Fantasy Football Today (CBS Sports)

Episode: Mailbag and Fantasy Cops! (09/13 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Date: September 13, 2025

Episode Overview

This FFT mailbag episode is anchored by Adam Aizer, with analysts Jamey Eisenberg and Dan Schneier (Heath Cummings and Dave Richard were not present live). The trio takes on a packed slate of listener questions from emails, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, with interspersed league dispute discussions ("Fantasy Cops"). The conversation is rich with actionable early-season strategy, trade talk, starting lineup dilemmas, and deeper league drama, all served in the usually playful, irreverent FFT tone. Throughout, the team’s commentary balances friendly banter, humor, and sharp fantasy football advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early-Season Trade Philosophy and Panic Button Triggers

• Jamie emphasizes seeking trades in Week 1 by leveraging positional strengths for weaknesses, sharing a real podcast league example:
  • “We have a strong position group and a weak position group; Dave has a strong position group and a weaker position group. Like those are the types of trades you're trying to make.” (08:25, Jamie)
• Dan’s advice: Don’t panic after a week one loss, especially when running back situations can swing quickly due to injuries or usage. He suggests sitting tight in many cases given potential upside.
• Both analysts caution not to overreact to slow starts from studs (Nico Collins, Jamar Chase, AJ Brown), but to watch for worrying trends with players like Ken Walker.
  • “I'm not worried at all. AJ Brown even. I'm not worried at all. Okay, Ken Walker, for example, that’s reason to worry.” (09:41, Jamie)

2. Do Studs & Scoring Spike After Early Weeks?

• Adam digs into point-per-game stats: last year, scoring was lower in Weeks 1 and 2 but that isn’t consistent year over year.
  • "I don't think we've got anything there. But thank you very much for the questions." (12:28, Adam)
• Jamie and Dan note there’s no hard rule regarding preseason snaps translating to slow starts. Every year presents anomalies.

3. Mailbag: Start/Sit and Trade Advice

• Sample Exchanges:
  • Start/Sit: Jameson Williams, Aaron Jones, or Rome Odunze? All three analysts lean Jameson ("Jamo") for his bounce-back potential (15:42).
  • Trade Grades:
    • Tyreek Hill & Pacheco for Tet McMillan & Caleb Johnson: "D right now" (Jamie, 19:42), "B-" (Dan, 19:44) — Too much risk unless Tyreek’s outlook worsens.
    • Keon Coleman & Ferguson for Khalil Shakir & David Montgomery: Jamie gives it an A- (33:14), Dan a B; both agree it favors the side acquiring Montgomery due to RB scarcity in non-PPR.
    • DK Metcalf, Keon Coleman & Merritt for Bucky Irving & Tyreek Hill: Dan says, "You have potentially the two best players in the trade" (64:25, Jamie), both analysts are high on the Bucky/ Tyreek side.

4. Hidden Statline Stories from Week 1

• Dan lauds Tet McMillan's tape, noting he nearly had a massive game—a reminder not to box-score scout only.
• Jamie flags New Orleans and Cleveland WR target volume as worthy of close attention.
• Ken Walker (SEA) vs. Zach Charbonnet: Adam sees Walker’s explosiveness but leans toward Charbonnet as eventually overtaking the role, seconded by Robert Turbin’s comments.
  • "Long plays don’t happen a lot at the RB position... I think Charbonnet is a better running back if you're looking for what a running back means." (29:53, Dan)
• Marvin Harrison’s usage and Kyler Murray’s struggles noted as a caution.

5. Panel Banter & Memorable Moments

• Typical FFT charm: rapid-fire pop culture references (Ferris Bueller, Game of Thrones, Giants nostalgia), good-natured jabs at Adam’s fantasy record, and a marathon "haircut story" from Dan (beginning 37:48), which becomes a running joke.
• Adam claims to have “discovered” Sam Fender, invites listeners to his NYC concert, and offers to send a playlist—sparking a mixtape/mixtape pronunciation debate (35:07–37:39).
• Playful arguments over league management, including leaning on Jamie for league rule enforcement, and whether “site allows it” should be the rule for roster moves.

6. Fantasy Cops: League Disputes Decided

• Waivers Ran Early: If waiver processing was unclear, the team unanimously favors reversing all moves to maintain fairness.
  • “If there was no mention of it prior… then you have to make sure everybody’s aware and it should be reversed. I’m sorry for the people that put in claims.” (45:02, Jamie)
• Commissioner Sets Illegal Lineups: If a commish hoards extra bench players and drops one at the last second, Dan unequivocally says: “Kick him out and run your own league... This is ridiculous.” (49:58)
• Adam and Jamie recount similar league drama—the importance of clear rules or defaulting to the site’s abilities, for practical reasons.

7. Lightning Round: Listener Q&A

• The episode closes with a run of rapid-fire start/sit/trade grade questions from YouTube and Apple Podcasts, with concrete answers and no drawn-out explanations.
  • Example: “Swift, Hampton, Henderson, Sit one.” “Swift.” (70:19, Jamie)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can just agree with good points sometimes.” (08:20, Dan, appreciating Jamie’s trade logic)
• “He’s entitled to say no. I’m just saying, could not have been a more perfect situation...” (08:25, Jamie, citing the value of win-win trades)
• “I was one situation away from like, a big victory lap in week one: Jordan Mason better than Aaron Jones, Charbonnet better than Walker..." (32:27, Jamie)
• “He is so good, it is incredible. The best lyricist I’ve ever listened to.” (36:21, Adam, on Sam Fender)
• “I'm a good tipper.” (40:35, Dan, in the haircut saga)
• “If the rule is that you have to have a roster with no suspended or no injured players, then that’s the rule.” (48:30, Adam, on enforcing anti-tanking rules)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |:--------------|:-------------------------------------------------------| | 04:17 | Show proper begins, “Mailbag time!" | | 06:24 | News & Injury updates | | 07:13 | Trade philosophy after a Week 1 loss | | 11:01 | Do scoring and stud performance spike after Week 1/2? | | 13:03 | Giants trivia/Red Zone talk | | 15:06 | Mailbag: Start/Sit and trade questions | | 26:22 | Stat lines with “untold stories” from Week 1 | | 31:25 | Dolphins offense/Tua Tagovailoa critique | | 34:29 | Haircut/personal banter begins | | 43:08 | Fantasy Cops: Waiver wire and rule disputes | | 54:39 | Apple Podcast questions/trivia | | 59:03 | Dynasty tight end question | | 62:02 | Is Tet McMillan a sell candidate? | | 70:01 | Rapid fire YouTube questions (start/sit, trades, etc) |

Final Thoughts

This episode is a quintessential FFT blend—actionable analysis, lively debate, and inside-joke camaraderie. Early-season managers will benefit from the panel’s trade and panic-discussion wisdom, league dispute best practices, and deep cut start/sit takes. For those seeking even more engagement, Adam promotes the FFT Sunday morning live stream (YouTube) for last minute advice.

For regular listeners, the "Fantasy Cops" segment delivers real world solutions to messy league disputes. For all, the show is an enjoyable, context-rich guide to navigating the early fantasy football season.