Fantasy Football Today: Mailbag and Fantasy Cops!
(October 18, 2025)
Hosts: Adam Aizer, Jamie Eisenberg, Dan Hooey
Episode Theme:
Weekly Mailbag + Fantasy Cops—answering listener questions, settling league disputes, and providing timely fantasy football analysis for week 7 and beyond.
Episode Overview
The FFT crew dives into a rapid-fire mailbag, discusses recent injury news, recommends sleepers for a challenging wide receiver week, and presides over two hotly debated Fantasy Cops cases about trades and league rule enforcement. Along the way, the hosts tackle listener roster dilemmas, review trade strategies for both redraft and dynasty formats, and close with a spirited debate on classic rock bands.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Mailbag: Start/Sit, Trades & Waivers
[03:04-15:21]
- Quickfire Start/Sit Questions:
- Travion Henderson or Bam Knight?
— "I go Henderson." (Jamie, 03:05) - Trade Jacobs and a book for Davante Adams, Bill, and Bucky?
— "Yes, I would." (Jamie, 03:22) - Puka Nacua out, choose Pacheco, Nick Chubb, or Ke'Shawn Booty - PPR?
— "Booty’s fine. Booty's ok." (Jamie, 04:05) - Jared Goff or Jalen Hurts?
— "Goff." (Jamie, 04:33)
— "I'll go Hurts regardless." (Dan, 04:34) - Trade Nico Collins/Ashton Genti for Bijan Robinson?
— "Yes, in a heartbeat." (Dan, 05:25) - Cooper Kupp or Jameson Williams?
— "JMO." (Adam, 05:32) - Brian Thomas Jr. or Courtland Sutton (Non-PPR)?
— "Sutton. There's some hope for Brian Thomas, but not enough." (Dan, 05:38)
- Travion Henderson or Bam Knight?
2. Injury News & Depth Chart Updates
[05:56-07:30]
- Key Player Updates:
- Garrett Wilson doubtful; Puka Nacua out; Mike Evans likely to play.
- Colts’ Josh Downs and multiple DBs missed practice—of interest for those streaming WRs versus IND.
- Both Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin limited in practice.
— "At this point, I would say don't expect McLaurin... Deebo, we’ve got to be worried about." (Jamie, 06:43) - Marvin Harrison Jr. still in concussion protocol but improving.
3. Week 7 Sleeper WRs & Deep League Plays
[07:30-11:06]
With major WR injuries and byes, the crew debated their top sleeper and speculative WR adds:
- Shepard, Tutu Atwell, and Jordan Whittington rise to the top—attached to more stable quarterback situations.
- "Shepard first, then Tutu Atwell and Whittington... Michael Wilson's intriguing, especially if Kyler plays." (Jamie, 08:15)
- Tez Johnson: High college production, bad measurables, but considerable upside.
- Luke McCaffrey: Could see a bump for WAS if both Deebo and McLaurin are out.
- "If DJ Moore is out, Luther Burden is not only worth starting but also rostering rest of season." (Jamie, 11:01)
4. More Listener Questions & Trade Debates
[13:32-33:47]
- Rest-of-season value challenges and trade advice:
- Trade AJ Brown for Tee Higgins?
— "If you really believe in Higgins over Brown, I could get on board with that." (Jamie, 14:16) - Favorite RB stash before the deadline?
— "If Breece [Hall] is traded, Isaiah Davis is next man up... In deeper leagues, Jack Bech, Trey Tucker, maybe even Malik Washington." (Jamie, 21:17) - Superflex dynasty trade involving Jackson Dart/Malik Nabers for Genti/Odunze/Taylor:
— Heated debate over the value of QBs in superflex:
— "Impossible to get QBs in superflex—they're worth more than their weight in gold." (Dan, 27:33)
— "You should get better than Malik Nabers and Jackson Dart!" (Adam, 28:09) - Rapid Start/Sits: Pacheco vs. others, Craft vs. Ferguson, Ken Walker vs. Marks vs. Golden/Addison.
- Trade AJ Brown for Tee Higgins?
5. Microplastics, Tupperware, & Tangents
[24:14-26:04]
- Adam rants on the risks of microwaving plastic containers, citing a new Washington Post article.
- Dan’s counterpoint: "We're so screwed already with microplastics...like, the ocean is just lighting up plastic."
- Useful tip: "Put food in a ring on the plate, leaving the center empty, to heat evenly."
6. Fantasy Cops: League Ethics & Rule Enforcement
[36:05-45:34]
- Case #1: Veto Rules & Time Windows
- Dispute: Was a trade correctly vetoed after the voting period technically expired, but before everyone saw the poll?
— "The intent of the poll is to get everyone to vote...I'm fine with it being more than 24 hours as long as everyone got to vote." (Adam, 38:54) — "Great example of why trades should never be vetoed unless there’s collusion.” (Dan, 39:19)
- Dispute: Was a trade correctly vetoed after the voting period technically expired, but before everyone saw the poll?
- Case #2: Retroactively Changing Matchups Due to a Schedule Error
- Issue: League council votes to revert two matchups back to the “intended” schedule, costing one manager a win. — "Once it's set, you can't go back and change it.” (Jamie, 44:49) — “It's too late to change. I don't like the idea of changing the outcome of what's already happened.” (Dan, 45:08)
7. Deep Waiver & Stash Candidates
[21:17, 46:39, 49:23]
-
Potential RB/WR stashes:
— Isaiah Davis (Jets, if Breece Hall is moved)
— Jack Bech, Trey Tucker, Malik Washington
— Marvin Harrison Jr. and Quentin Johnston debated as desperation WR plays -
Henderson vs. Harvey:
— Still worth stashing but patience is running thin, particularly for Harvey behind injury-prone starters.
8. Fun Debates: Music, Sandwiches, and Nostalgia
[64:16-68:34]
- Listener roasts Dan for calling the Beatles “overrated” and not knowing Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
- Dan: “Great at melodies...but just below that elite tier. Still great, just not quite there.” (66:58)
- Adam: “My favorite movie ever” (Braveheart).
- Ringo Starr—skilled drummer or not? Extended, heated sidetrack.
- Closing music banter: "My Morning Jacket is greater than the Beatles."
— “Honestly, like them better.” (Dan, 70:40)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "You're damn right I know who the Dead are. They're probably my favorite band of all time."
— Dan, defending his band cred (03:24) - "If you believe in Tee Higgins, you could probably do Brown for Higgins...with the hope that the Higgins manager wants the potential Brown."
— Jamie (14:16) - “Quarterbacks in superflex are worth more than their weight in gold.”
— Dan, on dynasty superflex strategy (27:33) - “Put food in a circle, ring around the plate and leave the middle empty. That’s how you evenly heat food."
— Dan, microwave chef hacks (25:15) - “Once it’s set, you can’t go back and change it.”
— Jamie, on retrospective schedule changes in fantasy leagues (44:49) - “We're not gonna save this thing [from microplastics].”
— Dan (26:05) - “Spiritually concussed is amazing.”
— Adam, reading a poetic music-roast email (64:16)
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |---------|----------| | YouTube/Apple Mailbag: Start/Sit | 03:04–11:13 | | Injury/News & Notes | 05:56–07:30 | | Deep WR/bye-week plays | 07:30–11:06 | | More Mailbag (Rapid Fire) | 13:32–16:07, 30:14–33:32, 46:10–49:55 | | Trade/waiver strategy | 21:17–23:07, 29:54–30:43 | | Dynasty Superflex Trade Debate | 26:43–29:54 | | Microplastics/Microwave Rant | 24:16–26:04 | | Fantasy Cops—Trade Veto | 36:05–39:35 | | Fantasy Cops—Schedule Change Ethics | 43:31–45:34 | | Music/Sandwich Banter | 64:16–68:34 |
Tone & Chemistry
- Fun and irreverent: Frequent jokes about wardrobe, “dad jokes” and concert plans interspersed with rapid-fire fantasy advice.
- Passionate debates: Both in fantasy football strategy (trade values, dynasty vs. redraft) and beyond (rock bands, kitchen hacks).
- Engaged with listeners: Reads and comments on listener emails and even roasts.
Summary
This episode blends expert fantasy football advice with lively, sometimes heated debate—inside and outside the realm of fantasy sports. The trio efficiently works through mailbag questions, provides critical injury and waiver advice amidst a brutal bye/injury week, and draw hard lines on trade, veto, and league governance. Entertaining tangents on music, food, and pop culture flavor the analysis, making it accessible and fun for both die-hard fantasy managers and newer players facing lineup crises.
Perfect episode for:
- Week 7 fantasy dilemma solvers needing quick answers
- Dynasty and superflex strategists
- Anyone seeking both entertainment and strong, actionable fantasy football analysis
