Fantasy Football Today: Mailbag & Fantasy Cops! (09/20/25)

Podcast: Fantasy Football Today
Episode: Mailbag and Fantasy Cops!
Date: September 20, 2025
Hosts: Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings, Jamey Eisenberg (with appearances from Dan Schneier)
Theme: Weekly mailbag episode featuring listener questions, lineup advice, Fantasy Cops league dispute resolutions, and lots of banter.

Episode Overview

This episode revolves around helping listeners dominate their Fantasy Football leagues as the hosts answer mailbag questions (mostly start/sit and waiver dilemmas), debate trade and league etiquette issues in their “Fantasy Cops” segment, and share stories from behind the scenes at FFT. There’s also plenty of personal chemistry, storytelling, and inside jokes familiar to longtime listeners.

Key Segments & Notable Insights

1. Intro & News and Notes

[02:24–06:40]

• Personal Banter & NYC Food Recs:

  • Adam and Heath open with a discussion about NYC concerts, iconic Katz’s Deli, and Adam’s rye bread aversion.
  • “The rye. The bread is just a vessel for what’s in between the bread.” – Heath [04:11]

• Injury Updates & Player News:

  • Ameka Egbuka: Looks good for this week, returned to practice.
  • Jaden Daniels: Missed practice, expect Mariota to start.
  • Tucker Kraft: Not expected to play, consider alternatives like Luke Musgrave.
  • Darren Waller: Likely to return next week.
  • Packers WRs: Don’t expect one dominant target. Heath likes DonTavion Wicks as a flex, Adam also mentions Romeo Doubs.

  “Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur are not target-one-guy kind of player, you know, play callers and quarterback.” – Heath [05:21]

• Heath’s Giants Game Banter:

  • Discussion of attending upcoming night games, friendly ribbing about ditching each other at tailgates.
  • Tennis rivalry story featuring Adam vs. Dan, with fantasy draft pick swaps on the line.

2. Mailbag Q&A

[08:16–29:47]

• Rapid Fire Start/Sit & Waiver Dilemmas:

  • Superflex: Sit one (Jameson Williams, DJ Moore, Jared Goff, Jake Browning)
    • Consensus: Sit Jameson Williams.
    • “I guess I’d start DJ Moore over Jameson Williams. I think I’m a little higher on DJ Moore...he’s due.” – Adam [09:30]
  • Drop Aaron Rodgers for Jake Browning?
    • “I’d rather Brown, I guess. It’s not so exciting.” – Adam
  • Trevor Lawrence or Geno Smith from waivers?
    • “I’d take T-Law, do that too.” – Heath [10:22]

• Miscellaneous Flex, RB, and Trade Advice:

  • Full-PPR flex: Jerry Jeudy vs. Cam Scadaboo vs. others
    • "I think I'll go Jeudy." – Heath [11:35]
  • RJ Harvey: Drop or Hold?
    • “I’d not cut Harvey by any means. He's a perfect back-end bench guy for the second half.” – Heath [14:00]

• More Waiver Wire Advice:

  • “If it’s not like Facio Tootin or Quinshon Judkins [on waivers], hold Harvey.” – Jamey [13:34]

• Favorite Packers WR This Week [05:21]:

  • Heath: “Setting up to be a big DonTavion Wicks week… I do think Wicks will be hopefully a good play, but it could be [Malik] Golden too.”

3. Origin Story: FFT Podcast Lore

[16:23–24:26]

• Listener Paul asks about the origin and evolution of the podcast family.

• Adam recounts joining CBS circa 2009, and the show’s original names (“Fantasy Football Playbook”).

• Jamie and Heath share early memories, including Westwood One radio studio days and moving to remote podcasting.

  “It was a pretty successful show because it was one of the first podcasts… Every sports podcaster really owes a thank you to ESPN.” – Adam [20:42]

  “I can’t tell you how many people in our industry… have said, ‘we’ve done our show because of what you guys did.’” – Jamie [20:53]

• Adam shares his leap of faith moving to NYC and almost quitting until a supportive CEO pushed for remote hosting.

• Dan Schneier is ribbed about being a Giants “guru.”

• All agree to do a full “lore” episode in the offseason due to popular demand.

4. More Mailbag & Trade Talk

[25:02–29:35]

• Start/Sit Debates:

  • Multiple questions about RB depth (Hampton, Henderson, Tootin, Harvey, Charbonnet).
  • "Right now, the guy I have ranked the highest is Henderson." – Jamey [25:30]

• Waivers: Upside Prioritization:

  • "I would go with the guy who’s got the most upside, which is Harvey." – Heath [26:21]

• Grade the Trade:

  • Waddle + Warren for Gentry: “Huge win on paper… Not as big in the current reality” – Dan [27:44]
  • Swift for Laporta or Conner for Kraft: "Swift for Laporta is the only one I’d consider." – Jamie [29:08]

5. Fantasy Cops: League Disputes & Etiquette

[36:32–44:47]

• Roster Churning (Tight Ends Blocking Opponent)
  “Within the rules, but bad sportsmanship. We have a rule against that in the FFT Open.” – Adam [37:25]

• Playoff Trades: Fair or Foul?
  “If you’re not mathematically eliminated, do what you want.” – Adam [39:45]

• Chronic Trade-Undoing Guy ('Steve')

  • Listener frustrated by manager who repeatedly asks for trade vetoes after having remorse or confusion.
  • “You’d like to take him on his word, but if there’s a pattern, let the commissioner decide.” – Jamey [44:20]

• Notable Banter:

  • Playful complaints about truck driver managers checking phones while sending trades:
    "Please don’t look at your phone while driving a truck and accept trades." – Heath [41:59]

6. Listener Mailbag (Apple Podcasts & YouTube)

[45:24–61:04]

• Start/Sit, Waivers & Trade Grades Continue:

  • Topics include rookie RBs slow start (advice regret), full and half-PPR lineup decisions, emphasizing patience with rookies.

    "If you don’t walk away from your draft with two rookie running backs, you’re making a mistake. I said something like that…maybe it will end up being good advice. I hope it does." – Adam [56:20]

  • “It could still work out for these rookie running backs. We have a great rookie class…it’s only week two.” – Adam

• Team Name Jokes:

  • Listeners submit fantasy team names ("King Tootin" / "Vladimir Tootin" / "Oil of Olave"). Hosts evaluate the puns.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "The bread is just a vessel for what's in between the bread." – Heath [04:11]
• "It was a pretty successful show because it was one of the first podcasts… Every sports podcaster really owes a thank you to ESPN." – Adam [20:42]
• "We're so in tune with these things... For the casual fan...you click accept/counter by mistake. Oh, man, I didn't mean to do that." – Jamie [50:49]
• "If you’re not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, do what you want." – Adam [39:45]
• "It could still work out for these rookie running backs. We have a great rookie running back class. I think it could still work out for sure. But I do feel bad for the people who are 0-2—and I’m one of them in several leagues..." – Adam [56:30]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:24] – Opening banter, concert, and Katz’s Deli
• [04:27] – News and notes (injury updates, Packers WRs)
• [08:16] – First mailbag segment (start/sit, waivers, trades)
• [16:23] – Podcast origin story (“FFT Lore”)
• [25:02] – More mailbag (waivers/trades)
• [36:32] – Fantasy Cops: League disputes and etiquette
• [45:24] – Apple Podcast mailbag, inside jokes, trade advice
• [54:45] – Rookie RB self-critique
• [59:22] – Final rapid-fire start/sit/waiver Qs
• [61:04] – Goodbyes

Tone, Chemistry, & Listener Experience

The FFT crew delivers the content with their signature blend of friendly banter, relatable fantasy pain points, inside jokes, and deep knowledge of rosters and league tactics. The show features tangents—from sandwich critiques to truck driver league managers—but always returns to actionable, informed advice for fantasy football managers.

For both seasoned listeners and new fans, this episode showcases the breadth of the show: practical start/sit and waiver wire help, engaging personal stories, and a peek “behind the podcast curtain.” The hosts’ honest reflection on their advice (“Do I regret hyping rookies?”) is refreshing, and their handling of tricky league disputes adds real-world utility.

Conclusion
Whether you sought Week 3 tactical tips, want help resolving a league dispute, or are just here for the camaraderie, this episode delivers a full-service Fantasy Football Today experience.