Start or Sit (AFC): Travis Etienne, Omarion Hampton, Browns and Chargers WRs and More (09/11 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today (September 11, 2025)

Episode: Start or Sit (AFC): Travis Etienne, Omarion Hampton, Browns and Chargers WRs and More
Hosts: Adam Aizer, Jamie Eisenberg, Heath Cummings
Theme: Deep-dive into the AFC’s top start/sit decisions for Week 2, breaking down player values, injury fallout, and waiver wire moves to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.

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Episode Overview

This episode is focused on analyzing all relevant AFC home games for Week 2, dissecting start/sit questions for key players, and reacting to major injury news. The crew evaluates top quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, discusses emerging waiver wire pickups, and debates both consensus and contrarian opinions about player rankings to help listeners set winning fantasy lineups.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Player Buy/Sell Debates & Injuries [03:37 – 13:40]

• Brock Purdy Injury (SF): Out two to five weeks with turf toe and a shoulder injury. Immediate ripple effects for receivers like Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.
  • Jamie: “You don’t want to say this system is just that good…but it kind of is.” [12:25]
• Impact on 49ers’ Pass Catchers:
  Jamie emphasizes that Pearsall remains a low-end WR2 start if Jennings is hobbled and Kittle remains out, citing clear “target soaker” potential.
  • Jamie: "Four games in his career with at least six targets, 14 or more PPR points in all four." [13:14]
• Other Key Injuries:
  • James Cook (Buf, hamstring; Ray Davis in line for more work if Cook misses time.)
  • Darnell Mooney, Xavier Worthy, Juwan Jennings (all questionable)
  • Christian McCaffrey (monitor, but likely fine)
  • Dallas Goedert (Phi, questionable): Major boost to DeVonta Smith if Goedert sits.

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2. Players We Love & Avoid for Week 2 [05:56 – 10:50]

• QBs to Start:
  • Jamie: “Jared Goff, start of the week…another division opponent, taking on his former coordinator.” [06:18]
  • Heath: “...Dak Prescott. I think it’s a get right game for Dak Prescott — especially for CeeDee Lamb.” [08:18]
  • QB Rankings: Dak > Fields > Goff (Heath); Goff > Fields > Dak (Jamie) — all ranked as top-10 options.
• Player to Avoid:
  • Jamie: “Zay Flowers...in two receiver leagues, I would sit Zay Flowers coming off this amazing game...[Browns’ defense] just erased the Bengals’ pass catchers.” [09:08]
  • Heath: “Aaron Jones...I’d start Jordan Mason over Aaron Jones. Neither's in my top 24 in full PPR.” [10:32]

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3. News and Notes—OL, WR, RB, and TE Roundup [12:00 – 18:49]

• Detailed rundown of offensive line injuries across several teams, most notably Rams, Titans, Vikings, and Saints.
• Adam: “Saints...two offensive linemen missed practice and Carolina’s left tackle Iki Ekwonu was limited. Giants’ Andrew Thomas questionable.” [17:19]
• Key takeaways:
  • Injuries could dampen upside for Rams’ Kyren Williams and WRs; Saints, Vikings, and Giants also banged up.
  • “No change” for Puka or DeVonta, per Jamie, despite OL woes. [17:40]

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4. Start/Sit Decisions – Game-by-Game Breakdown

(Key matchups, rankings, and player insights)

A. Cleveland @ Baltimore [20:27 – 24:16]

• Browns TEs: Start Both
  • Heath: “I have both Harold Fannin and David Njoku in my top 12.” [20:49]
  • Fannin is a hot waiver add: “If that usage from week one validates this week—holy cow.” [22:06]
  • WRs: Judy (Cleveland) is preferred over Tillman, but both are close.
  • Jamie: “The last five times [Tillman] played, he’s averaging north of 15 PPR points.” [40:17]
• Sit Zay Flowers if possible (Browns D tough vs WRs).

B. New England @ Miami [24:16 – 25:21, 43:10 – 48:03]

• Must-Start:
  • Jamie/Heath consensus: Tyreek Hill — don’t overthink, start him.
  • Uncertainty about Tua’s consistency and the offense’s Week 1 struggles; optimistic about rebound.
  • Jamie: “It's hard to have Tyreek Hill on your roster and sit him.” [24:33]
• Pats RB room worth close monitoring; Henderson slightly preferred to Stevenson.
  • Jamie: “Probably still start Tyreek, then Henderson, then Waddle.” [47:12]

C. Jacksonville @ Cincinnati [25:28 – 26:48, 49:37 – 54:07]

• Start Travis Etienne (“clear top-15 RB”), Brian Thomas Jr. (solid target volume).
  • Crew questions just how high Etienne’s value is after last week’s “best-case” performance.
  • Jamie: “Why not maximize it? We may just have seen the best of Travis Etienne.” [26:48]
• Etienne Preferred Over:
  • Walker, Charbonnet, Breece Hall (Jamie; Heath is closer). [53:42 – 53:54]

D. Buffalo @ NY Jets [27:00 – 38:56]

• Sit Keon Coleman (BUF WR) in favor of more proven options
  • Adam: "Tillman and Judy over Coleman for me." [28:08]
• Garrett Wilson: Consistently a start in all formats.
• QB: Justin Fields top-10 for the week, preferred over Jared Goff.

E. Philadelphia @ Kansas City [28:51 – 34:13, 60:55 – 68:06]

• If Dallas Goedert is out:
  • Adam: “Devonta Smith has averaged 17.7 PPR points in these games—good enough for WR9 per game last year.” [15:01]
  • Devonta > Marquis Brown if Goedert sits; otherwise, closer. [28:51]
• Concerns for Mahomes: Not in consensus top-12 this week (ranked as low as QB13) due to WR injuries and defensive matchup.

F. Chargers @ Raiders [29:04 – 39:49, 68:06 – 72:53]

• Must-Start WRs: Myers (LV), Lad McConkey (LAC).
  • Chargers WR3s (Allen, Johnston) ranked behind Cleveland WRs Judy/Tillman.
  • Jamie: “Jacoby Myers...most underrated WR last 2-3 seasons...13.7 PPR points or more in 8 of last 11.”
• RBs: Genti (LAC) a clear start; Hampton (LV) fringe RB2 but volume remains appealing. [70:30]
• Conversation on potential breakout for Quentin Johnston, but ranking trails other options.

G. Denver @ Indianapolis [74:27 – 76:15]

• Colts Starts: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren (TE).
  • Heath: “Taylor ran 24 of 26 RB routes in Week 1 — career high 40 catches in sight.”
• Broncos: Bo Nix is a streaming QB, low-end starter vs IND; Dobbins the back to start in Denver's committee backfield.
  • Judy is preferred Cleveland WR over Pittman this week.

H. Tampa Bay @ Houston [76:34 – 81:52]

• Evans, Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka (TB): All startable, but Evans could struggle if shadowed by Stingley Jr. (HOU).
• CJ Stroud, Texans RBs: All sits except Nico Collins.
• Jamie: “Abuka or Brown? Flip a coin. Abuka.” [81:21]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Travis Etienne’s value:
  Jamie Eisenberg [26:48]:

  “You just got to be a little concerned. Like, we may have just seen the best of Travis Etienne, so why not maximize it?”

• On Zay Flowers’ tough matchup:
  Jamie Eisenberg [09:08]:

  “You’re looking at what the Browns just did to the Bengals passing attack... I would not say that Zay Flowers is a Must-Start.”

• On Browns Tight Ends Usage:
  Heath Cummings [22:06]:

  “Fannon’s the one guy that, if that usage... validates this week, holy cow.”

• On Miami’s week 1 issues:
  Jamie Eisenberg [45:00]:

  “The Dolphins offense was... so bad last week... and I watched a pretty in-depth breakdown of just how bad Tua was. Missing such easy opportunities.”

• On Chargers WR Quentin Johnston’s upward momentum:
  Jamie Eisenberg [71:34]:

  “Harbaugh said Quincy Johnston should be doing 'in your face' to the doubters.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

Opening & Theme Introduction

• [03:37] Start/sit theme, AFC home games dissected

Players to Love & Avoid, Buy/Sell Debates

• [05:56] Week 2 prove-it games (Etienne, Kelsey, etc.)
• [06:18] Jamie’s Start QB: Jared Goff
• [08:18] Heath’s Start QB: Dak Prescott
• [09:08] Jamie’s Sit: Zay Flowers

Major Injury News & Depth Chart Shifts

• [12:00] Brock Purdy fallout/49ers WR outlook
• [14:45] RB/WR/Tight End Injury Overview
• [15:01] DeVonta Smith’s bumps with Goddard out

Game-by-Game Start/Sit Breakdowns

• [20:27] Browns @ Ravens tight end/WR landscape
• [24:16] Patriots @ Dolphins quick-hits
• [25:28] Jaguars @ Bengals: Etienne, Thomas Jr., buy/sell outcomes
• [27:00] Bills @ Jets WR looks, QB values
• [28:51] Eagles @ Chiefs — A.J. Brown/DeVonta Smith, Mahomes
• [29:04] Chargers @ Raiders — McConkey/Myers, RB notes
• [74:27] Broncos @ Colts — RB/WR/TE breakdown
• [76:34] Buccaneers @ Texans — Evans, Egbuka, Houston WRs

Detailed Lightning Round Q&A

• [40:47] Rapid WR/TE/FLEX comparison rankings
• [79:55] Evans vs. Piersall and more close-call WRs

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Listener Takeaways

Quarterbacks:

• Start Prescott, Goff, and Fields with confidence. Lawrence and May are on the bubble; May may get the edge this week.

Running Backs:

• Etienne is a secure RB1. Don’t panic about last week’s mediocre YPC.
• Hampton is a strong volume play, but has a lower floor than hoped.
• Samson’s PPR-specific spike is worth noting, especially if injuries persist.

Wide Receivers:

• Elevate DeVonta Smith (especially if Goedert sits).
• Tyreek Hill is still a “must start” despite Miami’s Week 1 issues.
• Jacoby Myers/Lad McConkey are locked into starting roles.
• Keon Coleman is best left on benches until the pecking order solidifies.
• Brown, Judy, Tillman all strong WR3/flexes, but track usage closely.

Tight Ends:

• Both Browns’ tight ends are legitimate starts; Fannin & Njoku are top-12 with Flacco under center.
• Consider Brenton Strange as a streaming option vs. CIN if needed.
• If you have Mark Andrews, consider streaming Fannin/Johnson if you want higher presumed upside.

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Conclusion

The FFT Crew delivered a comprehensive, hard-hitting start/sit breakdown for every key AFC matchup, blending stat-backed context, deep bench recommendations, and practical game theory to help you nab a Week 2 victory. Injury updates and shifting depth charts were top of mind, alongside which hot waiver candidates are actual lineup upgrades versus week-to-week dart throws.

Don’t forget: Re-assess on Sunday morning as injury news and inactives roll in. Good luck in Week 2!

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Memorable closing line (Adam Aizer, [81:52]):
"Long show. Thank you very much...You're very welcome!"

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For the latest rankings and midweek updates, catch the team on CBS Sports Network every Thursday at 1pm Eastern or subscribe on your favorite podcast app.

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Transcript

[Adam Mazer]

On September 19, producer Jordan Peele asks, what are you willing to sacrifice? In a new horror film called him, starring Marlon Wayans and Tyreek Withers. Stay tuned to hear an exclusive trailer for the film. Right now, do I look at you or the camera?

[Heath C]

He'll just look right at me.

[Adam Mazer]

You'll just ignore the camera.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

There are a lot of people saying.

[Adam Mazer]

You could be the next great quarterback. I can already see it now. Cam running down the tunnel with crowd chanting his name. I hear you've been invited to train with legend Isaiah White himself. Care to elaborate? I want to be the goat.

[Heath C]

Cameron King.

[Adam Mazer]

Great. Me and you.

[Heath C]

I'm a fan.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's crazy.

[Heath C]

I damn near worshiped you growing up.

[Adam Mazer]

Who are you? I'm him.

[Heath C]

Who are you?

[Adam Mazer]

I'm him.

[Heath C]

Let's play a little catch.

[Adam Mazer]

We going to the lake.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You want to play at your highest level? You want to be a legend?

[Heath C]

Let me tell you something. In the game.

[Adam Mazer]

What, are they just.

[Heath C]

Going to toss the ball around a little? You want to hit this? You can't handle it.

[Adam Mazer]

I understand.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Shut up.

[Heath C]

Oh, too slow.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Shut up.

[Heath C]

Wait.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Sh.

[Adam Mazer]

What are we doing?

[Heath C]

That man smile about to be on the floor. This how you do teammate.

[Adam Mazer]

What is this?

[Heath C]

In this game, violence is rewarded. So learn to enjoy it. Get your together.

[Adam Mazer]

Activate my cam. Are you okay? I think something's off. Do you want to know what you're getting yourself into now? We playing some football. Don't have to do this.

[Heath C]

I've never been more certain of anything in my life. And how bad does Cameron Cade want it?

[Adam Mazer]

I ain't a killer, but don't push me.

[Heath C]

I'm not just gonna give it to you.

[Adam Mazer]

You got to take it for me. I ain't a killer, but don't push me.

[Heath C]

What if I say no? Think of it as a gift from the gods, but don't push me.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So what are you willing to sacri.

[Adam Mazer]

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[Heath C]

This is fantasy Football today from CBS Sports.

[Adam Mazer]

What a play. Can you believe this?

[Heath C]

No, I can't. It's time to dominate your fantasy league.

[Adam Mazer]

Off to the races and he stays at his feet.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Chris is Going to go the distance.

[Heath C]

Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.

[Adam Mazer]

Eight games to talk about today on fantasy football today, presented by BetMGM, the sportsbook. Born in Vegas. It is starter sit for the AFC home games. There are a lot of AFC home games today, so some of them will cover tomorrow. But welcome everybody. A lot of AFC home games this week. I meant good morning. Heath and Jamie fired up.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah, baby.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Great game tonight.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah.

[Heath C]

I wish, I wish we could have started the day off with a little.

[Adam Mazer]

More positive news as opposed to. Oh, the Brock Purdy news that we just got. Yes. Yeah. Brock Purdy looks like he's going to miss two games.

[Heath C]

Two to five is what Ian Rapaport said.

[Adam Mazer]

Gonna hope for two. Gonna hope for two. Yeah.

[Heath C]

Adam's optimistic. Adam.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

New.

[Heath C]

New Adam.

[Adam Mazer]

Week one was horrible for me, so week two it could. I could only go up from week one. All right, so listen, it's prove it week for some players. Not really. It's only week two, but few that I wanted to highlight here. How about Genty versus Hampton, right? We get a couple of first round running backs. Genty averaged about two yards per carry. Hampton about three yards per carry. They were horrible. The Raiders had the lowest run block win rate in the NFL according to ESPN. In week one, the Chargers were 16th. So I'd like to see them get going here. How about Travis Kelsey, guys? This one really stood out to me in the Patrick Mahomes era. He had his second lowest target per out run rate since Mahomes became the starter, not including Mahomes rookie year. But isn't that wild and the lowest in a regular season game. So like to see something from him. Miami, obviously they got to prove something this week. You know that they were top 10 in both pass block and run block win rate last week. And I think if you watch the tape, it shows it was not the offensive line's fault. Was just they sucked and this. Maybe everyone knew this and I didn't. Do you know the last time Bo Nix lost a fumble before last week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I don't keep track of Bo Nick's fumble. Sorry. No, I don't.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, good. It's such an incredible stat. I figured like everyone knew, I'm going to say High School 20, 21 at Auburn. He went three years of playing football. Two at Oregon, one with Denver without losing a fumble before last week.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Ball security, baby.

[Adam Mazer]

How about that?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

All right.

[Adam Mazer]

Player you love this week.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jamie, who does not like being asked about turnovers. Baker, well, all of them. But To a tongue of iloa does not like being asked about turnovers.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh, he got a little feisty.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Prove it. Week, baby. Let's go. Who do you love this week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jamie from the AFC or just in general?

[Adam Mazer]

No, just in general.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh. Jared Goff, start of the week, expecting a big bounce back game for the Lions as a whole. And back at home after a disappointing loss in the division. Another division opponent taking on his former coordinator Bears on a short week. Coming off a disappointing loss as well. I think the Lions will get right in this game. I don't like the fact that Jalen Johnson's practicing for the Bears, so that's going to help their secondary. But I still think that golf great history against Chicago, as you probably expect since he's joined the Lions. And I think we'll see the, the, maybe not the, the Lions that we're used to seeing, but we'll see the golf that we're, you know, a little bit more reminiscent of what, what he was last year. He's not facing Michael Parsons in that defense.

[Heath C]

Yeah, I've got golf back in my top 12. I think I'm still the low guy on him, but still a start for me. I'm really interested because the matchup should be pretty good. I'm really interested. Does that former coordinator thing come into play at all? Are there things Ben Johnson can share with the defense that he knows will bother Jared Goff? That's. That. That will be kind of interesting this week.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. So the matchup based on last year wasn't that good because no one threw against the Bears. Their run defense was so bad. So I don't know.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

One good game. One. One mediocre.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. For golf. Yeah, yeah, golf. I mean, by the. When he played them down the stretch, golf was just on fire at that point. Had a huge game. Okay. Someone asked me an email. Golfer Justin Fields. That was a tough one. Who would you guys go with?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think there's more upside for Fields. So if you want to go that route, that's totally understandable. I think there's a safer play here for, for golf. I have golf ranked, I think one or two spots ahead. But I to me there, you know, if I was doing projections, it would be, you know, very close.

[Heath C]

I was, I was sharing some of the lowest over total team totals for the week and the jets were on there and people were really surprised by that after how many points the Bills gave up and how many points the jets scored last week. But it's one game, which is a good thing. To keep in mind all week this week I would go Fields, but it's close.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, who do you love?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Heath.

[Heath C]

I'll go with another quarterback and is ahead for me of both fields and golf and it's Dak Prescott. I think it's a get right game for Dak Prescott and especially for CD Lamb. After all the talk about the drops last week, much better matchup against the Giants, much higher implied total for the Cowboys. I thought Dak played really well last week. I expect him to play really well this week and actually get the results.

[Adam Mazer]

Actually that was the email was can you rank Dak Prescott, Justin Fields and Jared Goff and how would you rank them?

[Heath C]

I think we have complete opposite orders.

[Adam Mazer]

That I went that or I went Dak Field. No, I went. Yeah, I think I went Dak Fields. Golf.

[Heath C]

Yeah, that's why. That's how I have it.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And I have it Golf Fields, deck.

[Adam Mazer]

But you have Dak High. Jamie as well.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

They're all top 10.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. Okay, good. Good options this week. Player to avoid Jamie, who are we sitting this week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

This is probably going to be a a strange one to say, but if you can. Three receiver leagues are starting without question, but two receiver leagues I would sit say Flowers coming off as amazing game and very curious to see how he's going to perform and how Lamar Jackson will lean on him. But he does not have a great track record against the Browns yet to score a touchdown. In four career meetings against them and in the four games the average is 10 PPR points per game. You're looking at what the Browns just did to the Bengals passing attack and their receiving core of Jamar Chase and T. Higgins. And so history recency bias, if you want to call it that, for what the Browns defense just did, I would not say that. Zay Flowers Mustard. So in the start set column, for example, he's in the bust alert at wide receiver.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh, interesting. Okay, hot take say flowers. Heath, how about you?

[Heath C]

I will go with Aaron Jones. He scored a touchdown last week, so that was awesome. And he's still very good at that in terms of receiving. But he had 11 touches last week to 16 for Jordan Mason and watching those two guys run made you wonder why would they hand the ball off to Aaron Jones? Because Jordan Mason to me just looks so much better as a rusher and I'm not sure based on what Atlanta get did against the Tampa Bay running backs that this is a very good matchup. So you might have to flex him and I'm okay with that. He's A high end flex for me but I don't want to start Jordan Mason or Aaron Jones.

[Adam Mazer]

Do you want to start Jordan Mason?

[Heath C]

He is. I would start if I. If I drafted Jordan Mason as an Aaron Jones handcuff, I would start Jordan Mason over Aaron Jones. Neither one's in my top 24 in full PPR.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Interesting Sunday night game. Atlanta at Minnesota. Minnesota getting two prime time games to start the year. What is anyone else getting that? Chargers getting two and that's it. Okay. Maybe it's gonna be Chargers, Vikings in the Super Bowl. Maybe the NFL knows what they're doing. It is time for football at BetMGM. Register with BetMGM to get instant access to the best variety of parlay selection features. No sweat and boost tokens, live betting options and much more. New players can receive up to 1500 dollars back in bonus bets with the bonus code fantasy if they don't win their first bet. You don't want to miss out on any of the hard hitting action at BetMGM. Place your money line parlay bets and more today. Bet mgm. Make it legendary. I kind of feel like Jon Hamm looks a little like Heath in that picture.

[Heath C]

I see it number 74 and I think it's the least. I think you sent me one of Aaron Rodgers that said not even close that somebody had sent into the show. And I think that Aaron Rodgers photo was much closer than John Hamm in this photo.

[Adam Mazer]

I think that's, I think that looks a little bit like Heath. All right, I see, I see a.

[Heath C]

Lot of times people say that and I see it. I see zero percent of this one.

[Adam Mazer]

Just take the compliment. All right, news and notes. Brock Purdy out. So the report this morning, two to five weeks with turf toe. He also has a shoulder injury but the toe is the bigger concern. They're at New Orleans this week. Actually this just came in so I don't have their full schedule up. But what do you think this means for Ricky Piersol and Juwan Jennings if he gets back now that Kittle and Purdy are out multiple weeks?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jamie, I don't think it's horrible for them based on how Mac Jones treated Brian Thomas Jr. Last year. You know, it's. It's hard to say it's going to carry over completely. But it, you don't want to say that this system is just that good that anybody can step in and, and perform at a high level. But it's kind of like the system is that good that anybody can step in and perform at a decent enough level. So I'm not that worried about Pearsall, especially if Jennings doesn't play. He didn't practice on Wednesday so we'll see if they take this up to the, you know, game time with his shoulder injury. And we know that Kittle is out and this is exactly what happened to Brian Thomas last year. Everybody was gone essentially and it was just feed the number one receiver. So right now the track record for Pierce saw it's small sample size but four games in his career with at least six targets, 14 or more PPR points in all four of those.

[Adam Mazer]

Wow.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So if he gets opportunities so far he's been successful with them. And in this matchup against New Orleans he's still a number two receiver for me. So I dropped him a little bit with this news. But I would still start him especially if Jennings is not at 100 and clearly with Kittle out. So there's going to be a big opportunity for him to just soak up targets at least. At least on paper based on the situation.

[Heath C]

Yeah, I think, I think Dan spent like 550 in Feb in the FFT Dynasty league on Mac Jones overnight.

[Adam Mazer]

So I hope he's good out of a thousand. I think, I think he spent 30ish on Mac Jones in our regular Super Flex league.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So does he have Purdy in both of those?

[Adam Mazer]

He has Purdy and I'm almost positive he has him in the super.

[Heath C]

He was a big Purdy guy coming into the year.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. So there were two games last year that Brock Purdy missed in Week 12. Brandon Allen threw 29 times for 199 yards and a touchdown and a pick at Green Bay. Josh Dobbs In Week 18, 29, 43, 326 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a rushing touchdown at Arizona. All right, more news and notes. James Cook was limited with a hamstring injury. I did pick up Ray Davis in a few leagues. Limited on Wednesdays, usually not a bad thing. But Ray Davis is, you know, look, the funny thing is he played one game last year without James Cook. It was against the jets and he had a huge game. Ray Davis quinch on Judkins could practice today. Still, we don't know about his status for this weekend. Christian McCaffrey missed practice. I don't imagine he's going to practice much on Wednesdays. He should be fine. I think they said put him in.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Bubble wrap and don't touch him until Sunday.

[Adam Mazer]

Austin Eckler's playing tonight. You know what, I did not actually see the offensive line updates for the packers do those guys practice yesterday?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

They wouldn't have practiced it without a walkthrough.

[Adam Mazer]

What were they listed as? I guess is my question. We can find that out. All right. Ben Johnson says he wants to call more runs and he wants to get Kyle Menon guy more carries. And Roshan Johnson was listed as limited yesterday. They had a walkthrough. So wide receiver news Good news for Drake London. He's expected to play this week at at Minnesota Sunday night. Darnell Mooney is going to be questionable. Xavier Worthy does not need surgery. He could be back in a couple of weeks. And they also have Jalen Royals we haven't talked about. He missed practice. He's probably not going to play this week but I wonder if he could be a factor at some point. So if you're in a deep league, take a look at Jalen Royals. The NFL is investigating the domestic violence allegations against Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle was limited with a shoulder injury. He should be fine. He came back in the game after the shoulder. Travis Hunter should get more snaps on defense this week. Doesn't mean he won't. Doesn't mean he'll lose snaps on offense, but he should get more snaps on defense this week. As Jamie mentioned, Juwan Jennings missed practice. Kayshawn Booty was limited. Wandale Robinson missed practice, but he's expected to play tight end News well, we'll start with the, I guess the least important. Mason Taylor missing practice. Isaiah likely missed practice. Evan Ingram was limited. Darren Waller mispractice and Darren Waller might get cut. They, they are, you know, deciding what to do with that roster spot and Dallas Goddard is questionable with a knee sprain and we know what this means for Devonte Smith. Devonte smith has played 16 games without Dallas Goddard. But with A.J. brown over the last three seasons and in full PPR, he has averaged 17.7 PPR fantasy points per game. That would have been good enough to be wide receiver nine per game last year in 2024, even higher than that in 2023. So we, we know the deal and also we're going to talk about that game. The Chiefs last year and in week one really struggled against slot wide receivers and he's their slot wide receiver. Not, not like a 60 slot guy. But he's going to lead their team in slot rate. Devonte Smith so if Dallas Goddard's out, it changes things quite a bit for him. Offensive line Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas didn't practice but could play this week. He's supposed to practice today. Three Rams offensive line than miss practice. And two of them are week to week. So does that change and your rankings at all for the Rams at Tennessee?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I don't think anybody starting Stafford aside from Super Flex or two quarterback leagues, so no. Kyron is still in that low end, number one, high end, number two range, depending on who you like this week. So I like James Connor better than him this week, just based on their matchups, for example. So I don't know how many people have to make that decision. And then for Puka and Devonte. No, it does not change anything for me right now.

[Adam Mazer]

All right. It's tough. I mean, it's a good run defense. And then you're missing at least two, maybe three offensive linemen. Tennessee right tackle J.C. latham missed practice. Morgan Moses for the Patriots. They. I think their line, like, people thought it was horrible, but, like, if you watch a lot of football, a lot of teams have bad lines. Their. Their line wasn't. I don't know, maybe it was that bad. To me, it wasn't. But Morgan Moses missed practice. They're at Miami. Miami, Miami. Right tackle Austin Jackson is likely out. Minnesota left tackle Christian Darasaw is questionable and center Ryan Kelly missed practice. Saints. 2 Saints offensive linemen missed practice and Carolina. Good news, Carolina. Their left tackle, Iki Aquanu, was limited.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Which offensive lineman you want to know about? Is it Brenton Cock? I'm sorry? Not. Is it Aaron Banks and Zach Tom? Yes, Aaron Banks is out. No, I'm sorry. Aaron Banks is questionable, but he did not practice all week. And Zach Tom is questionable to not practice all week.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, it's a big deal. All right, that's it for the news and notes. All the defensive stuff. The defensive stuff. What's the big stuff here?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Christian Gonzalez did not practice again, so that's good for the Dolphins. And Jalen Johnson did practice for the Bears, so that's not great for the Lions.

[Adam Mazer]

Got two defensive backs for the Colts who missed practice. They're facing Denver. You've got two important Vikings linebackers, Andrew Van Ginkgo and Blake Cashman. They miss practice, they got the Falcons Sunday night. Those would be the big ones. We might also. Yeah, we might get a change at starting cornerback for Seattle. Reek Woolen may get benched and Devin Witherspoon, the other cornerback, he missed practice. Julian Love, their safety was limited, but, you know, limited on Wednesday usually means they're going to play. All right, let's take a break. One question for each game when we come back.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Thanks for selling your car to Carvana.

[Adam Mazer]

Here's your check. Whoa.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

When did I get here?

[Adam Mazer]

What do you mean?

[Heath C]

I swear it was just moments ago.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That I accepted a great offer from Carvana online.

[Heath C]

I must have time traveled to the future.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It was just moments ago.

[Adam Mazer]

We do same day pickup. Here's your check for that great offer. It is the future.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's. It's the present and just the convenience of Carvana.

[Adam Mazer]

Sorry to blow your mind. It's all good.

[Heath C]

Happens all the time.

[Adam Mazer]

Sell your car the convenient way to Carvana. Pick up. Times may vary and fees may apply.

[Heath C]

Witness the fight the boxing world has been waiting for. On Netflix. Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford face off for the first time in their legendary careers for the Super Middleweight championship in Las Vegas. The winner will walk away the greatest of their era. Watch Canelo Alvarez versus Terence Crawford. Saturday, September 13th at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific Standard Time live only on Netflix.

[Adam Mazer]

One question for each game. Let's start with Cincinnati. Nope. Let's start with Cleveland at Baltimore. My bad. How much do you like the Cleveland wide receivers and tight ends? He's at Baltimore.

[Heath C]

Well, I guess this is as good a time as any. I should have said Harold Fannon was a player I loved. I'm starting. I have both of the Browns tight ends in the top 12.

[Adam Mazer]

Wow.

[Heath C]

Just. And it's a couple of things. One, like I have a hard time with the Harold Fanon usage in week one, but when the more that I look at what he did his final year in college including against Texas A M and Penn State and then what he did in week one, I don't want to bet against that guy. And David Najoku. Like if Joe Flacco's average 42 pass attempts per game and wants to get the ball out of his hand as quick as possible so he doesn't get hit. So it might be that both tight ends have eight targets in this game. Jerry Judy's a number three wide. Receiver. Cedric Tillman's a a good flex and.

[Adam Mazer]

Stat of the game here. Harold Fannin is 37 rostered in CBS leagues. 36 of that is Heath.

[Heath C]

That's correct.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So I might have more.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh yeah, Jamie.

[Heath C]

Jamie got him in a couple of leagues. I did add him in the the FFT league where I drafted both Brock Bowers and Trey McBride.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Nice.

[Heath C]

So now I have all three of them. Probably the top three tight ends in the league.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I almost at at two in the morning made Heath a trade offer where I picked up fan in and I have somebody that's still a a starter because I did pick up Fanon in all my George Kettle leagues, but I was almost immediately like, no, I don't want to do that too. In the morning.

[Heath C]

We do have. I've seen this question a lot this week, so I'm just going to pull it up. So basically drop Dalton Kincaid for Earth Fannin. I would. And one of the big reasons that I chose Fan and over the Hunter Henry's and that even for me, the Juwan Johnson's is I think there's always going to be three or four of those guys who are projected to score nine PPR fantasy points and might score 12 if they score a touchdown. Fanon's the one guy that, if that usage from week one validates this week. Holy cow.

[Adam Mazer]

Well, what. Yeah, I don't want to get too off subject here, but I, I thought the usage for all three of the guys you mentioned, Fannin, Henry, Johnson, was all encouraging because as I mentioned, Austin Hooper, very uninvolved in the passing game, didn't run a lot of routes, which was a difference from last year. And Juwan Johnson played 99 of the snaps. And they're pretty beat up at tight end right now, so I could make the case for all of them. I mean, we've seen so much of Johnson and Henry throughout their career that I think you take the chance on Fanon and see where it goes. But also, I think the one thing that bothers me just a little bit is that Cincinnati was the worst team against tight ends last year, like, by far. So he did have that kind of a layup of a matchup.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But he's so unique, though, that he's not necessarily a tight end.

[Adam Mazer]

I said he was their slot receiver yesterday and I overrated that. He had a 30% slot rate. So I'm sorry, that's, that's high for, for a tight end.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But yeah, you have to almost treat him like hybrid third receiver tight end because, you know, they, they always run a lot of 12 personnel and he's going to be on the field a lot, which is what you want. And so I think just if you're, if you're looking at this, you know, so for anybody that's just listening, it was GDA targets, Tillman, eight targets, Fan in, nine targets, Najoku, six targets. Like, if you just want to just start with a baseline of 7 for all of them, I would probably put it at 8, but 7 for all of them. Like, there's room for all of these guys to have decent floors. So, like, Judy was the worst at 5 for 66, if that's what you're getting from your, I guess I'm starting to joke was worth three for 37. But if you're getting five for 66 from one of your tight ends, that is fantastic in ppr.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh yeah, that's good.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah. So like, I think Fanon and the Joker can do that.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, we'll see. It's, it's really one of the most intriguing storylines of, of week two and maybe the whole season. All right, New England at Miami. Are there any must starts in this game other than Devon Hn?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's hard to have Tyree Kill on your roster and sit him.

[Heath C]

That's what I was going to say.

[Adam Mazer]

So, yeah, so you wouldn't sit him for Jerry Judy or Cedric Tillman.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So just to give you a peek into the show that you're not on, that you never promote, Thursday afternoons at 1pm we're on CBS Sports Network and it's basically a hybrid ranking show starts it and I posed the question to Heath and Dave every week, who's the toughest player to rank? And for me that's Tyree Kill. Because I just, I, you know, the upside, I mean we, we've seen it, we've talked about it, you know, ad nauseam. But are we back in the same boat that we were a year ago where you're almost starting him by default every week and then the one week you said him, he goes crazy. Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, Jacksonville at Cincinnati, who's the better? Travis, Travis Hunter or Travis etn?

[Heath C]

Etn.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Etn.

[Adam Mazer]

Follow up question. We talked about Travis Etienne as a buy as a sell high yesterday. Why not put him in the buy high category?

[Heath C]

I wouldn't call him sell high. I don't think.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think, I think it was Dave's call.

[Adam Mazer]

Right.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

If I'm not mistaken, you're. And the same thing like with Bruce hall. Like so anytime you have a certain expectation for a player or, or a certain situation that you're a little concerned about and that player goes nuts. Right. You're trying to maximize the value of your team. So if ETN was somebody that you drafted as a reserve, it's probably not the same case with pre solve. But like if ETN's someone you drafted as a reserve and you really love your team, you should be trying to get something amazing for him, especially for somebody who's got some crappy running back situation. So I think that's where it comes in, selling. So yes, buy high. Sell high. It's. That may be his best performance. And so clearly the situation got better for him coming off that performance, which is something rare to see, barring injury. But is this the best that he's going to do? You know, you talk about what the Browns just did against the Bengals, like he just did it against the Panthers, so he may do it again against the Bengals, but I think you just got to be a little concerned. Like we may have just seen the best of Travis Etienne, so why not maximize it?

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, Panthers were the best matchup last year, but they did play the entire season without Derrick Brown, so I wanted to see if they're in show any improvement but. But they didn't. Buffalo's at the jets starter sit Keon Coleman.

[Heath C]

Speaking of the 1pm show, I was really, really happy when I opened up the dock and saw I think Jamie had Keon Coleman as a sit because I didn't want to argue against him this week. But I agree. I, I'm, I'm sitting him for this week and if he's the clear target leader again, then that probably changes.

[Adam Mazer]

I think he had the same amount of targets as Josh Palmer, didn't he? I think they both had 9, 11.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So when I woke up.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, I'm sorry.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

When I woke up this morning goes I wanted to check Bonix fumbles and Keon Coleman versus Josh Palmer targets. I forgot to do both. I'm sorry.

[Heath C]

Nobody does more research than Adam Mazer.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No, you were right that honestly, for all the crappy guests that is, he's the most prepared person in the world.

[Adam Mazer]

Except I was wrong. KEON Coleman had 11, and Shakira and Palmer both had nine. You know, Palmer was wide open on a double move. He made a really nice move. He should have had a touchdown and Josh Allen missed him. And I just wonder if instead of 5 for 61, he had 6 for like 75 and a touchdown or whatever. Josh Palmer's 19 rostered. I wonder what. Where he'd be right now. But okay. Anyway. Keon Colemore trying to sit Heath. Sorry, my bad.

[Heath C]

Yeah, no, I was gonna say, I think. I think probably the bigger thing that I didn't say in that whole discussion is they ran what, 78 offensive plays and Josh Allen threw 46 passes. And we expect his normal pass total to be about two thirds of that. So let's see, one more week.

[Adam Mazer]

And Coleman had, I think, three targets.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

In the first three quarters and potentially Sauce Gardner.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, so Tillman and Judy over Coleman for me.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes.

[Heath C]

I think I have Tillman ahead and Coleman right behind and Judy ahead Of both. Yeah, I'm sorry. Judy ahead, Tillman right behind Coleman.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh, okay. Okay. Philadelphia, Kansas City. Marquis Brown. Oh, well, this question I asked before I saw the Dallas Goddard News. Marquis Brown or devonte Smith?

[Heath C]

Was the question entirely determined by Dallas Goddard? I would say if Dale off the Goddard plays, then it's Marquis Brown and if Dallas got her, it's out. Then it's devonte Smith.

[Adam Mazer]

Devonte Smith would beware. If Goddard's out.

[Heath C]

He'S probably going to be really close to 24.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Chargers @ Raiders. How many wide receivers in this game do you rank ahead of Omarion Hampton in full PPR?

[Heath C]

I think it's two. So definitely lad McConkey and definitely Jacoby Myers in full PPR.

[Adam Mazer]

Do you think we're gonna get. Just real quick because we'll get into it later. Kind of a different. What, what does the Chargers offense look like in this game?

[Heath C]

I, you know, I think what we will learn about early on in this game is the Raiders run defense because New England threw a lot more passes than we expected, partially because they were chasing the score, partially because they were averaging like two and a half yards per carry against the Raiders. If, if the Chargers have the run success that they had against the Chiefs, then I don't know that we see much of a different approach. If the Chargers build an early lead and have success running the ball, then we may go back to Greg Roman football.

[Adam Mazer]

Denver's at Indianapolis. Are you starting a Broncos running back?

[Heath C]

No.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Dobbins is a flex. Harvey's a low inflex. I hope like you, I hope you see what Harvey did Sean Payton, and you're like, let's see more of that. Let's. Let's get a little bit more of that. Like, you know, Dobbins is clearly a very solid running back and probably, you know, for as much as I love him, I didn't over. I did. I undersold him and his potential role coming into the season because I was just so excited about Harvey. But you saw what he's still capable of doing last week. Can get you a tough yard, can obviously, you know, grind out the clock, can make some plays in the passing game. But Harvey's just on a different level right now. Like, I just don't. I just, I don't understand these things just frustrate me.

[Adam Mazer]

Tampa Bay is at Houston. Oh, by the way, I don't know if you saw Sean Payton's quote, but he was, he was talking about how he took the blame for Bo Nix's interceptions and talked about how he's got to call plays differently. It sort of seemed like he was saying we need to run the ball more because they just kept throwing and throwing and throwing, especially early in the game. So we might see more runs this week. Tampa Bay at Houston. Mike Evans or a Mecca, Habuka Evans.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Still Evans, but one more game of this. Well, you know, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans.

[Adam Mazer]

Again, I'm sorry for interrupting. The reason why I asked was because I think Derek Stingley is going to follow him. Because that's, that's what Stingley did in.

[Heath C]

Week one that you say.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I'm sorry, when you say he's going to follow him, who do you refer?

[Adam Mazer]

Evans for sure. Evans for sure. Because, because, you know, these guys, they, they'll. Those shadow receivers, they'll rarely go into the slot to, to shadow receivers and corners.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Love, love, love big receivers.

[Adam Mazer]

Well, Stingley's pretty big corner, so, you know, I do think this could be a struggle for Evans.

[Heath C]

I, I think I'm a little bit lower on both. I'm a lot lower on Mayfield. And this is our last game, so I'll just. Dave made me do some research this morning, so I'll just share it on this game. One of the things that has me frightened, and we talked about this with a lot of teams last week, most notably the Lions, who weren't quite this low. Tampa Bay is a two and a half point underdog against the Texans, and it has a low over. Under of 42 and a half, which means the, the Buccaneers have an implied total of 20. Last week there were eight teams that had an implied total below 21. Two of them, the jets and Steelers, were very good. Four of them scored 13 points or less.

[Adam Mazer]

Interesting. Yeah, look, the Texans have a pretty legit defense.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

There's no question, I think, in the, in the case of Baker, because I, I mean, I'm lower on him than I have, but I'm certainly not where Heath is. Do you want to make a AD drop to replace him this week? And so you're going to potentially see J.J. mcCarthy out there coming off a big game. You're going to see, obviously, the guys that we highlighted on the waiver wire, Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones and those guys and Heath, you may have those guys ranked ahead of Baker, you know, because of, you know, how your process works. I would not be looking to replace Baker. So, like, I have Baker, I think in two leagues, maybe one's a dynasty league, still starting him. The other one's a, you know, redraft league. I'm still starting him. I'm not expecting 28 points but I think he can get to that 20 point threshold but just not very much over that.

[Adam Mazer]

McCarthy was the one quarterback that I really wanted to pick up this week. I tried it a couple leagues and was unsuccessful. He's 80% rostered.

[Heath C]

Thomas got him in everywhere.

[Adam Mazer]

Well it's been three years in a row now that a Kevin O' Connell quarterback has been top eight per game in six point for passing touchdown leagues. That's insane.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And one years of building this year.

[Adam Mazer]

You're already anointed no twice, Cousins once, Darnold. So four years in a row now. JB thank you. All right, let's get to the games. And by the way make sure you stick around for that Tampa Bay Houston preview because I've got a great stat of the game for that Cleveland at Baltimore Stat of the game if you think this is going to be a one sided Baltimore win. Lamar Jackson in wins by 10 or more points has averaged 24.1 pass attempts per game over the last two years. But last year it was 22 past attempts per game and 7 wins by 10 or more points. He only threw 19 times last week and obviously Zay Flowers went berserk. So that's always the question people are going to be asking. We could stick with, you know, what to do with Zay Flowers, what to do with Mark Andrews. How many times is Lamar Jackson going to throw? We stick with Baltimore here. Start Jackson, start Henry. Jamie said sit Zay Flowers if you can. He's outside the top 24. Heath, how did you feel about that?

[Heath C]

Yeah, he's not. I'm trying. I was just trying to look because I think you brought up a good point that I may be a little bit may need to make an adjustment on the Ravens pass rate. I'm not going to get him down to 19. I'm probably not going to get him down to 21 pass attempts. But I had, I had Flowers a pretty easy start. I mostly bought like I don't buy the 42 or 47 target share he had last week but I am kind of starting to buy the transition towards more wide receiver targets, especially with Isaiah likely out and so I, I've, I've got him as a start but he will be coming down in my rankings a little bit. Because of your various research.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, it's an 11 and a half point spread and it's a home game for Baltimore.

[Heath C]

I'll probably double check the research first but yeah, please do.

[Adam Mazer]

Look, he doesn't Throw that much to begin with. But. But he usually. Jackson usually averages about 28 pass attempts per game so that's down 24ish when they're winning big. So Mark Andrews, Jamie starter sit.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It'S start by default. I guess better in non PPR than PPR because you hope that he could find the end zone in the Bengals. Excuse me, the Browns. Excuse me. They give up a touchdown to Noah Fant last week who as we all expected would be their leading receiver. I think in the case of of Andrews, you're again hoping for. For a red zone opportunity or a few and. And finding the end zone because last week was as ugly as last year was to start the season again. So I hope it's not Here we go all over again with him and deja vu. But similar to Baker Mayfield. Like I would want to roster Harold Fannin if I could because of the upside. I probably would not be looking to get the other guys of Juwan Johnson and Breton Strange and Hunter Henry to replace him yet.

[Adam Mazer]

But if you had room for both. Let's say you had Andrews and you.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Picked then I would. Then I would certainly try to carry them for two reasons. One, for what eventually could happen when Isaiah likely's back and two, there probably is more upside for those guys for this week. So. Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Who would you start this week was my question.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would start Joanne Johnson over Andrews this week in PPR and non ppr I'd stick with Andrews.

[Adam Mazer]

What about Fanon?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I start Phantom o' Rangers too.

[Adam Mazer]

Henry?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would start Andrews.

[Adam Mazer]

Heath, any big disagreements there I am.

[Heath C]

And this was one of the toughest guys for me to rank. If I had Fanon or Johnson I would start them over Andrews. I would start Ferguson over Andrews. I would start Andrews over Henry.

[Adam Mazer]

Any interest in Joe Flacco this week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No, I think there's always going to be the same Joe Flacco potential. So he's going to hover around 300 yards. He was a 290 last week. He's going to probably have a couple hundred like I think you start 2522 and go from there.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh, that's yeah, that was good analysis for me. Oh, that's you. Yeah. Cleveland running backs. How we feeling about the running backs? Jamie?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I don't want to start Judkins in his first game off little practice if he plays. I don't want to start Ford really in any scenario but would have a little bit more interest in him if Judkins is out as a low inflex. If I'm stuck. And Samson is the one right now that I have the most confidence in, mostly because of what his role will hopefully be in the passing game. So I think no matter what, you feel the best about Samson, because whoever he's paired with, he's probably going to do similar stuff. He just may not lead a team in carries like he did last week. So 12 carries for him, I think was six for Ford. Judkins may have, you know, more. More carries, but chasing points, you know, he's going to be the guy that I think that benefits the most from that. So flex at best.

[Heath C]

Yeah. Mr. Popinsky. I agree. 100. Dylan Sampson only in PPR. I think he'll probably be a top 24 running back for me if Judkins doesn't play. And I'm getting more and more skeptical that Judkins, like, if he does play, is going to have very many touches. What's he gonna have, two or three practices with the team?

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. Not to mention this is arguably the best run defense in football last year. And, you know, was good. I know Cook.

[Heath C]

And they just average 2 yards per carry against the Bengals.

[Adam Mazer]

That too. But also like the Ravens, they were good against James Cook, at least on the ground. But the Ravens did give up the third most receiving yards to running backs last year. And. And that happened again. Right. And yeah, Cook had a huge game.

[Heath C]

So that's starting Samson over Ken Walker.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, yeah. I would agree.

[Adam Mazer]

In full PPR only.

[Heath C]

Right? Full PBR only.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. All right. So then like. Or love Judy and Tillman.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think you got to be a little nervous about Judy at this point because the last five games, last five healthy games for Cedric Tillman, he's out produced Judy in four of them. And, you know, at what point does this just become not just a thing, it's, you know, reality that. That Tillman is the preferred option. I think they're both number three receivers. If I had both, I would still play Judy. I have Judy ranked ahead of Tillman, but it's hard not to get excited about Tillman because again, the last five times he's played football, he's. He's averaging, you know, north of 15 PPR points per game. So they're chasing points. They're probably going to be throwing a lot. Joe Flacco is going to give him his seven, eight targets. He's not bad. If you're stuck.

[Heath C]

I don't know if everybody's seen this, but if you haven't, you should go, like, search on Twitter. Jerry Judah, Judy Raven secondary. I Don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but he was at the podium shirtless and asked about the challenge of facing the Raven secondary. And he answered, no challenge. That might be an awful thing. He might get knocked out of the game in the first quarter. Or maybe. Maybe he's must start.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, so we talked a lot about the tight ends earlier, so let's get to some questions here from the chat. And this will help with the rankings. How would you rank Jerry, Judy, George Pickens, Marquis, Brown.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Brown. Brown. Judy Pickens.

[Heath C]

Judy Brown. Pickens. But that you could throw all three names in a hat and draw one.

[Adam Mazer]

Fanon or Concade in Non ppr.

[Heath C]

Still Fanon for me.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Still Fanon. So just here's the last five games for these guys. This is Tillman in five healthy games, 29 catches, 354 yards, four touchdowns on 48 targets. Judy in those five games, 24 catches, 378 yards and one touchdown on 44 targets.

[Heath C]

So it was really the touchdowns. Like they've kind of been almost the same guy. A couple more catches for Pickens, couple more yards for Judy.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes. Judy, had. I forget which game it was, but a huge spike game in. In that. And it might have been the game before Tillman suffered the concussion. Well, they had.

[Heath C]

They had similar. They had same targets and catches last year, last week. And Judy had more yards, right?

[Adam Mazer]

Yes, just barely.

[Heath C]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And just. Just for reference, this was the breakout game for Tillman last year was against Baltimore. He had seven for 99 and two touchdowns on nine targets.

[Adam Mazer]

Not just barely. I was wrong. Tillman, Judy had 14 more yards, five catches for 66 for Judy, five for 52 and a touchdown for Till. Man. Saints defense or Ravens? Defense. Saints.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No way.

[Adam Mazer]

I'm asking Saints. No, not the Saints. Ravens. Ravens.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, I think people are getting excited about the Saints because it's Mac Jones.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, I would. Yeah, don't do that. Pickens, Moore, Judy. Hollywood Brown. Pick one in non ppr.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Hollywood. Oh, non ppr. Pickens.

[Heath C]

I have DJ Moore by one spot over Pickens.

[Adam Mazer]

Flacco or Trevor Lawrence?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Lawrence.

[Adam Mazer]

Lawrence. Judy or Jordan Mason? Full ppr.

[Heath C]

Judy.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Judy.

[Adam Mazer]

Samson or Charbonnet?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

If there's no Judkins, it's Samson. If there is Judkins, it still might be Samson and pbr.

[Heath C]

I'll go Samson and full ppr. Charbonnet and non ppr.

[Adam Mazer]

Next game or commercial break.

[Heath C]

Next game.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. New England's at Miami. Stat of the game. Number one, the Miami Dolphins had the highest blitz Rate in week one and the third lowest pressure rate. That is horrible. So it could be good for Drake May. He could sit there unbothered, but we'll see. I mean, Miami's supposed to have a good pass rush. That's that of the game number one stat of the game number two, don't, I guess don't be so quick to drop Stefan Diggs. Remember I said he didn't play that many snaps last week. Here were the New England targets when Diggs was on the field. Diggs led the way with seven, Booty five, Henry four, Douglas three, Henderson three. So I know Booty had more targets than Diggs, but when they were both on the field, Diggs out targeted everyone.

[Heath C]

Big question is, does he play a more normal snapshot snapshare or does at least move towards more normal? Finding out whether digs they view as kind of a part time player or a full time player will matter a lot.

[Adam Mazer]

Yep. Okay. Drake May 13th for Jamie, 18th for Dave, 16th for Heath. Do you like him better than Tua?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I do, yes.

[Heath C]

I have 201 spot higher.

[Adam Mazer]

All right. These guys are outside the top 12. Jamie just barely though with May. He's got his 13th and obviously it just. This just looks like it could be a very good game for fantasy. Which is weird though because we said there's only one must start the over under is 43 and a half. But I think Dolphins defense is. Is dreadful. Patriots just gave up 300 plus yards to Geno Smith. So you know, it's.

[Heath C]

It's basically like what's worse, these defenses or these offenses?

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. And it's just weird with two defenses that we think might not be good to not have a lot of enthusiasm about the fantasy options but you know, some time shares.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I mean the Dolphins offense was. It's not so much how bad the defense was last week, it's how bad the offense was last week. Yeah, like I watched like a pretty in depth breakdown of just how bad Tua was. Yeah. Missing such easy opportunities.

[Adam Mazer]

I showed the screenshots on beyond the box score of two plays where Tyree Kill could have had big gains and you just expect the Dolphins to make those plays in their sleep. And one of them was an interception and one of them was a throw that went out of bounds.

[Heath C]

So I think that's like for all the, the questions about Tua throughout his career, like making those throws hasn't generally been one of them, Right?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Correct.

[Heath C]

So was it just one game?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It, it might be. You know, the, the concern would be is like He's. He's gonna face a lot. You know, Patriots pass rush isn't great, but he's going to face a lot of pressure because of what the right side looks like, and that's his blind side. And so like, there are a few plays where, you know, HN struggled in. In blitz pickup and because of his size, like, there was one play where DeForest Buckner just blew him up. You know, he was trying to stand there and God bless him for standing in the way of that, but nearly, you know, got pushed back into in an instant. And I think just missing a competent third option is hurting them too, because I don't think TUA knows where to go when Tyreek and Waddle aren't open. So. But it's also like the play design. Like, even when you look at the touchdown, it was 4th and 11. 4th and 11. He throws it behind the line of. Scrimmagen made that play all by himself.

[Adam Mazer]

Incredible play.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And it's not. It's not only that. It was. It was 4th and 11 and they gave up. I forget who the third receiver was, but they gave up two players in non touchdown opportunities. So like, the play design was. Was to HN and whoever it was was blocking for him. But like you. You immediately put yourself in a situation where you're asking HN to be heroic.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Instead of trying to put the ball into the end zone. 4th and 11.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, so back to the rankings here. Travion Henderson, how do you feel about him compared to all of the wide receivers in this game?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would probably still start Tyreek and then Henderson and then Waddle.

[Heath C]

I. I think I have Waddle and Henderson very, very close.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's just the funny thing for me with Henderson is like, not a great game. Right. Still got you 11 PPR points and was evolved in the past game, which is what you're looking for. So, like, if we're getting that as a floor with room to grow, like, there could be amazing games coming, especially after what Mike Rabel said.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, I mean, I'm looking at a guy who had five carries for 27 yards in Henderson compared to Stevenson, who had seven carries for 15 yards. Pretty soon we got to start making the transition here.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Hope he just got engaged on Tuesday, so congratulations to him.

[Adam Mazer]

Henderson did.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Cool. All right, good.

[Heath C]

Things are looking up.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, it's a big week. Hunter Henry did not crack your top 12.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right on the cusp.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. He had four catches for 66 yards on eight targets. He was close to having two more catches for about 30 more yards but the connection with Drake may just slightly off there. So let's get to some questions here and maybe this will help with the rankings. Henderson or Jakori Crosky Merritt Henderson Henderson Waddle or Olave Non ppr.

[Heath C]

Waddle for me.

[Adam Mazer]

Tyree Kill Calvin Ridley or Travis Hunter? PPR Tyreek Tyreek Drake May or Bo Nix?

[Heath C]

Nicks I'm going Nicks, Drake May or.

[Adam Mazer]

Dak Prescott Tech deck Henderson or DeAndre.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Swift half PPR for one more week. It's Swift.

[Adam Mazer]

I'm going Swift Jacori Crosby, Merit or Stefan diggs half ppr.

[Heath C]

Bill I would go with diggs.

[Adam Mazer]

Tedro McMillan against the Cardinals or Tyreek Hill.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right now I have Tyreek ranked two spots.

[Adam Mazer]

Tyreek for me, Drake May or Jordan?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Love me.

[Heath C]

Love for me.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, let's take a break and oh, would you start a DST in this game?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would start the Patriots as a low ndsd.

[Heath C]

I don't think I have either of them ranked top 12.

[Adam Mazer]

Break time. Five games left. I think we have six games left or something. We got to get moving here. Jacksonville at Cincinnati when we come back.

[Heath C]

When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th and never miss.

[Adam Mazer]

A meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Heath C]

Learn [e-mail].

[Adam Mazer]

This episode is presented by State Farm.

[Heath C]

Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm.

[Adam Mazer]

It's like expecting the leadership of a.

[Heath C]

Team captain on the football field. But getting a sea captain. You wouldn't settle for just anything for your team.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Shouldn't it be the same for your insurance? So don't settle for just any insurance.

[Heath C]

When you can go with a leader. State Farm like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, Jacksonville at Cincinnati. Let's keep this simple here. Start your Bengals.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes. Except for Noah Fant. Despite his success last week, Noah Fan.

[Adam Mazer]

Did run more routes and play more snaps than Micah Sicki, but neither of them ran a lot of routes.

[Heath C]

Drew Sample played more snaps than both of them, but Noah Fant did tie Jamar Chase for the team leading target chair.

[Adam Mazer]

What a weird game for them. What a weird game. Okay, so what do we do about Jacksonville? Do we like the Jaguars this week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think. Well, first off, you're starting Brian Thomas, don't worry about what happened last week. You're starting Travis Etienne after the game he came off of. Travis Hunter is worth using in three receiver leagues. I think as he said last week, just run it on repeat. You know, three receiver leagues are starting him in almost every scenario with a flex. He did lead them in catches, so you know, that's a positive. And then I think Bren Strange belongs in this conversation of, you know, maybe not to the same heights as Fannin and Juwan Johnson, but certainly with what he accomplished comparatively to what Hunter Henry accomplished. Like, you know, catches were the same and if you watch the start of that game like he was their go to guy in the first quarter against Carolina. So we can't sit here and say wow, Fanon and and was great, but it was the Bengals and here comes Brenton strains and now he gets the bangle. So like I think as we sort of illustrated on Tuesday, if you weren't in the frame of mind to spend a lot of fab on Fannin and then the sliding scale, you could get Brent Strange for basically nothing because he was not somebody that was highly coveted but does have basically the best matchup on the table. So he's in the low end starting options as well.

[Heath C]

I would start Strange over Dalton, Kincaid over Hunter Henry and over pits if Mooney's back.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, would you start Trevor Lawrence or Drake? May?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I like May slightly better. The one concern I have with Lawrence is some of the things we saw last week were the same problems that we've seen from him over the last couple of years. Missing receivers that are open, not making the right decision on some of his first reads. And then is this offense going to maybe not be as pass happy as we thought because the run game is strong. And so the hope would be for Trevor Lawrence and fantasy managers is that the Bengals come out and look like the Bengals again and they're chasing points.

[Heath C]

Trevor Lawrence, I would prefer May.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Trevor Lawrence had one horrible quarter. First, second, fourth quarters were good. He went 1 for 6 with 17 yards and an interception in the third quarter with all four of his off target throws. I don't, I don't know what the hell happened to him at halftime. It's like a demon possessed him and he just, just awful in the third quarter.

[Heath C]

I love that Azer stating is like moving to quarter by quarter now as opposed to just game by game.

[Adam Mazer]

I was watching it used to be.

[Heath C]

Injury, now it's demon possession excuse.

[Adam Mazer]

You know you have, you don't have. Oh, I don't know if you've seen K pop Demon Hunters Heath, but it is sweeping the nation and I'm just saying that something was up in that third quarter. All right, Travis etn. Are we putting him ahead of Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet at this point?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah, easily.

[Adam Mazer]

Breece hall or Travis etn?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think I have just based on the matchups this week, ETN 1 spot ahead of all, but they're both very safe.

[Heath C]

Number two running backs, I have hall ahead of etn.

[Adam Mazer]

How about Tyreek Hill or Travis etn?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

ETN.

[Heath C]

Definitely in half ppr. I think it's probably safer in full ppr.

[Adam Mazer]

So we, we want to start him, right? I mean, that's the bottom line. How about Omarion Hampton or Travis etn?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Etn.

[Heath C]

Etn.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Ashton Genti?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No, it's getting close.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, start Thomas. Travis Hunter will be a tough call. Let's do. I have a lot of Travis Hunter questions. I will look for some Travis Hunter, Calvin Austin or Keisha Booty?

[Heath C]

Hunter.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Hunter.

[Adam Mazer]

Travis Hunter, George Pickens, Tony Pollard, Ricky Pierce, all who are we sitting in that group? Hunter, Pickens, Pollard, Pearsall.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would sit Hunter, man.

[Heath C]

I think. I think Hunter vs. Pickens is maybe one of the toughest decisions to make this week. I would probably sit Pickens.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, would you start Travis Hunter or who?

[Heath C]

I'm taking that back. I just saw it was half ppr, full ppr. I would sit Pickens, half ppr.

[Adam Mazer]

I would say Hunter Hunter or Debo Samuel. All right, that's it for this game. Let's move on. Bills at Jets Here's a kind of weak stat of the game because we're expecting the Bills to win.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Please post that that comment from Gitg.

[Adam Mazer]

This one when I forget to unload the dishwasher, I drop an Azer stat, convincing my wife it was never actually full. But that doesn't make sense because if you forgot to unload it, then it is full. But.

[Heath C]

Well, some people might say that some of the Azer stats don't make sense.

[Adam Mazer]

There's a demon kind of weak stat of the game for Bills at jets. Justin Fields 33 or more pass attempts in only eight games in his career. Six of them were losses. Didn't really matter if they were blowout losses or close losses when usually when he's throwing 33 or more times because they lost. Obviously we always want past attempts. That's just good for fantasy. So the Bills, I think are easy in terms of your start now and you're starting Cook. We're clearly trying to get away from Dalton Kincaid. He's not an outright sit, but the waiver wire tight ends look appealing compared to him. Rank the Buffalo wide receivers.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Coleman, Shakir, Palmer.

[Heath C]

Yeah, but none in the top 36.

[Adam Mazer]

Khalil Shakir has scored double digit PPR fantasy points in 14 of 17. Actually now it's 15 of 18 healthy games since start of 2024. He's, he's basically the most predictable player in fantasy Wando. I mean that projection 10.6 PPR fantasy points is pretty damn accurate for Khalil Shakir. All right, so Coleman. Yeah, we're, we're not, we're not super excited. We're not. We want to sit them. It might be a little controversial for the, for you guys but. Or for the audience, but that's how they feel. Justin Fields is top, I think.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, just, just in the case of Coleman, like you, you got to be thrilled with what happened last week. Absolutely thrilled. You know, Dave Richard thrilled. And this is what you were hoping to see like come out, lead a team targets when they're in a situation like that, that he's going to be potential monster and hopefully it's, you know, sign of things to come. And if it's the sauce gardener concern, which is my concern really for the most part, DK Metcalf just put up 4 for 83. Like if you tell me, I get that right now from Keon Coleman in this type of a situation and he's become that type of player even more thrilled, you know, so tough matchup. He's still not giving you an awful stat line, but we'll see. Like he wasn't great in the first three quarters that game last week.

[Adam Mazer]

No, he was three targets, I'm pretty sure. So Justin Fields is top nine for everybody. He's eighth or ninth. Some players you would start Justin Fields over include who? Heath.

[Heath C]

Players I would start Justin Fields over include Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams, Drake May, Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield.

[Adam Mazer]

Jamie, do you like Breece hall this week?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's hard not to after last week. Right. Like he did everything you were hoping to see and so I, I hope that continues. You know, again, the thing that if he comes out of this game not only running like that, because that was never really the concern because, you know he's a great runner. If he comes out of this game with more receptions or more opportunities in the past game, it doesn't have to be reception, more opportunities in the passing game and some goal line chances, then everything I said about him Was completely wrong, which I hope is the case.

[Adam Mazer]

And Garrett will. Okay, well, I can do some pre salt. Breeze hall or Garrett Wilson.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

For the record, I'll take Wilson and ppr.

[Heath C]

Yeah, that sounds right.

[Adam Mazer]

Breeze hall or Hampton? Breeze hall or Evans.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Pre Sal.

[Heath C]

I've got Evans by a tenth or one hundredth of a point.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh.

[Heath C]

So flip a coin.

[Adam Mazer]

Flip a coin. Okay. I am not good at flipping coins. I can't really get the rotation.

[Heath C]

Not surprising.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, I knew it would surprise you.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

There are some questions in the chat if you want to look at them.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, well, it's that. Yeah, Garrett Wilson's a start. Okay, let's see. Scroll down here. Kincaid or Goddard if Goddard plays. Or Juwan Johnson. Juwan either Titan, Keon Coleman or.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Sorry, I read that as Khalil Shakir for some reason. Both non Bills tight ends or.

[Heath C]

Okay.

[Adam Mazer]

Keon Coleman or Jordan Mason. Half PPR point per first down in this scoring.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's easy. Jordan Mason.

[Heath C]

Yes.

[Adam Mazer]

Coleman Swift or DJ Moore? Who's your fave?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Swift Swift.

[Adam Mazer]

Fields are. May we like Fields Judy or Coleman? Non ppr.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Judy.

[Adam Mazer]

That is.

[Heath C]

That is the way to get those two guys. The closest is non ppr. But I'll still take Judy.

[Adam Mazer]

Jameson Williams, Keon Coleman or Jerry? Judy and PPR.

[Heath C]

Pick one Jama Judy for me.

[Adam Mazer]

Garrett Wilson or Terry McLaurin. This is a good one. Pollard or Breeze Hall?

[Heath C]

I have. I have Pollard. Higher. I'm. I'm just leaning into the guys who got all the touches last week and were terribly inefficient. Hopefully they're a little better.

[Adam Mazer]

Shakira versus Calvin Austin. Who do you like in ppr?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Shakir.

[Heath C]

Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Starters hit the Bills dst.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Low end starter.

[Heath C]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

All right.

[Adam Mazer]

Eagles are at the Chiefs shadow of the day in the Super Bowl. Trent McDuffie covered A.J. brown on almost all of his routes that were not run from the slot. Not on A.J. brown's 12 yard touchdown catch. A.J. brown had two catches for 31 yards on two targets against McDuffie. He only had five targets in the game. Three catches, 43 yards and a touchdown. So that's what they did in the Super Bowl. And I don't know, does that give you concern with AJ Brown who some would say didn't look healthy in week one, or is he an easy start?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He is an easy start. In the same vein of Tyree Kill. He is not for me ranked where I had him in the start of the season. So for example, I would start Garrett Wilson over A.J. brown this week. Some other guys as well there's one that stuck to my head. But I think in the case of the Chief's defense, they struggled mightily last week, and so will A.J. brown and Devonte Smith bounce back. And then when you factor in potentially no Dallas Goddard and the target upgrade that they could be looking at, it's hard not to get somewhat excited about A.J. brown. So, yes, last week was disappointing. The potential of Trent McDuffie is going to be concerning, but if I drafted him, I'm not setting him.

[Heath C]

I, I always almost just go with what the. The Vegas lines say. I feel like this should be like a six point spread.

[Adam Mazer]

Eagles are one and a half point favorites at the Chiefs and they certainly look better than the Chiefs in week one. The Chiefs are depleted and they were.

[Heath C]

Better than the Chiefs last year.

[Adam Mazer]

They were significantly better than the Chiefs. They won. What the hell was the score? I remember it was a lot, whatever it was. Here's a weird stat about the Chiefs. They've been bottom four in rushing yards per game allowed to quarterbacks four straight seasons. They really stink at that. That's like their vulnerability. So her start hurts is what I'm trying to start. Jalen hurts start Barkley. Okay, we're gonna start Brown. As we just mentioned now, devonte Smith. I'm actually surprised he. That you. That you said he would only be around 24th for you if Goddard were out. So I just gave the stats 16 games without Goddard with A.J. brown, and he's basically been wide receiver nine. So not you. Could I. Could I get you to make it higher or no?

[Heath C]

You. You could certainly get. Get me to make it higher. I. I think you could get like. I guess you'd start him over, Tyreek?

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Would you, Jamie?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

So right now I think I have because I, I guess he didn't see the text message. I said, Paul got her. I think Dave did. So I have Devonte Smith, like 26, and I think I have Tyreek 23. And after hearing your fantastic stat, I might switch that.

[Heath C]

I did pull Goddard. I kind of. When it's early in the week like this and it's still kind of uncertain, I don't like to make the full adjustments for everybody else. So devonte Smith will go up a little bit if that's confirmed that Goddard's out.

[Adam Mazer]

There's always the possibility that The Eagles throw 22 times. You know, it's not, it's not like a layup, but it just, it's so strange every time, basically.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, if you're going to use The super bowl as the blueprint. The Chiefs did a great job on Barkley, and so can they stop the run again? And they did a great job against Hampton last week. So the run defense doesn't. I'm like, I'm not sitting barking. The run defense is, Is. Is. Is still, I would expect, solid for Kansas City. And so does that open up more opportunities for the passing game? And then you remove Dallas Cotter, like, there's a lot to like about this situation for both Brown and Smith.

[Adam Mazer]

So Barkley or Pacheco starter? Sit Mahomes coming off a big game against the Chargers.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He is not in my top 12.

[Adam Mazer]

Why?

[Heath C]

I. I think he's 13th for me.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Why? Well, let's see. First off, he just lost another wide receiver.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Second of all, he was miserable against them last year until late in the game when they were not playing their full allotment of starters. I think you look at Dak Prescott threw the ball very well last week against the Eagles, but he scored seven fantasy points and that was without Jalen Carter on the field. And now Jalen Carter will be on the field. So as much as I like Travis Kelsey and Hollywood Brown, I don't think that's enough to make Patrick Mahomes as good as he is, a great fantasy quarterback for a guy that has not been a great fantasy quarterback for the better part of two years.

[Heath C]

The Chiefs are not one of the eight teams with an implied total below 21 this week, but I think they should be.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, so we're gonna sit Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. What about. All right. Marquis Brown or Devonte Smith? I think we answered that earlier, but.

[Heath C]

I forgot Dependent got her.

[Adam Mazer]

Dependent. Jamie, for you. Not Goddard. Dependent.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No. I would start Smith.

[Adam Mazer]

We got some questions here. Devonte Smith or Devonte Adams?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right now is Devonte Smith.

[Heath C]

I'm going right now.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's Montana's.

[Heath C]

Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Hollywood Brown or Teterom McMillan? Half PPR. Ted.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Ted.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Hollywood Brown or George Pickens? Full PPR.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Hollywood.

[Heath C]

Yep.

[Adam Mazer]

Any interest in juju Smith Schuster or Taekwond Thornton or anything like that?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Deeper leagues, but more juju than. Than Taekwond.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, so Kelsey's in your top five guys. So still confident in him.

[Heath C]

I. I am assuming that like last week they put their whole game plan together for a gate an Xavier worthy game and he went out early and they didn't get it. Adjusted very well. I'm assuming there's some more design plays for Kelsey this week. If there's not, then it's going to be a big drop.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

If you do look at the game last week, you. You talked about this, Adam, when we were reviewing it, like, Dak had opportunities with his tight ends to make several plays and just didn't connect. So I'm. I'm gonna guess Andy Reid saw that and is going to find ways to get Travis Kelsey open. This does feel like if Mahomes has a good game, like it's a Noah Gray weird play.

[Adam Mazer]

I don't know. I mean, this. This chief secondary or this Eagle secondary is not what it was last year. They don't have Darius Slay. They don't have C.J. gardner, Johnson, obviously they didn't have Jalen Carter last week, and that's an enormous deal. But they also don't have Josh Sweat from last year, so they lost a ton of players. And the Kobe Dean is on ir, so they. They are not the same defense that they were. I still think they're probably a very good defense, you know, but it's possible that they have some vulnerabilities that the Cowboys showed us last week. And I mean, Dave has Mahomes ranked seventh, so he's not on the show, but, you know, he's at least more optimistic there and you guys are less optimistic on the Chiefs passing offense. I get it. But I. I don't know. I guess I'd like to see the Eagles defense with Carter what they look like.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

They.

[Adam Mazer]

They might not be what they were last year. All right, Chargers are at the Raiders. Stat of the game number one. The Raiders were 32nd in run block win rate in week one. I told you that at the top of the show. So they could not block anyone. That was against the Patriots. Stat of the game number two. Jacoby Myers had a 62% slot rate in week one. It was around 31% in each of the previous two seasons. So he doubled his slot rate in week one. He had a great game, but usually he'd been better when he sort of moved more to the outside. Good job, Myers. Justin Herbert, you're definitely starting over Patrick Mahomes. You start Justin Herbert or Justin Fields.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Herbert.

[Heath C]

I have Herbert.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's in six points for passing touches.

[Heath C]

Yes.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jacoby Myers, by the way, just the most underrated wide receiver. Maybe the last two seasons, three seasons. However, more you want to go back 13.7 PPR points or more, eight of his last 11 games.

[Heath C]

And, and what we saw in week one is again, another thing. If it's the same. In Week 2, Raiders led the NFL and pass rate over expectation, over expected. And the first three quarters when Bowers was healthy, 55 of their targets went to Brock Bowers or Jacoby Myers. Like, this is exactly the type of pass offense. What you want is one that throws more and consolidates targets.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, Hampton, Remember Meyer's last game against.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

The Chargers, by the way?

[Adam Mazer]

No.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Let me remind you, it was week 18 and he went for nine catches, 123 yards in the touchdown on 10 targets.

[Adam Mazer]

Remember who else had a huge game in that game? Quentin Johnston.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Quentin Johnson had a huge game.

[Adam Mazer]

Yes, Quentin. All right, so. So let's talk.

[Heath C]

All right.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Okay.

[Adam Mazer]

Who are the easy starts in this game? Like the Bowers? Looks like Herbert Genti. Bowers, Myers, Genti, Bowers, Myers. Herbert's top nine for you guys. But that's, that's big for a lot of fantasy managers. He wasn't viewed that way going into the season. And then Hampton is not an automatic start. He's about 20th and he had a bad game last week. Hopefully they don't get more Najee Harris, but they probably will. Genti's obviously, he's a mustard. So, okay, Chargers, McConkey. I don't know if we said him, but he's obviously for sure. All right, how about Johnston and Keenan Allen versus Omari and Hampton?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would still start Hampton over those guys with the potential upside. Like, this could be his breakout game. I don't think what the Patriots run offense is going to look like should resemble what the Chargers run offense is going to look like. And I think you have to give the Chiefs run defense a lot of credit for what happened. You tell me right now. Hampton's getting that work this week, and I would say he's a mustard guy.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, so how about comparing Quentin Johnston and Keenan? First of all, you like Keenan Allen better than Quentin Johnson?

[Heath C]

Yes.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes.

[Adam Mazer]

How about compare them to Judy and Tillman?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I have both Brown's guys ahead of both those Chargers, but not by much.

[Heath C]

I have it. Judy Allen, Tillman, Johnston. I'm gonna try to look at the projections a little bit because I'm still pretty low on Quentin Johnston this week. It's just hard when you've got lad McConkey who you know is going to dominate targets, and Keenan Allen did, but he did last week to also have a high projection for Quinton Johnston.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Did you see what Harbaugh said?

[Heath C]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Such a great quote.

[Adam Mazer]

No, what'd he say?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He goes, remember when you were a kid and you used to go in your face? He goes, that's what Quentin Johnson should be doing to all of you guys right now because he won't do it, but he goes, I'm gonna do it for him. So in your face.

[Heath C]

He loves his guys.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And it's funny again, I don't think any of us thought that Quinn Johnson was one of his guys based on the off season moves, but sure enough, he is. And he might be a guy for Justin Herbert, too. So kudos to you, Adam, because you drafted him in a lot of leagues. Not a lot of leagues, but you drafted him in a lot of our.

[Adam Mazer]

Mocks and I have him, I think in three or four leagues.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah. Paid off for you. And I know against Heath in a couple leagues or at least one.

[Adam Mazer]

No, I know you.

[Heath C]

I won both those weeks, but yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, I mean, it helped the total.

[Heath C]

Points, but I still lost.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, we'll see. You know, 34 pass attempts for. For Justin Herbert. Probably hope for a little bit more than that if I don't think we're going to get that necessarily. But to think that there's going to be three viable wide receivers. They don't throw their tight ends, though, so that helps. Okay, last question on this game. If Dallas Goddard is out, Devonte Smith would be ahead of how many of the wide receivers?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would not put him ahead of McConkey or Myers right now.

[Heath C]

I wouldn't either.

[Adam Mazer]

But the other guys, Keenan Allen. Yes.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Everybody else, he's already ahead of them for me.

[Heath C]

Right.

[Adam Mazer]

And what if Goddard plays?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He's still ahead of them.

[Heath C]

Yeah.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay, we got to take one last break and we got two games to go. We'll be right back after this on fft.

[Heath C]

What's up, everyone? It's Siya Najad from Fantasy Football Today dfs, a weekly NFL daily fantasy show that's a part of the CBS Sports Podcast Network. If you're looking for NFL game by game previews, which players stock is up or down, and DFS strategies and advice, Mike McClure, Meg Shoup and I have you covered every single week. Download and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcasts are found. Make sure to turn on those notifications so you don't miss a single pick all season long. Good luck.

[Adam Mazer]

The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University helps you go from I know the way to I've arrived with our top 10 ranked online MBA. Gain skills you can learn today and apply tomorrow. Get ready to go from make it happen to made it happen and keep striving. Visit Strayer Edu Jack Welchmba to learn more. Strayer University Is certified to operate in Virginia by chevin as many campuses including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia. All right, stat of the game for Denver at Indianapolis in week one. Jonathan Taylor ran 24 of 26 running back routes. It's really good. He really doesn't come off the field. I mean, he did in the fourth quarter when it was a blowout, but he. His career high is 40 catches. Might be able to break that this year. Who are you starting on the Colts?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren. Yep.

[Adam Mazer]

Warren's like a no brainer, right?

[Heath C]

Yep.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yep.

[Adam Mazer]

It's a great defense, but they were not that tough of a matchup for tight ends. They're so good against wide receivers.

[Heath C]

Saw the fifth most tight end targets last year.

[Adam Mazer]

About that. It makes sense, right? You don't want to challenge the cornerbacks. So. Yeah. Pittman. Pittman or Tillman?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Tillman.

[Heath C]

Should be Till.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Man.

[Adam Mazer]

Come on, you guys. Say it. When I give you the music, you got to say it with more enthusiasm. All right.

[Heath C]

Yeah, I don't really want to start either one of them.

[Adam Mazer]

How about no? Man. Let's go to the Broncos starters at Bo Nicks.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Low end starter.

[Heath C]

Yep.

[Adam Mazer]

Knicks or Mahomes?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Knicks.

[Heath C]

Knicks.

[Adam Mazer]

Knicks or May next. Knicks or Fields Fields? Knicks or Celtics? Oh, Heath, come on. You know it's the Knicks this year.

[Heath C]

Well, Knicks this year.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. Which. Which Broncos running back you have ranked higher? I think you said Dobbins. Right? Jamie.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yep.

[Adam Mazer]

Heath Dobbins. Dobbins or Hampton?

[Heath C]

Hampton.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Dobbins or Jalen Waddle.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Waddle. And PBR Waddle.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay.

[Heath C]

You should ask Dobbins or Pacheco.

[Adam Mazer]

No, it's obviously Dobbins.

[Heath C]

They're pretty close for me.

[Adam Mazer]

Star Cortland Sutton. Right.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Well, the trade I offered you. Oh, Pacheco for Pierce on, man, that would have been so good.

[Heath C]

Remember how mad you were when Jamie drafted Isaiah Pacheco?

[Adam Mazer]

I turned down Pierce off for Pacheco.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No, I did you and you didn't accept it.

[Adam Mazer]

Which side did I? I had Pierce. All.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Okay.

[Adam Mazer]

Good. Good.

[Heath C]

Great job.

[Adam Mazer]

Good. It made the right call. We're not Evan Ingram if he plays starter. Said he was limited so I would set him. And Denver's DST is top three for Ingram. Hunter, I know your guys are much higher on like Juwan Johnson, Harold Fannon, but what about Hunter Henry? You're not as high on Henry or Ingram.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I would start Henry and Brenton Strange over Ingram this week.

[Heath C]

I'd start Kyle Pitts with Darnell Mooney over Ingram this week.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Tampa Bay is at Houston. Stat of the game. Many movies have been filmed in Houston, including such hits as Apollo 13, Armageddon, RoboCop 2, and Tin Cup. That is from Visit Houston, Texas.

[Heath C]

Literally not a statin.

[Adam Mazer]

I don't know. I don't know. Of course it is. Many movies have been filmed there. That seems like together.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You say many. It is a stat, right?

[Adam Mazer]

Exactly.

[Heath C]

You'd have to give an exact number.

[Adam Mazer]

Anyway, if we rank those movies, Abe.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Likes to say I was like a boatload of targets.

[Adam Mazer]

Do you know that I've only seen one of those four movies? Apollo 13, Armageddon, Robocop. No, I've seen two Armageddon, Robocop 2, Tin Cup, Apollo 13. Which two do you think I've seen?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You've seen Armageddon and 10 Cup.

[Adam Mazer]

I've seen Armageddon in Robocop 2. Oh, sorry for not letting you guess. He's.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No, you didn't see Tin Cup.

[Adam Mazer]

I think that's the one you're surprised about. The fact that I'd never seen Apollo 13 is the.

[Heath C]

That's the one I would have guessed.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I feel like Apollo 13 is a movie you would walk out of. It's probably walk out of gravity.

[Adam Mazer]

I did walk. Gravity is so boring. All right, Baker Mayfield. Heath, you want to talk again why you're lower on him? Heath? Jamie has him 11th and you have him 20th. I think yes.

[Heath C]

And again, this might be changing throughout the week if. If some. I kind of expected when I saw this line at the start of the week. Texans two and a half point favorites with only a 42 and a half point over under that we'd get some line movement and so far nobody's really touched it. They've got a 20 point implied total.

[Adam Mazer]

We.

[Heath C]

We had Stephen O. Chime in on Twitter also when Dave and I were having this discussion and only about 47 of teams over the last five years. So it's 50. 50 have gone over 20 last week. Half of the teams with an over under this low scored 13 or fewer points. The Texans were pretty successful in just running the ball and keeping it away from the offense last week and didn't give up a big number to the Rams. And Baker Mayfield is very, very. We talked about it all off season. Like him being a starting quarterback is very dependent on a high touchdown rate. It's really hard to project a high touchdown rate for a team that's expected to score 20 points.

[Adam Mazer]

They haven't scored fewer than 23 points since week 10. Well, no, they they did in the playoff loss. I scored 20.

[Heath C]

And that was the conversation we had about the Lions. Right? Like they only had two games below 23 in their last 18 games. And they had a 22 and a half point under line and they scored 4, 10, 12, 14.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. Okay. And Jamie's still got Mayfield 11th start. Bucky Irving, Evans and Abuka are both starts, I assume or no?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes.

[Heath C]

Abuka is 26th for me. So not a must start and a two wide receiver league, but a probably start.

[Adam Mazer]

How about Piersol without Purdy versus Abuka? Who do you like?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Piercel?

[Heath C]

Pearsall?

[Adam Mazer]

Let's do some more Abukas. I mean. Oh, here's one.

[Heath C]

I've got Kobe Myers ahead of Abuka.

[Adam Mazer]

Evans or Piersol?

[Heath C]

Evans right now, especially in half PPR.

[Adam Mazer]

Okay. Abuka or Buka? Joe or Hampton.

[Heath C]

In BPR.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah, half PPR.

[Heath C]

I have a book at 10.7. I have Hampton at 11.6. So I'll go Hampton.

[Adam Mazer]

Yeah. I am curious to see if number two receivers are going to be better than number ones against Houston. Can't really go based on last week because they played Puka, who was in the slot all game and killed them.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But they.

[Adam Mazer]

They took. They did a good job against Devonte Adams with him being shadowed by Stingley on the other side of the ball. Sit CJ Stroud. Sit the Texans running backs and start. It's just Nico, right?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yes.

[Adam Mazer]

Texas are easy. Jaden Reed or Abuka is a question we have here.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Not close.

[Adam Mazer]

For me, this is a good one. Abuka or David Montgomery? Full ppr.

[Heath C]

Abuka. I don't really like Montgomery this week.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Do you know Montgomery has one time in his career with the Lions gone consecutive games without scoring touchdown.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh, interesting. Abuka or Marquis Brown? Full ppr.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's close.

[Heath C]

Flip a coin. A booker.

[Adam Mazer]

Don't think he likes being called Tet. Just so everybody knows.

[Heath C]

Was it him or was it his mom that didn't like it?

[Adam Mazer]

Well, I don't care. I respect his mom. So.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You also said it though you could have read it differently.

[Adam Mazer]

I did. You're right. You're right. Iron Burgundy, that last one. Sorry.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

By the way. Tetaroa going back to his college town.

[Adam Mazer]

Oh, very nice. Nico or Sutton? Ppr.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Nico. But it's close.

[Heath C]

Nico.

[Adam Mazer]

All right, everybody, long show. Thank you very much. Oh, someone said thanks Adam with a heart. Look at that. You're very welcome.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You should say that for the mailbag since the only questions you read.

[Adam Mazer]

I love me some flattery.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, did I know foreshadowing but did Dan change his magnet?

[Adam Mazer]

Yes he did.

[Heath C]

He does say Owen one. I had him on FFT Dynasty on Tuesday and confirm if he wanted to.

[Adam Mazer]

Get ahead of the game he would just do oh and 17. But I guess we'll, we'll just take it week by week.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

The dart the dart era is coming.

[Adam Mazer]

The dart era is coming. Yes. Thank you all for watching and listening. Make sure I guess if you have nothing to do today at 1:00pm Eastern you can watch CBS Sports Network. I won't be there but Jamie, Heath and Dave will be talking about their rankings 1:00pm Eastern. CBS Sports Network every Thursday. Have a great day. Talk to you later. Paramount podcasts, popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

[Heath C]

Talk about refreshing.

[Adam Mazer]

You know what else is refreshing this summer? A brand new phone with Verizon. Yep. Get a new phone on any plan with select phone. Trade in and myplan and lock down a low price for three years on any plan with my plan. This is a deal for everyone whether you're a new or exciting existing customer. Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals. 3 year price guarantee applies to then current base monthly rate only. Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.