Fantasy Resolutions, Tough Calls for Week 18 and 2025 (01/01 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Resolutions, Tough Calls for Week 18 and 2025
Fantasy Football Today – January 1, 2025

Hosted by Adam Aizer, with analysts Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, Ben Schragger, and others.

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Introduction and New Year's Resolutions

The episode kicked off with Adam Aizer welcoming listeners to the first show of 2025, expressing excitement about discussing fantasy football new year's resolutions and upcoming tough calls for Week 18. The team commenced with warm congratulations to Adam for his stellar performance in the past fantasy season, highlighting his achievements across various leagues.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer [02:40]: “That may apply. I don’t regret not having Saquon Barkley, but I should have diversified my portfolio.”

Reflecting on the Past Season

Adam shared reflections on how key players, such as T. Higgins and Baker Mayfield, significantly impacted his fantasy season. The discussion underscored the unpredictability of player performances and the importance of drafting strategically across multiple leagues.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer [02:49]: “By the way, welcome to Fantasy Football Today, presented by BetMGM, the sportsbook born in Vegas. Appreciate that in 2024 and looking forward to continuing that in 2025.”

New Year's Resolutions for Fantasy Managers

The team introduced their New Year's resolutions aimed at improving fantasy performance in 2025. Adam emphasized the importance of portfolio diversification, especially for managers participating in multiple leagues. Jamey and Ben shared their strategies, reinforcing the need to balance player selections to mitigate risks.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer [05:42]: “Diversify your portfolio, even if it means drafting someone you weren't planning on drafting. Because you know what? You're going to be wrong a lot.”

Player Movements and Team Changes

The discussion shifted to recent NFL player movements, particularly focusing on running backs changing teams. The analysts debated the potential impacts of these moves on fantasy rankings, citing examples like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley who thrived post-move, versus DeAndre Swift who struggled.

Notable Quote:

• Ben Schragger [12:19]: “We've got older running backs that are exceeding expectations. I probably won't be as anti running backs changing teams.”

Tough Calls for Week 18

The core of the episode delved into challenging decisions for Week 18 matchups. The team analyzed various player performances and matchups to guide listeners on optimal starts and sits.

1. Kyler Murray vs. the 49ers:

   • Jamey Eisenberg [21:07]: “Kyler Murray is ranked as a starter again. It’s a lot by default.”
   • Ben Schragger [22:03]: “He's a top 12 quarterback. I would be cur.”

2. Najee Harris vs. the Bengals:

   • Jamie Eisenberg [26:01]: “He has a chance for a good game. It’s a toss-up.”
   • Ben Schragger [26:41]: “I would rather start Warren. Naji is a flex for me.”

3. Zay Flowers vs. the Browns:

   • Adam Aizer [27:46]: “He’s had a target share of 29.2% but only one good game.”
   • Jamie Eisenberg [28:06]: “He’s been more of a number three guy. Ranks as wide receiver 26-28.”

4. Michael Pittman vs. Zay Flowers:

   • Jamie Eisenberg [30:57]: “I would start Pittman over Flowers if Flacco is starting.”
   • Ben Schragger [30:34]: “I would much rather start Zay Flowers.”

5. Tyreek Hill vs. Jalen Waddle:

   • Jamie Eisenberg [31:30]: “Treat Tyreek as a number two or borderline number three.”
   • Adam Aizer [33:11]: “Jamie, what do you think about John who Smith?”

Subscriber Questions and Mailbag

Listeners contributed questions via Twitter and emails, which the hosts addressed throughout the episode. Topics ranged from specific player decisions to broader strategy advice, fostering an interactive and engaging environment for the audience.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer [05:30]: “If you're in Week 18, just send me an email with any starter sit questions and that we.”

Tough Calls for 2025

Transitioning to future planning, the team presented tough calls for building successful fantasy teams in 2025. They debated the potential of emerging quarterbacks like Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy, weighing their current performances against projected growth.

1. Sam Darnold vs. Kirk Cousins:

   • Adam Aizer [36:02]: “Darnold is averaging almost exactly the same points as Cousins last year.”
   • Ben Schragger [37:01]: “Treat Sam Darnold like, let’s see where he’s playing. If he’s in Minnesota, I love him.”

2. J.J. McCarthy:

   • Jamie Eisenberg [39:14]: “He's considered as good, if not better than some prospects. Could trade him for a first-round pick.”
   • Ben Schragger [40:15]: “If you can keep Darnold, I'm for that too. If you can get McCarthy for a first-round pick, that's okay.”

3. John who Smith (Tight End):

   • Ben Schragger [53:38]: “John who Smith is tough to rank due to his history and inconsistent performance.”

Evaluating Rookie Prospects and Future Strategies

The analysts explored the potential trajectories of rookie quarterbacks and running backs, considering factors like team fit and coaching strategies. They emphasized the uncertainty surrounding rookies and the importance of monitoring their development over their initial seasons.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer [44:54]: “I have the third pick in our dynasty draft and I'm thinking I desperately need a quarterback.”

Conclusion and Upcoming Segments

Wrapping up, Adam encouraged listeners to participate in upcoming segments, including Week 18 champion decisions and further discussions on 2025 strategies. The hosts thanked their audience, shared their appreciation for the growing YouTube community, and hinted at continued engagement through FFT Express.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer [59:02]: “Thanks for watching and listening. Talk to you tomorrow on Fantasy Football Today.”

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Key Takeaways

• Diversify Your Portfolio: Essential for managers in multiple leagues to mitigate risks associated with player underperformance.
• Evaluate Player Movements Carefully: Understand the new team dynamics to make informed drafting and trading decisions.
• Prepare for Week 18: Assess player matchups and recent performances to optimize your lineup for the season's final stretch.
• Plan for the Future: Analyze emerging quarterbacks and rookies with caution, considering their growth potential and team environment.

Notable Quotes Summary

• Adam Aizer [05:42]: “Diversify your portfolio, even if it means drafting someone you weren't planning on drafting.”
• Ben Schragger [12:19]: “We've got older running backs that are exceeding expectations.”
• Jamie Eisenberg [26:01]: “He has a chance for a good game. It’s a toss-up.”
• Adam Aizer [36:02]: “Darnold is averaging almost exactly the same points as Cousins last year.”
• Ben Schragger [53:38]: “John who Smith is tough to rank due to his history and inconsistent performance.”

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Fantasy Football Today continues to be your go-to source for expert analysis, player insights, and strategic advice to dominate your fantasy leagues throughout the year.

Transcript

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet? Yeah, sold it to Carvana. Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy.

[Heath Cummings]

The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency.

[Adam Aizer]

No interest over 36 months. Yeah, no.

[Heath Cummings]

Carvana gave me an offer in minutes.

[Adam Aizer]

Picked it up and paid me on the spot.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It was so convenient.

[Adam Aizer]

Just like that? Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

No hassle?

[Ben Schragger]

None.

[Adam Aizer]

That is super convenient.

[Dave Richard]

Sell your car to Carvana and swap hassle.

[Adam Aizer]

For convenience, pick up.

[Dave Richard]

These may apply.

[Heath Cummings]

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[Ben Schragger]

This is fantasy Football Today from CBS Sports.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Want to play?

[Ben Schragger]

Can you believe this? No, I can't. It's time to dominate your fantasy league. This is going to go the distance. Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.

[Adam Aizer]

Hey, Happy New Year everybody. It is Wednesday, January 1st. How many days, Heath, of writing the date before you feel like you're going to write 2025 instead of 2024? I don't write that many checks anymore, for example, but if I did write one in the next like three weeks, I would screw up the date. I'm fairly confident.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, I, I write a couple checks a month and I, I think I'm gonna get that one right. But that's not what we're going to start with today. We're going to start with some congratulations for adamazer on like, maybe the, like the greatest, definitely the best fantasy season. You're the. You're the FFT Podcast manager of the year. Yeah. You won the Magazine League, the podcast league, made the finals of the Super Flex League. You were in the semi finals. Fft.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah.

[Ben Schragger]

Like just in the leagues that you played with me and Jamie and Dave, you just, you know, coach circles around.

[Adam Aizer]

Us and you know why? For the most part. I mean, not in the podcast league, but. Well, no, in the pocket. I got hit T. Higgins. The other one was Baker Mayfield. I just. Yeah, I. That's what I've been reflecting on. By the way, welcome to Fantasy Football Today, presented by BetMGM, the sportsbook born in Vegas. Thank you to BETMGM for sponsoring us, by the way. Appreciate that in 2024 and looking forward to continuing that in 2025. But I've been reflecting on that. You missed. I wrote a song about my victory over you yesterday, Heath. I would encourage you to go listen to it.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, I definitely won't. There's a zero percent chance that's going to happen.

[Adam Aizer]

I said, this is the last time.

[Ben Schragger]

I'm ever going to think about it.

[Adam Aizer]

I just was reflecting on how one or two players can have such an impact on your season and you know, on a weekly basis and. Yep. I remember a few years ago, Tom Brady's second year with Tampa Bay. I drafted a lot of Tom Brady, and he went out and just had a monster year. And this year, I don't think I drafted Baker Mayfield, but I picked him up everywhere or in many leagues. And he. He was the primary reason, I'd say he and T. Higgins, why I had a good year. But I already bragged yesterday. So I. I'm sorry, doing that again. But we are going to do some New Year's resolutions, some fantasy New Year's resolutions. What we can do better in 2025. And see, I almost said 2024. I almost screwed that up. But Jamie's here. Good morning, Jamie.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Good morning. Yeah, he don't listen to the song.

[Ben Schragger]

No chance. Zero percent.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, part of it is, is that Dave was trying to help, but Dave ruined it with his. His background accordion.

[Adam Aizer]

Don't tell him I said good, but he did. He did kind of ruin it. Yeah.

[Ben Schragger]

Good, good. Speaking of background music, it was like, I don't know, Adam, if what the New Year's Eve is like where you live, but in my part and Jamie's part of town, if you go outside at like 11:30 for like the next hour, it's the 4th of July. Yeah. Like, it's just fireworks and explosions everywhere in Florida on New Year's Eve. And we had somebody in our neighborhood That I think had a kazoo. Oh, they just kept over and over and over. So I've got fireworks and kazoo sounds still in my head from last night.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Did you know? But. Yes.

[Adam Aizer]

You made it to midnight, you guys.

[Ben Schragger]

Oh, yeah. What do you mean?

[Adam Aizer]

My wife had to wake me up.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Adam Aizer]

And then I was.

[Ben Schragger]

Jamie's always up till midnight.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Actually, I, I fell asleep after we got home, which was like almost won, but I was, I was done.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, you went out. All right. Good for you. All right. Anyway, today we're going to talk about tough calls. A few of them for week 18 and a few of them for 20, 25, but also some, some New Year's resolutions. I. This was a surprise segment. I just thought of it like right before the show. We should do New Year's resolutions. So I, I have one. If you guys have one, you can go first. Otherwise I'll. I'll help buy you time.

[Ben Schragger]

Yo.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay. I will diversify my portfolio. This is something really for people who are playing a. But like, there's just Derrick Henry. I don't really regret. Like, I just, I did not see this coming. I thought he was going to be a bust. And I, you know, I missed on that one, but I didn't have any Derrick Henry. But Barkley, I didn't have any sake one Barkley. And I just feel like in 11 redraft leagues, plus one best ball, I probably should have had Saquon Barkley in a league. So I. Even if you're out on a player, if, especially if, like everyone else is in on that player, you should probably draft him in one or two leagues, depending on how many leagues you have. But diversify your portfolio. Give yourself. You know, maybe it was like Tank Dell. Again, not even a great example, but someone that I felt like has a wide range of outcomes. Don't have that guy on none of your teams. If you play in, I'd say, five or more leagues or something like that, which a lot of our listeners do. So diversify your portfolio, even if it means drafting someone that you weren't planning on drafting. Because you know what? You're going to be wrong a lot. We're all wrong a lot. So diversify. That's my New Year's resume.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

As someone who plays in, you know, 20 plus leagues. I, I make a point of that all the time.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Just purposely, you know, so if it'll, it'll come down to. And, and it cost me a few times, you know, so there was one. One. I'll give you two examples not ne. Not necessarily because I didn't like the person player in our dynasty in the Baked Burger dynasty. I had drafted a lot of Tyrone Tracy, a lot of Tyrone Tracy and very excited about Tyrone Tracy, happy to have him in the. The two dynasty leagues where I drafted him. In our league, I was torn between Tracy and Kamani Vidal and I was like, you know, I don't have any dynasty shares of Kamani Vidal and I regret that one. But that was an example of, you know, what if Vidal is the next guy for the Chargers? And you know, I think there was probably a lot of discussion who's the better dynasty option. Heath, you can correct me if I'm wrong of, you know, at that point, you know, two, two day three running backs and you know, paths to being the, the starters there. Tracy, you know, the question was could he handle the. The running downs work and that's one I regret. But the. Well, there was another example I was gonna give you. I forgot already. Oh, Devonte Adams, you know, that was another one where I went out of my way between Devonte Adams and Jalen Waddle who draft a lot of Jalen Waddle mistake. But no, I'm gonna take Devonta Adams here just because what if he does have a good year with the Raiders? What if I am wrong about a 31 year old wide receiver? So that's another, another one that yeah.

[Adam Aizer]

Purposely I should have drafted. I drafted too much Zach Moss and no Chase Brown. That's. That's one right there. I didn't think about that one. That's probably the one I regret because it was such a toss up and they were ADPs were almost identical. Why didn't I just take a shot in one of those leagues on Chase Brown? All right, Heath, you got one.

[Ben Schragger]

I'm not sure that I do. I think this is supposed to be based on like how you play. Like my real fantasy related New Year's resolution is just to do like even more FFT Dynasty podcasts.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay.

[Ben Schragger]

Like just to that, like that do more of that. But I as far as like playing, there's one league that I've got to leave and I've been meaning to leave it for like two or three years and every year at this time I chicken out and don't leave. So I'm going to actually leave the.

[Adam Aizer]

League which is not the leftovers league that you share a team with me. Is it?

[Ben Schragger]

No. No, it's not.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Is it one of ours?

[Ben Schragger]

No.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay.

[Ben Schragger]

I wouldn't know.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It'll go back to. I think you asked us a couple years ago, what have we learned? And I said I'm not going to chase Trey Lance again. And I chased Anthony Richardson again. So I'm, I'm not going to chase that quarterback again.

[Adam Aizer]

But isn't.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I'm not, I'm not gonna highly tout that quarterback again.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, I just thought his ADP was. Got too high because remember I, I don't know if we all said it, but I was like, don't take Anthony Richardson to just wait a few rounds and take Jaden Daniels. They're the same profile.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So I don't think actually his ADP got too high. No, we have. We may have been drafting him too high like in our leagues. Probably me. But it was because I went to look when I was doing the all bus team and he's not at a point where I don't know who I put as the bust, but he wasn't, he wasn't at a point where it was like, oh, that's like obscene.

[Ben Schragger]

Well, my homes was probably the best, wasn't he?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No. Stroud was the top five. So I. You couldn't start. See this? At least you could start Anthony Richardson downstretch.

[Adam Aizer]

I just think that when we get a player changing teams, a player that we don't think is good, this is not related to Anthony Richardson. But this is like the big NFL lesson that I think we're learning over the past few years. Guys can revive their careers in better situations and in doing it in such surprising ways. Heath, we're going to talk about Sam Darnold later. As you talked about him as a player that's tough to rank for 20, 25. You brought him up in a. You know. Right. A text message. Baker Mayfield, Derrick Henry having. And Saquon Barkley just having these bounce back seasons when we just didn't expect it to this degree. And it's actually making me wonder if we should ever talk about how good a player is like ever again. Because there's so much that goes into it. It's not just about the player. It's obviously about the situation and the.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, we talked about this a little yesterday just while we're on the topic. So Heath, I know you were very anti running backs changing teams and I don't know if it was just an age thing plus the changing teams or just the changing team. So like Josh Jacobs for example, I don't think you were out on Jacobs. Right. I know you're definitely concerned about Barkley and Henry with the success that those guys had. I Think I said on the show that it was everybody but DeAndre Swift that changed. Teams did well. Of the high profile guys, how do you feel about what may be the next crop of free agents?

[Ben Schragger]

I think we have to be really careful because it's, it's, it's. There's two things going on. One, we've got older running backs that are exceeding expectations. Two, we've got the running backs that change teams that exceeded expectations and the things that they have in common is like we've just got some really elite older running backs. I'm not sure I want to apply those lessons to the next crop of older running backs. So I'm, I'm probably, I probably won't be as anti running backs changing team or as anti 28 year old running backs, but I'm not going to make a big shift just because I think that the lesson is don't doubt Derek Henry and Saquon Barkley more than it is don't doubt running backs.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, it's also. I think they went to pretty elite situations, you know, and that was the, the selling point. It was like, you know, you look at it, Jacobs and Mixon were almost, I don't want to say lateral moves for Jacobs, but you know, in terms of lateral moves from. They're not necessarily downgrading. None of these guys really downgraded their situations. All of them almost upgraded their situations.

[Adam Aizer]

That's true.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And that's I think part of it. Like you're taking elite players still, still productive at age. Going to Henry. Upgrade. Barkley, upgrade. Jacobs. I guess you'd say upgrade just because. Environment mixing, not downgrade. Who am I missing? Swift was really the only mess, right?

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, Swift. Yeah. Swift was, was, I guess a downgrade.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I mean Dobbins wasn't really a high profile one, but.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You know where.

[Ben Schragger]

That's what I was trying to think. I guess so. Aaron Jones was a low end RB2 per game, but that's kind of where.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He finished in Green Bay, you know, so.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And his was like a lateral move too.

[Adam Aizer]

Pretty much. Let's see. All right. All right. Those are some.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's gonna be interesting. Like who, who like Naji Harris is one that comes to mind. Somebody's gonna switch teams. I'm trying to think who else is. I'll have to look it up. But the guys that work are. We're gonna see on the move.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah. That was also just an unusually loaded free agent running back class.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It was.

[Ben Schragger]

Right.

[Adam Aizer]

Incredible. Okay. Anywho, real. How about real resolutions we gotta get some. Get some. Oh, actually, wait. Let me read some fantasy ones from Twitter. I sent out the tweet. I might as well read them. Cat dad says mine is. My resolution is to quit automatically, assuming that a wide receiver's value will drop when their quarterback gets injured. Signed someone who traded away Brian Thomas Jr. That's a really tough one because sometimes it makes a huge difference, like the Dolphins situation. I know Tyreek had a good game last week, but typically horrible. And sometimes it doesn't. It's. That's a. That's a toss up.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, I'm sure Heath will enjoy this. It may speak to how good or bad Trevor Lawrence is.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, maybe. And let's see. Ed says my fantasy New Year's resolution is to stop believing that tight end will be a deep position next year.

[Ben Schragger]

I think it's a great one.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Rinse, wash, repeat every year.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, this is the year for tight ends.

[Adam Aizer]

All right, let's take a little break here before we do that, though. It's still. There's still plenty of time to sign up on BetMGM. And you'll be supporting the show. You'll be supporting one of our sponsors. And you're gonna get an amazing offer if you sign up with the promo code or the bonus code Fantasy. You're gonna get up to a fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Just download the BetMGM app, sign up and use the bonus code Fantasy. Deposit at least $10 and place your first wager on any game. And you'll receive up to fifteen hundred dollars in bonus bets. If your bet loses, just make sure you use the bonus code Fantasy when you sign up. We'll be right back with news and notes and week 18 tough calls and 2025 tough calls after this.

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[Adam Aizer]

Let's go.

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[Ben Schragger]

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[Jamie Eisenberg]

All right, you want the list of free agent running backs for next year?

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, sure.

[Ben Schragger]

It's so gross.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

All right, here's this. According to Sport Track, Aaron Jones will be 30. There is 30, Naji. I'm just gonna give you the prominent ones. Javante Williams, Alexander Madison and Amir Abdullah Dobbins. Rico Dowdle.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, interesting.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jalen Warren.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And Jordan Mason and Khalil Herbert.

[Adam Aizer]

That's also interesting. See what Herbert does this week. I would. Wouldn't you just love to see Jalen Warren and Khalil Herbert just get a chance to be a number one running back?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would just love to see Jalen Warren stay.

[Ben Schragger]

And nobody's had a nightmare.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, and Naji leave you.

[Ben Schragger]

I just had a nightmare of the Steelers drafting Ashton Genti and then giving 150 carries to some plotter.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So, like, Deontay Foreman's a free agent? Like they signed Deontay Foreman and Ashton Genti. Yeah. Yeah.

[Adam Aizer]

News and notes. Nick Sirianni has not made a decision about Saquon Barkley yet. Hopefully we'll find out more today. And don't you just. Just wish it were like 15 yards? It's a lot of yards. I wouldn't, I wouldn't do it. I don't think it's worth it.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But I was looking at players close to a thousand yards, you know, how. So the Bills are going to start Josh Allen to get his consecutive starts, which means probably a drive. James Cook is 19 yards away from a thousand.

[Adam Aizer]

There you go. That's an easier call. That's an easier call than Barkley.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right.

[Adam Aizer]

And the Rams are likely going to rest their starters against Seattle, so you.

[Ben Schragger]

Could see them like, I've just been kind of using the. The lines and this could end up being wrong. There could be a big swing in the lines later in the week, but I think you can kind of guess who's going to rest some people by what the current spreads are. The Chiefs are ten and a half point underdogs at Denver, so I don't think you're going to see very many of them. The Texans are one point underdogs at Tennessee, so I'm not sure you're going to see too many of them.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's interesting because what Dimika Ryan said, maybe he's gonna.

[Ben Schragger]

Maybe be half a game. I don't know. And the Bills are two and a half point favorites at The Patriots. So yeah, there won't be a long time for Josh Allen probably.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, there's also thought of the Patriots sitting Drake May and some guys too to, you know, understand the assignment and get the 1 spot in the draft.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, yeah. Quarterback Dorian Thompson. Robinson was limited. He may split this week with Bailey. Zappy. They're Baltimore on Saturday. Brock Purdy is likely out and we don't know if it's going to be Brandon Allen or Josh Dobbs. This week at Arizona. A lot of running back news. Trey Benson on IR for Arizona. So probably going to be a Michael Carter game. Chase Brown missed practice and Dallas cut Ezekiel Elliot. All right, so here we go. Let's put it to the test. If Ezekiel Elliott signs with a playoff contender, going to a new team, better situation, veteran running back gonna have a big, big playoff run. No, I'm just kidding. Okay. Sorry I said that too. Seriously, it was supposed to be dripping with sarcasm. Justice Hill missed practice.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Who would even sign him as a playoff team?

[Adam Aizer]

Like I don't know. And Jerome Ford missed practice. And Pierre Strong is in the concussion protocol. They're at Baltimore on Saturday.

[Ben Schragger]

I think the Eagles just so they control the entire division when they win the Super Bowl.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Do they have any commanders?

[Ben Schragger]

I can find one.

[Adam Aizer]

Who would it even be? I'm gonna sign Alfred Morris. Cedric Tillman's on ir. David and Joku missed practice. The Browns are limping into this meaningless game for them. Big game for Baltimore on Saturday. And Miles Garrett missed practice. Wouldn't be surprised if he sat. So let's go to some tough calls for week 18. I try to pick players in games that don't involved, you know, are we sitting our players scenarios. It wasn't that easy. But let's just, let's talk about Kyler Murray and He has scored 18 to 22.4 fantasy points and 6 point per passing touchdown leagues in three of his last four games. He has rushed for 32 or more yards in three of his last five games. It hasn't not always been pretty. The 49ers are usually pretty good against quarterbacks, but they were not against Jared Goff. Is Kyler Murray someone that you guys are confident in starting this week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Unfortunately, no. But I think he, he. Look, he's a, he's a number one quarterback in the rankings mostly by default. He has not had a great season by any stretch. He was having a pretty solid game against the Rams and then the two interceptions, you know, dropped him below the 20 point threshold again. But the 49ers defense is just a shell of itself right now. And I think just, you know, you had your. Okay, let's try and maybe play spoiler win the last home game. Now you got to go on the Road and Week 18, meaningless game for a team that had super bowl aspirations. So hopefully Kyler finishes the season strong. If I have him in week 18 and I'm starting him all along, I'm not gonna, you know, go and start Josh Dobbs over him, for example, soft quarterback this week.

[Ben Schragger]

I. Yeah, I mean, I, I don't feel confident in anything or anyone in week 18, but. So he's a. He's a top 12 quarterback. I, I would be cur.

[Adam Aizer]

If.

[Ben Schragger]

If somebody out there is playing in week 18 as part of like their real championship game. I'd like to know why I, I.

[Adam Aizer]

Get a lot of interesting. Why I get a lot of. We do a two week championship and we include week 18. But if I could just be 100 honest with everybody. I, I don't. I don't really even want to talk about. I mean, I mean, I just feel like I'm doing the listeners a disservice. Most people are probably listening to this, going like, why am I even listening to this segment? But I do feel like obviously there are people who play in week 18, so we have to talk about it, but I don't want people to tune out. So just stick around. We'll get into the 20, 25 stuff.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

There's also, I mean, you know, spin it for dfs because people still like to have some interest after winning their championship and maybe try and win some more money and take some of their, you know, investment and enhance it or people have been playing DFS all along. So is Kyler a good DFS play for this week? Week? And the answer is yes, because he's playing a, you know, beaten up defense that probably has a little motivation and I'm sure he would like to finish the season strong to carry some momentum into next year. So he's a great DFS player because I think he said this last week. You know, he has the ability to go for 20 plus on any given week. And that's the player that is.

[Adam Aizer]

Look at gamer Eric in our chat saying he's listening because it's like hanging with his friends. Thank you, Eric. Appreciate it.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It didn't.

[Adam Aizer]

I did. You know, the chat that. We've grown a nice relationship over the. Over the year with YouTube. We've really, you know, had a much bigger audience and we appreciate that it's never too late to get on there. YouTube.com fantasy football today somebody just commented.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

They'Re in a two week championship.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh good. He's up 70 points. So that's good. I think it's even like if you're in, if you're playing in week 18, just send me an email fantasy football cbsi.com with any starter sit questions and that we.

[Ben Schragger]

And also if you could answer the.

[Adam Aizer]

Why in the why.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, I'd like to. I'd like to know why.

[Adam Aizer]

So here's a guy, here's a tough call because they might be sitting there, guys, but you're not really going to know. I know. I don't know. You don't know what Pittsburgh's going to do because if Baltimore wins, which they will, Pittsburgh could elect to rest their players. But that's like the game's right after one, right after the other. I have Najee Harris as a tough call. The last time he faced the Bengals he had a huge game. 24.9 PPR fantasy points, 16 carries, 75 yards and a touchdown. Six catches for 54 yards. This is a great matchup. But yeah, Jalen Warren seems to be almost even in carries with him recently. Is Naji Harris a starter for you guys?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He's ranked as a starter again. It's a lot of by default. I think in the case of this matchup, it's a question you have to ask yourself is the because it sounds like Mike Tomlin's going to play the starters on offense, that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to play the starters on defense. I think the, the phrasing used get the stench out of our mouth from the offensive performances lately because the last three weeks have been pretty terrible. So there's no better practice opponent than the Bengals defense and so do they go out and have the opportunity for a shootout, which is what we saw the last time. I mean, you know, it was the Bengals scored on them and, and that was with their defensive guys playing. So you know, the Bengals need the game. There is a chance for, you know, high scoring affairs. So I think Naji is the number two. I have Jalen Warren ranked ahead of Naji. I don't know how you feel about Heath. Warren has played more snaps the last four games than Naji. Part of that has been game flow. I think Naji is slowing down while Jalen Warren is speeding up, you know, so if you look at the two play, one looks like he's playing faster. And you wonder if again, both guys walking into free agency, do they start to maybe phase your favor. Jalen Warren, who might have a better future than Naji Harris on that team. So if I'm deciding between the two, I'm playing the. The better player right now, which is Jaylen Warren. But I don't think that Naji is not necessarily going to. I don't think. I think Naji sells a chance to have a good game. I think it's a chance to score. It's just a matter of this game gets back and forth and the Bengals playing with the lead. It's probably better for Jaylen Moore.

[Ben Schragger]

Very good point. From the chat. Like, the Steelers have something to play for no matter what, because it's the difference between playing the Texans in round one and playing the Ravens or the Bills. And so that's like, do you want to have a better chance of winning your first round playoff game? So I, I definitely would rather start Warren. I struggle a lot with Naji. He's not ranked as a starter for me right now. He has 14 receiving yards in his last four games combined. And that like part of that big game against Cincinnati. That was the last time he was really heavily involved in the passing game. Six catches for 54 yards. I'll start Jalen Warren as a number two. Naji is a flex for me.

[Adam Aizer]

And you know what? Something I never mentioned. I didn't actually know this until after our Sunday night show because when on Sunday night we were saying, oh, the Monday night game for the Lions at San Francisco is meaningless. It actually wasn't. It was probably meaningless. But by beating the 49ers, they now have the tiebreaker over Minnesota. If those two teams tie this week, if they had lost to the 49ers and tied Minnesota in Week 18, then the, then the Vikings would have had the tiebreaker. So just. You were talking about the, you know, this game being important for the Steelers for seating. I actually didn't know that at the time. I didn't know that until Monday. The game actually was sort of important. They weren't really treating it that way. No one even considers ties, but they do have that tiebreaker now, just in case you're curious. All right, my next tough call is Zay Flowers against the Cleveland Browns. This is the first game of the week, 4:30pm Eastern on Saturday. Zay Flowers coming off a game where LaMar Jackson threw 15 passes in blowout win at Houston. And what we say the spread is in this game, 17, 17 point favorites at home against Cleveland.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You could double it and I'd still take the Ravens.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, Zay Flowers like, the good news is he's had a target share of 29.2% or higher in three straight games. The bad news is he's only had one good game in that stretch because Mark Jackson hasn't been throwing that much starter sits they flowers.

[Ben Schragger]

I'm starting him. I think he's a number two wide receiver. With all the questions that we have, you got a team with an implied total of 29 and a half, bad defense, big upside. Maybe Lamar makes his final MVP push. I. He's a top 20 guy, so I.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I agree with a lot of that. Just probably where he's ranked, he's. He's clearly been a number three receiver the entire season. You know, just based on the up and down and the disappointments that he's had. Despite the fact that he's still the number one receiver for the Ravens, he's not scoring touchdowns, and that's just hurt his overall production. And so, you know, it's. It's probably splitting hairs from a projection standpoint what Heath is projecting him for and what I would be projecting him for if I was projecting him. So he's like wide receiver. 26, 27, 28 in that range. But I think he's just the way he's performed, he just hasn't been a consistent number two receiver, unfortunately. He's just been more of a number three guy. And I think that's unfortunate because he has so much potential. So you could see his frustration sometimes with how the games go. He's clearly said and done all the right things, but sometimes when he's open and Lamar just throws to somebody else because they're open too, it's kind of left him with some, you know, unfortunate lack of production.

[Adam Aizer]

And before we get to our last two tough calls for week 18 or today's show, anyway, just would like to ask you if you have 30 seconds to please vote for us for the Sports Podcast Group awards and just go to sportspodcastgroup.com click vote. Now, find us in the best fantasy betting and gaming category and select Fantasy Football today. Scroll down to the. To the bottom, basically, for fantasy football Today, again, it's sportspodcastgroup.com it's so quick and easy and we'd really appreciate it. Thank you. I got Michael Pittman as a tough call coming off a huge game. 25.9 PPR fantasy points at the Giants. 9 catches, 109 yards, and a touchdown on 10 targets. He's got the Jaguars this week, and he's been pretty good with Joe Flacco, he scored 12.5 or more PPR fantasy points in four of five games. The one game he didn't, he left early. Not super early. Played 76% of the snaps. Usually close to 90%, but. And obviously it's a good matchup. But I don't know, I was just surprised that it was. It was. Downs had such a nothing game because usually Downs had been really good with Flacco. Also, we don't know if it's going to be Flacco, so it could be Richardson. But how would you compare Michael Pittman to Zay Flowers? Heath?

[Ben Schragger]

I would much rather start Zay Flowers. I do have Michael Pittman as a number three wide receiver. I don't know which one of downs or Pittman's gonna be better this week. I think they're both high end number threes if Joe Flacco starts and they're both probably number fours if Richardson starts. But I. I'm not as excited about playing somebody in this offense as I am the Ravens.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would start Pittman over Flowers if Flacco starting. I would start Flowers by a mile over Pittman if it's Anthony Richardson.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, it's an easy call if Richardson's the starter. Last guy I have is Tyreek Hill. Tyreek Hill. Really good game last week at Cleveland, but Jalen Waddle did not play. And Jalen Waddle might play this week. They're at the jets and it's. It obviously if to a plays that you know you're going to start him, but he's coming off nine catches on nine targets for 105 yards at Cleveland, but had been awful, awful without Tua in the previous four games. Are we back to trusting Tyreek Hill?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jamie, did you lose that league where you made the decision?

[Adam Aizer]

I did lose starting Wicks over Hill, but I would have lost anyway in a much closer nail biter. I probably would have been just. I would have been so much angrier. So I actually saved myself that by. By benching Hill for Wicks.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You should write a song about Adam losing playing Don Tavian Wicks over.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think again, just based on the week, he's a number two receiver. So good. Like where was this earlier, the effort to get him the ball when it was Tyler Huntley?

[Adam Aizer]

Well, do you think. Do you think Waddle not being there made a difference? I think Waddle was averaging like six targets per game in those previous four games.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Probably. I mean, probably Cleveland helps. So if, you know, you want to take that from a Zay Flowers perspective, That's something to consider. Also. It. It was a must win game for the dolphins and they got arguably still their best player of the ball. And it's a must win game for the dolphins and I'm sure they're going to try and get their best player of the ball. Look, Devon hn has benefited with tua. Devon hn has struggled without tua. This is now an example of tyreek hill benefiting without tua. So, you know, if you want to ride the the hot hand, hopefully that's the case. Adam, what's the weather supposed to be?

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, I have no idea. It's actually really nice. It's like 40 degrees. It's been raining.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So it's still warm.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah. Let's see.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So that. That benefits the entire dolphins offense especially.

[Adam Aizer]

It's not that warm on. It's going to be high of 33 on Sunday in new York city. I don't know about east rutherford, but sunny doesn't look like we're going to get any weather like, you know, rain or something.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think just you treat tyreek as number two receiver, borderline number three. Like he's in the same range as a flowers.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay. And that's it for my week 18 tough calls. All right, let's take a break and come back and talk about 2025 tough calls. Actually, we have a question in the chat real quick here. John who SMITH this Week 18 question. Johnny Smith, chico conquo or mike kasiki. Who do you like this week.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

John?

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, go jono.

[Adam Aizer]

Regardless of the quarterback, it's much easier.

[Ben Schragger]

If it's to a. Yeah, okay.

[Adam Aizer]

All right. We'll be right back on fantasy football today talking about sam darnold and a really cool stat about sam darnold and kirk cousins. We'll be right back.

[Heath Cummings]

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[Ben Schragger]

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[Adam Aizer]

Soccer brings out a different character in me.

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On his quest for global victory.

[Adam Aizer]

Captain america has taken this team on his shoulders.

[Heath Cummings]

Balancing fame. Christians never wanted the spotlight and the game.

[Ben Schragger]

These are the goals that create legends.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I want to be the best player in the world.

[Heath Cummings]

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[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, my goodness.

[Heath Cummings]

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[Ben Schragger]

You can't do it any better.

[Heath Cummings]

Your Paramount plus subscription also gives you an all access pass to 24. 7 NFL content for breaking news, fantasy advice and more.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, incredible is right.

[Heath Cummings]

Another great season of the NFL on CBS is here streaming live on Paramount.

[Adam Aizer]

Plus, by the way, Heath, if you were going to write a song about me benching Tyreek Hill, you could. Could use the Stranger Things song. You know, keep running up that hill. Just gonna point you in the right direction.

[Ben Schragger]

I'm not going to be writing any songs about you.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay.

[Ben Schragger]

Probably ever.

[Adam Aizer]

But this would be like a insulting song. So I just thought maybe you like Stranger. You're a Stranger Things guy, right?

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, I. I wish. Wish that they would have finished it before all the characters retired, but it was great.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Are they still supposed to be in high school when they come back?

[Adam Aizer]

This first shot is gonna be them like in an office in their first job, wearing a suit and tie. It's crazy. They don't even focus on the kids anymore. They're not even. I feel like they're not even the main. Who's the main character? I think it's the. I think it's the. The cop. I don't even remember his name.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, definitely. He didn't. Isn't he in like a. Been in a. A Russian prison for a long time now.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Ben Schragger]

Or did he finally get out? I mean.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He'S the character in the Marvel movie that's coming out where he. The red. Whatever. Yeah, the new movie that's coming.

[Adam Aizer]

Hopper, right? It's. Someone said Harper. Nope, it's Hopper. Okay, Tough calls for 2025 as nominated by Heath, one at each position. Sam Darnold. He is the number eight quarterback per game in both six and four point per passing touchdown leagues. He is averaging almost exactly the same amount of points that Kirk Cousins averaged last year in both four point and six point per pass in touchdown leagues. Difference is he's throwing about 7 fewer passes per game, but he's running a lot more than Kirk Cousins did. But their per game averages are almost identical. Last year that was good enough to be QB5 per game. This year it's QB8. Just a stronger year for quarterback. But that really stands out. If you want to make the case for Sam Darnold, you can say like two veteran. I mean, now they're different but. But two quarterbacks did the same exact thing for Minnesota last year. Two years in a row.

[Ben Schragger]

So the question is, is that a case for Sam Darnold or is that a case for J.J. mcCarthy?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I was gonna say. Can we just say Minnesota quarterback and not Darnold? Because there's There's a clear chance that Darnold is not the guy.

[Ben Schragger]

I, I think that's the reason. That's why he's so difficult to rank when we're putting together our top 12s for next week. Like, he's easily in the top 12 if he's on Minnesota Viking, and he might be not in the top 20 if he's a Las Vegas Raider. Like, it's just a wide, wide range. And like, not just that, but there is always a little bit of skepticism when a guy who's never done anything like this before, in what year six, has a breakout career year. You have to kind of wonder, is there going to be any regression next year? So I, I'm mostly just treating Sam Darnold right now like, let's, let's see where he's playing. If he's in Minnesota, I love him. If probably anywhere else, I'm probably out.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right. This is, this is more the Geno Smith path than this is the Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff path.

[Adam Aizer]

Go on.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, Gino really never did anything. Donald really never did anything. Got to a spot where somebody believed in him and then started to play very good, if not, in case of Darnold, great football. Baker Mayfield was good before he started getting injured and then had to find his way back to a starting job and now is showing how good he is. Cleveland obviously would much rather have Baker Mayfield than the quarterback situation. In the rent and, and golf, it was just like, okay, he had a couple of down seasons or down season with the Rams and they felt like they needed an upgrade. It wasn't like Jared Goff was bad when he went to Detroit. You know, I think we just kind of forgot that Darnold has never done this before. So good coaching, great situation, great weapons. And I think the, the point would be, is, like, and so I'll ask you this, Heath, because I would, I would struggle. I am struggling with the same thing. If this is JJ McCarthy next year, you're obviously not going to rank him as a top 12 quarterback, but he's probably going to be relatively higher than he would for someone who's never taken an NFL snap.

[Ben Schragger]

Oh, yeah? Yeah. I mean, I, I, it's not that hard for me to believe that JJ McCarthy could be as good as Sam Darnold was this year.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right.

[Ben Schragger]

And so he, he probably won't be a top 12 quarterback, but he'll be one of those guys you want to draft as a number two quarterback because of the potential of what he could be.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And this, this was the argument from McCarthy post NFL draft was is he as talented as Drake May? No. Is he as talented as even Bo Nix? Who knows. But his situation was arguably the second best. You know, we thought Caleb Williams situation was the best. That, and here, here's what Sam Darnold has done with it. You know, this is, this is Kevin O'Connell and there's some talking and as a, as a fan of a team Adam that needs, you know, maybe a head coaching upgrade, would you trade for Kevin O'Connell? Would you trade two first round picks for Kevin O'Connell?

[Adam Aizer]

No. Good God, no.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, I mean there's been examples of.

[Adam Aizer]

Coaches getting traded two first round picks, man.

[Ben Schragger]

So what about this? What if you, after you beat the Eagles and you have the eighth pick in the draft, would you trade that pick for J.J. mcCarthy? The Vikings just, they're gonna just keep.

[Adam Aizer]

Sam Darnold If, I mean, I don't know, I don't know. I, I, I don't know how to evaluate J.J. mcCarthy. I wasn't, I think he was a tough guy to evaluate to begin with. He didn't really do that much in college. Right. He didn't really throw that much. Obviously Minnesota believed in him.

[Ben Schragger]

But, and he's also a very tough dynasty call right now.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah.

[Ben Schragger]

Because like what if they lock Darnold up for three years and just say we're putting JJ McCarthy on the Jordan love path.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, if they, if they're smart and, and sign Darnold, you can trade McCarthy to a team that has a top 10 pick. That, because if you look at it right now, you know, talking to some people that are evaluating the quarterbacks, McCarthy is considered as good, if not better than Cheddar Sanders and Camborders prospect. Yeah. You know, those guys aren't clearly the best prospects coming out. And so can you get McCarthy from the Vikings for a first? I'm curious what Thomas would think. Like if, you know, Pete Prisco's floated the idea of Brady as a Michigan guy, you know, going to run the Raiders. Does he go get McCarthy for their pick now that it's not going to be, you know, the, the one or the two, and, and then they signed Darnolds like Thomas. Would you like that situation if you're as a fan of the team?

[F]

Yeah, I wouldn't, I wouldn't trade McCarthy for anything less than a first if that's something that you can get. I wouldn't be a fan of trading.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You can get it for multiple picks right now.

[F]

Are you sure? I mean, we've never seen this guy play besides a preseason game and he's coming off a knee injury. So I mean, I'm all for it if you can do it, if you can keep Darnold, but if you could franchise Darnold and keep McCarthy for another year to see if this is like a fraud season, I'm for that too. But if you can get a first round pick for him and you're not selling for a loss, that's okay with me.

[Adam Aizer]

Franchising quarterbacks is tough. This is what happened to the Giants. You franchise a quarterback, you kill your cap space and you can't really do that much in free agency. So they, they didn't France, they franchised Barkley and they signed Daniel Jones so they could do more in free agency that year. I mean, I guess there are other reasons behind it, but the. I don't even know what it is. $40 million or something like that for a franchise tag for a quarterback. What you can look it up. It's. But it's, it cripples your cap space and you can't spread that out. You know, you can't do anything clever with the contract. It's just bam. Big cap hit. All right. And just one thing I want to mention about Sam Darling. Let's say he just goes back to Minnesota. I think you're going to look at the touchdown rate. Fourth highest in the NFL. 6.9% touchdown rate. He threw a ton in the red zone and the green zone. He had the 12th most past attempts in the NFL, but the fifth most in the green zone. He threw 20 touchdowns in that area and the Vikings had very few short yardage touchdowns. So like you go back like just think about the Green Bay, Minnesota game last week. And Jordan Love could have had a decent game, but he marched them down the field. And he hands off to Josh Jacobs for a touchdown and he hands off to Emmanuel Wilson for a touchdown. And that almost never happened. They had five rushing touchdowns from inside the 10 yard line from running backs this year. The Vikings, that was like the fourth or fifth, fourth fewest in the NFL. And that's just, that's just the way fantasy goes, right? And, and he's on Pace for 37 touchdowns. Sam Darnold, in large part because Aaron Jones hardly ever scores rushing touchdowns.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think it also could come down to who the running back is because Jones, 30 years old, free agent Cam Acres, if that's like, you know, they, they talked about how much they like him. I don't think he's their answer. He's also free agent. So this is probably a spot where you're going to see a rookie end up. And how much of it is that rookie? Because based on your, your scenario Adam if they frame or Thomas's narrow if they franchise Arnold then they have to be a little creative with some of their fill in spots. A rookie running back makes some sense as opposed to let's say going and trying to sign Rico Dowdle.

[Adam Aizer]

By the way he said. Oh, sorry.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, no, I was just gonna say that's also like last year they had 30 rush passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns. Yeah, like I think that's just kind of. It might be a Kevin O'Connell thing. The year before was 30 and 18 but like he's just gonna, his offenses are going to score a lot more passing touchdowns than rushing.

[Adam Aizer]

I have the third pick in our dynasty draft and I'm thinking I desperately need a quarterback and I'm thinking like who could I trade that third pick for? You know, like which of the. I would not do it for McCarthy and someone's trying to get that pick for Penny Lennox. Like no, I'm not gonna do that. But you think about it like who's a better prospect than Sanders and, and Cam Ward? Because I might get them, I might get one of them at three. If not I'll get Genty. But it's kind of an interesting thought on these rookie quarterbacks. Those two in particular, McCarthy and Pennix who didn't really do much of anything and what pick in the first round they'd be worth in a super, super flex leak by the way, Superflex.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah, I would do that for Pennix.

[Adam Aizer]

I would not give up the third pick for Pennix. I'd rather have Sanders or Ward.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, I. Bennett doesn't run.

[Adam Aizer]

He's immobile. Basically. He's not immobile. But I don't know, I don't think.

[Ben Schragger]

And it kind of hurts my eyes to watch him throw. I don't know why left handed basketball shooters like just. And left handed baseball swings like always look so pure and so beautiful and a lefty throwing a football, it just kind of makes me want to throw up.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But you also have the situation. One of those guys may end up in Cleveland and not play.

[Adam Aizer]

One of the rookies not play.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I mean they, they keep extending Watson like I don't know. This is a nightmare.

[Adam Aizer]

It was just a report in the Athletic that he's not, he's done playing a meaningful snap. They extended him to, to spread out the cap hits.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Correct. But they're still paying him guaranteed money for two more years.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, I, I don't know. I'd rather, I think I'd rather have those. But you know what? I haven't really started the draft evaluation process yet, so. All right, J.K. dobbins is next on just before we.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

We do have one week 18 question if you want to answer.

[Adam Aizer]

Oh, I didn't see it. What is it about tight ends from vj?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Adam Aizer]

Would you still recommend Okonkwo with Tennessee using both quarterbacks?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He said his other option is Najoku, so you may not have another option. It's a matter if you want to buy into Juwan Johnson, who could be on waivers, or Kaseki, who could be on waivers. I think you just take your chances with Okonko at this point. So, like after our show yesterday, I kind of reevaluated the order of the tight ends and put Okonko back at the top. He just, he, he's. The targets have been there, so just buy into that.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay. J.K. dobbins, he is running back 17 per game in full PPR, 15th and non PPR. That includes a game where he played only 30 seconds percent of the snaps. And Heath, he'll be a tough call for you next year.

[Ben Schragger]

I think he's also like Jamie, you didn't say him, but I think he's a trajectory. Oh yeah. So listen, he, he had some times this year where he really looked like J.K. dobbins. He also suffered another injury that caused him to go on injured reserve for four weeks and he's still just 26 years old. Seems like J.K. dobbins should be one of those backs that we're worried about how old they are. But if, where he lands, if he stays in Los Angeles, that's probably maybe the best spot for him. But where he lands and then the, the difference between like his upside and the huge glaring red cross injury warning on him as well.

[Adam Aizer]

He's been used as a passing downs back for the Chargers. I feel like that's unlikely to happen. Just a guess that, you know, the next team he goes to, if it's not the Chargers would have a third down back that took him off the field. Also, he's averaging, this is funny, a career low 4.8 yards per carry. He's always been such a pretty good efficiency.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think when you look at their team, you're. You're trying to figure out, okay, how do they get better next year. And I think they need another receiver. So, you know, I think they're in the T. Higgins mix depending on, I don't know their salary cap situation but like go, go get another big fish for Justin Herbert. They need to fix the interior of their offensive line because they clearly have the tackles locked up. The interior I think is still something that could be fixed based on it seems how this offense has operated in the past. Tight end would probably be something that they go look to try and get as well, you know, to upgrade over this Lee Hearst smart. You know, that's I think another spot. So whether it's another receiver, tight end, maybe that's how they do it. And I wonder just based on how they approach this year knowing that hey, we're going to run the ball, we're going to be a physical running team and we're going to go get oh, the reclamation project of, of J.K. dobbins and a 30 year old Gus Edwards like just because we know those guys. And then they spent you know, a day three pick on a running back, you know, so is that the priority for them? So do they draft another guy and then pair them with Dobbins or do they go try and sign somebody again? It's not the best free agent class. So I think if Dobbins comes back as the lead guy, you take a chance on him as number two running back in that 15 to 20 range. If he goes somewhere else, I'd be, this would be one that would scare me, you know, unless he just ends like he could go to Minnesota, right if they get him cheap. So the, the destination will certainly matter. I think if he stays though, it's, it's a pretty good sign that you know, guys who know him, trust him and you know, hopefully it's, it's a good situation. And you wonder how much of the IR landing spot that when he landed on IR was protecting him from himself. You know, they, they, they saw their path to the playoffs.

[Adam Aizer]

I mean if they were going to protect him from himself in 2024, why wouldn't they do that from in 2025, he's still an injury risk.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I, I will say like not rush him back in two weeks, give him the four weeks to be healthy, get ready for the playoffs.

[Ben Schragger]

And just to put like his four career low 4.8 yards per carry in context, that was across 177 rush attempts. There were 168 rush attempts for the rest of the Chargers running backs and they averaged 3.5 yards per carry.

[Adam Aizer]

Wow, that's impressive. All right. Marvin Harrison Jr. Is currently wide receiver 33 per oh no. 33 overall, 44 per game. He has only 110 targets, only a 52% catch rate. We know the deal. It's been a really disappointing season for him in a year where rookie wide receivers are balling out and Marvin Harrison Jr. Is not doing it. Are do you think he's going to be a top 50 pick next year?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah, I think so. And I think I wrote about this a little bit yesterday. This is a good time to say this. I've got brand new 2025 Dynasty rankings coming out on the site today for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end. We've got brand new trade charts for Super Flex and one QB leagues over on Sportsline coming out today. And I wrote about Harrison in the wide receipt wide receiver rankings. And a rookie wide receiver having 57 catches for 800 yards and seven touchdowns did not used to be considered a colossal disappointment. There are a lot of very good wide receivers in NFL history. A couple of hall of Famers who had very similar rookie seasons in 16 games. So I, I don't want to downgrade him too much. I really did not like their offensive plan for him this year and I think you can hope that gets better. But I, if he's a top top 50 pick it's going to be hard to make a lot of profit there maybe. But yeah. Round four, round five. I'm, I'm pretty excited about that.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You wonder if if we had drafted him in round three or later. Round four later.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

How the, the thought process would be on Harrison.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, I don't know. I just still think people would be pretty angry. He's wide receiver 44 per game but not as.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I mean like when you see the players who have done well around him and after him like that's the, that's the problem.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, it's disappointing. I always bring this up. He basically has the fewest easy catches of any any. Like I can't even call him a must start wide receiver. But there's one guy that's similar in terms of targets of one to five air yards. That's right. That's Cortland Sutton Cordon sudden became a must start. But another guy that just doesn't get any easy ones, any layups and I hope that changes from Marvin Harrison. He's. He gets almost. No, he's 17 targets all year. 18 targets all year of one to five air yards. So wide receiver screen something like that just to give him a cheap 1.8 ppr fantasy points.

[Ben Schragger]

It just almost never happens that's that's Trey McBride territory. We're gonna. We're gonna give those to Trey McBride.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, I guess so. But there's no reason why Marvin can't get some of those too. John who Smith was the tight end that you had. He is the number two tight end in fantasy overall. Number five per game since to a return from injury in week eight. He's averaging 15.3-PPR fantasy points per game in that stretch. His 17 game pace. John who Smith 17 game pace since Tua came back. And that includes last week when tua didn't play. 99 catches, 1,006 yards, 10 touchdowns on 121 targets. Pretty. Pretty good. But yes, obviously the history makes him tough to rank.

[Ben Schragger]

If. Yes, well, it's his history and it's Mike McDaniel's history. And I think you talked about this at the beginning of the season about how Mike McDaniel said we've got to be less big play Reliant and they went out there and scored nine fewer points per game than they did the year before. So I guess that worked. I just. And it was even 5 fewer points per game when Tua was playing.

[Adam Aizer]

That's. That's the stat. Yeah.

[Ben Schragger]

If you told me that they were going to have the same offensive plan going into next year, then it's easy to just buy into John O. Smith's career year because it was his first year in this offensive system. So don't worry about everything else. But you're talking about a guy who's going to be 30, who'd really never done anything like this before, and a head coach in Mike McDaniel who seems to change his mind on a weekly basis about exactly how they want to attack playing offense. I can't believe that they're going to decide for another year that it's a better idea to have more targets going to John who than it is Jalen Waddle, but it's possible.

[Adam Aizer]

Jamie, what do you think? What do you think about John who Smith?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think once we get past like the top five or six tight ends, depending on what Kelsey does, this is where John is going to be drafted. You know, so this is the tight end purgatory range of, you know, we fall for a young player that's getting an opportunity like a Dalton Kincaid or Kyle Pitts. We fall for a veteran guy that ends up on a team that seemingly in a good spot. So like, for example, would you rather have John New Smith coming off of this year or Jake Ferguson with Dak back after what he looked like two years ago. Like that's the decision I think people have to make in terms of that type of range of tight end, you know, so he's not getting drafted over Bowers or McBride or Andrews or try to go missing in that, in that range.

[Adam Aizer]

But can I, I'll give you a name because I think someone that maybe gives you hope for Johnny Smith is David Najoku. Because Najoku his first five seasons were pretty nothing.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah, it's great.

[Ben Schragger]

Yeah.

[Adam Aizer]

Then he had these stretches, you know, the calf seasons where he was good and. But then last year, 2023, Najoku just had like a really good year. His best year, 882 yards, six touchdowns. But that's nothing.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But, but again that's a great comparison because Najoku hasn't been great with desean. So if Watson does come back, I mean like look at all the numbers that he's put up with the non Deshaun Watson quarterbacks. But it's a great comp, you know, in terms of, you know, guy that gets a, a second opportunity somewhere. So Heath's question is, is certainly the valid one. Now the, the one thing that keeps me somewhat so Kittle's the one I forgot. Excuse me. The one thing that keeps me sold on. On Johnnu is that this is still a Kyle Shanahan coaching tree higher. And when he came to Miami there was. I forget who the Titan was that they were trying to go get. And then Tyree Kill became available and it was like okay, we're going to get Tyreek. I forget who. It'll come to me at some point. And so they, they. Oh, it was Gaseki. I'm sorry. They were all in on Gaseki being sort of like their George Kittle. And then they had the opportunity to go get Tyree Kill and the offense changed and so now you have an athletic tight end that can do a variety of things in this offense. And now you see, I think what Mike McDaniel maybe had in mind. So does it come continually at the detriment of Waddle or Heath? Does it come at the detriment of a 31 year old Tyree Kill who may be slowing down a little bit, you know, and that could be maybe where the shift and the change comes. They also have one of the most dynamic pass catching running backs in the league right now in, in hn. You know, so how much of it just is it okay now we can kill you four different ways, you know, with Waddle unfortunately being the fourth. So I think he's still worth drafting as a number one guy. He'll be going into a contract year, so that'll be, you know, year two of a two year deal that he signed. If they don't extend him, this, this team has a lot to look at this off season. They may fire their gm, you know, so that's a big storyline that's kind of there. And, and keep McDaniel and then McDaniel is going to be, you know, one of the coaches on the hot seat because whoever the new GM is, if it's not somebody in the building, do they trust him as the, the head coach of the future. So there's a lot of play.

[Ben Schragger]

I will say the Najoku comparison was a good, good one. But there are a couple of differences too. Like Najoku was 27 when he breakout. That's not that uncommon for a tight end to have a breakout at 26, 27 at 29, it's a little different. And Najoku had two years where he'd had 600 yards receiving at least. Yeah, like John, who hadn't done that.

[Adam Aizer]

Yeah, no, it's not a perfect comparison, but I, I feel like people have probably written off David and Joko at that point and he showed that you could have a breakout kind of later in your career.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, John, who also was like, you know, when he went to New England, it was okay. This, this guy has a chance to be a superstar because of the contract. Like, you know, overvaluing this is, you know, one of the mistakes of why nobody wanted Bill Belichick as the coach because the personnel guy was terrible. But, you know, clearly there was some team and, and NFL people thought this too. Like, you know, this guy's got so much athleticism and it hurt Kyle Pitts when he went to Atlanta, you know, like he just has the ability to make plays and finally a coach has unlocked that.

[Adam Aizer]

Okay, thank you all for watching and listening.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

We've got one more question in the chat about running backs if you want to see. It was non PPR question with Garendo and Dobbins. Somebody else I remember.

[Adam Aizer]

All right. Oh, we got it from Harold Garendo, Dobbins, Foreman or a Denver running back. I need two in standard scoring.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

First two.

[Ben Schragger]

Sure.

[Adam Aizer]

There you go. Okay. And yeah, that's it for the show. So thanks for watching and listening and we appreciate it. Tomorrow we're gonna have starter sit for the AFC home games. We'll do one 20, 25 question for each game and then we'll talk about the starts and sits. We'll do the same thing on Friday with the NFC home games. All right, we'll see you in FFT Express if anybody wants to join us there. If not, talk to you tomorrow on Fantasy Football. Today.

[Heath Cummings]

Paramount podcasts.

[Ben Schragger]

Sunday, the NFL regular season finale is on cbs, with key games deciding the playoff race.

[Heath Cummings]

First, the Panthers take on the Falcons.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Kiss him goodbye.

[Ben Schragger]

Later, the Chiefs go on the road for a meeting with the Broncos, who can secure their postseason spot with a victory. Touchdown.

[Heath Cummings]

Now that's a CBS Sports Sunday.

[Ben Schragger]

It all begins at noon Eastern with.

[Heath Cummings]

The NFL Today Sunday on CBS and streaming on Paramount.

[Adam Aizer]

Plus.