Fantasy Football Today: Start or Sit (NFC) – Bengals Passing Game, Bill, Rico Dowdle and More!

Episode Date: October 10, 2025

Hosts/Analysts: Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamie Eisenberg, Heath Cummings

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the NFC matchups for the upcoming week, focusing on start/sit debates, critical injury news, and fantasy football takeaways for the Bengals' revamped passing game, hot waiver-wire running backs like Rico Dowdle and Jakori Croskey-Merritt (aka "Bill"), Saquon Barkley's struggles, and much more. With six games to break down, the panel provides actionable insights, rankings arguments, and quick-hit advice for fantasy managers aiming to set optimal lineups and gain an edge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Giants’ Upset & Saquon Barkley Discussion

• Main Takeaway: Giants’ surprising 34-27 win over the Eagles sparked a critical fantasy post-mortem, especially around Saquon Barkley's performance.
• Jamie: "Jackson Dart is going to be fun for hopefully several years to come... Cam Scatter Boo, love what he's doing now. I think you've got to trade him in Dynasty if you can." [03:09]
• Barkley's production falloff after his huge season is part injuries, part O-line, and part team regression, not just on Barkley.
• Heath: "The offensive line too... those guys have to play as cohesively as last year. We kind of took that for granted with the Eagles." [05:21]
• Trading Barkley: “If you panic trade him, you’re not going to get nearly as much as you think.” [06:35]

2. Quarterback Shifts & Passing Game Updates

Cincinnati Bengals:

• Dave: “Bengals have a new quarterback. How many must-start WRs in this game?” [19:50]
• T. Higgins is a low-end WR2/flex, not a must-start ("I'm 24th in my rankings" – Heath [20:31]), especially with volatility from the new QB (Flacco).
• Flacco is considered a “slight upgrade” for WRs compared to Browning. "Flacco gives both of those receivers a chance to put up some good numbers." [21:23]
• Packers' defense "very good at eliminating the deep ball." [21:51]

Other Notable QB Takes:

• Jordan Love: Strong start vs Bengals, consensus top-10 with Dave & Heath ranking him as high as 5th. [31:09]
• Mac Jones vs. Tampa: Ranked ~14th, volume matchup, but health is a risk. [36:20]
• Baker Mayfield: 11 straight games with 19.7+ fantasy points; high floor. [39:17]

3. RB Debate – Rico Dowdle, "Bill", & Beyond

• Rico Dowdle: Top waiver priority; start over most WR3s/FLEXes. “Why not in your top 12?” – “It’s a good week for running backs... but he’s my favorite fill-in back this week.” [57:08]
• Jakori Croskey-Merritt ("Bill"): Great matchup (Bears allow 6.0 YPC to RBs last three weeks!). Heath: “He qualifies as a fast running back, and the Bears really struggle with those.” [50:36]
• Chase Brown: "He's not a top-24 guy, but double-digit PPR points possible in a pinch." – Heath [29:07]
• Quick-fire: Brown > Vidal, Carter > Brown, and Bourne > T. Higgins if Jennings is out. [32:52–33:07]

4. Injury News & Practice Reports [12:42–15:44]

• Significant updates for: Lamar Jackson, Tua, Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Kyler Murray ("If he's out, are you sitting Trey McBride?"). For TE, Jacoby Brissett's in-game history boosts McBride's outlook even if Murray sits. [13:33]
• Notable WRs: Chris Godwin (doubtful), Debo Samuel (should play), Christian Watson (maybe returns), Darnell Mooney (uncertain).
• Saints' Taysom Hill and Foster Morrow may get larger roles.

5. Tight End Talk

• Dallas Goedert: "Must start tight end. Back-to-back games with 9+ targets... you pretty much never see three in a row." – Dave [10:45]
• Dalton Kincaid & Kyle Pitts: Both face tough defenses for tight ends (Bills & Falcons, respectively). "Kincaid has a great catch rate; Pitts is the Mendoza line—7.7 PPR every week is not bad." – Dave [25:41]
• Hunter Henry (“low-end starter,” Jamie): Saints allow points to TEs; he's edging out the likes of Pitts if Mooney is healthy. [58:44]

6. Receiver Debates

• Jamar Chase: “No hesitation to start him.” [30:28]
• Romeo Doubs: Best Packers WR, could be used over T. Higgins or others; Jamie: "I’d start Dobbs over Higgins." [32:18]
• Kendrick Bourne: Top-24 for Jamie if Jennings is out, sleeper if not. [37:03]
• Deebo Samuel & Rome Odunze: Clear must-starts (Chicago–Washington game). [44:49]
• DJ Moore: Pure bye-week fill-in at best; “I’d rather start Romeo Doubs or Troy Franklin than DJ Moore.” – Jamie [49:01]

7. Start/Sit Lightning Round (selected timestamped highlights)

• Chase Brown or T. Higgins? – “Higgins.” – Heath; “I go Chase.” – Jamie [30:26]
• Favorite Packers WR? – “Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo—you are a WR3 this week.” – Heath [32:12]
• Golden or Keon Coleman? – “Golden.” – Jamie [33:00]
• Kincaid or Pitts? – “Tough matchup for both. Hard to bench Kincaid, but Pitts has two things working for him: Mooney’s health and Buffalo possibly missing Matt Milano.” [27:17]
• Rico Dowdle vs Garrett Wilson: “Rico.” – Jamie [57:28]

8. Matchup Quick Hits

• 49ers (McCaffrey): No 20-yard runs in 9 games, but reception volume keeps his floor/ceiling high. [34:36]
• Tampa Bay (Rashad White): Good passing-game role; “Four catches last week, and three of last four RBs vs 49ers have had 18+ PPR.” – Jamie [40:06]
• Chicago–Washington: Start both QBs, "both RBs are top-20 worthy; Worthy and Debo are must-starts." [44:49]
• Dallas–Carolina: Start all relevant Cowboys; caution with Coker and McMillan for Panthers as borderline/flexes. [52:03]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Saquon Barkley’s Outlook:
  "You’re still starting Barkley, but we’re not going to get the Barkley production we were hoping for." – Jamie [05:21]

• QB Debate, Jordan Love:
  "Don’t overthink it, Bengals defense is bad... just take advantage." – Jamie [31:00]

• Chase Brown’s Floor:
  "You might get some catches, probably you may not get many yards." – Dave [29:54]

• On Dallas Goedert’s Usage:
  "He’s the one that Hurts is connecting with the best, they’ve got the best chemistry right now because he’s not complaining" – Heath [11:54]

• Kickoff the Week with Metallica Crossover:
  "My favorite Metallica song is Unforgiven 2. I like the sequel." – Dave [43:35]

• Start/Sit Arguments, Rico 'Bill' vs Rashad White:
  "Rashad White or Jakori Crosky-Merritt? [Long pause] Merritt." – Jamie [39:45]

• CBSSports Humor and Bants:
  When Adam’s school days are mentioned:
  “No one got fights in my school.”
  “Because you were always in the teacher's lounge.” – Heath [52:22]

• "The problem with Ryan is he has no florinoi." [54:35]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|------------------| | Giants v. Eagles Recap & Saquon | 03:09 – 09:44 | | Bengals Passing Game (Chase/Higgins) | 19:50 – 22:23 | | QB & WR Rankings Debates | 20:31 – 32:18 | | RB Waiver Talk: Dowdle, Bill, Brown | 29:07 – 29:54 | | TE Injury Updates & Start/Sit | 25:41 – 27:17 | | 49ers RB/WR/TE Usage | 34:36 – 38:35 | | Chicago–Washington Full Breakdown | 43:53 – 49:10 | | Dallas–Carolina WR/FLEX Debates | 52:03 – 55:33 | | Buffalo–Atlanta Skills Overview | 66:26 – 69:40 | | Final Start/Sit & Trade Mailbag | 70:51 – 72:10 |

Summary Table: Key Start/Sit Calls

| Player/Unit | Consensus Advice | Notes | |---------------------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | Saquon Barkley | Start (but temper expectations) | Value falling; trade circle may try lowball offers. | | Jamar Chase | Must-start | No concerns regardless of QB. | | T. Higgins | WR3/flex only | Consider alternatives with more consistent targets. | | Chase Brown | Deep league flex | Receiving upside, limited rushing against Packers. | | Rico Dowdle | Strong RB2/3; high upside | Great matchup—lean Dowdle over risky flex WRs. | | Jakori Croskey-Merritt | Back-end RB2/flex | Excellent matchup vs. Bears, big play potential. | | Dalton Kincaid | Set-and-forget starter | Skills & catch rate transcend tough matchup | | Kyle Pitts | Fringe starter | Value up if Mooney misses, keep expectations in check. | | Jordan Love | Strong start, top 10 | Bengals secondary is vulnerable. | | Kendrick Bourne | WR2/3 if Jennings is out | Sleeper appeal based on volume. |

Best Advice & Takeaways

• Adapt to Injuries: Monitor late-week practice for TEs and WR injuries—Juwan Jennings, Mooney, etc. can shift WR/TE values significantly.
• RB Streamers Rule: Dowdle and "Bill" are high-priority plug-ins this week.
• Trust the Process with Volume: Kendrick Bourne, Chase Brown, and others earn their stripes on opportunity.
• Start Studs, Bench Fringe Names: Jamar Chase, Drake London, and McCaffrey remain lineup locks despite tough matchups.

Closing Thoughts

This episode provided a wealth of actionable start/sit guidance and addressed many lineup conundrums for NFC fantasy managers. The panel’s signature blend of stats, nuance, and good-natured ribbing made for an informative, entertaining listen—giving you all the ammunition needed for your Week 6 decisions.

For further detail on specific matchup queries or deeper flex plays, refer back to the detailed segment timestamps above!