary is where they're struggling a little bit right now, where they have some. Some holes from injury. So, yeah, I think it's a week. I think they get him going.

[Phil Jates]

Eagles wide receivers get it going.

[Mike Clay]

Yes. Stay patient there. Stay patient. I have brown 15th, so a little. Maybe a tiny bit lower, but then where we had him coming into the season. But still a good wide receiver, too. Devonte Smith's 36, so option wide receiver three.

[Phil Jates]

I've got a line that will apply to A.J. brown that I'm going to use in just a couple of moments when we dive into one of my topics.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Phil Jates]

I'm making a mental note to use this line. It's going to probably win me an Emmy.

[Mike Clay]

Okay. Deal.

[Phil Jates]

Do you have any other topics?

[Mike Clay]

Oh, another one for me. Okay. I, you know, we're just, we're just going flying through them here. I'm used to just taking.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, we usually go in circles.

[Phil Jates]

Daniel did all I did.

[Daniel D]

I did both of mine. Yeah. Listen, there's a reason for this madness, unfortunately, so.

[Mike Clay]

So I guess we're talking AFC west wide receivers here. So here's my question, and we. I kind of foreshadowed this yesterday. Going forward this season, are we going to be starting three Chargers wide receivers?

[Phil Jates]

I don't think so.

[Mike Clay]

You don't think so? All right, so if not, then who is out?

[Phil Jates]

Quinton Johnston.

[Mike Clay]

You think so? Okay.

[Phil Jates]

The touchdowns are awesome.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

It still feels like what it was. Two catches for 60 yards on Monday night.

[Mike Clay]

He still had a decent amount of targets. I don't remember exactly what the stat line was, but I mean, he's, you know, he's. He's just as busy as the other two. He's first in air yards by a.

[Daniel D]

Lot easier than the other two.

[Phil Jates]

Let me ask you something, Mike, because you forecasted or foreshadowed this, I think yesterday you were like, we're going to talk more about this Greg Roman offense and how it's playing.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah.

[Phil Jates]

Is that for right now or is that for.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, no, that's. That's for right now. Because the other part of this.

[Phil Jates]

Aggressive.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. So the first of all, they are the pass heaviest offense in the NFL so far and that may balance out a little bit. But they're. It's clearly part of their plan right now. The other part is if you take their running backs and their tight ends and you add up all of their targets so far this season, it equals 11.

[Phil Jates]

11.

[Mike Clay]

And that's 18%. So that means 73% of the targets are going and not including like Trey Harris or the other guys. 73% of the targets have gone just to those three guys. If that sustains itself. Yeah, they can put together three top 30 seasons.

[Daniel D]

I guess the one thing for me is that Quinton Johnston only having eight catches but three touchdowns for 150 yards. When you're averaging over five points a reception in fantasy football, like that seems like an unsustainable number.

[Mike Clay]

However. Right. However, the targets are Keenan Allen, 16, 14, Quentin Johnson 14.

[Daniel D]

So when I, Keenan Allen is. Is crushing lad McConkey ceiling. It wasn't even Keenan Allen. It was like this entire passing attack. Lad McConkey is just like not the de facto number one wide receiver anymore. It's just a three headed committee.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, that's what I mean. And you have like Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey are more short range targets. Gwent Johnson's the, the deep threat. He's the big play guy. So it could work out like he might not catch as many passes, but he's going to hit for more touchdowns and bigger plays. And McConkey and Allen will be a little better in PPR, but at the end of the season I could see them all finishing top down.

[Daniel D]

This is one of those hard things in fantasy where you have a guy that you didn't expect at the beginning of the season, all of a sudden starts out super hot. Javante Williams is the same kind of guy and you say to yourself, did I just find a diamond in the rough or do I need to find a way to parlay this into a better player for my squad through a trade? If you guys had Quinton Johnston and I recognize it as very team dependent based on the rest of your roster, but do you think that this is more. It's going to last long enough that you want to stay in the Quinton Johnston business or would you want to find a way to get out?

[Phil Jates]

Give me a name, Quinton Johnson and I can get X and I'll tell you whether I would do.

[Daniel D]

I'm going to look at a running back because.

[Phil Jates]

Wide receiver.

[Daniel D]

Just so we can like another wide receiver.

[Phil Jates]

Whatever. Just because you're already on the page.

[Daniel D]

If you're. If you could trade Quinton Johnston for tea McMillan, would you rather have Ted Rockmill?

[Mike Clay]

McMillan Mile.

[Daniel D]

Okay, would you rather have. How about Jameson Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr. Yeah, it's Marvin Harrison Jr. In that same boat. Just because of his name.

[Mike Clay]

Marvin.

[Phil Jates]

But not by much, unfortunately.

[Daniel D]

All right, what about George Pickens?

[Mike Clay]

I Thought about that. I want to see Pickens this week. I think there's a big week for Pickens.

[Daniel D]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

He's had close calls.

[Daniel D]

Devonte Smith.

[Mike Clay]

Devonte Smith. I would slightly into devonte. I think we're getting in the vicinity now. This borderline top 30.

[Daniel D]

And now it's like. And I'm going to list a bunch of them because at this point, it's like the Chris Olave, Keon Coleman, Judy Travis Hunter, Ricky Pierce.

[Mike Clay]

All this is the problem with this area. I feel like he's right in that category. Like, he's.

[Phil Jates]

There is the interesting one to me. Only because he has a zillion targets. Like. And he might have 150 targets.

[Mike Clay]

A lot of.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah.

[Mike Clay]

Oh, yeah, yeah, me too. I just don't know what to do with that.

[Phil Jates]

He might have 150 targets and three touchdowns this year is the problem.

[Mike Clay]

Right. I talked about this with Bill Barnwell yesterday in his podcast. It's just like the past volume and the speed of that offense is great. And it's like we're all about volume is king. We love volume, Chase volume. But they're averaging like four and a half yards per attempt. It's like, is it going to be a little better than that at some point?

[Daniel D]

You know, this is what it's going to be.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Daniel D]

Hey, and by the way, up on the back.

[Phil Jates]

No, I mean, I was. I was only on Breakfast Club yesterday, but, you know, Mike's on Bill.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. I didn't drop when I can, you know. You know, if I can name drop someone like Bill Barnal, I got to do it. That's.

[Phil Jates]

Bill's the best.

[Daniel D]

That checks out.

[Mike Clay]

We all love Bill.

[Phil Jates]

Okay, my turn yet or no?

[Daniel D]

Yeah.

[Mike Clay]

Oh, yeah. Oh, no, wait, one more.

[Daniel D]

Okay, hold on.

[Mike Clay]

Speaking of potential league winners in that division, your boy Troy Franklin with a quick conversation. Nine targets. A 30% target share last week, 100 yards total because he had a carry to a touchdown. Nine touches. Yeah. Look, he's still 68% available in ESPN leagues. That might have went down a little bit overnight, but it's close to that. My only concern here with him is he played 85% of the snaps last week. Potentially a breakout game for him. He could go down as one of the league winners this year, but week one, he played 58% of this snap. So who's the real Troy Franklin? Is this a guy that now established himself as a number two in this offense? Because I still think it's Cortland Sutton. Tough matchup last week. I still think he's clearly the one. But if Franklin is an every down player now in the two and he has the trust of Sean Payton and Bo Nix, can he keep this going? Is this a guy that's in that Quentin Johnson conversation that's a weekly starter now in fantasy. So fascinating one for me. I have him at 44 this week against the Chargers. I think he's a 12 team league flex option and I have some a little bit of optimism. Second year receiver could be a breakout same.

[Daniel D]

I'm with you on that. We all thought that it was going to be Evan Ingram as the number two pass catcher, but we were wrong because Evan Ingram is actually just the number two tight end on this squad, right behind Adam Troutman.

[Phil Jates]

Unfortunately, he's on the bench.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, this is we. It has been that maybe this is something that we need like a 30 for 30 on or something like what happened to these tight ends. Seriously, Mark Andrews just like being phased out. Like what is going on?

[Daniel D]

TJ Hawkinson has not returned value. Ingram has been.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I guess so. That one's maybe a little bit more explainable than guys just not playing or being targeted anymore who are fantasy superstars for years. And it's not like they're 36. I mean Travis Kelsey's getting more work and he's 35. These guys are 29, 28, 30. You know, I don't get it. So it's ridiculous. Yeah. All right.

[Phil Jates]

The wide receiver outlook continues with my topics. Unless Daniel wants to move on.

[Mike Clay]

No, let's go ahead.

[Daniel D]

No, we're going to do it. We're going to do this one.

[Phil Jates]

Monday Night Football. Monday Night Football. The Lions versus the Ravens. And the question that I have, and we'll tie this to the wide receivers in just a moment, dude, is are the Lions more their week one offense, their week two offense or somewhere in between against the Ravens specifically on Monday night? Like if they're playing bad teams, we expect them to be an absolute freight train. The Ravens have played two games, one in which they dominated the Browns offense, the other in which they actually were really good against the Bills defense for the first like two and a half quarters. And then Josh Allen became super Josh over there. He was incredible. So I think that the Ravens.

[Mike Clay]

There it is.

[Daniel D]

You're doing it.

[Mike Clay]

There you go. I didn't know which side I was doing this and then trying to figure out I still can't do it.

[Phil Jates]

I don't know what to make of this Ravens defense against this Lions offense. So here's what we know for this game. Specifically, there's two wide receivers that will be in lineups. Amen. I was going to be in lineups. Zay Flower is going to be in lineups. Even in a low passing attempt offense, he has been excellent so far this season. It brings me to Jameson Williams really and I guess the entirety of the Lions pass catching group, plus David Montgomery. So Amara is locked in. Jameer Gibbs is locked in. Can Jared Goff have a decent night on Monday night? Obviously it's going to take big passing numbers and touchdowns for Jared Goff to be worthwhile to start in fantasy. I just don't know exactly what this matchup represents. Are you guys more in or out on this Lions offense? And I'm not talking about Jameer Gibbs or I'm in.

[Mike Clay]

In.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

They're going to be throwing the ball plenty. And Baltimore, again, it's not like they've been a shutdown defense so far this season. Also, J.R. alexander was a healthy scratch last week. I don't know if he's going to be back this week. At some point he will be back. Not ready to go. But in the meantime, that's one you know she'll be a wizier as far as number, you know your backup, your third perimeter corner go is pretty good, but I mean he's not prime or peak Jerry Alexander. So again, they've given up a lot through the air so far and I think Detroit's gonna have to throw the ball a ton. So I think Goff is a fringe starter. Montgomery is in that RB2 conversation as usual. You mentioned the lineup blocks and Jameson Williams. I'm a 28 so for me he's a pretty clear wide receiver. Three option in all formats.

[Phil Jates]

It's just the Obviously with Jameson Williams, the potential for a one catch game is in play. Now it might be for 71 yards, but it still could be just one catch. I'm Christian McCaffrey, pro running back and Abercrombie is an official fashion partner of the NFL.

[Mike Clay]

I'm not kidding when I say NFL.

[Phil Jates]

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[Daniel D]

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[Mike Clay]

Use polls to settle dinner plans, send.

[Daniel D]

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[Phil Jates]

It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Daniel D]

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[Phil Jates]

In 2025 according to J.D.

[Mike Clay]

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[Daniel D]

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[Mike Clay]

Chevrolet together let's drive. Yeah, I don't know. His target show is pretty good last year I think that rebounds okay. I'm not as worried about that.

[Daniel D]

I feel like we could wasn't good.

[Phil Jates]

In week one and last week he had two catches.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah yeah I know. I think he'll be okay.

[Daniel D]

Two catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. But like that's the thing with Jamo. Like sometimes you only need to catch.

[Mike Clay]

Six targets in this game and seven targets whatever and be you know we're.

[Daniel D]

Back on I would from the Lions I am. You already said this. I'm starting Amon Ross St. Brown. I would also start Jameson Williams as a potent potential upside flex play. I'm also starting Sam Laporta because of the lack of tight end options available. I'm definitely starting Jameer Gibbs and I actually think David Montgomery is probably more the odd man out because I'm assuming the Ravens are going to yep. And he will kind of get game scripted ish out of this. Ravens always play the Detroit Lions. Like I have a lot of scar tissue from watching the Ravens recently against the Lions because we have been dominated by this squad. So especially in Baltimore, a Monday Night Football I I'm starting all of those guys. I don't think I would start Jared Goff but like if you want to talk about a matchup in which he would have to play catch up in order to keep up with this squad. He's not going to be confused for Lamar Jackson with using those wheels, but I still think he's a potential top 15 quarterback if you need him this week.

[Phil Jates]

I'm still mad at the NFL for scheduling all those buys in week, but I will thank the NFL because we have had an absolute slate of early season games.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, we have.

[Phil Jates]

This is going to be an amazing end to week three.

[Daniel D]

It really will be.

[Phil Jates]

Are you kidding me? We got Eagles, Chiefs last week, week one. We had all kinds of great games. I know it's week one and we're excited for literally anything football, but we had some monster games. Week one, Ravens and Bills on Sunday night.

[Mike Clay]

Are you kidding me?

[Phil Jates]

Chiefs, Eagles, last weekend. We've got. Of course, this weekend or this Monday night, we've got Ravens and Lions. Hello. Thank you, NFL. Next question on the ultimate wide receiver outlook. Which highly drafted wide receiver do you got in week three? A game in which these two teams or these players play against each other on different teams. And this is going to pivot nicely into the shadow report conducted by Mike Clay. The two wide receivers in the conversation are of course, Brian Thomas Jr. And Nico Collins. Which wide receiver are you more optimistic on in week three? Daniel, you answer first.

[Daniel D]

Nico Collins.

[Mike Clay]

Okay, Mike, that's the correct answer.

[Phil Jates]

That is the correct answer. Tell us why that is the answer.

[Mike Clay]

Mike, do you want me to take us to the shadow report or do you just want me? We.

[Phil Jates]

Yes, but we. We're going to get to the shadow report here. But we can also flesh out this conversation a little bit more than the rest of the wide.

[Daniel D]

Mike's always in such a hurry to move on from segments like. That's kind of his thing.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, that's. Yeah. That wasn't you at all. That was definitely me. Yeah. So first of all, I think that if they both had neutral matchups, based on what we've seen so far this season, I'm still going Nico Collins.

[Phil Jates]

Okay, I agree.

[Mike Clay]

You know, he's just obviously outstanding, has a longer track record. He's. He's awesome. So I would lean that way. Better quarterback over this week. Better quarterback. Brian Thomas tries Derek Stingley Jr. In this matchup. The junior going up against junior Brian Thomas Jr. And Derek Stingley Jr. Teammates. Yeah, that's right. And you know, I know Thomas's target share has been big. That's why we still rank him as a wide receiver, too. But Stingley shadow Devonte Adams in week one, Mike Evans in week two on 44 of their 49 perimeter out. So he was glued to those two guys when they were on the outside, which Thomas often is. Adams in that week one game at 7.2 fantasy points. Last week, Mike Evans had 10.6. I will say this, Thomas, last year, if you just look at how's he done, how do you do against Houston last year, Two very good games. One of them, Stingley shadowed him, but he was away from him and made a. Had like a touchdown. I think he had a touchdown run maybe, but had a long catch away from him. The other one, he was not shadowed by Derek Stingley. That was like, early on we had.

[Phil Jates]

Mac Jones in that other one.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, yeah. Mac Jones obviously helps a lot. So for me, even if it was a toss up, that would be enough to. To break the tie. But either way, I'm going. Nico Collins here.

[Daniel D]

Do you guys think the Jaguars would ever consider trading Trevor Lawrence to the 49ers for Mac Jones just to be able to unlock Mike Thomas Jr. Again.

[Phil Jates]

Three team trade because the 49ers feel good about Brock Purdy, obviously.

[Daniel D]

Oh, that's fair. Yeah, we'd have to.

[Phil Jates]

Who needs a quarterback really badly?

[Daniel D]

The Saints still Saints.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah. Trevor Lawrence, the Saints.

[Daniel D]

Have we ever had a three team trade in the NFL field, Jason?

[Phil Jates]

I don't know if those are even permitted.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, I know in the NBA, like that's a thing that can happen.

[Mike Clay]

Like 12 team trades.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah, we had a trade this past summer that tied the record for the most teams ever involved.

[Mike Clay]

What was that, five?

[Phil Jates]

I think it was six.

[Mike Clay]

Six, wow.

[Phil Jates]

But in the NBA, what happens is they start like basically the trade is, is. Is agreed to between two teams, but they need to have a couple of moving parts and they facilitate the trade through other suitors.

[Daniel D]

I'm assuming those other teams are basically just getting benefits from like saying, sure, we'll be involved in your trade because they're not giving up like assets. But like, yeah, if you need someone to take on $200,000 a salary, I guess we'll be that team.

[Phil Jates]

And if you want to do an entire podcast on aprons and such, go check out these collective. The NBA salary cap is very, very complex. So yes, there are some weird multi team traits. But anyways, I agree, we think, we all agree Nico is the one we have more confidence in. Like C.J. shroud and Nico Collins have a legit rapport like those two guys.

[Mike Clay]

Oh yeah.

[Phil Jates]

Super tight. I wish it was the case last week. Like Nico Collins, it was only three catches, but it could have been four for 49 and two touchdowns. And we might have a different tenor to our Nico Collins stock right now. Nine targets last week. I think things eventually do get back on track. Let's continue on with Z Shadow reports.

[Mike Clay]

All right, let's do it. Ready?

[Phil Jates]

Yes.

[Mike Clay]

There it is. Hey, hey. MIKE PLAYS Shadow report right there.

[Phil Jates]

What If Mike just disappeared during the shadow report. Because it was in the shadow.

[Mike Clay]

It was a shadow.

[Phil Jates]

Can we turn the lights off entirely?

[Mike Clay]

Let's go stand in the corner.

[Daniel D]

That would be funny actually. We should find a way to do something with that.

[Mike Clay]

I'm a shadow. We can do that at Halloween. Okay, let's talk. We'll start with downgrades. Like to start negative here.

[Daniel D]

Start with negative and positive.

[Mike Clay]

We talked about Brian Thomas Jr. Yeah, we did. And that was one of the three negatives. So that we crossed that one off. The next one is Devonte Adams. I think he will draw Quinion Mitchell in this one against Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles did not shadow last year, but we saw back in week one. Mitchell shadowed with George Pickens in that game and he shadowed a part of the time against Hollywood round, especially early in the game last week. If you're wondering why not Pukinakua? It's the same reason he in shadow CD Lame in week one. Lame is in the slot a lot. He moves around a lot everywhere. Yeah, same thing with Pukinakua. He's in the slot. He's probably honestly the primary slot for the Rams this season and also get some carries as well. He's not pinned on the perimeter like George Pickens wasn't. Like Devonte Adams was as well. So I expect Mitchell to be on Adams in this game. Adams coming off a big game last week, he has a 33% target share, same as Puka Nakua. Yep, those two guys are exactly what we hope for. Sean McVeigh features his main guys and that's exactly what he's done this season. Devonte Adams also.

[Phil Jates]

God bless you, dude. God bless you.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, strong feelings about this. Devonte Adams also leads the NFL with five end zone targets so far. Season tied for the league lead. So we're still starting him, but maybe more bus potential than usual against one of the best young corners in the NFL.

[Phil Jates]

Daniel just leaned over to sneeze. I met someone recently who only sneezed in five packs. Like five consecutive sneezes in a row.

[Daniel D]

I'm usually a four or five sneezer. I'm trying to keep it in.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah, I hadn't seen five in a while. It was impressive.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, I've never gone over six. Six is my max. But I get most nervous when I'm driving because when that happens and you.

[Mike Clay]

Can'T stop it, I don't.

[Daniel D]

I don't choose when my body decides to sneeze, but it's like I don't want to be on the highway when that happens.

[Mike Clay]

So sneezes and NBA trades max out of five or. That's what I learned today. That's why I come here. Okay.

[Phil Jates]

Oh, Mike, we're so.

[Daniel D]

By the way, Puka Nakua, wide receiver to consensus. Devonte Adams, wide receiver, eight in ESPN consensus ranking. So we still think, yeah, both is.

[Mike Clay]

Going to be puka.

[Phil Jates]

Nu's got a 90% catch rate so far.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, that guy is so good. I almost ranked him first this week. He's just so good. I mean, you could put him right in that conversation. The other one, guys, is Mike Evans against SAS Gardner. Look, Mike Evans is a 29% target share so far this season. That would, I believe, be his highest since like his third year in the NFL. So they are featuring him for sure. But he's off to a slow start, as you know, 10 catches, 170 yards on those 19 targets. Why he's been shadowed in both games. A.J. terrell did a good job against him in week one. Derek Stingley Jr. Who we just talked about, did a great job against him last week. We've already seen soft Shadow in one of two games. That was the opener against DK Metca. Metcalf held him to 12 points. Did not shadow full time last week, but it was, you know, it was very complicated with the Bills rotating the receiver so much. But anyway, again, another situation. You have a clear perimeter wide receiver who's a number one for his team and you have Sas Gardner ready to shadow those types of players. So I think he'll be on him in this game.

[Daniel D]

Can I ask a question? I asked this last week. I felt like a Mecca Abuka was in a spot where because teams are favoring Mike Evans, that maybe he would be in a decent spot. He's found the end zone now in two straight weeks to start a season. Mike, you've got him as wide receiver 31 against the Jets. In spite of the fact that you think Mike Evans is going to get the soft shadow, do you not think there's going to be a little bit of love potentially this week for Mecca Abuco?

[Mike Clay]

It helps. It helps a little bit. Brandon Stevens isn't as good as Sar Skarner, but he's still a solid corner. My main issue with Buka is we need more targets. I mean, his target share is hanging around 20%. That's tough to justify a guy ranked around 20 so far. So any, you know, touchdowns have been there. That's good. You get a lot of touchdowns of this out of this Tampa offense. That helps for sure.

[Daniel D]

But, yeah, taking advantage of opportunities. But he needs more opportunities.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I have no issues starting him again. He's in that group. He's in that gigantic tier of wide receivers where it's like, man, you got to put them in some order. We can't tear him in our ranking feed. We have to rank him in some order. So that's why he's a little lower.

[Daniel D]

All right, a couple of downgrades now from OR that was there from the Shadow Report. Let's talk some positive guys.

[Mike Clay]

Upgrades. Yeah. Okay. So Washington's receivers against the Raiders. You know, we keep picking on the Raiders. I don't have to go into this every week, but Eric Stokes, Caillou Blue, Kelly, Darnay, Holmes, they've led the fourth most fantasy points to receivers so far.

[Phil Jates]

One caveat here, of course.

[Mike Clay]

The caveat is Jaden Daniels might not play. Yeah, that's true. I mean, it's still a good matchup. But you're right. Marcus Mariota will be able to take advantage if he is the starter. So McLaren and Curtis Samuel give them a bump. Jalen Lane as well, who's going to be the 3 this week for Noah Brown, who is sidelined with an injury, and then the other one, of course, this go. This is both sides of this game. We can't wait for this game. Bears against the Cowboys. All of the receivers in this game we're upgrading. A Dunes, A Moore and Zakias against Trevon Diggs, Kara Elam and then either Jaron Bland or Ready Stewart, whoever plays there. Dallas has led the third most fantasy point so far this season. Remember what Wanda did last week. Love that. The other side of this is the.

[Phil Jates]

CD Lamb and George Pickens for Bears.

[Mike Clay]

Lamb and Pickens against Tyreek Stevenson, Nishan Wright and then either Kyler Gordon or if he's still out, Nick McLeod. Jalen Johnson, one of the best corners in the NFL done for probably the season. He's on IR. So the Bears are really struggling. They've allowed a ton to wide receivers as is and now they have these injuries they're dealing with. Upgrade all the receivers in this game.

[Daniel D]

I want to ask you guys about this commander's receiving core because right now you still have Terry McLaurin ranked ahead of Debo Samuel. We just talked about this with Roma Dunes and DJ Moore as like, which one of them is the wide receiver one? Do you think that there will be a wide receiver one in this commander's receiving core or do you believe it's just going to be a committee between these two guys.

[Mike Clay]

I think McLaren will be the better fantasy option, but he's historically not had a big target share. So it's not like he's getting 30% and Deebo's getting 20%. It's probably going to be like, like 22% and 20%, something like that. So it's. This is one of them things. It's like, man, can we get Terry.

[Daniel D]

Moore more involved, give him a boost. They're finding ways to get the ball in Debo Samuel's hands. It feels like they haven't really found a way to do that as well with Terry McLaurin so far this year.

[Phil Jates]

McLaren Also, these are the kind of things that you say and then you get nervous, they get proven wrong. Like that season felt like pretty much everything that could go right for Terry McLaurin last year did go right. Despite okay catch production. Like we're not talking about a 105 catch guy. We're talking about a player who I think was at like 83 last year. 13 receiving touchdowns. So one in seven catches, basically going for a touchdown is pretty astronomical. One in seven and a half.

[Daniel D]

Terry McLaurin. Excuse me, Debo Samuel also, I used this stat when I was talking about Troy Franklin, but Debo Samuel has nine targets at or behind the line of scrimmage.

[Phil Jates]

Through, baby.

[Daniel D]

They are giving him a ton of manufactured touches in this offense for us in a PPR league, like that's what we're looking for, so I feel like.

[Phil Jates]

Should be doing that.

[Daniel D]

Deebo's got a really nice little lift for you if you drafted him here. I, I feel like this is going to be closer. I've actually got Debo ahead of Terry McLaurin this week. I think I'm the only ranker here, but I think they're pretty close.

[Phil Jates]

I think it's. I think it is close. So.

[Daniel D]

All right, Mike, who else you got here to be able to talk about?

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, a couple others to watch. I'm not moving the value much for these guys, but here's a couple other shadow situations I'm expecting for this week. Leger, various need shadowing Michael Pittman. He shadowed when he was played in Week 1 against Cortland Sutton and full time shadowed Devonte Adams last week. Didn't go great for him, but you know, certain did a decent job against Pittman last week. So we've seen teams try to shadow him a little bit, so. But kind of neutral again. I'm not super worried about that one. A.J. terrell, I don't think he's going to play this week right now if he does, probably on Tedro and McMillan but not worried about that because again, I don't think he's going to play. And then pat certain on Quentin Johnston. This is a tricky one here because you might think why not Keenan Allen, why not lad McConkey? It's the same thing I talked about earlier. It's just a Johnson's the clear number one on the perimeter. The guy that's making the downfield plays. That's the guy. Sir Tan usually shadows and we've seen this before, certain Shadowed back in 2022 Shadow Mike Williams instead of Keenan Allen. Last year he shadowed Josh Palmer, not lad McConkey. And actually back in 2023, granted like everyone was hurt. It was that game where Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Josh Palmer were all out. Sir Tan actually shadowed Quentin Johnson in that game. Johnson had 29 yards on five targets. I think he's going to be on him quite a bit either way, but he could be on him full time when he's on the perimeter. So a little bit nervous about that.

[Phil Jates]

Couple of early week injury notes, including one on the Chargers is Ladd missed practice yesterday with a biceps injury. So if something prevents him from playing on Sunday, we'll obviously update what that might mean for Quinton Johnson, the potential pets for Tanzado and just general target chair and things of that nature. Brock Purdy did practice yesterday in a limited capacity. Obviously we'll have a whole lot more coverage of that because it's one of the biggest injury storylines that we are monitoring. Jaden Daniels did not practice yesterday. I'm sure everybody listening or watching knows that.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, they said what? He's not going to practice Wednesday or Thursday.

[Phil Jates]

Friday.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. So that actually keeps the window open to me. That's why he's still in the projections. The fact that it was worded that way.

[Phil Jates]

I also Mike last year he was like basically not going to play all week and then he played on Sunday. So yeah, against the Bears in that game against Caleb Williams that ended in the Hail Mary of course. So I am holding out hope for Jaden myself.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I watched the Marcus Mariota presser very closely yesterday to see if he would tip off like. Like sometimes they'll may say a phrase it makes you think oh, he's preparing to start. He did not do that at all.

[Phil Jates]

So that makes my homes last week was talking about like yeah, it's gonna suck. Not of Xavier Worthy for a little bit of time here you're like oh okay. Well they were not gonna play.

[Mike Clay]

You can kind of see what they're doing, thinking, and like, yeah, kind of hear words that kind of tip you off as to what's going to happen. And that did not happen with him.

[Daniel D]

That at least feels like when Mahomes said that. Like, even if you benched. Right? Yeah, like, come on, you're not benching Patrick, mum. And by the way, they won't have like, quote, full Xavier worthy for a while. Patrick, Mahomes isn't real. The Xavier worthy they're going to get is going to be like a limited Xavier worthy.

[Phil Jates]

I got to do some digging on this because I don't know the answer. Is the answer like, hey, he is well enough to get on the field, but he will be limited? Or is it one of those where it's like, once you're good enough to play, once you are strong enough to play, you are on the field. And the only thing that takes you off the field is a hit that dislocates your shoulder again.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Daniel D]

And so to be able to parlay ourselves out of that field, G8, our YouTube chat has officially decided 71% of the chat believes you should start Wanda Robinson.

[Phil Jates]

Okay, there you have it.

[Mike Clay]

All right.

[Phil Jates]

Did you mean Segway or parlay?

[Daniel D]

Is that a. I said parlay. I meant segue.

[Mike Clay]

I was like.

[Phil Jates]

I was gonna say.

[Mike Clay]

I was like, do a parliament.

[Phil Jates]

Is there a parlay coming up that I don't see on the note?

[Daniel D]

I'm down for a parlay here, my friends. I mean, why not put a little bit of extra something on this? All right, let's move ahead. Talk about a Thursday Night Football preview. Bills and Dolphins, my friends. How many bills is too many bills to start against the Miami Dolphins?

[Phil Jates]

Four, I think two are startable.

[Mike Clay]

For sure.

[Daniel D]

Two are definitely startable. Okay, so you're talking about a running back and a quarterback.

[Phil Jates]

Jimbo Cook. And I'm calling him Jimbo. Jimbo, I think it's a great name. Josh Allen. Jimbo Cook. And then I think it's probably one pass catcher right now. Deciding exactly who that one pass catcher is might be tricky. It's not like more than one can't go off. But I think we feel, and I'm going to speak for the group, go.

[Mike Clay]

Ahead and correct me if I'm wrong.

[Phil Jates]

That if you're going to take the roll the dice on one bill's receiver, it's Keon Cole. Yes. Okay, agreed, Agreed. So I think it's two and a half is the answer of number of bills you are Starting tonight. And you have to choose between the over and the under. It's a great matchup though. The Dolphins are to borrow a line from Mike Clay. Check this out. Thirteen and a half point favorites. That's a huge number at ESPN bet. That's a gigantic number. And a lot of times when you see a number that large, it's a team like probably like last week with the Ravens. They're playing a Browns team but just not good on offense. Dolphins can at least be okay on offense. They're 13 and a half point dogs. That's a huge number. That's gigantic. Honestly, like, and this is going to sound crazy to me to most, but like of course you're starting him, of course you're starting Josh Allen. There's no thought to doing anything other than starting him. But there's like 3% of me that is nervous that like they could do what happened last week. They're up by 25 at the end of the first half and Josh Allen exits the game the third quarter with 112 passing yards, one passing touchdown and 13 rushing.

[Mike Clay]

All right, so question, are you starting Josh Allen or Mitch Trubisky then?

[Phil Jates]

Yeah, I'm starting Josh Allen still. I'm just saying like 3% of me is nervous. This game is so non competitive that Josh is eating a hot dog in the sideline in the fourth quarter. Like Mark Sanchez, I will say this.

[Mike Clay]

Couple injuries for Buffalo in this game, including Ed Oliver up front. So. So perhaps that allows Miami to score a few extra points and keep this thing competitive. I think that's what we're hoping so.

[Phil Jates]

To get back on track. So I sort of, I'm being, you know, like there is a chance Josh is out of the game early because the game is so disparate. That being said, like you're still starting Josh Allen. I think the real question marks going into this game are surrounding the Dolphins wide receivers. That to me is the question is, you know, you're starting to von hn. He's been exceptional through two games to I would lean against starting but all the quarterback injuries. I understand there will be some teams that will be streaming to it tonight.

[Mike Clay]

Right?

[Phil Jates]

That being said, it's Tyree Kill and Jalen Waddle. Waddle, by the way, is questionable to play. We'll know an hour and a half away. I do think he will play tonight. Is Tyree Kill a lineup lock? No doubt about him.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I'm putting him in.

[Daniel D]

He's still a lineup lock, but that doesn't mean I have to feel Good about starting.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

I feel okay. Just his target share is a little over 20%. We want it to be higher. It's not where it was a couple years ago. It's up from last year and he's coming off a game over 100 yards and seven targets last week. I think as long as he's hanging around that seven target mark with his ability, he should never be on benches. So.

[Phil Jates]

So trending a little bit up after last week, Tyreek Hill, like there are some good signs there. And if this game does play out like Vegas thinks it will play out like there should be a lot of passing opportunities in this game for Miami. Is Jalen Waddle in the same category or is he A cut below 11 targets so far for Jalen Waddle in two games? The I think the co leaders for targets for Miami through two games are Tyree Kill and Duan. Hm. So is Waddle a notch below in your guys eyes or is he similar to Tyreek?

[Daniel D]

I think Tyreek Hill is still a wide receiver too for my squad and Waddle is more like a flex play. If I need him, that's where I've got him ranked.

[Mike Clay]

And he's coming off a good game. Five for 68 and a touchdown last week. His target share is up a little from last year, but again not where we. Where it was a couple years ago. So we still need more out of him, a little more usage. But. But again you can see on the screen I have him projected for 65 yards and seven touchdowns. We'll take that. Yeah. By the way, it says 0 carries for 1 yard. Just.

[Phil Jates]

That's a rounding.

[Mike Clay]

That's a rounding deal there where he's like has a small chance to get a carry.

[Daniel D]

This is why I don't trust your projections, Mike. They just don't make any sense.

[Phil Jates]

Actually kind of happy that this came up because I get this question occasionally on social and I'm sure Mike gets it more often on social. But just to educate those that maybe have ever wondered on this, sometimes you'll notice on Mike's projection that'll say for example, a guy is projected for five catches for 62 yards and zero touchdowns. And his projection, you would think oh, five for 62, that's 11.2 points. It's actually like 13.7 because he gets 0.4 touchdowns.

[Mike Clay]

Exactly right.

[Phil Jates]

Correct. So Mike, so if a player is projected for under a half a touchdown, you give him a zero?

[Mike Clay]

No, no, he gets 0.4. He gets 0.4 upset when it lines.

[Phil Jates]

Up of here Right.

[Mike Clay]

Well, if you round it down, if it's under. My daughter's in school right now. My fourth grader is learning rounding. Right. So which way you round it down. So if it's 0.49, it's going to round down. If it's 05, it's going to round down to zero. If it's 0.5 or higher, it's going to round up to 1.

[Daniel D]

That's we. I do the same thing because I'm 510 and 3/4. So I'm not 6 foot. I'm actually 510 is what I'm supposed to say. Right.

[Mike Clay]

Okay. Now you just round it up. Just say you're seven foot.

[Phil Jates]

Yeah, I was going to say.

[Mike Clay]

Thank you. Oh, the other way.

[Daniel D]

Okay. I got to go the other direction.

[Mike Clay]

No, but, yeah, and that's just for visual visualization. When it's actually calculated for rankings, they're, like, ordering players, obviously, like, you know, if it's 0.5, if it. If he's projected for 0.5 touchdowns, you essentially get three added on because that's half of six points. Anyway, I'm getting into the nerdy.

[Daniel D]

I love the nerdy stuff. Why not?

[Mike Clay]

It counts. It doesn't just round to 0 or 1. That would make the projections.

[Daniel D]

We talked to NBA trades, we talked nerdy, you know, rounding errors.

[Mike Clay]

I catch myself. I start talking about. I'm just like, I. I don't know, moments to hear about all this.

[Daniel D]

Is anyone else also listening?

[Mike Clay]

Three people that are like, no, keep going.

[Daniel D]

Well, there is somebody in our YouTube chat that does want us to answer a question about a player we were just talking about. And that's on Jalen Waddle. This comes from. Jesse wants to know, would you start Jalen Waddle or Troy Franklin? I'm still in on Jalen Waddle over Troy Franklin.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, me too. I'm going to model.

[Phil Jates]

Sorry, I was just thinking about a time when somebody submitted a question on chat.

[Daniel D]

I gotta be real careful when I look extra long at the name before I.

[Mike Clay]

What was the name that there?

[Daniel D]

Jesse. It was Jesse Lu, I believe.

[Phil Jates]

Luis. Yeah.

[Daniel D]

Was it Luis, Jesse Louise. Okay.

[Mike Clay]

Okay. So that was a pretty standard one. Okay. All right. Yeah, we do.

[Daniel D]

How about you? Are you also going Jalen Waddle over Troy Franklin? Okay, now I feel like I got to worry about you being on your phone putting in a question via chat, and it's actually you, not anyone else, like, trying to bury me.

[Mike Clay]

Builds up to something. What is up to something.

[Daniel D]

I am. Just for what it's worth and we already talked about this. But the one thing that I want to watch is, is this a game in which Keon Coleman, because everyone else has dominated against this Dolphins wide receiving core. Can he look like an alpha in this Bill's offense? Like, I really want to see him look like the guy that we've kind of projected him to be. And if there was ever a matchup where that's supposed to happen, I think it would be here against the Dolphins. Yeah, I'm looking for the boom game from Keon.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. Again, worried about him playing half the snaps like he did last week. But you. Here's where I'd get nervous. Same issue with Josh Allen. Like, we got to hit early. We got to hit early. Yes. On this one, I'm nervous about that.

[Phil Jates]

There's an alternative path where Josh is out in the middle of the third quarter because he threw for 225 and three touchdowns.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. But they might not go to Coleman. So I just want to get it out of the way.

[Phil Jates]

I'm just saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Daniel D]

I'm looking at.

[Mike Clay]

So no how they're going to use them.

[Daniel D]

I would do first half bets rather. If I'm headed over to ESPN Bet, rather than do the entire game, I might look at just the first half because that's where, you know, it's going to be competitive for the Bills.

[Mike Clay]

I like that call, by the way. Khalil Shakir, we needed the big target chair for him. Like what we got last year to kept him in lineups, but he doesn't get the ball near the goal line. The target share is down this season. Obviously fantasy production hasn't been there, so. So for me, an uninspiring flex.

[Daniel D]

All right, well, Field and I are taking the Bills. Mike, you're taking the Dolphins. Is that right?

[Mike Clay]

Taking the Bills.

[Daniel D]

You're also taking the Bills.

[Phil Jates]

I tell you what, this is an incredibly important game for the Dolphins. I just think for like the trajectory of the franchise here. If they get smoked tonight, like Vegas forecasts and like I think a lot of America thinks is possible, could sweeping changes take place sooner than later in Miami?

[Daniel D]

Yeah, I mean. You mean not just like player changes, but potential front office coaching changes.

[Phil Jates]

You name it.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. Well, maybe because it's gonna be 32 to 19 bills, so that's.

[Daniel D]

It's gonna be to 32.

[Phil Jates]

That would be respectable though. Yeah, it would cover.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, they would cover, but I don't. Still don't think it's gonna feel too good.

[Phil Jates]

I know, but 37, that would really wait, what's this?

[Daniel D]

The spread's 13 and a half.

[Phil Jates]

13 and a half.

[Daniel D]

And you've got it at 13.

[Mike Clay]

13. Yeah. So it's close. That's wild.

[Daniel D]

This is why everyone thinks you're a computer, is because you're basically just Vegas.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, I'm usually within a few points.

[Phil Jates]

But Microsoft, Vegas, Clay.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, and we knew you were a computer after the first week of the Raheem Sanders Monopoly Fund. By you picking that guy.

[Mike Clay]

You got it. I ruined it.

[Daniel D]

All right, so here's the deal with the way we're doing long shots. In case you didn't listen yesterday, we have now made a rule. Every time that a long shot gets hit, we have to half the percentage of the player that we are rostering. So we were only looking at players that were under 1% rostered. Now we have to look at players that are under half a percent rostered to be able to have them be in our.

[Mike Clay]

Yes.

[Daniel D]

In our.

[Mike Clay]

I like it, though.

[Phil Jates]

Okay. I have. I have some information after Daniel makes his pick. Funny information.

[Daniel D]

All right, well, my first pick, because I cannot believe this player was under half percent rostered, is going to be. I'm gonna go with. To Rod Taylor.

[Mike Clay]

I thought we were doing. Oh, it's in. Any time we agree no quarterback.

[Daniel D]

Taylor gets in with his legs.

[Mike Clay]

Okay, you want me to go a.

[Daniel D]

Different direction because you don't like the quarterback call?

[Mike Clay]

No, I thought we said we weren't doing quarterbacks, but as long as it's just.

[Phil Jates]

All right.

[Daniel D]

All right, well, you'll win.

[Mike Clay]

No, no, it's not. Hold on. Touchdowns.

[Daniel D]

I just heard field do the thing that happens when it's like, no, no, that's fine. Whatever. Yeah, as soon as you hear whatever, it's like, you know what?

[Mike Clay]

You're the one who said no quarterback, so I was surprised. But also, I don't. I. I don't mind.

[Daniel D]

I'm a pivot. While you guys put in yours. I'm going to pivot. I'll go last.

[Phil Jates]

Make your pick, because I have some information.

[Mike Clay]

Okay. Mine is Kendrick Bourne.

[Phil Jates]

That was my pick, too. What?

[Mike Clay]

No, it's not.

[Phil Jates]

I had.

[Mike Clay]

Did you see my pick?

[Phil Jates]

No. Our producer, Christina, texted me this morning and was like, hey, you and Mike both pick Kendrick Bourne.

[Mike Clay]

No way can you pivot.

[Phil Jates]

And I was like, I would gladly.

[Mike Clay]

I will pivot. Do you want me to pivot?

[Phil Jates]

Do you have another option?

[Mike Clay]

I can do one. No, you keep comfortable with your other option.

[Phil Jates]

Yes.

[Mike Clay]

I thought the idea was if we had the same one, we would just split the pot if he scored.

[Phil Jates]

Well, whatever. It's good pick by you. Okay, so yeah, by the way, is a 49er. We understand that the graphic.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah, yeah. 0.3% rostered, played half to snaps last week, only three targets. But you may recall the slot man for the Panthers score two touchdowns against Renfro. So yeah, give me Kendrick Born. I'll tell you when we're all done. I'll tell you who my. My backup option is.

[Phil Jates]

Lot of injuries for the, for, for the Cardinal secondary, right? Yeah, a lot of injuries. Like they could be down two of their top three corners. Daniel, who's your pick?

[Daniel D]

All right, so I am going to change things up and I'm going to go with, with a running back, Rashard Smith.

[Mike Clay]

Okay.

[Phil Jates]

Okay.

[Mike Clay]

He's two opportunities this season.

[Daniel D]

He has two opportunities. And you know what? Nobody else in that backfield looks inspiring at all except for the guy named Patrick Mahomes. So why not just go with a running back, Brashard Smith, hopefully being able to get in the end zone.

[Phil Jates]

All right, so the perfect pick for this last week would have been not Tyquan Thornton. I mean, he was the correct pick, but the perfect last pick last week would have been Devonte Walker. Tez Walker, Ravens fourth round pick a year ago who had two catches for 26 yards and two touchdowns. There's a pretty decent chance that Tez Walker has zero more touchdowns the rest of the season. He might not even get the 10 more catches the rest of the season. There's no logical person that would think that say to themselves, it's going to happen again this weekend. And that's why I'm throwing logic out the window and going back to the Tez Walker. Well, baby, a lot of points on Monday night.

[Mike Clay]

You know, when I was looking yesterday, I was like, should we also eliminate players that have have touchdowns? But I didn't know if that would water it down too much maybe like it has to be their first touchdown of the season. But obviously you would have never picked.

[Phil Jates]

Tez Walker because you're too pragmatic. You're like, again, my projections had him for 1.7 touchdowns all season, two last week.

[Mike Clay]

That would have felt like cheating. But you know, you do, you do, you might. I'm just kidding. My other option was. No, that's okay. My other option would have been Jalen Lane. I was thinking about it. But yeah, I mean, he's not much of a guy that's used near the goal line though. He's like a short range guy, but with no Noah Brown, you know, he's already playing a little bit. He's going to be involved in this Washington offense. So. So that was my. My other option. I cut it down to two and then went born.

[Daniel D]

I. I have one more that I gotta give to you guys because our producers have one as well. And our producers are picking this week the starting tight end for the Chicago Bears, Cole Comet, to be able to get in the end zone.

[Mike Clay]

That's a good one.

[Phil Jates]

Wow. And you just want as much of that game as you can get. I didn't realize.

[Mike Clay]

I like that call.

[Phil Jates]

I believe Alameda Zacchaeus would have been eligible if Mike hadn't hit last week. He's at like 0.7 now.

[Mike Clay]

He's at.

[Phil Jates]

I'm actually surprised by that number.

[Mike Clay]

That's why I suggested that, because I was like, I don't want to pick him. That's. I haven't projected for like eight points this week, and it doesn't feel like in the spirit of this game. So I'm glad we're under a half percent now.

[Daniel D]

All right, so the players that we have chosen. I took Brashard Smith Field. You took.

[Phil Jates]

I took Tez Walker.

[Daniel D]

Tez Walker again. Mike.

[Mike Clay]

I have two guys.

[Daniel D]

Yeah. I mean, I like. I'm going to back up out of the Torod Taylor conversation.

[Phil Jates]

So if he has three touchdowns on time, they. Of course I'm going to give you credit.

[Mike Clay]

Yeah. Yeah. I have Kendrick Bourne.

[Daniel D]

Kendrick Bourne. Okay. And then obviously our producers have Cole commit, so that'll be a good one.

[Phil Jates]

And Kendrick Bourne would be a great person to score a touchdown because if he does, and especially if the 49ers win Monday Night Football. During the. The two minute recap by Boomer at halftime, Kendrick Bourne Identity finds the end zone against the Arizona Cardinals.

[Daniel D]

There's some things that just never get old, and I love being able to listen to that. Like, it's. So listen to Boomer in the war room especially, is great.

[Mike Clay]

It's. You know, that was my favorite show on TV growing up was seven. Was like 7:40 to 8, 20.

[Phil Jates]

The best.

[Mike Clay]

Like NFL primetime. Never missed it.

[Phil Jates]

If a Patriot got a game ball, it made my week. And the Patriots like one like literally every weekend growing up. So it was like the. All I cared about for those days was like, a Patriot got a game ball. This is awesome.

[Daniel D]

That's.

[Phil Jates]

So Rodney Harrison got one. Let's go.

[Daniel D]

I never got a game ball. I never played a sport where I could get a game ball at the end of a game. Have you ever gotten a game ball.

[Phil Jates]

I fortunately have. Yes. But like thing is that like any athletic accomplishments that I have in the past are so insignificant because my wife is a legitimately sick athlete now. Like she's incredibly athletic.

[Daniel D]

Like if the daughter get athleticism, it's coming from Chapin.

[Phil Jates]

It is not from me. If they get my athleticism, we're not getting scholarship.

[Mike Clay]

They just want fields hair, that's all.

[Daniel D]

Yeah, nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with that. All right, well, hopefully you're starting Wandell Robinson this week. Have fun with Thursday night Football and we'll be back tomorrow for part two of our week three three preview. We'll see you guys then. Talk about stepping up. 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 powerful. 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.