Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry

Episode: Cowboys at Lions + Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert injury updates
Date: December 5, 2025
Host: Connor Rodgers & Jay Croucher (Matthew Berry out)
Guest/Contributor: Dr. Denny Carter

Episode Overview

On today’s show, Connor Rodgers and Jay Croucher hold down the Fantasy Football Happy Hour fort while Matthew Berry is away on "cheer dad" duty. The episode dives into a high-scoring Cowboys-Lions game, breaking down player usage and fantasy implications, especially for Jameer Gibbs, David Montgomery, and emerging wideouts. The crew runs through critical injury and return news (Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Marvin Harrison Jr, and more). Dr. Denny Carter joins for his signature “Flexual Frustrations” segment, and the team answers live chat and mailbag questions and debates waiver pickups and start/sit strategies for Week 14 and beyond. The episode remains brisk and conversational, laced with banter and actionable insight for fantasy playoff positioning.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Cowboys at Lions: Thursday Night Fantasy Breakdown

[02:57]

• Jameer Gibbs’ Ascendance

  • Gibbs continues to dominate both running and receiving work.
  • Jay: “This feels like Jameer Gibbs’s team right now. David Montgomery, look at that… snap rate down to 30%.” [03:33]
  • Gibbs closed the game as the primary back, breaking the previous "Montgomery as the closer" model.
  • Connor: “It feels like the Lions are leaning into just how ridiculously explosive and efficient they are with Gibbs. … They basically almost had to win this game and they're just leaning into what is their best offensive threat.” [04:35]

• David Montgomery’s Role

  • Still produced (long TD run), but limited to a matchup-dependent flex outlook.
  • Montgomery only had 1 carry in the 4th quarter compared to 7 for Gibbs. [05:32]

• Jameson Williams’ Usage Boom

  • Noticeable bump as primary read under Dan Campbell’s playcalling, aided by Taylor Porter injury and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s nagging ankle.
  • Jay: “He can have that year [WR2] going forward…I think you can feel much more confident in him than you could have a month ago.” [06:36]
  • Connor: “He played on 36 of the receiving snaps—led the team. ... It's trending the right way. But he's a best ball guy compared to a redraft guy.” [07:21]

2. Cowboys Side: Wide Receiver Fallout

[08:43]

• Ryan Flournoy steps up with Ceedee Lamb out (concussion). Performance remains skepticism-worthy for fantasy purposes.

• Jay: “Flournoy’s value just entirely tied to the availability of CD Lamb.” [10:50]

• Even if Lamb misses Week 15, Flournoy is only a deep-league flyer.

• CD’s health will dictate Cowboys’ passing pecking order going forward.

• George Pickens’ Cold Night

  • Worst outing in a long time; reminded hosts of his volatility.

3. Week 14 Key Injury News & Fantasy Implications

[12:42]

Jayden Daniels (elbow, Commanders QB)

• Practiced in full, expected to play.
• Jay: “Everyone just gets a slight bump up. ... Mariota is one of the best backups in the league, but Daniels being back just slightly elevates Debo and Terry McLaren.” [13:46]

Lamar Jackson (ankle, Ravens QB)

• Returned to practice Friday. OC expects him to play; effectiveness in question.
• Jay: “He just hasn’t looked like himself really since that Week 1 game against Buffalo. ... It’s been a very strange, very rough season for Lamar.” [20:40]
• Connor: “He’s clearly hurt because it doesn’t feel that way this year...He needs his legs, in my opinion, to open up all that space and be an amazing passer that he is. And right now, neither is really clicking.” [19:37]
• Low floor against pressure-heavy Steelers.

Justin Herbert (hand fracture, Chargers QB)

• “Really optimistic” for Monday Night return; not recommended as a Week 14 fantasy starter due to surgery and difficult matchup.

Alvin Kamara, Drake London, Marvin Harrison Jr, Michael Wilson

• Kamara: dealing with knee/ankle injuries—watch for Devin Neal spot-start potential.
• London: trending to miss, which "sucks up" Falcons pass-game, possibly boosts Kyle Pitts.
• Marvin Harrison Jr.: OUT. Michael Wilson becomes high-volume, mid-level starter; “Michael Wilson’s production without Marvin Harrison has been undeniable.” – Connor [24:45]

Kyler Murray (Cardinals)

• Out for season (foot). Jacoby Brissett now locked in as starter.

4. Vikings Post-Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson Struggles

[14:47]

• Justin Jefferson (Vikings WR) on roughest year ever:
  • “It's probably one of the most difficult seasons just off of the circumstances, having a young quarterback, having a different team, having young players on the team.” [14:47]
• JJ McCarthy (QB) has been late on throws and lacks touch.
• Connor: “It's a chain link…like all young quarterbacks do, but when you kind of throw the same pitch all the time…DBs have broken on him.” [15:43]
• Rest-season: George Pickens > Jefferson in their rankings. “Pickens had a bad game, Jefferson's had a bad season.” – Connor [16:49]

Live Questions, Waiver & Start/Sit Debates

Notable Sit/Start Questions

[29:17]

• Drake London’s Outlook:

  • “There's a chance. We just don't see Drake London again. This team has nothing to play for.” – Jay [29:38]

• Rest-of-Season WR Ranks:

  • Jamar Chase (esp. now with Burrow) > Rashee Rice > Alec Pierce > Mike Evans > Drake London
  • Drake London’s injury and QB clouds tank his value.

• Michael Wilson (Cardinals WR) With No Marvin Harrison Jr.:

  • “Fringe WR1/high-end WR2 due to volume.” – Jay [31:17]
  • Caveat: Tough matchup with Rams.

Flexual Frustrations with Dr. Denny Carter

[46:43]

• Jalen Coker ("Coke") as a flex?

  • “Switch to Coke.” [46:57]

• Kyle Manungai (Bears RB) Viable Flex?

  • “Sometimes sloppy seconds are OK…Manungai has a lot of touchdown upside here.” [47:39]

• Devon Vele (Saints WR) as a desperation play:

  • “Bucs are a pass funnel…they went super, mega, giga, ultra pass heavy last time…Vele could benefit.” [49:08]

• Jaden Higgins (Texans WR):

  • “13 catches, 158 yards, and a touch over two games. Love his upside against KC.” [49:48]

Pickup Lines: Best Bets for Week 14

[53:21]

• Jay: Commanders Moneyline vs. Vikings (now favored). “The quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings is JJ McCarthy. The quarterback for Washington is Jayden Daniels ... Commanders win this game.” [54:25]
• Connor: Samaje Perine (Bengals) OVER 24.5 rushing yards
  • “He had 14 carries last week … Bengals are not getting away from Samaje Pirine.” [55:28]
• Winner: Denny prefers Perine's line. “I’m a P. Ryan truther for some reason. ... He’s going over 24 and a half.” [56:03]

Noteworthy Quotes & Moments

• On Gibbs’ emergence:
  “This is Gibbs’s backfield. Now it’s Gibbs’s offense.” – Jay [05:05]

• On Jameson Williams usage boost:
  “He gets some carries, they like to do the jet sweeps with him. So this feels like it's trending the right way.” – Connor [07:21]

• On Justin Jefferson’s tough year:
  “It’s probably one of the most difficult seasons just off of the circumstances, having a young quarterback…” – Justin Jefferson [14:47]

• On Lamar Jackson’s struggles:
  “It’s been a very strange, very rough season for Lamar … just going to expect … this shadow of Lamar who really seems like he’s at 50% at the moment.” – Jay [20:40]

• DR. DENNY CARTER ON FLEX PICKS:
  “Sometimes sloppy seconds are OK, OK. We shouldn't judge.” [47:39]

Notable Timestamps

• [02:57] – Lions fantasy recap: Gibbs, Montgomery, Williams
• [08:43] – Cowboys WR situation (Flournoy, Lamb, Pickens)
• [12:42] – Injury report rundown (Jayden Daniels, Lamar, Herbert, Kamara)
• [14:47] – Justin Jefferson on Vikings’ QB struggles
• [16:49] – Pickens vs Jefferson rest-of-season debate
• [24:45] – Michael Wilson’s value sans Marvin Harrison Jr.
• [29:17] – Week 14/ROS start-sit wide receiver rankings
• [46:43] – Flexual Frustrations with Dr. Denny Carter
• [53:21] – Last Call: Best Bet Pickup Lines with Denny’s pick

Closing Thoughts

This episode delivers a fast-paced rundown of Thursday’s Lions-Cowboys shootout, the ongoing shift in Detroit’s backfield and receiver roles, practical analysis of emerging and injured players, and a healthy dash of well-timed humor. The focus remained on actionable takeaways—who’s trending up, down, or into start-sit limbo as fantasy playoff crunch time approaches—with special attention to pressing injury situations (Daniels, Jackson, Herbert, Kamara, London, M. Harrison Jr.) The conversational tone and chat interaction provided answers for those making tough playoff lineup decisions and seeking upside on the waiver wire.

For more insights and Sunday AM updates, tune in to Fantasy Football Pregame on NBC Sports and YouTube.