Start or Sit (NFC), DAL-PHI Recap, Christian McCaffrey Injury and More (09/05 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today – Start or Sit (NFC), DAL-PHI Recap, Christian McCaffrey Injury & More (09/05/25)

Hosts: Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamie Eisenberg
Date: September 5, 2025

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Episode Overview

This Friday’s episode kicks off with an in-depth breakdown of last night’s DAL-PHI game, including surprising performances, injury updates (notably Christian McCaffrey), early reactions, and actionable fantasy advice for Week 1. The team dives into start/sit decisions for seven key NFC home games, rankings debates, waiver wire stashes, and deep analysis for players on the bubble. The episode maintains FFT’s upbeat, knowledgeable, and interactive vibe, mixing pointed fantasy strategy with plenty of banter and real-time listener questions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DAL-PHI Recap & Early Season Surprises

(01:21–09:42)

• Game felt like two halves: Before the weather delay, it was high-scoring; afterward, defenses dominated ([02:20], Dave).
• Usage Surprises: Javonte Williams’s workload higher than expected with Jaden Blue inactive (02:20, Dave).
• Major let-downs: CeeDee Lamb’s drops, and the nearly missing presence of Eagles’ top WRs.
  • "Four total targets for Devonta Smith and AJ Brown would be the biggest surprise. It's a turd." ([03:06], Dave)
• Don't Panic Advice:
  • Dak Prescott: Played better than the poor stats. Drops and missed TDs skew results; could've had a big night ([04:02], Jamie/Adam).
  • AJ Brown & Devonta Smith: "These kinds of games happen—try to buy low." ([04:23], Jamie; [05:25], Dave)
• Buy Low Recommendations: Target players like AJ Brown in trades if others are overreacting to a quiet week.
• Javonte Williams’s Value: Productive outing, good upcoming schedule (Giants/Bears). Don’t label him must-start yet ([08:15–09:44], Jamie/Adam).

2. Christian McCaffrey Injury Fallout

(10:44–13:44)

• Limited with calf issue; details scarce. Could be minor, but monitor Friday’s practice.
• Waiver moves: Brian Robinson Jr. is a must-add if available.
• Deep League Handcuffs: Consider rookies like Guerendo in case McCaffrey sits.
• Trade Market: Not rushing to buy/trade for CMC until more is known about his health ([11:54], Dave).

3. News & Notes — Key Injury & Depth Chart Updates

(13:44–18:19)

• Naji Harris not starting (Chargers); Omariyon Hampton is.
• Christian Kirk to miss at least one game; Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel (deep leagues) discussed as adds ([14:12–14:50], Jamie/Dave).
• Packers WR updates: Jaden Reed limited (Jones fracture risk); Dobbs as a floor option.
• O-Line Watch: Andrew Thomas (Giants) DNP, Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw recovering. Carolina O-line banged up ([17:52], Jamie/Dave).
• Defensive Injuries: Micah Parsons to play, Chase Young questionable, Harrison Smith out.

4. One-Question-Per-Game: Fast Analysis

(21:27–30:06) Quick start/sit takes for seven NFC home games:

• Tampa at Atlanta: Emeka Egbuka = definite start in 3WR, fringe in 2WR ([21:27], Jamie).
• Detroit at Green Bay: Jared Goff a sit unless desperate; struggles at GB, new playcaller/OL questions ([21:46], Dave).
• SF at SEA: Ricky Pearsall a solid 3WR play; Jauan Jennings a wait-and-see ([24:56], Jamie).
• Minnesota at Chicago: Swift, Jones, Moore, Odunze all flex-worthy—rankings order discussed ([25:39], Dave/Jamie).
• Giants at Commanders: Only trust Tracy (NYG) and Eckler (WAS) until RB roles clarify ([26:46], Dave/Jamie).
• Houston at Rams: Only Nico Collins is a start ([28:27–28:32]).
• Cards at Saints: Olave is a flex/WR3, not a must-start (debate at [28:46], Jamie/Dave).

5. Beat the Waiver Wire (Next-Week Stashes)

(30:06–31:26) Targets include Trevor Lawrence (next vs. CIN), Russell Wilson (deep), Woody Marks, Dylan Sampson, Chris Rodriguez, Rashid Shaheed, Marvin Mims, Jalen Noel.
Jamie: “If you think you might need someone, beat the rush by picking them up now.”

6. Start/Sit Deep Dives & Rankings Disputes (with Real-Time Listener Questions)

TAMPA BAY AT ATLANTA

• Starters: Bijan, Mayfield, Evans, London, Bucky Irving.
• “If Mooney plays, I don’t feel good about Pitts…I guess he’s okay if Mooney is out.” ([32:59], Dave)
• Rapid-fire: Goldon vs. Ibuka, Pitts/Kincaid, etc. ([34:04–34:39])

DETROIT AT GREEN BAY

• Key Stat: WR1s routinely smash Detroit.
• Matthew Golden: High-end flex; group includes Egbuka, Pearsall ([37:30–39:59], Jamie/Dave):
  • Golden > Tracy / Pacheco / Warren
  • “They’re almost essentially back to back to back. Golden’s third for me; match-up not quite as strong.” ([37:30–39:39], Jamie)
• David Montgomery: "Expect 65–85 yards and TD chance" ([46:40], Jamie).
• Dispute: Golden vs. Montgomery—split opinions. ([45:06–46:40])
• Sit Candidates: Goff, Love, Reed, Dobbs.
• Tier-maker Segment: Fun but sometimes confusing visual breakdown ([40:00–45:06], throughout).

49ERS AT SEAHAWKS

• Brock Purdy (slightly low-end QB1, solid in 2QB)
• Ricky Pearsall: Strong flex play; "Pearsall > Montgomery in PPR, Monty in non" ([49:42], Jamie).
• Ken Walker: Clear start over Monty.
• JSN: Start; Cooper Kupp: “Wait and see, risky WR3/flex” ([53:08], Jamie/Dave).
• Seattle TEs: Sit all.

MINNESOTA AT CHICAGO

• Aaron Jones Dispute: Jamie (RB17) vs. Dave (RB25).
  • Jamie: “History’s amazing, 18.3 ppr/gm, can’t sit him." ([55:48])
  • Dave: "He’s splitting reps, upside limited, not a top 20 for me." ([56:23])
• Swift vs. Jones: Split.
• DJ Moore/Odunze: WR3/flex types only.

GIANTS AT COMMANDERS

• Tracy vs. Debo/Jameson Williams: Prefer WRs in PPR.
  • "Goal line work will be interesting for Tracy with NYG’s likely low scoring" ([65:47], Jamie).
• Debo Samuel (WAS): “Three to five manufactured touches weekly, upside for this week.” ([67:19], Jamie)
• Theo Johnson: "Watchlist in deeper leagues, could be featured." ([66:47], Adam)
• Ertz vs. Kraft: Prefer Tucker Kraft.

HOUSTON AT RAMS

• Nico Collins = only must-start for HOU.
• Nick Chubb: Start him over new WR3s, but limited upside.
• Dalton Schultz: Mentioned as a viable streamer.
• Kyren, Puka, Adams: All solid starts.

ARIZONA AT NEW ORLEANS

• Kyler Murray, Connor, Harrison Jr.: Start
• Alvin Kamara: Solid RB2/flex, especially in PPR.
• Olave & Shahid:
  • "Olave is a strong WR3 but not a must-start. Shahid is a sleeper/flex." ([75:57–76:29], Jamie/Dave)
  • Stat: When Shahid, Olave, Kamara, and Carr were healthy, Shahid got a target share edge.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On A.J. Brown's dud:
  "Brown has never had one target in a game in his entire career except for one... I think we could say the worst game of his career." ([03:16], Adam)

• On buying low:
  "If someone's goofy enough to be so worried about AJ Brown after this game, do yourself a favor and trade for him on the low low." ([05:25], Dave)

• Trade talk (McCaffrey): "Obviously, I'm turning that down, but we’ll talk about McCaffrey in a minute." ([09:21], Adam)

• Javonte Williams ownership:
  "You're happy you have Javonte Williams, try to turn him into something really good after this week's over." ([09:42], Adam)

• On tier-maker segment's chaos:
  "If I'm supposed to know who these players are by their picture, we're gonna have some trouble here." ([41:35], Adam)

• Beat the waiver wire’s spirit:
  "It's really tough in week one, because you don't have anyone to drop..." ([31:09], Jamie)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:21: Show proper begins, DAL-PHI recap
• 02:20: Dave’s surprises—Javonte usage, disappointing WRs
• 04:02–05:25: Discussion about panicking or buying low on bad week 1 stat lines
• 08:15: Javonte Williams's status & crowdsourced "must start" poll
• 10:44: Christian McCaffrey injury reaction and waiver maneuvers
• 13:44: Full sweep of news and notes, injuries, and depth charts
• 21:27: Rapid fire—one-question-per-game for seven NFC matchups
• 30:06: Beat the waiver wire stashes
• 32:51: Tampa Bay at Atlanta—key start/sit dilemmas
• 37:30–39:59: Matthew Golden ranking/analysis; flex rankings with Egbuka, Pearsall
• 40:00–46:40: Tier-maker ranking segment / Detroit at Green Bay disputes
• 49:42: SF and SEA starts/sits
• 55:48–57:28: Aaron Jones rankings dispute, Vikings/Bears deep dive
• 60:10: Adam Thielen/waiver WR sleeper talk for MNF
• 64:00: Giants at Commanders flex plays
• 67:19: Debo Samuel role for Commanders
• 70:08: Commanders, Giants TEs, DST
• 73:15: Arizona/New Orleans—Kyler, Kamara, WR flex advice
• 75:57–76:29: Olave vs. Shahid—target share insight
• 78:27: Torii Horton as this week's deep league waiver dart

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Takeaways & Advice

• Don’t overreact to one week. Buy low on established stars who stumble.
• Javonte Williams is a strong hold—great schedule ahead but not "must start" in shallow lineups yet.
• Christian McCaffrey injury is a situation to monitor—Brian Robinson Jr. is priority add.
• Flex rankings (Egbuka, Golden, Pearsall, Williams, Tracy) show depth of startable upside WRs this week.
• Waiver stashes: The beats change fast; stash now if you might need upside in Week 2.
• Analytics matters: Target shares, usage patterns, defensive injuries—use context, not just last year’s raw stats.

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Episode Tone

The show has FFT’s signature blend of banter, deep analysis, and actionable advice. The hosts keep things positive, encourage listeners not to panic and to trust their process, but also spot opportunities to make shrewd trades or pick-ups in the chaos of Opening Week.

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Listen If:

• You want to win Week 1 lineup decisions and exploit overreactions on the waiver wire/trade market.
• You love hearing context and real-time advice from sharp, plugged-in analysts who react to late news and live listener questions.
• You enjoy spirited rankings debates and nuanced breakdowns of unexpected player usage and snap counts.

Skip: The commercial/intro/outro sections; the summary above covers every major fantasy-relevant moment!

Transcript

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[Jamie]

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[Dave]

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[Adam]

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[Jamie]

Can you believe this?

[Adam]

No, I can't.

[Dave]

It's time to dominate your fantasy league.

[Adam]

Off to the races and he stays on his feet.

[Dave]

This is gonna go the distance. Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.

[Adam]

Welcome everybody to Fantasy Football Today presented by BetMGM, the sportsbook born in Vegas. Happy Friday, folks. Hope you enjoyed the game last night. The 2020, 2025 fantasy season starts with a bonanza and then a weather delay and then a Costanza. And if you are not familiar with the FFT vocabulary, bonanza back in the day is what I used to call the game that was gonna have a lot of fantasy points. It was gonna be great and it would always be terrible. So we would call it a Costanza. But welcome folks. And yeah, interesting game last night. And of course Christian McCaffrey stole the show, stole the headlines with his calf injury. So we'll talk about that. And we've got seven NFC home games to preview. Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Detroit, Green Bay, San Francisco, Seattle, Minnesota, Chicago, Giants commanders, Houston at the Rams and Arizona at New Orleans. Well, what'd you think, Dave? We had no punts before the weather delay. We had no points after the weather delay. And The Eagles win 24 20.

[Dave]

And a lot of penalties and a little bit of spit. I thought that it was. The game was interesting. It felt like two different games though. And that when, when the teams came out of the weather delay, just defense dominated and nothing that really either offense could, could get going, really felt like just. Overall, Philadelphia's run game was as expected. CD Lamb's usage was as expected. Javante Williams usage was a little bit higher than I thought it would be and maybe we had a clue about that when Jaden Blue was made inactive. But other than that, I thought that there were a bunch of surprises and unfortunately a lot of disappointing surprises.

[Adam]

So what would be one of the disappointing surprises? That guy.

[Dave]

Four total targets for Devontae Smith and AJ Brown would be the biggest surprise. It's a turd.

[Adam]

Yeah. Yeah. All right, so listen. So Dak Prescott scores 7.8 fantasy points. George Pickens gets three catches for 30 yards on four targets on 34 pass attempts. Devonte Smith and A.J. brown were horrible. Brown had one target. Brown has never had one target in a game in his entire career except for one game. It was a week 18 game where he played 12 snaps and left with an injury. So this was, I think we could say the worst game of his career. Or it's right up there. And I have more to say about, you know, the, the offense. But are you guys worried about any of the players who struggled last night?

[Jamie]

No, no. Dak played great. He just didn't get touchdowns.

[Adam]

So I'm glad you said that. I thought he was terrific, man. I think Ferguson dropped a touchdown. Lamb dropped a deep ball. Could have been a good day for, for Dakota.

[Jamie]

Lamb dropped four passes. I mean, that was a rough night for him.

[Dave]

One was a tough one, but you're right, even three would be a bad day.

[Jamie]

He did try to kill his tight ends a couple times though. Dak with some throws in the scene. I do think you should be making a bunch of trade offers after Sunday for A.J. brown because there's going to be somebody on your team that goes nuts and maybe Javante Williams. And you know, that fantasy manager may not be in great shape. I saw, I mentioned this on one of the shows that in our office league, somebody went all in on Dakota Ferguson and Pickens with a cowboy stack in a redraft league. They're not happy today. And then I saw in another league somebody actually did it with Dak Ferguson and Lamb and obviously somewhat happy but not as great. So, you know, this is the problem when you stack players and in passing games when they don't live up to expectations. I do think the. The way that Jalen Hurts looked is going to be interesting to see how this continues. You know, if. If he's going to. Not if he's going to throw as much potentially as he could but not feature his guys.

[Dave]

He ended up taking a bunch of check downs to his tight end.

[Jamie]

Yep.

[Dave]

Dallas played a lot of too high and that's what Matt Eberflus kind of does.

[Jamie]

Well, Dallas Goddard always beats up the Cowboys.

[Dave]

Yeah, sure, sure, sure. But like this is one of the ways that you beat cover too is you throw middle of the field or short area throws to the tight end and, and he did great. Adam, we were watching some snaps of A.J. brown before the show and there were a couple of snaps where he just it it he didn't look right to me as I'm watching more as we go along here and he's looking better as the game goes on. So I don't think it's an injury thing. Definitely was double teamed a bunch of. I agree with Jamie. If someone's goofy enough to be so worried about A.J. brown after this game, do yourself a favor and trade for him on the low low.

[Adam]

Can you do me a favor? I wanted to look this up. Were they in three receiver sets more than they usually were the Eagles and this is what point I would make about Jalen hurts. So I, I think I was expecting them to be a little bit more balanced this year and not run the ball as much. And then you see they had the ball for 34 minutes and 52 seconds and only through 23 passes but his and also I Dave, maybe I meant to ask you this before the show. Jalen Hurts. His true drop back percentage on true media I don't know what that is but it was 78.8% last night. Last year his true drop pack percentage was 67%. He only eclipsed 79% twice last year. So this was a game where he dropped back a lot. He didn't throw a lot because he ran so much. He, he had 14 carries in this game. But to me watching the game it really felt like they were trying to be much more balanced than they were. You don't see it in the numbers. You don't see it in the past attempts because he just kept running the ball. But you know they didn't, they didn't run the ball as much with Barkley as they could have considering they had the ball for 35 minutes and you know, but I don't know that was my impression. He dropped back to pass a little bit more. Kind of made me more encouraged for the offense as a whole. Just didn't, didn't work that way.

[Dave]

The three receiver answer is 30 of 62 snaps.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Adam]

I don't know what they were what last year but just felt like Dotson was on the field more than I remember a third receiver being on the field for them. But all right, let's last thing here is Javante Williams Javante Williams, 6% started, 86% rostered. Miles Sanders is 8% rostered. He had the biggest play of the game, unfortunately, which was a fumble at the 10 yard line. But Javante 15, he did. He had a 49 yard run. Javante Williams, 54, 15 carries, 54 yards, two touchdowns, also two catches, two short yardage touchdowns. Are you, are you. Look, he's got the Giant and they were playing without Jalen Carter. If you missed it, Jalen Carter spit on Dak. Prescott is their best defensive player, the Eagles. So that made things easier for the Cowboys. They got the Giants next week. They got the Bears next after that. Those were two really bad run defenses last year.

[Jamie]

So here you go. Adam, I did a poll on X last night since you love these. Javante Williams, is he a must start running back next week? 2300 votes. 47. Yes. 43. No. 10. See results.

[Adam]

Yeah, put me in the no category.

[Jamie]

I, I would say so. I mean, the, the two things that I'm going to be curious to see is one, does Jaden Blue now replace Miles Sanders after the fumble? Do they give him a chance to be elevated? You know, listen, he was coming back from an ankle injury after dealing with a heel injury, and he's a rookie, but clearly they felt that he wasn't ready to be up on game day. Does that change? And if that does change, does that impact maybe. What? Javante? I thought Javante looked great. I mean, you know, the, the. There are a couple runs there that, you know, looking like old Javante. I was surprised they got away from him, to be honest with you, as, as, as the game unfolded, especially since it wasn't, you know, out of, out of reach from a score standpoint you got to make. I mean, look, you're thrilled if you drafted him at this point.

[Adam]

Absolutely.

[Jamie]

I just wouldn't go crazy with calling him a must start running back.

[Adam]

Oh, man, it's. It's so frustrating. I drafted actually quite a bit of Javante Williams. I only started him in one league as a super deep dynasty league against Heath, which was great. And Heath made me an interesting trade offer last night. He offered me Brock bowers for Christian McCaffrey and Sam LaPorta. It's kind of insulting that he threw the porta in there. Obviously, I'm turning that down, but we'll talk about McCaffrey in a minute.

[Jamie]

In the dynasty league. In the.

[Adam]

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[Dave]

I hope they just gave him a rest day sort of and made him limited and, and maybe throwing shade at us through the injury report. I hope it's not, oh, he came up limping in practice and he's not going to practice on Friday. And here we go again and no one knows. There isn't any further report on it. No other suggestions about whether or not he'd miss this week's game or anything like that. Just got to see what the report is on Friday.

[Adam]

Okay. I, I definitely think people are making trade offers right now.

[Dave]

Would you be trying low on McCaffrey?

[Adam]

Would you be, would you be trying to get McCaffrey or get rid of McCaffrey?

[Jamie]

I think if Heath had offered you Brock Bowers and try to think like.

[Dave]

A fair, would you, Javante?

[Jamie]

No.

[Adam]

Okay.

[Jamie]

It was Bowers and like he's out on Camaro. Let's say he's had drafted apparently Bowers and Camaro for McCaffrey and Laporta.

[Adam]

Would you have done it in this league? He has Ken Walker. So if he had gone Bowers and Walker For McCaffrey and Laporta, I would have thought pretty hard about that.

[Dave]

I probably, I don't, I can't see how you can trade for McCaffrey at a like early round one value until you know more about the injury.

[Adam]

And let's be, let's be clear here. Brian Robinson Jr. Should already have been rostered but he's the guy that if he's available in your league and he was available in one of my leagues yesterday. So it's not impossible. You have to go get Brian Robinson Jr. Right.

[Jamie]

So just, just for context, who knows when this happened and it could have just been something that cramp or something. But this is the story from ESPN. McCaffrey was on the field and doing his usual warm up and individual drills during the roughly 20 minute minutes open to reporters that start practice. But McCaffrey was not in his locker room after it was over and did not do his usual Thursday media session.

[Adam]

Yeah, we have no idea.

[Dave]

That's ominous.

[Adam]

Okay, but you have to get Brian Robinson. Do you think it makes sense to also get Garendo or Jay or like another running back on the Niners in a deeper league?

[Jamie]

It's not a bad idea just to see what happens. I mean, listen, Robinson's only been with the team for a few weeks, so they may feel a little bit more comfortable going with a committee to open the game. If he does not play against the Seahawks. And so Garendo goes out and has a big day and Robinson struggles, then it's probably Gourindo's job rest away despite what they said after acquiring Robinson. But at this point, look, he may just be like, you know, yesterday was, was bothering me. Maybe today's a problem and they sent him for week one. But last year it was at this time, if we had a playoff game, McCaffrey would be out there. And then it was seven weeks without him dealing with this Achilles injury.

[Dave]

You'll, you'll see Guerrendo as the most added player if McCaffrey doesn't practice on Friday. Ruled out on Friday, maybe even if he's limited on Friday and questionable for the game on Sunday.

[Adam]

All right, so that's where we start with the news and notes. We said that Naji Harris was starting for the Chargers. He's not. Omarion Hampton's going to start. Devon Hn was limited again. Roshan. So the, the Bears had their first practice of the week because they play Monday. Roshan Johnson missed practice. Kyle Manangai was limited. Christian Kirk is going to miss at least one game with a hamstring injury. This. Who else is there? Like who, who should we be adding, if anyone for the Texans?

[Jamie]

Well, Jaden Higgins if he's available. And then Jalen Noel is, you know, somebody that in a deeper league I would take a look at because he's going to take Kirk's spot and so will he be able to, you know, take advantage of it and maybe run away with the position? I doubt that they would all of a sudden just say you got Wally pipped and you know, Christian Kirk's gonna all of a sudden be the fourth receiver when he's healthy. But there's an opportunity here for both of the rookies to step up and have a big performance. But ideally, this is feed Nico Collins as much as he possibly can get, because while you're picking up Higgins and you're picking up Noel, Higgins was more rostered than Noel was. This is clearly you wanted to see a lot of the guy you're starting, which is Nico Collins.

[Dave]

I don't think this changes Higgins role because Higgins is more of an outside receiver anyway. Noel is the one. Jamie's right. Jalen Noel is the one that you want to get pick up as the potential replacement in the slot for Kirk. But let's not forget about Dalton Schultz, who's been a reliable short area guy for C.J. stroud for a long time. I think that he could actually come in handy in this matchup against the Rams. Rams do play a lot of zone, so I might actually veer towards Schultz first. If it's redraft, I'd love to stash probably Higgins ahead of Noel since we don't know when Kirk is going to be back and Higgins has a chance to be a decent contributor for Houston, regardless of Kirk status.

[Adam]

I bet you were breathing a sigh of relief yesterday when Keon Coleman got in a limited practice, Dave.

[Dave]

Oh, dude. There was. There was video footage of him before practice.

[Adam]

That's the game of the week.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Dave]

All right.

[Adam]

A little Sunday night showdown. It's the Ravens and the Bills. Yeah. And it's the game of the week.

[Dave]

Hey, it must be football season. That was a good one. And I'm glad you picked that game instead of Jaguars Panthers, because I would have shredded you if you had done that. That is absolutely the game of the week. And yeah, like, seeing him run around and look not limited at all is a very good sign. I hope that's what we see from McCaffrey on Friday.

[Adam]

All right, I'm going to fire through the rest of the news and notes. Tyreek Hill was limited. We are expecting him to play. Amari Cooper is retiring. We are not expecting him to play. Jaden Reed and. And Don Tavian Wicks were limited. So this is the big game against Detroit. Which. Which wide receivers are you expecting to be out for Green Bay? Are we expecting everyone but Watson?

[Jamie]

I mean, they're clearly trending in the right direction. Reed still makes me very nervous with the Jones fracture in his foot. If that's actually the thing. I don't know if it's actually been confirmed but the, the only one I would be starting right now in the majority of leagues would be Golden. Yeah, I think Romeo Dobbs is is worth a stash if you're, you know like you want to pivot from Christian Kirk to a guy that might be available in a lot of leagues like Romeo Dobbs is going to be on the field a lot for the packers no matter who's healthy. So not a big ceiling but a very safe floor and you know two years ago tied for the lead in touchdown receptions for them.

[Adam]

All right. And I'm going to tell you later why it looks on paper based on last year like a great matchup for Matthew Golden. We'll see if that carries over this year for Detroit. And in wide receivers against Detroit, Darnell Mooney is a game time decision. Seattle rookie wide receiver Tory Horton practice in full a tight end Kate Otten was limited. Isaiah likely is not going to play this week and Darren Waller keeps missing practice. So it doesn't look good for Darren Waller this week. The offensive line Andrew Thomas missed practice for the Giants. This was it seemed like a planned day of rest but we don't know if he will play at Washington. The Seahawks gave Abraham Lucas a contract extension. Minnesota left tackle Christian Darasaw missed practice but he's recovering from a torn acl. You feel like Derrisa is going to play this week. Is that the the buzz?

[Jamie]

I thought that was a sentiment all along but still something we got to keep an eye on.

[Adam]

Houston has some offensive line injuries that already not a good unit. Will Campbell, rookie left tackle for the Patriots, he has an ankle issue. And Carolina, two of their starting offensive linemen. Actually three of their starting linemen I think missed practice. Maybe one was limited.

[Dave]

Their left tackle had an appendectomy. Yeah so I'm if he doesn't play that's big trouble for Carolina.

[Adam]

And then doesn't look like Christian Gonzalez is going to play. Micah Parsons is expected to play. I mentioned yesterday that both of Buffalo's starting cornerbacks were missing practice but one of them returned Christian Benford, their good one. He practiced in full. They're better one I should say. Chase Young might be out for the Saints. Harrison Smith missed practice safety for the Vikings they gave up the fewest. No, they gave up the most fantasy points the two wide receivers last year. Vita Veya, very good run defense for Tampa Bay. But Villavea, he missed practice now twice in a row with a foot issue. And that's gonna do it for news and notes. All right, we're gonna take a break. We got one question for each game when we come back on Fantasy Football today. Let's face it, after a night with drinks, I don't bounce back the next day like I used to. I have to make a choice. I can either have a great night or a great next day. That is, until I found Pre Alcohol Zebiotics. Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drinks is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for those rough days after drinking. Pre Alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. I just had my home league fantasy football draft. All my closest friends, we got together and I knew I had to give pre alcohol try. And when I did, I couldn't be happier. I drank it before the draft and I woke up the next day feeling good. Not just about my fantasy football roster, but about myself. Balls right around the corner. So that means it's time to raise a glass to your favorite team. We Whether you're tailgating, enjoying a college game day, or watching Sunday's action on that fancy new TV, don't forget ZBiotics pre alcohol probiotic Drink Drink a pre alcohol before drinking and enjoy great days after celebrating all season long. Go to zebiotics.com FFT to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use FFT at checkout. Zebiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee, so if you're unsatisfied for any reason that they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to ZBiotics.com FFT and use the code FFT at checkout for 15% off. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected.

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[Dave]

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[Adam]

It, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms apply. One question for seven games, Tampa Bay at Atlanta. Atlanta allowed the third most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Jamie starter sit a Mecca Abuka this week.

[Jamie]

He's a definite starter in three receiver leagues. If you need him as a starter in two receiver leagues, I would be perfectly fine with it. He's just outside the top 24 for me and I think in two receiver leagues and a flex, he's going to be one of your high end flex options. So I would love to start him this week if you can.

[Adam]

Okay. Detroit at Green Bay. Are we really sitting Jared Goff?

[Dave]

Dave Richard I think it's not the worst idea in the world to sit Jared Goff. It depends on who else you have. I think there's just more upside for Drake May against Las Vegas. Although the thought of a backup left tackle against Max Crosby, it's, it's already bad enough that it's a rookie left tackle against Max Crosby that's not so good. But other quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence, TUA against Indy, Brock Purdy. I think there's just a little bit more upside. I, I, there's going to be plenty of weeks where we're going to trust Jared Goff. I just feel like this first game new play caller on the road against Green Bay with Micah Parsons and we've known for years that the kryptonite for Jared Goff is pass rush pressure. When he's under pressure, he's not the same guy. Makes me a little bit nervous.

[Adam]

Yeah, I'm sure we're going to get to this stat, but the last three years at Green Bay for Jared Goff, 9.5 fantasy points. That was a Week 18 game at Green Bay, but 20, 23, 13.4, 2024 fantasy point. 2024, 11.6 fantasy points at Green Bay only through 22 passes.

[Dave]

I don't care about the at Green Bay part as much as I care about just the, the situation now. And this Green Bay pass rush is going to be right up there as one of the best in the league with Parsons on the field.

[Adam]

I, obviously, I agree with that. I think if any wide receiver or whatever or you know, fantasy relevant player missed all of training camp, had a back issue and he has a legitimate back issue, got traded to a new team. We probably would not think he's just going to show up and be great in week one.

[Jamie]

Well, there's, there's a difference though.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

You're starting a player in your fantasy lineup that's coming off an injury. You're talking about he's going to have a handful of plays, you know, call it 20 plays. I was gonna say. Yeah. You know, if that's the number, like they're gonna be on almost obvious pass down situations or fourth quarter plays where they need somebody to go out and try and make a play, like they're going to be smart about it. So that's, that's not the best comparison I would use is, is, you know, a guy coming back that you're trying to put in your fantasy lineup versus a guy that's going to be limited, that you are just, you know, could be a game wrecker.

[Adam]

I'm just. Well, okay, I guess I'm just saying I, I don't expect the best version of Micah Parsons.

[Jamie]

Oh, I, I totally agree. But it's, this would be a little bit of a struggle for Goff if Parsons wasn't added to the mix. You know, now you're just, you're putting that on top of it, you know, so stadium where he hasn't played well, they've mentioned that, you know, new play caller, two new offensive linemen, you know, so it's, it's a lot of, of things that play here for Derek Goff that if this was like, okay, Patrick Mahomes, he's going in with a new offensive line down one of his best weapons, facing a very good defense. I'm not worried about Patrick Mahomes the same level. I'm worried about Jared Goff because of where those guys were drafted and my expectations for him. And golf was better than Mahomes last year, but the expectations going into the season. I drafted my homes as the top six quarterback. Golf was in the mix somewhere between.

[Adam]

10 and 15, and that's where he is this week. You guys have Jared Goff 15th. All right, next up, San Francisco at Seattle. What are your thoughts, Jamie, on the San Francisco wide receivers?

[Jamie]

I'm starting Ricky Pearsall in three receiver leagues without question, very similar to Abuka. Two receiver leagues and a flex. He's probably in my lineup because I don't think I'm gonna have money. Much better flex options. Juwan Jennings is the perfect example of what you just brought up. He's somebody that I would like to take a wait and see approach. Hopefully he's going to be out there playing his normal allotment of snaps. Based on the receiver injuries and suspension for DeMarcus Robinson, they probably need Jennings to play his normal allotment of snaps plus his player incentive contract. He wants to be out there. I'M sure as much as possible but I'd like to take a wait and see approach with him. Hopefully comes out and has a big game but for this week, really it's just pure Saul in terms of the receiving core.

[Adam]

All right, we got Minnesota at Chicago. Rank the flex options in this game. Dave after Justin Jefferson.

[Dave]

Oh boy. I don't want to forget anybody. I would say that the Vikings running backs would be up there. DJ Moore and PPR would probably be ahead of them.

[Adam]

I got DeAndre Swift, you got Aaron Jones, you've got more Odunze Jones 1.

[Jamie]

Swift 2 DJ Moore 34 there doesn't he Odunze 4 Hawkinson 5 yeah, you know what?

[Dave]

I think Hawkinson might be like the best one of them.

[Jamie]

Zakia 6 Dealing 7 Love 18 I.

[Dave]

Needed to know where you put Zacchaeus 1 Aaron Swift 2 Jones 3 Dunze 4 Mason 5 Loveland 6 I don't need to keep going.

[Adam]

Okay. Giants at Commanders thought about this for a game of the week total homer game of the week pick. I thought about it. Do you trust the running backs in this game? Tracy and any of the commanders guys?

[Dave]

I'd be okay with Tracy, but that's it. It's starting to sound like the Commanders don't have like like a firm plan of on like they might have a plan on like which running backs to use in certain situations. Like Eckler's an easy one to figure out, but I don't know if Crosky Merit is going to be 15 carries. I think Rodriguez is going to get in there. I wonder if McNichols gets in there a little bit and I think they kind of feel their way through knowing that they've just got a good combination of running backs that they can lean on.

[Adam]

The Would you start Tyrone Tracy or Ricky Pierceol and Mecca Abuca the two receivers.

[Dave]

I think the only way that even comes close is if it's non ppr.

[Jamie]

Oh, okay. I don't mind Eckler as a high end. Flux. I think Dave's right. The other guys are going to be a little bit of a mix and match until they figure out what they want to do there. But for this week it feels like Eckler's as long as Eckler's healthy, you kind of have to assume somewhere around 10 touches. I'm 10 carries. Excuse me. And probably three to five catches. So I would ballpark it at like 15 total touches for him. And this Giants defense because of their past rush, there's going to be a Lot of dump off opportunities for Eckler in the passing game.

[Adam]

Well, just to bring it up, I think he averaged five carries per game when Brian Robinson Jr. Was healthy, which.

[Jamie]

Is why this is, I think, a different situation, though. Yeah. At least the early part of the season. Like. Okay, I agree with you.

[Dave]

Until they figure out what they've got.

[Jamie]

Yeah. Once they figure out, like, that guy, then fine. Five carries is probably realistic. I think, until we figure out that guy. You want a ballpark? Let's say eight. Like, I. I would think not more than 10 carries for Eckler because I don't think they want to overwork him at 30 years old.

[Adam]

Houston's at the Rams. You starting anyone other than Nico Collins for Houston?

[Jamie]

No.

[Dave]

You'd have to be desperate to start Chubb, Schultz, Higgins. Stroud's okay in a super flex.

[Adam]

Arizona's at New Orleans. How are you feeling about Chris Olave?

[Dave]

I kind of like him.

[Adam]

Big rankings discrepancy here for you guys. Jamie's got him like 42 or something, and Dave somewhere around 28. I don't remember, but it's. It's a big gap on a lot.

[Dave]

Close 29, but definitely in the flex conversation for me.

[Jamie]

And I. I want to see what this offense looks like. And listen, you can. You can call Olave a starter in three or three leagues. I think that's fine because where he was drafted, Shaheed, similar situation. You know, if you want to throw him out there. But it's week one, like Olave. Okay. Shahid probably shouldn't be in a lot of lineups right now. They could, but, you know, one. One or both can go off. You're still talking about Spencer Rattler, who was bad last year. You're talking about. Shahid was outperforming Olave last year when they were both healthy. I don't know, it just feels like. Let me see what this Saints offense looks like before I say must start for any of these guys.

[Dave]

I don't. I wouldn't blame you if you benched either of those guys for those reasons. And. And I'm not stumping for Shahid. I think he's a sleeper this week. I think he's an interesting DFS play, but Olave, just the fact that he's lining up everywhere, I feel like he'll be the primary target for Rattler. I think Rattler can complete a pass inside of 15 yards, and I think they're going to be trailing. And I think Arizona secondary is still a huge question mark.

[Adam]

All right, that's One question for each game. You know, beat the waiver. I'm not gonna. I'm gonna be 100% honest with our audience here. Beat the waiver wire as a staple of the Friday show. I think we might be doing it on Express going forward, but I'm not sure I was last year. What's that?

[Dave]

We did that last year.

[Adam]

That's right, we did. All right. I would say if you can pick up Trevor Lawrence, he gets Cincinnati next week, and he's obviously 75% rostered. If for some reason you find yourself in need of a quarterback for next week, I think Russell Wilson at Dallas might not be that bad. He's 14% rostered, so that'd be the deeper leagues. But, you know, there's guys like Woody Marks, there's guys like Dylan Sampson, who's more owned than or more rostered than than Woody Marks. There's a bunch of handcuffs. Chris Rodriguez. You could take a shot on that. I think Rashid Shahid, he's about 50% rostered, something like that. He's 54%. Marvin Mims is 50%. It's really tough in week one because you don't have anyone to drop, you know, if you had Amari Cooper. Mari Cooper's still 36% rostered. I saw some people picking up Dante Thornton Jr. He's 23% rostered.

[Jamie]

Jalen Noel.

[Adam]

Jalen Noel. I mean, the thing about Noel is, is Kirk's going to miss one game. I think they said maybe two.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Yeah. It could linger, but that's.

[Dave]

I would say that's for deeper leagues. You're giving away the cow, Adam. We've got to save some of these names for beat the waiver wire on Express.

[Adam]

Okay, Well, I don't know. I don't think we're doing Express today.

[Jamie]

Oh.

[Adam]

So. And we didn't do it yesterday promoting.

[Dave]

A show that we're not going to do?

[Adam]

No, we're not doing it today, so I.

[Jamie]

So we'll do it on the mailbags. Fine. Okay. Fine.

[Adam]

All right, let's talk. Start or sit. Tampa Bay is at Atlanta. Stat of the game that will make you sit. Bijan Robinson. In Tampa Bay's last nine games, including the playoffs, Sincere McCormick was the only running back to rush for more than 43 yards against the Bucks. Christian McCaffrey was the only running back to score more than 11 PPR fantasy points against the Bucks. That was the last nine games. But start Bajan Robinson. And honestly, if Vita Vee doesn't play, just. It's something to keep in mind they could have a very good run defense but they need him healthy. We are hoping for a for history repeating itself in this game. Last year in the two matchups between Tampa Bay and Atlanta, the quarterbacks THREW A combined 14 touchdowns. Baker Mayfield averaged nearly 29 points per game and six point per passing touchdown leagues. Kirk Cousins averaged around 39 points per game. So we do have a lot of easy calls. Dave. We've got Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Bijon Robinson, Mike Evans, Drake London. Easy calls. Now we can talk more about Abuka. I think we should. He's going to be asked if you have a Buka. If you have any questions about this game, go ahead and Abuka or Camara? There's a question right away. Okay. Camara. Kyle Pitts, try and get a book.

[Jamie]

On your lineup if you can.

[Adam]

Kyle Pitts if Mooney doesn't play. You know Dave, give me the guys that aren't the must starts, the obvious ones. What do you think?

[Dave]

I mean we basically went through them all. It's probably easier just to talk about the players that we don't want to start if. If Mooney ends up playing. I don't feel good about pits. I don't even feel that good about pits. I guess he's okay if Mooney is out. Rashad White, you'd have to be 3am desperate to go with him. No way you're starting. Sean Tucker plays. I don't really like any chance with him. I don't even know. Like this might be one of those games where if it's a quality player and you draft him in the first nine rounds, you're starting this guy should be a high scoring game. If there is a concern, it's with the Falcons passing game because we know that the blind side tackle for Michael Penix is out. His replacement is average. Bucks defense is going to pressure the heck out of that offensive line. And the secondary I think is better than advertised. So it's going to be a little difficult for. For Atlanta to move the ball way downfield. They really need Mooney to make that happen.

[Adam]

Okay, so let me. Let me read a few questions here in the chat. Matthew golden or a Mecca Abuka?

[Dave]

I go Golden.

[Adam]

Abuka or Piersol?

[Dave]

Ricky Baker or Stroud.

[Jamie]

Gotta go Baker, right?

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Pitts or Kincaid?

[Jamie]

Pits.

[Dave]

Ew. I would say pits. I'm gonna say pits no matter what. Whether or not Mooney plays Abuka or.

[Adam]

Devonte Adams, I'm scared about Houston's cornerbacks.

[Dave]

I get that Adams.

[Adam]

Adam's probably going to play in the slot. So much so he's not going to see.

[Dave]

I don't know.

[Adam]

That's my guess.

[Dave]

I might have been wrong about that. When he first went to la, I. I thought he'd completely play in the slot a lot. I wonder now if they're going to just move everybody around.

[Adam]

They will, I think. You know, in the 40. Like Cup, I think was in the 70 slot range. I think maybe. What do you think? 40, 50% for Adams? Puka, I think, is usually in the 30s, if I remember. All right, I think that's it. Olave. Sorry, not a lot. Abuka, Tetaro McMillan or Garrett Wilson? Pick one.

[Jamie]

McMillan.

[Adam]

I'll take McMillan, Ibuka or Travis Hunter. Okay. And pick two. Oh, sorry. Hit the wrong thing there. Pick two.

[Dave]

What was that?

[Adam]

Yeah, it's cool. Abuka, Sutton or Pollard? You have to sit one. Basically, I'm sitting.

[Dave]

Oh, I just said Pollard.

[Jamie]

You said Pollard.

[Adam]

Sitting Pollard. Interesting. Okay, I guess I was wrong. So, Mooney, where would you rank him if he plays and pits? Where would you rank him if Mooney doesn't play?

[Dave]

Mooney's outside of my top 36, so low end flex at best. You could use them. It depends on who else you have. Pits right now is not startable unless Mooney is out.

[Adam]

And panics.

[Dave]

Fine in two QB leagues. Totally fine.

[Jamie]

I'd start him over. Stroud?

[Dave]

Sure.

[Adam]

Anything else in this game?

[Jamie]

Kate Otten, Is he playing?

[Adam]

He's been limited.

[Dave]

Yeah, I'm not going to feel good about him. Like I'd rather start Schultz at this point.

[Adam]

All right. All right.

[Dave]

Bucks. DST is okay.

[Adam]

That's it for that game. Detroit at Green Bay. Here's a stat of the game. Number one, wide receivers last year owned Detroit. And let me talk about Detroit's defense because it was really good last year until the last, I don't know, five or six weeks. And then it was God awful, basically. Weeks one through 13, they had the second best defense in the NFL in terms of points per game. They were 11th in yards per play. Weeks 14 through 18, obviously no, Hutchinson, Ali, McNeil got hurt for most of that stretch. Their secondary got hurt. They were 28th in points per game. They were last in yards per play. So on paper, like you think about Detroit, Green Bay, it's kind of interesting, guys. It's like great offensive players, but we might have really two very good defenses here. But even last year when Detroit had a good defense, number one, wide receivers crushed them 15.9 or more PPR fantasy points to a wide receiver in 15 of 18 games. I will say they faced a gauntlet of wide receivers. They were not giving these up to bad receivers. But Matthew Golden's a name I keep getting asked about. How do you guys feel? Jamie, I'll let you start. How do you feel about Matthew golden in this matchup?

[Jamie]

I think he's in a very similar spot to Abuka and Pearsall as a guy that you don't necessarily didn't draft him to be a starter in a two receiver league. Can is a definite starter in three receiver leagues and two receivers in a flex. He's probably going to be one of your high end flexes. So it just really comes down to, you know, if you even want to compare him to those three guys like he's third for me because I think Kabuka's matchup's so much better and I think Pierce all still locked in right now as the number one guy for the 49ers. So I would put golden third of that group. But they're almost essentially back to back to back. So it's a great opportunity for him. Again. Jaden Reed, who knows if he's going to play. Don Taming Wicks, who knows if he's going to play. But it's also a much better Detroit defense. Like don't look at the way last season finished. I think you set it up perfectly. Like this is still going to be a very tough situation for Jordan Love. Don't really love him as a must start quarterback by any stretch. To me the only must start player for the packers is Josh Jacobs.

[Dave]

Jacobs agreed. And listen, we've talked a lot about oh the packers added Micah Parsons and he's going to make their passwords great. The Lions are getting back Aiden Hutchinson. That's a, that's a pretty big deal. And the reason why their defense fell off and it fell off in like cliffs last season as you talked about Adam, is because they had injuries to their defensive line. It started with Aiden Hutchinson being out for the year in the first half of the season. So he's back. He's going to apply all kinds of pressure on Jordan Love. That does make things a little bit harder for them. But on the flip side we've talked about the Lions offense and how they've got play caller change there. They have it on defense too. I think they're still going to do what they do and play a lot of man coverage and that's what helps number one receivers have huge games because those types of players can beat man to man. It'll be interesting if golden can. Can be huge in that regard. I think he can. All kinds of things that I read and heard from camp was that Matthew golden was beating up on Green Bay's corners when they were practicing in man coverage. And so I, I agree with Jamie. He's. He's a definite number three fantasy receiver. I will take the chance on him over a buka but not Pierce all.

[Adam]

And Jamie likes a buka over golden, right?

[Jamie]

Right? Yes.

[Adam]

All right. Would you start golden or Tyrone Tracy?

[Dave]

Golden.

[Jamie]

Golden and ppr?

[Adam]

Golden or Isaiah Pacheco?

[Jamie]

Golden.

[Dave]

I'm looking in my rankings because I don't have it off the top of my head. I have golden hire in half.

[Adam]

Ppr.

[Dave]

Sure.

[Jamie]

Golden.

[Adam]

Golden or Jalen Warren?

[Dave]

Golden.

[Jamie]

Golden and ppr.

[Adam]

All right, let's go a little higher. Golden or Aaron Jones?

[Jamie]

Jones by a mile.

[Dave]

I've got Golden Hire.

[Adam]

All right. Jones is another guy we can have a rankings dispute about in a little bit. All right, we're going to do. We did tier maker yesterday for Ravens. Bills. Let's do it again here. If you're watching YouTube.com fantasy football today. So tier one is the obvious must starts. Tier two, I think is like you're starting them. You don't. You don't necessarily love them. Like James Cook, for example was in tier two yesterday. So Jared Goff and Jordan love. Where are we putting them?

[Jamie]

Tier 3.

[Adam]

So that's a sit. That. That's a not an outright situation.

[Jamie]

Correct.

[Adam]

But it's not a start.

[Dave]

And who do you feel like there's too many tiers.

[Adam]

Don't, please. Let's just do what we can.

[Dave]

Okay?

[Jamie]

Fine.

[Adam]

Love or golf. By the way, who do you like better?

[Dave]

Golf.

[Adam]

And give me some guys. You would start over them real quick.

[Jamie]

Trevor Lawrence, Drake May.

[Dave]

Purdy, Kyler. Tyler's a good one.

[Adam]

Let's get the Montgomery. All right, let's throw. Yeah. Montgomery. Let's do Montgomery.

[Jamie]

Tier two.

[Dave]

Okay. I like it. I'm kind of looking at tier 1 as must start. Tier 2 is probably start.

[Jamie]

Yep.

[Dave]

Tier 3 is. Would prefer to sit tier 4 likely set tier 5 wise even on my fantasy team. By the way, why is tier five green and tier one red?

[Jamie]

That's fire.

[Adam]

If I am supposed to know who these players are by their picture, we're gonna have some trouble here.

[Jamie]

Jameer Gibbs is next.

[Adam]

Yeah, Jameer Gibbs. I know.

[Jamie]

It's Josh Jacobs. Must start.

[Adam]

All right, put Jamir. Put the next two guys in tier one. Jacobs and Gibson. Jacobs. All right.

[Dave]

I can't believe you. Just cha cha chud.

[Adam]

Jamie, put Sam Laporta in tier one. Must start. Put on Rusty.

[Jamie]

No, no, no, no, no. Sam Laporta is in tier two.

[Adam]

Who's sitting Sam Laporta?

[Jamie]

I just don't think he's slam dunk. The other two guys are slam dunks.

[Adam]

All right, put I'm on Ross and Brown in slam dunk. Must start. Where's tucker craft? Tier 3 prob start. Probably start clarity.

[Dave]

Well, no, that's probably sit. I think Tucker Craft is in.

[Adam]

Yeah, my bad. Wait, we got a typo there. Claire, you want to go pro? It says prop instead of prob.

[Dave]

We props it.

[Adam]

All right. Tucker Craft. Yeah. Is he top 12 for you guys this week?

[Dave]

Yeah, barely, but yes.

[Jamie]

No.

[Dave]

The Porter should be in tier one. Nobody's sitting Sam Laporte.

[Adam]

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Thank you, Claire.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Take that, Jamie. Jameson Williams. Interesting one here. Jameson Williams put him in tier two.

[Dave]

I'm more excited about JMO than most people. Like, I would honestly put him in tier one. I think he's awesome, but I get it. If you want to put him in tier 2, you should start him.

[Adam]

This team allowed. The packers allowed the third fewest fantasy points to wide receivers last year. So it's. It's not an easy matchup. You never know what kind of targets you're going to. I think, look, if I'm the Lions, this team just traded Kenny Clark. They should run the air out of the football in this game. So, Jamie, you're not as optimistic on Jameson Williams, are you?

[Jamie]

I think he's in that same category as Mecca Buka, Ricky Pierasol and Matthew golden this week. He is a must start in three receiver leagues and a ma maybe starting tour.

[Adam]

Do you like him ahead of those guys? Dave likes him ahead of those guys. Do you?

[Jamie]

I do like him ahead of those guys, but I don't think there's much difference between what their outlook is for this week comparatively to the other three guys.

[Adam]

Okay, and who are those three on the bottom there?

[Dave]

Well, one of them is Matthew Golden.

[Adam]

I think one of them's Golden. Golden Reed and I think Dobbs.

[Dave]

So here's what we should do. And this, I'm sure this is a real joy for everybody listening and not watching on YouTube. You should put golf and love in the situation tier and then put put golden and Jamie would probably have Jameson in that middle tier of. And Tucker Kraft could be there too in the. Just called the maybe pile.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Adam]

This didn't go as well as the Buffalo one. But Matthew Golden. That's Matthew Golden. He's in the probably sit. Yeah, he's in that.

[Jamie]

It's not probably. It's just maybe.

[Dave]

It's maybe maybe, Right. It depends on your league format.

[Adam]

So Jaden Reed is the first one there at the bottom.

[Jamie]

Just maybe he's a sit.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Adam]

And so is he.

[Dave]

Oh, why do you have him?

[Jamie]

No Jaden Reed. No.

[Dave]

Yeah, no, he should. He's a sit. You should have him.

[Adam]

We're gonna put Dobbs in the sit category too, because you have agreed nobody's.

[Dave]

In the why do you have him Tier.

[Adam]

And they should. You know, it's Packers, Lions.

[Jamie]

Where's. Where's Tesla? Why do you have.

[Adam]

We just put a picture.

[Dave]

Do we do this for every game now or is this just a no?

[Adam]

It went well again, I think so. I think we could do it. I mean, it's better visually, but for audio. Guess it didn't really work.

[Dave]

You want to recap it for everybody listening?

[Adam]

Yeah. The the must start guys are Gibbs, Jacob, St. Brown and laporta. The start is David Montgomery. So we like Montgomery better than golden, even in full ppr, right?

[Dave]

I'm not sure I have it ranked that way.

[Jamie]

Well, I'm sorry, what was the question?

[Adam]

I look at this chart and I see Montgomery's in a tier above Matthew golden and Jameson Williams.

[Dave]

Yeah, I've got in full ppr. I've golden ahead of Montgomery.

[Jamie]

I think Montgomery is a maybe.

[Adam]

Okay, move Montgomery down. And Montgomery is always going to be a little. Make you a little nervous. But I think it's going to be a good game for him, guys. I mean, I feel like the packers run defense is going to be its weakness.

[Jamie]

I don't disagree. I just think, you know, going back to again, where were these guys drafted versus what the expectations are for this week? So is he going to be in a lot of people's lineups? Yeah, he's probably going to be, I would say, 65 to 70 started. So there's a little bit of a gray area for a lot of people based on some of the projections that people are looking at. You know, I know, like for some sites I've seen, Tyrone Tracy's projections are huge. So that's a tough call for, I'm sure a lot of people. He's projected for more fantasy points than Isaiah Pacheco this week. So you might consider starting Montgomery over Pacheco.

[Dave]

Are you worried about Montgomery not having the same type of workload as he had when he was healthy last year?

[Jamie]

So John Morton Said yesterday, like the roles are probably going to be the same. The touches. I don't know if he said roll or touches, but he's. I think he said workload. The workload's gonna.

[Dave]

I. I read that he said we'll see.

[Jamie]

All right, maybe I saw the wrong thing. I think at this point, Montgomery just anticipate chance to score touchdown and probably 65 to 85 total yards somewhere in there.

[Adam]

For what it's worth, if he does.

[Dave]

That, then he's safer than golden.

[Adam]

This game has a total of 47. It's very. It's a high total. It's about the same as at Tampa Bay, Atlanta.

[Dave]

So same as last night's game.

[Adam]

Probably want to be leaning towards starts. The sits though. The guys we'd like to sit are golf, love, Reed and Dobbs. Dobbs and, you know, Dobbs, basically. Would you guys start Dobbs or Reed, by the way? All right. Start a dst.

[Dave]

No, I prefer not to.

[Adam]

All right, we're gonna take a break. San Francisco, Seattle. When we come back on fft. Now streaming. Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery. We don't know what we're looking for. Their bodies are the scene of the crime. Their symptoms and history are clues. You saved her life. We're doctors and we're detectives. I kind of love it if I'm being honest. Solve the puzzle.

[Dave]

Save the patient Watson. All episodes now streaming on Paramount.

[Adam]

Plus, is this a hit it situation? It's whatever kind of adventure we want it to be.

[Dave]

Now streaming on Paramount. Plus, it's an all new season of adventures. We have to stop this invasion, get to this shit.

[Adam]

This crew is a team. We are going to find our way out of this together.

[Jamie]

Hang on.

[Adam]

It's one in a thousand.

[Jamie]

We get it done right or don't.

[Dave]

Blow ourselves up along the way. I like those odds. We'll just turn it off before we blow up.

[Adam]

Star Trek.

[Dave]

Strange new worlds. New season.

[Adam]

Now streaming on Paramount. Brock Purdy did not quite crack the top 12 this week. 13th for Jamie, 14th for David, 18th for Heath. Seattle, you know, they could have a pretty good defense here. But Purdy, look, you can start Purdy. He's better than love, he's better than golf. But not as good as Trevor Lawrence, right? Not Drake May.

[Jamie]

No, I would start those other two over me.

[Adam]

All right. He scored 30 points and 20 points against Seattle last season on 28 past attempts in both games. Christian McCaffrey start him if he plays. Brian Robinson Jr. Would be where in your rankings if McCaffrey were out good.

[Dave]

Yeah, he'd be a low end starter. He might be like right at 24 in PPR because he doesn't catch a lot of passes.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Adam]

Seahawks defense, run defense was not good last year, but they've got some good personnel. They could turn that around. Ricky Pierce all so you guys want to wait and see on Juwan Jennings. Jennings is 81 rostered by the way. It's possible that he should be closer to 100 rostered. Pierce all is about right around 25th in your rankings. He's lower for Heath. Heath has him 36. We kind of talked about that. So you know, you got to make that decision. I think, I think always a guy. A guy like David Montgomery against the wide receiver is always tough. So like Pierce hall versus Montgomery.

[Jamie]

Where do you lean Pierce all in ppr, Montgomery in half and on.

[Dave]

It's. It's something I'm going to need to revisit if I'm going to believe that Montgomery has a floor of. Let's call it 12 PPR points. It. That still feels pretty safe. I do think Pearsall is more upside.

[Adam]

And Joanne Jennings or Romeo Dobbs?

[Jamie]

Jennings for now. If Reed is ruled out, I'll take Dobs.

[Dave]

Sounds good.

[Adam]

Here's a question. Ricky Pearsall, Stefan Diggs or RJ Harvey?

[Dave]

Pick two sitting digs.

[Jamie]

Yep.

[Adam]

Okay.

[Dave]

Don't know how much he's gonna fly start George Kittle.

[Adam]

I just thought it was funny that Sam Darnold was the number eight quarterback per game last year and he is not in the top 24 this week.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

There was a great article on ESPN about Sam Darnold and about how his very brief Stint with the 49ers boosted his career. He's. He learned behind Brock Purdy and he saw the way that Purdy and made me appreciate Purdy even more. He saw the way that Purdy always went through his progressions, did the right thing time after time after time. Had a big impact on Sam Darnold.

[Jamie]

Oh, Baker Mayfield said the same thing about his time with the Rams. And I hope for a lot of things that it helped Sam, helped Daniel Jones with his brief time with Minnesota. You know, you get, we, you know, we make the joke. You know, they go through the car wash but they get time with these exceptional coaches that spend a lot of time on little details and know how to make quarterbacks play at a higher level. And I mean, look, we are talking about guys that had pedigree, you know. Yeah, yeah. You know, they came into the NFL with A lot of talent. They were drafted in the first round. They were expected to be superstars and they failed. And a lot of that probably had to do with coaching. And so Darnold got coached and looked better and hopefully carries the rest of his career. So.

[Dave]

By the way, Darnold's position coach when he was in San Francisco is now his offensive coordinator in Seattle.

[Adam]

So. Yeah, okay. Sorry I got off track there. Now let's talk about San Francisco. Their defense. Last year they were 29th and points allowed. They were terrible. On third down they had. They had the second worst red zone defense in the NFL. They were beat up. This off season they lost two defensive backs, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Drake Greenlaw, who only played two games for them last year. They did acquire Bryce Huff. They drafted Michael Williams, 11th overall defensive lineman, and they brought back Robert Sala as their coordinator. But there is some concern, I think, about their defense. So this will be a test for them. We'll see. Start Ken Walker. Ken Walker or David Montgomery?

[Dave]

Walker.

[Jamie]

Walker. All right.

[Adam]

Everyone's gonna. Most people are gonna start King.

[Jamie]

This is going to be an interesting game to see how much they use Charbonnet in tandem with, with Walker. There's gonna be a lot of people panicking if it's, you know, the Walker perspective. If Charbonnet comes out and is close to 50, 50 split. I wouldn't panic on Charbonnet. If Walker comes out and dominates such us because we know how this situation plays out almost every year. So just understand the circumstances.

[Adam]

49Ers actually allowed the third most fantasy points to running backs last year. JSN's a start starter. Sit Cooper Cup.

[Jamie]

Heath laid out a pretty good argument for cup based on how his week ones typically go. But I think for me, cup and like Olave is a very similar situation. You know, like just somebody you want to see how it looks based on where you drafted these guys. Like, wouldn't shock me if cup came out and had a big game. You know, when he's healthy and you know, featured in, in an offense and have the chance to produce. But it is a new offense as new quarterback. It's a lot of things that are moving parts. You know, he was essentially the, the one A which he may be with, with jsn. But I, I think just based on how this offense should operate, JSN should lead the team to target. So I'd rather, you know, only start him in a three receiver in a flex league, two receivers and, and a flex. I would hope you have Better options, at least for week one.

[Dave]

I think it's risky because on top of all the questions that Jamie brought up, he's not the same guy that he was even last year in week one. And forget about the years before that when he came out and he was fresh. He's just not as fast anymore. I don't think he can beat man coverage. I don't know how much man coverage the Niners are even going to play. Probably not a lot. So he's going to need to rely on just getting open in space. And don't the Seahawks want to be a running team? Yeah, if this game's close, I don't know how much throwing Darnold's going to do, so I think it's a. I think it's a significant risk. If you start Cooper cup, there are a lot of receivers I'd rather start.

[Adam]

Trivia question. Over the last two years, how many catches does Cooper cup have against the 49ers? 23 and 20?

[Jamie]

24? 8.

[Dave]

I'll say. I bet it's even lower. I bet like he missed some of those games and so did he play four games.

[Adam]

He played one game. He had no catches on three targets. He has not caught a pass against.

[Dave]

That's not fair. He played in only one game.

[Adam]

He has not caught a pass against the 49ers since 2022. All right, that's it for this game. Sit the Seahawks tight ends. I got.

[Dave]

I'll take the over on zero receptions.

[Adam]

I'm hoping for a little Elijah Arroyo. And San Francisco's DST is top 11 for everyone in seventh for Dave and Jamie. We go to Minnesota and Chicago Monday night game. These defenses were so different last year. The Bears were terrible against the run. They allowed the fourth most fantasy points to running backs and they saw the fewest wide receiver targets in the NFL, 15.8 per game. The Vikings were good against the run and they saw the second most wide receiver targets in the NFL. They saw 23 wide receiver targets for games. You think about that. 7.2 more wide receiver targets per game against Minnesota than Chicago and the Vikings. They scored eight more points per game than the Bears. So teams had to throw against them more, but two completely opposite defenses. All right, rankings dispute of the game. Jamie, you have Aaron Jones 17th. Dave, you have him 25th. Go for it.

[Jamie]

Jamie again, just the history of what he has done against this team. And I think as long as he's healthy and going into the season, he's going to get every opportunity to lead the Vikings in touches. He's going to lose opportunities because of Jordan Mason, but I'm not worried about that based on this game, how this run defense should look and how Aaron Jones should perform. So to me, he's a very solid number two running back. 12 games in the last six years against the Bears, he has averaged 18.3 PPR points per game against this defense. Like, it's just fantastic what he does against Chicago. So I'm not going to sit Aaron Jones this week by any stretch.

[Dave]

I've got him on the, like, border of a number two running back. And so if you want to put him ahead of Pacheco or RG Harvey or Breece hall, that's fine. I get it. You could do something like that. But this is the first time we're going into a season where we're expecting Aaron Jones to split reps significantly. And that makes me worry about what his upside can be. And so averaging whatever he's done against Chicago, I don't even know if that matters. I think it helps that the offensive line for Minnesota is better. I don't think the Bears run defense is going to be any better than they were last year, but I do expect them to play a little more man coverage. That means that the safety could be down to help stop the run. I do wonder if when they're, when the Vikings are in short yardage situations, do they lean on Mason there because he's younger, stronger, and they try and save Jones. So I'm. I can't put him as a top 20 running back. Wouldn't surprise me if he ended up finishing the week as a top 20 running back. But I think that there are other running backs that have more upside than Jones based on what his situation is for this week and maybe for this season.

[Adam]

All right, as we run through this game, we're going to wait and see on J.J. mcCarthy. He's 71% rostered. He's 19th for Dave and Jamie, 23rd for. For Heath. Now the Bears again, they just didn't see a lot of pass attempts, so third fewest past attempts per game against in football last year because their run defense was so bad, but they weren't good.

[Jamie]

You also have. Sorry not to interrupt you. I. I know I walked away for a second. You also have J.J. mcCarthy making his first start. The easiest thing for to help him is going to have be a run game.

[Dave]

Right. And the Bears know that. So the easiest thing they'll do or not the easiest thing they'll do, the first thing they'll do is focus on the run and try and make the kids. They can't really do that, though, against Minnesota. Like I'm thinking about it as I say that because they've got Justin Jefferson.

[Adam]

Yeah, right.

[Dave]

What are they gonna do? They're gonna play one on one against Justin Jefferson.

[Jamie]

With. With.

[Dave]

I don't know if Jaylon Johnson's A gonna play or B is 100%.

[Adam]

All right, start Hawkinson, start Jefferson. Jalen Naylor did catch a touchdown both games that Addison missed last year. But Hawkinson also missed those games. Are we didn't have feel and they didn't have Thielen. Yeah. So is Thielen the guy you're looking at if you want a desperation play?

[Jamie]

I think there's going to be a handful of veteran guys that, you know, have strong games this week. You know, whatever, whatever to whatever degree you want. I don't know if you want to just say veteran guys, but like guys that we did not draft, guys that we, you know, did not spend a lot of time talking about. And there's probably two in this game. Thielen is one. He's clearly got a lot more, you know, of a lengthy resume and, and Zacchaeus, you know, just based on what his, you know, chances are after everything that unfolded in the preseason, I think Luther Burton, if you have him and he does not do anything unless you're just desperate, you have to make a roster move. Please, please be patient because he's going to eventually get a lot of opportunities to play, but it's going to be guys like Thielen and, and Zacchaeus and one of Parker Washington or Diami Brown in Jacksonville. And again, not a veteran guy, but circumstances have changed for one of Xavier Leguette or Hunter Renfro. Like there's going to be these guys that just have big type of games because of role changes or whatever. And the waiver wire conversation next week's gonna be fun. But in the case of. Of Thielen, I don't want to start him. But you may have a situation where you drafted Rashi Rice and Jordan Addison pre Rice suspension news and you're. And you're scrambling for options that are guys going to be.

[Adam]

I, I drafted, you know, I draft a lot of Christian Kirk and in three receiver leagues I was planning on starting Christian Kirk maybe as a flex and I'm starting Quentin Johnston in a league tonight. So I know fantasy managers have to. Have to stretch. They, they have to reach and these are, these are names that we need to talk about for sure.

[Jamie]

But yeah, I had a. It's a 20 team league, so a little bit different. Different, but like I'm pivoting from Christian Kirk to Josh Palmer. Okay.

[Adam]

Yeah, we'll see what happens. So it's, you know, if you ever hit on, on that, on those guys, like it feels good to take a shot on someone that no one's starting.

[Jamie]

And well, that's what, you know, beating the waiver wires for like you're. You have a chance to pick up one of these guys. Like Adam Thielen's schedule for the first three weeks is great. And so if he comes out and plays well, like you're going to be thrilled to have him for the three games that Jordan Addison's not there.

[Adam]

All right, back to this game. Caleb Williams, we're going to sit. Vikings had a great defense last year. They probably got better in the off season. They allowed the fourth.

[Dave]

Here comes a blitz on like 40% of their snaps.

[Jamie]

Yeah, Williams did have one good game against them that last year.

[Dave]

He did, he did.

[Adam]

He had one bad game and one great game. 31 points and 12 points in two games. They were trailing by 14 in the fourth quarter in the, in the great game. He had DeAndre Swift or Aaron Jones?

[Jamie]

Swift. Me.

[Adam]

All right. Swift is. Minnesota was really tough against the run and they added Hargrave and Allen on their line. So it's not a great matchup, but it's a great situation. So like RJ Harvey, Travion Henderson or DeAndre Swift?

[Jamie]

Henderson, Swift, Harvey.

[Dave]

I'll take the rookies ahead of Swift, but Swift is still a very good number two. Right.

[Jamie]

I think the one thing to look at with Swift and granted the offensive line is much better and the play caller is definitely much better. He had one game with, I think it was 19 total touches. So it's not like he didn't have the work.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

And the expectation is he's going to have the work. So what will he do with the work? Is. Is clearly the. The question here. And so I think he's just the number two running back. Like I wouldn't get cute with it and say he's, you know, should be started over, you know, a handful of guys. Like, again, for me, I like Aaron Jones situation much better than DeAndre Swift this week. So I'll take Jones over that.

[Dave]

And I would rather have the running back who's gonna probably dominate snaps and touches.

[Adam]

Yeah, we're getting a question here. Pick one. Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason or Jerome Ford. Half ppr. You got to go Aaron Jones there?

[Dave]

Yeah, I go Jones.

[Adam]

Okay. So Chicago wise.

[Jamie]

I like dream for it a lot.

[Adam]

But yeah, Chicago wide receivers. The Vikings gave up the most fantasy points to receivers last year. You guys do not have either guy in your top. Well, you have 30th, basically. DJ Moore Dunes is closer to 40th. So why so low on these guys? Dave, just week one. A lot of guys to start week one.

[Dave]

Lot of guys to start. And lack of confidence in the Bears passing game. It's really more of the lack of confidence in the Bears offensive line and the fact that Brian Flores is going to throw the house at Caleb Williams and we've seen Williams when he's under pressure and it's not pretty.

[Adam]

Okay, but no Harrison Smith probably. So if you have to start him, you might be.

[Jamie]

I think the tough calls will be if you drafted DJ Moore and Ibuka Piersol golden, those type of players that probably have more upside but probably have a lower floor. That's for DJ Moore.

[Adam]

Colson Loveland starter situation.

[Jamie]

I think you said him this week. You know, it's. It's a little bit trickier with him comparatively to Tyler Warren. If you're looking at the two rookie tight ends because Warren's got a better matchup. Warren does not have as much competition for targets. Although it's still crowded in Indianapolis for Loveland. It's like just so many moving parts right now with the Bears. So, like I'd like to see it first. I definitely want to roster Loveland. This is not a guy that if he has a bad game you're dropping because he could easily look like a superstar in a week. But if he comes out and has a big game, then you're going to be thrilled he's on your team.

[Dave]

I wonder if they try and scheme up Loveland because there's no Harrison Smith.

[Adam]

I wonder if they're going to do that too much. I feel like if you see. I'm sorry if you just said this, Jamie, but if you see Cole Comet out playing Loveland like more snaps in week one, don't panic. They could ease the rookie in a little bit.

[Jamie]

Yeah, of course.

[Adam]

All right. Minnesota's DST is top four. Sit the Bears DST the other game of the week. Giants at commanders. Here's your useless why even bother stat of the game. Daniel Jones scored 22.3 or more fantasy points in both games against Washington last year. And Russell Wilson scored 24.1 fantasy points at Washington in Week 10. Maybe a little DFS. Maybe a little DFS. Sneaky sneaky stack, Wilson and Neighbors.

[Jamie]

I don't think that's sneaky, buddy. Okay, Neighbors is not sneaky. The sneaky stack would be if you go Russ and Slayton like one of those.

[Adam]

All right, well, okay, fine. But Giant Stack I think would be maybe a little stinky. Maybe not. Giants play. The Commander is pretty tough. So I think the commanders are like six point favorites or something, right?

[Dave]

They're so much better the Giants are this year compared to last year.

[Adam]

Yeah, but they're not as good as the commanders. Five and a half point, no favorite. And 45 and a half is the over under. All right. Russell Wilson's not ranked. Tyrone Tracy is a really interesting call. He's out. He's behind Aaron Jones is behind Swift. He's behind Jalen Warren this week, right?

[Dave]

Yep.

[Jamie]

Not far, but yeah.

[Adam]

Tracy or Breeze?

[Jamie]

Hall. Tracy.

[Dave]

I have Hall.

[Jamie]

Higher.

[Adam]

Tracy or James? I think I did that. Like that Jameson Williams. Yeah, that Jameson Williams. A Buka Pearsall Group Tracy, what do you think?

[Jamie]

I would go with the receivers in pbr.

[Dave]

How about I have him? Yeah, I've got him behind all those receivers.

[Jamie]

I think the one thing that's going to be interesting to see is how much does he play on passing downs and the goal line work. The goal line work and especially the goal line work for a team that's not expected to score a lot. So.

[Adam]

Sorry. Tracy or Debo? Yes. Gotta move. Is healthy.

[Jamie]

I would go with Debo and dpr. Okay.

[Adam]

I'm curious about.

[Jamie]

Weird.

[Adam]

Well, why. What do we like about Debo?

[Jamie]

Well, you have McLaurin working his way back in. You know, he's talked about, he hopes not on a snap count, which I'd be surprised if he is. But like, there's probably one to two carries here. There's probably a little bit of show off the shiny new toy. And especially if the Giants pass rush is going to be as good as it can be, is get the ball out quick. Well, he's going to be operating near line scrimmage. So I think this is a good week for Debo Samuel, but he's again right in that mix of Abuka Pierce. All golden for me. Just, you know, a high end number three receiver.

[Dave]

The commanders don't necessarily want to use Debo the same way the 49ers did. It doesn't mean they won't. So certainly he can be a short area outlet, just like Earth's. And McLaren runs short routes, too. But they. They like him as a downfield threat.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but they were one of the Teams that use wide receiver screens the highest percentage.

[Dave]

Sure. So they can. It's just like I said, like, they're definitely going to use him in that regard a couple of times. Again, you said like, what, one to two carries for Debo? Would you be surprised if he had two to three screens every single week?

[Jamie]

I think there's. Forget about just targets, like manufactured touches for him.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

Like we're talking three to five a game.

[Adam]

Okay. So would you. Okay. Let's get back to this. So start neighbors, don't start any other Giants wide receivers. Theo Johnson. I am kind of interested, though, in Theo Johnson from a like a deeper league standpoint. He had four to six targets and five straight games to end the season. Seemed like they were featuring him in the preseason. Jaden Daniels starred him. Your favorite commanders running back is by a lot. Okay. And Eckler is ranked right around Tracy.

[Jamie]

That range.

[Dave]

He's behind Tracy for me.

[Jamie]

Yeah, I know. I would start Tracy too. But High inflex Terry McLaurin is number three, top 24.

[Dave]

He's 24th on the dot.

[Adam]

Okay. You like him better than Debo, I assume?

[Jamie]

Yes.

[Dave]

Huh.

[Adam]

He's got a great history against the Giants. He's averaged 16.5-PPR fantasy points per game in 11 games against the Giants. They might shadow him with Paulson Adibo, but I don't think it's going to go well. And Zach Ertz, what do you think? Like Zach, I haven't really asked about Tucker Craft. I kind of skipped him. But would you start Zach Ertz or Tucker Kraft?

[Jamie]

I would start Craft. I mean, the Giants, for what it's worth, were great against tight ends last year and Ertz had one okay game and one terrible game against them. I would actually start. If there's no Darnell Mooney, I would start Kyle Pitts over Zachary without question.

[Dave]

I would, too. Craft is. He's got the higher ceiling and a very, very close floor to Ertz.

[Jamie]

If you really wanted the worst matchup of any team, any Titans, that's true.

[Adam]

Well, actually, the Zach Ertz does. The Giants allowed the fewest fantasy points of tight ends and I went and looked. Shane Bowen, their defensive coordinator. He's been top six against tight ends in three of four seasons as a coordinator. He's been terrible in the other one. But there might. Might be something to that. I. I don't know. I mean, it could just be totally fluky.

[Dave]

But think about it might just be how they play. And Kraft is more of an explosive pass catcher and route runner anyway. Like Ertz run 6 yards and turns around. Tucker Kraft will run, like, a decent route downfield or.

[Adam]

The only thing Ertz did last year was score touchdowns and. And like.

[Jamie]

And kill the Eagles.

[Adam]

Now they have Debo. If you think Debo is going to be good and McLaren is going to be good, I just. I don't know. Maybe they just throw a lot.

[Dave]

Well, what's appealing for Ertz is that Jaden Daniels leans on him a ton whenever things break down or whatever. Right. That's true. But I think that'll stick. It's really about, like, manufactured touches. How many manufactured touches are they gonna have for Zach Ertz?

[Adam]

All right, Commanders DST is, I think.

[Jamie]

One thing with Tucker Craft, sorry, just to wrap it up, is he definitely benefits a lot if Reed is out because. Just one less mouth to feed.

[Adam]

Absolutely.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Okay. So Commander's DST is 9th for Jamie, 10th for Dave, and not ranked in the top 24 for Heath. Maybe he's feeling the upset. Houston's at the Rams stat of the game.

[Jamie]

He loves Russell Wilson. So all those things coming together, here you go.

[Adam]

Saturday for this one. I'm keeping an eye on the Rams defense. I don't know if the expectations are super high, but they're young, they've got some talent. They gave up 37 points to the Eagles in Week 12. After that, they average. They allowed an average of 16.7 points per game in their last seven games, including the playoffs, but not including Week 18, when they were sitting there. Starters. So the Rams defense came alive at the end of last season, which is something to keep in mind. The Texans, obviously, they could have one of the best defenses in football. They already were good. And they got C.J. gardner, Johnson. So we're going to sit Stafford, we're going to sit Stroud. Stroud's 23rd. For both of you, we're going to start Kyron Williams. It is a tough matchup, but Kyron Williams, you obviously are starting. Earlier in the show, the guys said they don't want to start Nick Chubb. If you guys have any in the chat, any Nick Chubb questions, you know, please fire away. If Nick Chubb doesn't look good, it may not be long before they turn to Woody Marks. So he's.

[Jamie]

Please.

[Adam]

Exactly. He's 23% rostered. Take a shot. Okay. Nico Collins for sure. If you had to choose between a Texans wide receiver and Nick Chubb, who would you.

[Dave]

I'll start Nico over Nick Chubb. Thanks for asking.

[Adam]

Who would you take? Nick Chubb or Higgins or Noel who?

[Jamie]

Higgins.

[Dave]

Wow. Really? Higgins is more fun.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Dave]

Like, Chubb is tough.

[Jamie]

Sorry. Is your question. If you were doing it right, you.

[Dave]

Have to start one of.

[Jamie]

Oh, I would start shop over the receivers. Okay. If you had to pick a Texas.

[Dave]

Receiver, Chubb is the safest. But if he doesn't score, it could be very, very ugly.

[Jamie]

If you look at Chubb's good games last year, it was like 59 yards rushing in a touchdown, you know, so he could do that.

[Adam]

Dave made the case for Dalton Schultz as a what if you're desperate?

[Dave]

Sleeper titan.

[Adam]

The Rams stunk against tight ends. They did give up the third most fantasy points to tight ends.

[Dave]

They. They restocked at linebacker, so maybe they'll be a little bit better there, but I feel like I need to see it first.

[Adam]

And then you've got Puka and Adams. So everyone's starting Puka Adams. You guys have 15th. All right. Not much really to say there. I'll just leave this game. It's just obvious what you're doing with this game. You're starting Kyren Nico Adams and Puka Chubb is going to lead to some questions for people who are desperate. You're sitting the quarterbacks stashing Woody Marks. And if you're desperate, you can go to one of those secondary. Jaden Higgins, Jalen Knowles and the Texans. DST is 6th for Jamie, 11th for Dave, 14th for Heath. Arizona's at New Orleans. Gotta start Kyler. So I know you guys like Lawrence and Drake. May you starting them over. Kyler, are you going with Kyler Murray?

[Dave]

Kyler feels a little risky, but I can't help myself. It's Kyler Murray.

[Adam]

Love, Connor. This week.

[Dave]

This could be a Jobu game. A Week 1 JobU game? Does that even exist? Adam for who? For basically everybody in Arizona, but especially Kyler Murray. If they come out and they're flat and they stink, there's questions about, you know, what the hell did they do all off season? Because this is supposed to be an easy matchup. I know it's on the road, but you fixed up the offense. You supposedly made changes. Kyler's motivated. He wants to run more. He wants to show that he can complete fade routes and back shoulder throws to Marvin Harrison. You've got this stud tight end. If they. If they lose this game, I've got all kinds of questions about what Jonathan Gannon's doing out there.

[Adam]

Oh, if they lose this game, Survivor pools are going to be flipped upside down.

[Dave]

Well, this isn't the game to take. It's Denver that you should take.

[Adam]

Well, you want to save Denver, don't you?

[Jamie]

You don't want to lose week one.

[Dave]

Correct.

[Adam]

Here's a good question. Adams, Marvin, Harrison Jr. Or Jerry? Judy.

[Jamie]

Harrison's third group.

[Adam]

Who's first?

[Jamie]

Adams.

[Dave]

Adams is first.

[Adam]

Okay. Harrison Jr. Do you crack your top 24?

[Jamie]

Yes.

[Dave]

He is 23rd. Judy is 22nd.

[Adam]

Look, if you drafted Cardinals and you don't start them against the Saints, I don't know why you drafted Cardinals.

[Jamie]

Right. The one thing I want to see is let's get Trey McBride a touchdown week one.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Dave]

I feel that such a good matchup form too.

[Adam]

Yeah, baby.

[Dave]

A bunch of older linebackers in in New Orleans pass rush isn't that strong. Brandon Staley is the defensive coordinator. I know Chargers fans are probably they know what to expect now. They'll feel much better about starting Cardinals players.

[Adam]

I like Kyler of Duty. That's a good team name there. There was a team name in Heath's FFT open league that I meant to mention yesterday that I didn't see results.

[Dave]

That's funny. Hopefully. Hopefully he's not Kyler of duty.

[Adam]

Tell me that Alvin Camara is a start for you guys. 17th in non PPR for Dave, 20th for Jamie, but in full PPR. Alvin Camara is 13th or 14th for everyone. And Arizona was really bad against running back Arizona. They talking like they're going to have a good defense this year. They've invested in it with draft picks, free agency and whatnot. So we'll see. We like their DST. That was our streamer of the week. They're 56% rostered and they get Carolina next week as well. All right, so then really Olave and Shahid we talked about at the top of the show but final thoughts on you guys are sitting Shaheed but I guess in the like Texas Nick Chubb or Rashid Shahid.

[Jamie]

I still start job but it's close.

[Dave]

I'll start Shaheed if catches count for anything and if you're in a three wide receiver one flex league, I think Shahid could be your flex.

[Adam]

But definitely Olave over Chub.

[Dave]

Definitely Olave as a number three receiver.

[Adam]

As of right now, Olave has started in 16 of leagues so people are definitely taking the he just wasn't drafted.

[Jamie]

In a range where he's a mustard guy. That's the thing.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Dave]

And he's not a mustard guy. He's like a really good number three receiver.

[Adam]

Now what I want to see because the biggest concern for a lot I don't know about the biggest. But one of the concerns was that last year, in five games where he was healthy, Shahid was healthy, Derek Carr was healthy. He had 28 targets and Shahid had 34 and Camara had 28. So Camara and Olave had a 21.5% target share. Shaheed had a 26.2% target share. Nobody stood out in the red zone. Nobody stood out in the end zone. And Shahid was getting that 26 target share with a 16.8 yard ADOT, which is insane. You don't get that kind of target share when your adot's that high. He. Olave has to establish himself as the number one wide receiver.

[Dave]

All right, agreed.

[Adam]

That is it.

[Dave]

By the way, that stat makes me want to carry Tori Horton on my bench this week. Oh, like that puts it him over the top compared to almost everybody else that we talked about beating the waiver wire with. That's the speed receiver in Seattle. Clint Kubiak was the play caller in New Orleans last year. So if he's Seattle's version of Shaheed.

[Adam]

Wow, that can't be the number one. Beat the waiver wire guy. Like, no way.

[Dave]

Who would be. Who would be.

[Jamie]

Woody Marks.

[Adam]

Woody Marks.

[Dave]

I'd rather carry Horton for one week and see what happens.

[Jamie]

Really?

[Dave]

I like.

[Adam]

All right, you know what?

[Dave]

All right.

[Adam]

I think it's going to mean that.

[Jamie]

I think if we're going. If we're going that route, I'd rather have Deontay Thornton.

[Adam]

Okay.

[Dave]

Nope, I'd rather forten than Thornton, but both over Kyle orton.

[Adam]

Thank you, Dr. Seuss. We will. Oh, wait. Why are people saying I'm clueless? That's not nice. Adam is clueless. What did Ben say? Saints are a completely different team. Yeah, no, I. I know they're a completely different team, but the fact. But Olave and Shahid are the same people. I didn't check. I haven't given them a DNA test, but they're the same people they were last year. They. When they were on the field, Shahid was out targeting him.

[Dave]

What does 23andMe say about who I should start this? No, but to their point, it's a different offense. It's. They definitely upgraded at play caller with Kellen Moore. I just don't know if he's got enough toys to make it work and to put up a lot of points. It's. This is more of a PPR thing and a volume thing for me on why these guys are interesting. Olavi and Shahid are interesting, but it's. It's still not going to be pretty until they've got their quarterback situation figured out.

[Adam]

Yeah, look, that might not be till next year. I. I drafted. I didn't draft Shahid. I drafted Olave. I. I understand. I still expect Olave to have more targets. I'm just pointing out didn't happen last year.

[Dave]

It could be close.

[Jamie]

I do like the fact that Olave is playing in the slot.

[Adam]

Have a wonderful weekend. We got the mailbag coming up. And don't freak out when you see a total of 60 seconds of commercials on Red Zone. We're all going to be okay. Thank you to Dave and Jamie and Claire. We'll talk to you on the mailbag on Fantasy football today. See ya. Paramount Podcasts now streaming. Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery. We don't know what we're looking for. Their bodies are the scene of the crime. Their symptoms and history are clues. You saved her life. We're doctors and we're detectives. I kind of love it, if I'm being honest. It's all been puzzle.

[Dave]

Save the patient Watson. All episodes now streaming on Paramount Pl.