
Best options for Week 15 and Week 16 if you have a bye. Adam Thielen, Patrick Taylor, Hunter Henry, Anthony Richardson, Sincere McCormick, Christian Watson, Josh Palmer and more
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Adam Azer
I've been eating at Chipotle for at least 15 years, and for me, chicken burrito, white rice, guac salsa, that's my order. But I tried something new the other day. It's Chipotle's Smoked Brisket. And I'll be trying it again and again and again. It's so good. Seasoned with Mexican spices and finished with a smoky sauce with chipotle peppers. It's got so much flavor and it's got spice, but it's not too spicy. Now you trust me for fantasy advice. I give even better food advice. Go get Chipotle's Smoked Brisket. But Chipotle Smoked Brisket is only here for a limited time, so you need to go try it. It's available in all Chipotle restaurants, the chipotle app or chipotle.com. i'm a changed man. I am a brisket believer. Go get the Chipotle Smoked Brisket right now. Listen, I don't care if your fantasy team's won. If your favorite team beat its arch rival, your football sundae isn't going to be good enough if you don't nail the food aspect of it. If you're not using Hellman's Real mayonnaise, what are you doing? Come on. Hellman's Real Mayonnaise is a rich, creamy mayonnaise made with real simple ingredients. Hellman's can be used to bring out the best rich, creamy, delicious flavor in a variety of dishes, dips, sandwiches, deviled eggs, sauces, salads, and more. Look, if you're having people over to watch the game or you just want to have good food by yourself, consider this little tip from me. My wife makes the best buffalo chicken dip. The key ingredient, Hellman's Mayonnaise. It brings it to another level. It's probably my favorite snack on game day. So let me finish by imploring you to step up your mayonnaise game with a series of puns. Mayo game day be delicious. Mayo dip, be creamy. And your fantasy team be dreamy. And how about this for a fantasy team name Drake Mayo. You get the point. You can purchase Hellman's at your local Walmart, Kroger or grocery store and use it to add extra deliciousness and creamy flavor to your game day dishes this football season.
Dave Richard
Hey there.
Jamie Eisenberg
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Dave Richard
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Heath Cummings
This is fantasy football today from CBS Sports.
Dave Richard
What a play.
Adam Azer
Can you believe this?
Dave Richard
No, I can't.
Heath Cummings
It's time to dominate your fantasy league.
Adam Azer
Off to the races and he stays at his feet. This is going to go the distance.
Heath Cummings
Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.
Adam Azer
What's up everybody? Welcome to fantasy football Today presented by BetMGM, the sportsbook born in Vegas. Congratulations if you made the playoffs. Week 15 is here. If you didn't make the playoffs, maybe you're still fighting in a 10 team league or maybe you're eliminated and you're just hanging out. We appreciate you. Welcome in Adam Azer, Dave Richard and Jamie Eisenberg. Guess what, It's a week where there's a. There's a lot of quarterbacks with great matchups on the waiver wire but a lot of them stink. A lot of them are pretty bad. So can you trust Aaron Rogers this week or will Levis if he plays, or Cooper Rush? We'll talk about that. How we doing? We in a good mood, Dave? We make a lot of playoffs.
Heath Cummings
I did. I cut down on my leagues this year. I've talked about it. 13 leagues. I made the playoffs in 10 of the 13.
Dave Richard
Oh, that's awesome.
Adam Azer
That's terrific. Jamie, what Was your rate?
Dave Richard
29 redraft leagues. 19 of 29 playoffs.
Adam Azer
Oh my gosh. Well, I'm a little embarrassed. Am I even going to say that? I just. Yeah, five of 11 for me. Very disappointing.
Heath Cummings
Five championships. Well, how many of those leagues are you in with me before we give you five championships? Maybe not.
Adam Azer
We all made it in the FFT league and I think that's the only league that I'm in with you. Are you still on the IDP league?
Heath Cummings
No.
Adam Azer
Yeah, my leagues, so. But yeah, it was actually pretty good. Again, the streak continues. No last place finishes. Never happened. It's never happened. All right, so listen, yesterday was a crazy day. Well, the week, Sunday and Monday, crazy days. Big scores. Got an email from someone who said, I got a crazy fantasy story comeback I want to share with you guys. Two of my friends are in a league together. They played each other. Team A was 7 and 6, team B was 6 and 7 and team A was up 110.4 points going into the week on Team B and they were facing each other. Team b won by 110.6, beat the crap out of TBA, beat his friend by 110.6, got the point differential by point 2 points and is in the league. So I've seen a lot of stories like this. That's really cool. And now we're, we have to help you with week 15 and week 16 if you have a buy. So here we go. Top three waiver wire priorities. Jamie, who do we got?
Dave Richard
It's, it's a little messy at running back with the injuries and there are some guys that could help you, so that's probably the best place to go. But I do think that Adam Thielen should be added across the board. I mean when we said it last week that he should be added and he exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds what he did against Philadelphia. So two back to back amazing games. He's easily the number one player to pick up and potentially start this week as they take on a Dallas defense that just lost another player to injury against the Bengals. So he's number one after him. I think the safest options are, you know, safest options, but the best options are probably the two running backs that you could use as potential starters this week, certainly as flex options. Looks like Isaac Arundel is going to miss the Thursday night game against the Rams. So Patrick Taylor's next man up could be at least a flex option against a Los Angeles defense that has struggled against the run lately. And then sincere McCormick if he gets the start again for the Raiders, another potential flex play. You could throw Isaiah Davis in the conversation if you want to also, but it feels like that could be still a messy situation because Breeze hall could return and you have still both guys basically splitting snaps evenly. Davis got the touchdown. Allen still had very good numbers. They were similar in terms of what their, their touches were. So I think it's stealing. And then, you know, pick your two favorite running backs.
Adam Azer
Feeling Patrick Taylor, sincere McCormick, maybe a Jets running back or which in most leagues would be Isaiah Davis as Braylon Allen is rostered in about 84% of leagues. Something like that. Dave, who are your top three priorities?
Heath Cummings
Taylor's @ the top for Me just because it's, it's opportunity. We think that he'll be the primary running back for the 49ers. He's not a great talent. There's a reason why he was third slash, fourth string. I guess it's fourth string in San Francisco, but here he is with fresh legs on a short week against a Rams defense that just got ran over, not literally run over by Buffalo. They got thrown over by Buffalo, ran over by Josh Allen. But I think he's going to have a shot at 15 touches and I do think he's got a good opportunity. So unless I am in need, like I need somebody for George Pickens, I need somebody because I'm not happy with my wide receivers or if I can't get my hands on Hunter Henry, Taylor's going to be number one. Feelings number two. Hunter Henry. I just said his name. He's available in 39% of leagues on CBS. I'm sure a lot of people dropped him because of the bye week, but we know what his track record has been with Drake. May I would gravitate back to him as a low end top 12 fantasy tight end. That's my top three. Taylor, Thielen, Henry.
Adam Azer
So Taylor and Thielen for both of you. Hunter Henry for Dave. Hunter Henry is the number one tight end for Jamie. So I don't think it's going to be a disagreement there, but Jamie just mentioned sincere McCormick, does Hunter Henry's matchup scare you? The Cardinals have been really good against tight ends this year.
Dave Richard
No, I mean, it does to a certain extent. But again, you know, you're still talking about a guy that's been uber targeted and has a chance to be, you know, a top 12 Titan. I mean, think about the guys that we're talking about here. You know, when you get past the top four or five guys, you know, John, who Smith just had a game after that three week stretch where he needed overtime to get all of his catches, yards and his touchdown. So is he safe? Probably ahead of this group. But then you get to Tucker Kraft and Sam Laporta and Zach Ertz and you know that's where Hunter Henry belongs, you know, so I, I think he's, he's definitely worth starting. Is he going to have a great game? Is Drake, Megan have a great game? This Cardinals defense has been really good. You know, they got run all over last week by Seattle and that's really been their only flaw in basically the last month. So aside from maybe Ramon Dre Stevenson, you know, picking up from where Zach Charbonnet left off, which I doubt. I think it's going to be tough for him. But you're still probably starting him in more cases than not.
Heath Cummings
You're not joking. He is uber targeted.8 plus targets in four of his last five games and at least 9.4 PPR points in each of those games. So Uber targeted. And he's giving your fantasy team quite a lift.
Adam Azer
I get it. That's Hunter Henry we're talking about here. And then let's just talk a little bit more about Patrick Taylor. It's a Thursday game, which complicates things for Isaac Orendo. They're facing the rams, who allow 4.6 yards per carrier. Running backs have mostly been solid against running backs, but two of lately, but two of the last three running backs. Barkley scored about 46 points. Camara had a big game, he ran for 112 yards. Then James Cook, of course, six carries for 20 yards. We'll just, we'll call it a favorable.
Dave Richard
Matchup though because Josh Allen had what, three rushing touchdowns? Two rushing touchdowns in the game. I.
Adam Azer
Does that really matter?
Dave Richard
Well, I mean, I know at least one was short area, you know, so that could certainly where, you know, Taylor comes into play.
Adam Azer
Yeah, look, I mean it's certainly not a matchup you're running away from. It might be a really good matchup here. He had seven carries for 25 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. There's also Israel Banacanda, Keyshawn Vaughn in the. In the potential.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, I want to talk about a Banacanda later.
Adam Azer
I mean we could. I think we should talk about it now. I mean, how big of a priority, you know, if you are feeling good about your running backs, do you pick up Patrick Taylor or do you only do it if you're feeling desperate? And where are you ranking him? And for the record, as we sit here at 9:20am on Tuesday, they have not ruled out Garendo. He said it was precautionary leaving the game. We are not expecting him, but it is not conclusive that he's out this week yet. So we have to pay attention to the practice reports today. But Dave, where are you ranking Patrick Taylor this week?
Heath Cummings
He'll end up being a borderline number two, number three fantasy running back. And it's just, it's like I said, it's based on opportunity. Will he be the only running back up for the 49ers? Of course not. That's where I think a banana. Candida. If I don't know how the coaches feel about him and how acclimated he is to this offense. They also have Keyshawn Vaughn, but he's been a jag pretty much his entire career.
Dave Richard
But he knows the offense, how they.
Heath Cummings
Can sort out those guys. But Taylor does have some passing downs work under his belt as well as rushing. And so I don't mind him this, I don't mind any running back for the Niners in general, but if it's somebody with fresh legs who's going to get the opportunity. I keep saying that word. That's what matters here. And so I what type of scenario would I have to be in where I would pass over Taylor on my playoff bound team? I guess it would have to be I'm loaded at running back where I don't need to add to my depth and I don't need to play keep away from my opponent. And as long as it's those two things then maybe I won't make that big move toward Taylor. But what if Garendo misses multiple weeks and Taylor's the lead back for the 49ers rest of season? That would be pretty interesting. I'd like to have that guy on my team.
Dave Richard
That that's the I think the biggest caveat is if you, if you think you're getting the starting running back for the 49ers, you should be adding that regardless. But I think if you're playing keep away and you have the opportunity to keep a player away from your opponent, I would much rather have my opponent starting the fifth string running back because let's not forget Elijah Mitchell was part of the rotation when they started camp. The fifth string running back for the 49ers as opposed to what Thielen has done the last two weeks. So I, if you're saying okay, you could plug one of these two guys in as a flex, I am much rather, yeah, I feel much more more safer saying okay, you start. Taylor, who could share with Vaughn, who could share with a band of Canda, who could share with Juice check. You know, we don't know exactly how this is all going to play out for San Francisco on a short weekend, a must win game for them. Do they trust Patrick Taylor to get, you know, those 15 plus touches whereas Thielen has been an absolute stud the last two weeks and now is facing Dallas. So like I'm in a spot where it's a 10 team league and I just looked at waiver wire just at a glance last night and I need a defense. The Ravens are sitting there but I know that the. The guy that I'm playing is going to pick up, probably pick up Thielen and start him against me. And I'm like, do I want to go to the commanders who. I love their matchup this week because of the situation for New Orleans.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, you will.
Dave Richard
And pass on the Ravens, which could easily be the best defense this week because they're playing like it's a tough call, you know. So do you give your opponent.
Adam Azer
I think if you go Thielen for sure.
Heath Cummings
I think you go Thielen because the drop. Right.
Dave Richard
But. But again, that's. That's the thing. Are you. Are you worried about your team more? Are you worried about somebody else's team more? You know, when you're playing, when you're trying to factor these into the equation, you know, so that also is something that comes into play. But in any event, I do think in terms of the best player overall for this week, Dave made great point about, you know, Taylor if he's the starting running back. I just think, like, for me, Thielen has the most upside across the board.
Adam Azer
Okay. Yeah. And it's a good point. And make sure you check your opponent's lineup and see what your opponent needs. And don't be afraid to play a little bit of defense against your opponent if it can. Now, got to talk about fab real quick because we. We brought it up briefly last week. Again, I said. I wish I had said it more on Tuesday. People spent way too much fab on Isaac Orndo because you didn't have to. You have to look at the other people in your league and how much fab they have. I don't know if Thielen is going to get the Garando treatment. And yeah, I think it's reasonable to spend most of your fab on Thielen at this point. But here's my point. If you have $50 in fab left and the next highest in your league of the remaining teams has 30, spend 31 on feeling. Don't spend 50. I saw it over and over again with g people spending 100% of their fab on Isaac Oro when the second highest bid was not even close to that because nobody had that much fab. So just make sure you're checking. It's. You know, you can do it if you go to it. It's the best way to do it on cbs.
Dave Richard
If you go on the. The free agent page.
Adam Azer
Oh, go to my team. If you go to my team.
Dave Richard
But if you're looking at the free agent page, there's the. In the top right corner. You could see the budgets.
Adam Azer
Yeah, right.
Heath Cummings
It shows how much you have left. And then you click that and you can see Everybody. It takes 15 seconds.
Dave Richard
Yeah. And I do wonder, Adam, just in the scenarios you're bringing up, which you're.
Adam Azer
You're.
Dave Richard
You're again, 100. Right. In how people should approach it. I wonder if some of those 100 bids were people that just needed to win and get in and weren't worrying about, you know, past this. They should have.
Adam Azer
Well, it doesn't matter. But, yeah, that's the point.
Heath Cummings
Orndo was worth the big bid. Like, he. If you totally.
Dave Richard
No, no.
Heath Cummings
But out of the playoffs, it was worth it.
Adam Azer
Yeah.
Dave Richard
But Adam's point is don't spend more than you have to.
Adam Azer
Don't spend more than you have to. Exactly.
Heath Cummings
But I think life advice, too.
Adam Azer
Do you think Thielen is in that category of spend pretty much everything on him?
Dave Richard
I mean, you look what he's done the last two games. You look at the way that this team is operating right now and the matchup that they have, you know, you get to. I just want to make sure I have it right. They get Arizona next week, right? Yeah.
Heath Cummings
Dallas, Arizona, Tampa.
Dave Richard
Right. So two of the three games, you already seen him, you already saw him beat up on Tampa. And this matchup is certainly not one to fear against Dallas. And so if he's still going to get eight plus targets with the way Bryce Young is throwing the ball right now, like he's top 24 run receiver. You know, go back to the conversation we had Sunday. I'm starting him over Metcalf. I'm starting him over Debo Samuel. That's easy. You know, Malik, Neighbors. I would much rather start Adam Thielen right now. You know, so that's just where we are.
Heath Cummings
That's crazy. But it's also true. And then I was about to say, well, wait a minute. Could the Panthers run their way to victory over the Cowboys? Like, maybe not have Bryce Young throw as much as normal. And then I think about the Panthers defense and I go, nah, they're probably gonna have to throw a decent amount.
Adam Azer
Yeah, he only threw 34 times against the team. That's been the best defense in football.
Heath Cummings
34 is good.
Adam Azer
And Adam Thielen. We like Adam Thielen against the team that was destroying wide receivers, had 102 yards at nine catches. It's two straight games with 99 or more yards, 10, 10 to 11 targets and 19 or more PPR fantasy points for Adam Thielen. All right. And the Cowboys, honestly, the Cowboys defense has been playing a lot better but losing over shown it hurts. That guy's been playing great and he had the knee injury yesterday. You guys watched the Simpsons yesterday?
Heath Cummings
I did catch some of it, yes.
Adam Azer
It was cute, you know.
Heath Cummings
Yeah.
Adam Azer
All right. There are some waiver wire quarterbacks with great matchups this week, like Will Levis against the Bengals.
Dave Richard
Aaron Rodgers is going to play.
Adam Azer
Yeah. Well, it seems they seem optimistic he's going to play. But Levis has the Bengals if he plays Cooper Rush at Carolina, Aaron Rogers at Jacksonville, Kirk Cousins at Las Vegas and whichever Raiders quarterback gets to face Atlanta. I wish those guys were a little bit more appealing. And then there's Anthony Richardson against Denver. Don't think they're going to have Riley Moss, but I'm not sure yet. Their number two cornerback. We'll talk about that in a little bit. But listen, the holiday season is here. This is a true story. We are holiday shopping right now. We're online looking for a whole bunch of things I said to my wife. I said, hey, listen, go to shop.cbsports.com/fantasy. I didn't say it in such a, you know, advertisement way. I don't, oh, I didn't say it. I don't talk like this off the air. But go to shop.cbsports.com fantasy there's actually some really cool stuff on there. There's this little Pac man machine that I've really got my eye on. But there's, there's, it's okay for this is the fantasy football TODAY new fan shop powered By Shop Sense, shop.cbs sports.com fantasy I'll put a link in the episode description. You can scan the QR code if we're able to do that. I know we're having some issues with our video today, but this is where you go if you want the ultimate gift for the fantasy football manager out there. There's league prizes, there's an I think there's like an I suck at fantasy football shirt, that kind of stuff. Or there's also stuff if you want to upgrade your fan cave. If you're just a big fan. Sports memorabilia, game day decor perfect for the holiday season. Visit the shop now@shop.cbsports.com fantasy we're going to take a break here on Fantasy Football Today news and notes and much more waiver wire when we come back.
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Heath Cummings
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Adam Azer
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Dave Richard
Well, it, there's, there's some differing reports. He is considered week to week. They are not planning to put him on IR and I believe Darren Rizzi said they're even not ruling him out for the game against the Commanders yet. So I would be shocked if he played. I mean they have nothing to play for. Why are they going to risk him going out there with a broken hand? So at this point we just don't know who the backup or who the starter is going to be because it could be Hayner or it could be Spencer Rattler.
Adam Azer
All right, so Derek Carr with the hand injury. Aiden oconnell this. I thought that he was going to have a season ending injury. He might play this week. He has a bone bruise in his knee. That is excellent news. I'm forget about fantasy. Happy to see that's not a serious injury for O'Connell. Drew Lock is going to be the starter if healthy, but he had an MRI yesterday. Giants quarterback Drew Lock. The Falcons sticking with Kirk Cousins. The Browns sticking with Jameis Winston for week 15. And according to Jay Glazer, Aaron Rodgers has been playing through a hamstring tear, a sprained MCL and a high ankle. Sprained. So that is. Yeah, that is something.
Heath Cummings
Running back news that explains a lot.
Adam Azer
Yeah. Breeze hall has a chance to play this week. He has not been ruled out. Isaac Orendo was listed as a DNP on the estimated practice report on Monday. They play the Rams on Thursday. Ken Walker will undergo testing on his calf. No update yet on his status. John Johnathan Brooks retour his right acl.
Dave Richard
Such a shame.
Adam Azer
Yeah. We have time to talk about this in later weeks obviously, but right now if you're, if you're drafting for 2025, Chuba Hubbard is a round blank pick five.
Heath Cummings
Thought about it at all?
Adam Azer
Five. Wow. I mean he's played well enough to be ahead of that, but. All right.
Dave Richard
Offensive line is going to be really good again and you hope that the passing game just continues to improve.
Heath Cummings
So where did you say what Round.
Dave Richard
Five at the latest. Latest, I think.
Adam Azer
Yeah, I was thinking three or four but I don't know that I'd take him. But I feel like that's where his ADP would be.
Dave Richard
I wouldn't take him that early, but I think, you know, once we get past the stud running backs and then that, you know, group of receivers that's going to come off the board, then he's probably next. It'll be a top 20 running back.
Adam Azer
Bucky Irving's got this back injury, so we're gonna. We're just gonna have to monitor that. Wide receiver news. We got demarcus Robinson with an AC sprain and a Thursday game at San Francisco. Romeo Dobbs and Cedric Tillman still in the concussion protocol. They've got time to clear it, but they've missed two games. Believe both of them missed two games or yeah, two games. Unless I think I don't remember. George Pickens may not play this week, so he's got a hamstring injury and that's one that if you have Pickens, you should be making alternate plans. Tight end news will Disleys out a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury and Tyler Higby could play this week. Thursday at San Francisco no practice for Trent Williams. Kansas City lost offensive tackle D.J. humphries. The Giants are going to be without at least one interior offensive lineman, if not two, against the best, arguably the best run defense in football, the Ravens, who are also getting healthier on their defensive line. So Tyrone Tracy is going to be a tough one this week. Tyron Armstead doesn't seem great for him this week. That's the Dolphins left tackle, Dallas center Cooper BB left with a concussion. Jets right tackle Morgan Moses has an injury. And the big injury news. Sauce Gardner could play this big on defense. Sauce Gardener could play this week at Jacksonville. I get mentioned Baltimore getting healthier up front. Nick Bosa for the Knives coming back. Pierce and Travis Jones they practiced in full. Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsom is going to miss time with a hamstring injury. Their past defense has been horrible without with him. I mentioned demarvian over shown for the Cowboys with the knee injury. Let's hope that's not too serious. Look bad and we'll move on. Top three players at each position. Jamie, we haven't talked much about the quarterbacks yet. Who are the top three quarterbacks to get?
Dave Richard
Richardson's right at the threshold of players that we talk about 65%. So if he's out there, I think he's still worth starting. Against the Broncos, you mentioned some of the injuries that they were dealing with in week 13. We'll see who's healthy, but really it's not much about him throwing, it's about what he'll do as a, you know, dual threat. And he's been running a little bit more lately, if not a lot more by comparison to whatever you've been, you know, viewing him at least 6.1 fantasy points with his legs and three outings in a row, so that gives him a nice floor if he's going to continue to do that with three rushing touchdowns over that span. Jameis Winston still going to be the starter for the Browns. Kevin Stefanski confirmed that on Monday. So a little bit better matchup for him this week taking on the Chiefs. As we know, prior to last week, they've been struggling a little bit against opposing quarterback. So Winston's still in the starting range. You know, not a top 12 guy, but certainly a top 15ish quarterback. And same thing with Aaron Rodgers. He's third for me. 18 fantasy points or more in three games in a row. Five is last six. Great matchup against the Jaguars. I think he'll do better than Will Levis did. So with the way his receivers played last week, hopefully they stay in bounds on a few more plays. But Garrett Wilson and Devonte Adams should hopefully help Rogers get to that 18 plus point range. There's not a. Outside of really Richardson and potentially Winston, there's not a guy that I think has 22 to 25 point potential. Rogers really hasn't done that consistently. Bryce Young is after Rogers for me. So there's just, you know, not a lot of, not a lot of certainty there. But like you said, some guys have some great matchups.
Adam Azer
Richardson against the Broncos. Top 12 guy.
Dave Richard
Yep.
Heath Cummings
Dave, not for me.
Adam Azer
Okay. Would you start Caleb Williams this week against Minnesota or Anthony Richardson?
Heath Cummings
Richard Richardson.
Adam Azer
Wow. Okay. Would you start Matthew Stafford against the Niners on Thursday or Richardson.
Dave Richard
Richardson.
Heath Cummings
When my rankings come out, Stafford will be ahead of Richardson.
Adam Azer
How about Brock Purdy?
Heath Cummings
Purdy will also be ahead of Richardson.
Adam Azer
All right, let's go to the running backs. Dave, who are the top three running backs to get? Patrick Taylor.
Heath Cummings
And so I've got Taylor. 1. I've got McCormick 2, I've got Isaiah Davis. 3. Jamie talked about all three of these guys at the very start of the show. I don't know if I've really got a whole lot to add. I feel safer about McCormick playing Rest of season than I do Davis. I just like how Davis has been involved for the jets and last week he was. He was the better running back. We talked about it on Sunday's show, but those are the top three. But there's other running backs that we'll get to later on that I think deserve some honorable mentions and are worth picking up.
Adam Azer
Yeah, you can mention them now. Who knows how long people will tune in.
Heath Cummings
You know, you got the Chargers running backs and Vidal ended up playing more than Gus Edwards last week. It might have been because they were chasing points. To me, that's meaningful. So Vidal 68% available. You could stash him. Jeremy McNichols is a stash. Jaleel McLaughlin might be the best one to stash. We saw him lead the way for Denver the last time we saw them play. He could end up being the lead running back for them again against Indianapolis. When I think about that Colts defense, I think about how stout they are in the middle of the line and how weak they are on the edges. And that's where McMillan, I'm sorry, McLaughlin has, has been able to win. Is running on the edges using his speed. And I wonder if he could be like a desperation RB play in week 15, but also someone that could evolve into a starting caliber fantasy running back in week 16, week 17 if he gets the opportunity in week 15. He's a stash, but somebody that is absolutely worth throwing on the bench just to see what happens in Denver.
Adam Azer
So quick follow up for both of you guys here. If Alexander Madison and or Zemir White play this week, do you think that affects. How much do you think that affects Sincere McCormick because he had almost every running back carry last week against Tampa Bay.
Dave Richard
I don't know if White does at this point. I think Madison still matters just because he was so involved and really the lead guy for the majority of the season. It feels like there's a lot of, you know, spider man mean between what White and McCormick will do. Whereas Madison could still be a dual threat. More so I think than McCormick would be. Amir Abdul is probably not worth rostering at this point, you know, after he just had two total touches against Tampa Bay and they used McCormick in the passing game. But really it's just, it's just a bad environment unfortunately, you know, with the quarterback situation being what it is. You know, not that Aiden O'Connell was the savior of the Raiders, but, you know, now they're on their third string guy and Desmond Ritter has clearly been struggling. Plus the Falcons run defense has actually been good. You know, so if you're just looking at a one week situation, that's why I think it's, you know, you can, you can make a case that if, if Breeze hall is out, Isaiah Davis makes more sense than sincere McCormick, you know, just even in a shared situation. Whereas McCormick would be the league guy. You know, it's hard to overlook McCormick getting 15 plus touches because I think that would be the case again. And the only thing I think that is somewhat positive for McCormick is the Raiders can still play with the lead in this game. I mean, the Falcons have been that bad offensively that despite what should be a favorable matchup, they are at home. They could still, you know, handle their business and play well defensively and keep this close game where McCormick can be extremely involved. So that's why I give McCormick a slight edge over Davis. But Davis matchup is better. You know, I think his situation is better, you know, just in terms of even sharing with, with Braylon Allen, you know, and, and the only problem is that you have Breeze Hall's potential return looming and then it could just be messy for all these guys.
Adam Azer
I am a die hard Raiders fan, by the way, for the rest of the season. Just come on, baby, let's go. All right, Jamie, top three wide receivers.
Dave Richard
The top three wide receivers, there's one and then a big drop off. So it's, it's Adam Thielen for me. And then right now I have Romeo Dobbs too, but Josh Palmer, if you tell me right now I probably should put Palmer too. If you tell me the Lacon and Palmer's probably going to be a borderline starter, you know. Great, Matt. Yeah, I'm going to make that switch now. So Palmer's two and then the packers guys three. I have, I have Dobbs and Don Tavion Wicks, you know, grouped together. Just because Wicks, you know, four catches, you know, look decent last week against the Lions. And I think he'll still be involved if Dobbs is out. But I mean, Palmer, you know, should have had a big touchdown against the Chiefs, you know, targets were there for him and he does, you know, things that are a little bit safer, I think, for the Chargers than Quentin Johnson does. So Thielen one, Palmer two, Dobbs three. If you want to put Cedric Tillman ahead of Dobbs, you know, with the opportunity of what he can be when he comes back, I certainly have no problem with that.
Adam Azer
Okay. And if, if Josh Downs or Michael Pittman or. Oh, who was the other one? I'm sorry? Oh, oh, Quentin Johnston. If they were available, how would they rank with Palmer? I know they'd be behind Thielen, but how would the Colts wide receivers or Quentin Johnson rank with Josh Palmer?
Dave Richard
I mean, I would take Johnson over Palmer, so that's an easy one. And I think if you're talking about the Colts guys, yes, Josh Downs for sure. I mean if he's available and he's healthy, you know, he's, he's a borderline must start guy. Especially if the Bronco secondary is still beat up and Pittman's not far behind. You know, you just wondered did the Broncos learn their lesson and just going to say okay, certain is now following the number one guy. No matter where he goes, he won't.
Adam Azer
Do it to Downs. There's no way.
Dave Richard
No, not Downs.
Heath Cummings
Goodbye to Pittman having a big game if that happens.
Adam Azer
I don't think he'd do that with Pittman though, personally. Like, but, but, but anyway, let's hope Josh Downs plays. We don't know his status. Last I heard, Red was not super optimistic, but I'd pick him up if he were available. Dave, tight ends top three.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, it's gross. A tight end. Hunter Henry, 39 available. Cross your fingers that he's still out there. You can double cross your other fingers for Pat Friarmuth, but he's only 21% available. If they're already taken, then you're looking at. Hold your nose. Juwan Johnson without Derek Carr, quarterback Cole Comet with Caleb Williams at quarterback, Dalton Schultz. And like these, these guys are all kind of afraid. Grant Calcaterra is on the list, but again, you're hoping for him to score another touchdown like he did last week. Disley is going to be out for a while, so maybe there's something there with Stone. Smart. He is so smart. S M A R T. T is how you spell the name. And then there's just a bunch of other guys that like they have opportunities. You're hoping for like eight PPR points from Austin Hooper, Dan Bellinger, maybe Isaiah likely saves you. It's about it.
Adam Azer
Not really feeling it. With Jake Ferguson at Carolina and then.
Heath Cummings
Tampa Bay, what's the roster percentage?
Adam Azer
58.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, if he's out there, I, I would put him ahead of the list of guys. I took a deep breath and before I said their names.
Adam Azer
Okay, so it'd be hunting out of.
Heath Cummings
Like Juwan Commit Schultz Smart.
Adam Azer
I think you should have said smrt for the joke, but I, you know, maybe I'm nitpicking, but I appreciate the Simpsons joke. Dsts Jamie. We got some good ones this week, huh?
Dave Richard
First off, check the Ravens. They were 66 rosters, so just outside the threshold that we talk about. So if they are out there, they are number one taking on the Giants with the beat up offensive line and most likely to beat up Drew Lock. Commanders would be the first of the group that we typically talk about. Cowboys would be second, Falcons would be third. Gross as that sounds. Packers would be fourth and the jets would be fifth. If you're looking ahead and you're trying to get Week 16 DSDs for anybody that's listening to us or watching us, that's on a buy. The Rams get the jets in Week 16, the Falcons get the Giants in Week 16, the packers get the Saints without Derek Carr in week 16 and the Raiders get the Jaguars in week 16 as well.
Adam Azer
All right, so you said Baltimore and Washington would be the top choices. Baltimore at the Giants, Washington at New Orleans. And also you've got the Cowboys at Carolina, Falcons at Las Vegas, packers at Seattle and the jets at Jacksonville. And the packers next week have New Orleans as you mentioned. So the packers could be a two week option for you. And yeah, actually I was going to talk about. Oh sorry. Give me your list of kickers before we do that.
Dave Richard
The kickers will be go back to Will Reichert. Hopefully he doesn't miss a kick this time. Matthew Wright, if he continues to have the job. This could be a similar situation. What we talked about with John Parker Romo last week where he lost his job because the starter came back. So Harrison Butler is eligible to return. So checking out, check out that Justin Tucker if you want to go back to him. Hopefully he's more accurate. Following their bye week, Will Lutz against the Colts and Jake Moody against the Rams.
Adam Azer
So if you are not playing in week 15 and you just need some week 16 advice, here are some players that you could add. So two quarterbacks on the waiver wire list this week have good matchups next week. Anthony Richardson gets Tennessee and Jamis Winston is at Cincinnati. So the top two quarterbacks that you heard Jamie talk about in terms of, you know, widely available or close to widely available, Richardson and Winston. Richardson gets Tennessee. Winston's at Cincinnati. So that's great. I know a lot of people been asking about dropping Kyler Murray. He is at Carolina next week. I mean I feel like Carolyn is.
Heath Cummings
New England this week.
Adam Azer
Yeah, I feel like.
Dave Richard
Right.
Adam Azer
And New England stays. I feel like Carolina's playing a little bit better on defense, not just basing that just off Jalen Hurts. But recently we've started some kind of lousy where we've thought about starting some lousy quarterbacks against them and they've, you know, like Daniel Baker Mayfield was my.
Dave Richard
Start of the week.
Adam Azer
Baker Mayfield. Yeah, exactly. So maybe they're just getting better. But Kyler Murray does have Carolina next week. Caleb Williams has Detroit. Aiden O'Connell if he's back, it's Jacksonville. Sincere McCormick gets Jacksonville. Dalton Schultz is at Kansas City. Dalton Schultz I feel like has some pretty good matchups coming up.
Dave Richard
Miami.
Adam Azer
All right, Miami this week at Kansas City next week. That's amazing. Jake Ferguson, good matchup this week against Carolina and then Tampa Bay next week. And then Jamie mentioned some DSTs. See if I have the same list as you. I have Arizona, the Rams, the Falcons.
Dave Richard
Arizona's two rostered.
Adam Azer
Two rostered, okay.
Dave Richard
Yeah.
Adam Azer
Then the Rams, Falcons and Packers I think were the teams I had.
Dave Richard
So can you imagine the Falcons being league winners? How bad that defense was? They're getting the quarterback, getting after the quarterback the last three games, you know, so it's last two games, excuse me, because they want to buy three weeks ago, last two games are getting after quarterback. They got after Justin Herbert. They did a great job this week at harassing Sam Darnold. And so it's, it's potential given the matchups. You know, I mean you are talking about Raiders on, you know, third string quarterback with Desmond Ritter and, and then getting the Saints without, excuse me, getting Giants. Yeah, we know that's been, you know, as good as it can get.
Heath Cummings
So if you can get the Ravens dst, maybe make the effort to get the Falcons DST as well. And then you've got both matchups against the Giants the next two weeks. Then you drop the Ravens after this week. You pick up the Colts. That's who they get in week six. 17 Just have three DSC's lined up against the Giants to endure.
Adam Azer
They're the worst. It, I mean, they are the worst. It is weird to root for the worst team in football. That's usually the Jets. Usually we have the jets to look down on. This is really bad. All right, shallow leagues and deep leagues. Yeah, we'll do this first and then we'll, we'll talk about Monday Night Football and some more names on the waiver wire and who to drop. But Jamie, who are the shallow league guys we need to know about?
Dave Richard
So there's two quarterbacks you mentioned, Caleb Williams. He did do very well against the Vikings the first time around. He's so tough to trust because he's just not playing very well. But three straight games with 18 plus fantasy points. Two of those over 30 fantasy points. One of those was against the Vikings. And then as you mentioned, he gets Detroit the week after that. So Williams, not awful, but Matthew Stafford has been awesome and I think he's still going to be good enough against the 49ers while their defense is maybe getting healthy. He only had 14 fantasy points against them in the first matchup. That was the first game he played officially without both of his receivers, without cup and with Puka Nakua because Cup was hurt in week two. So those are the two shallow league quarterbacks you want all the shadow leagues.
Adam Azer
Yeah.
Dave Richard
Oh, I'm sorry. Running backs would be Jalen Warren, you know, just continues to, to give you good low end numbers and could be a superstar. If there is no Najee Harris, Braylon Allen. Just based on what we saw last week and if Presale is out and Tank Bigsby, they won the game against the Titans. They have three competitive games coming up remaining on their schedule and so hopefully he still continues to get 15 plus touches. Had 18 carries against the Titans, which we know is not an easy matchup and came through with a score. So remaining schedule starting with the jets is, is a favorable one for him.
Heath Cummings
Yeah.
Adam Azer
Quick receiver Bigsby or just to get it out there, Bigsby or Patrick Taylor?
Dave Richard
I would probably go Bigsby with the news that we have now, knowing that matchup is relatively similar for both and you know that Bigsby is going to be locked into his role rest of season.
Adam Azer
Okay. Dave Bixby or Patrick Taylor?
Heath Cummings
I'd take Taylor and it's, it's. First of all, if you're in a league this shallow and they're, they're both out there, then maybe Taylor, maybe Bigsby won't even get picked up even after he scored a touchdown.
Adam Azer
He's, he's only 64% rostered. You know, that's what I have, a Matt. Jamie? What? Do you have a Matt?
Dave Richard
No. So that changed the middle of the night. It was 64 when I first started doing it and I had him in the list of guys to pick up and then it changed to 70. Unless it changed.
Adam Azer
I got it. It said 64. So I think he's got in your column. Sorry, man, Sorry.
Heath Cummings
Let's see what he's at right now.
Adam Azer
Yes, 64. I'm on his player page. 64%. Jamie likes to go with the guys who are 60 rostered in 65% or.
Dave Richard
Fewer because I originally had it there and then I moved him to the other area. I'm. Whatever. I'm not changing. He's in the column. Okay.
Adam Azer
All right. Who are the wide shallow league wide receivers? I talked about the Colts guys and Quentin Johnston.
Heath Cummings
Hold on. So Wait a minute. If Bigsby is available, you'd put them ahead of all the running backs that we've talked about. McCormick, Davis. Okay.
Dave Richard
The wide receivers would be Quinn Johnson, both Colts guys. Romo Dunes. I wonder what Chris Alabe decides to do now. If he is able to clear the concussion protocol and play simply because of the quarterback situation. But if he's out there, he's worth adding. And Keon Coleman as well. We know he's on the verge of returning. So playing with the MVP is not a bad situation to be the tight ends.
Adam Azer
What I thought, was that a knock at me? Not.
Dave Richard
No. Josh Allen's MVP knock. You. The tight ends would be Pat Friarmouth, Zach Ertz and Tucker Kraft. I like Ertz the best.
Adam Azer
You know, I'm not going to get into this now. You don't want to hear my opinion about Joe Burrow and his MVP candidacy. You know, it would be.
Dave Richard
Oh, if they. If they were in contention, he'd be. He'd be right there.
Adam Azer
Yeah, well, he doesn't play defense for them. It's not his fault that their defense is horrible.
Dave Richard
You know, what's interesting is I watched the first episode of Hard Knocks last night, and it was the Steelers that they were reviewing the Brown Steelers game. And coming off that game, Myles Garrett was getting a lot of defensive player of the year hype. It's a very similar argument to yours. They have. No, they're not close to the playoffs. Miles Garrett, man, he's having a fantastic season.
Adam Azer
Well, yeah, I just want to say I, you know, I've been watching a lot more tape this year. It's been really fun and really helpful. And I watched him one game against Andrew Thomas and just the way he played, it made me realize I always, obviously knew he was one of, you know, one of the best players in football. He's generational. He is so good. First ballot Hall. Like, like, unbelievable that we're living in his era and his teams have been so bad that he's probably going to be a little underappreciated. Miles Garrett. It's kind of a shame. All right, so. Yeah. Oh, Dave, Tank, Bigsby. What? Josh Downs. None of these guys are available at Barely Wasted My Time. Give me the deeply guys.
Heath Cummings
I'll start with the DST. The Falcons are the deeply DST. Get. They're 83% available. But I mean, honestly, there's probably going to be three or four other DSTs that you'll be able to find. All right. Quarterback. Almost the same thing, as I said with the dsts one of Richardson, Winston Rogers, Levis. They'll be out there, but if they're not, then I guess it's Bryce Young who's 85% available. I would certainly take him out of Mac Jones and Jake Hayner and Drew Lock and all these other guys. I think it could be an interesting stash if you've got really deep rosters to get. Michael Penix, who's 92% available. I imagine that the majority of the leagues where he's already rostered, those are keeper leagues. They're thinking long term with him, but it. I feel like there's a chance he plays eventually and he could be really, really good. Should put up a lot of numbers. Patrick Taylor's 96% available. He's going to be the top running back. Isaiah Davis is 94% available. I don't think you're going to care much about the other running backs outside of them being stash candidates. Kendra Miller, 90 available. Big time stash candidate. Izzy Abandon, Canada, 91 available. A stash candidate. And then there's. There's other running backs that are like handcuffs, like Sean Tucker and Jalen Wright. You, you kind of know the names already, but those are the deeply guys. Josh Palmer, Jamie brought him up. I think it's a great point. He was basically in the lad McConkey role against Kansas City. 73% available. Jalen McMillan had a big game against the Raiders. He's 79% available. Might be worth just throwing him on the bench and seeing how he does. I'm going to say this name again, Adam. This is an IR stash. He is still 85% available. It's Marquis Hollywood Brown of the Kansas City Chiefs. There's a chance he could come back in the regular season. That's a guy that I would want to have sitting on my, on my IR in case he comes back. And then the deep league tight ends, it's basically the same list of guys that you want to hold your nose on. Stone smart. Juwan Johnson, Austin Hooper, Dan Bellinger probably put Grant Calcaterra toward the top of that list as well.
Adam Azer
Yeah. Okay.
Heath Cummings
I got one more thing to say.
Adam Azer
Okay.
Heath Cummings
Bengals aren't eliminated from playoff contention, right?
Adam Azer
I don't know. Probably not.
Heath Cummings
They are not. And so if they win out and the Chargers or Broncos stumble, Burrow leads them into the playoffs. Does that improve his MVP candidacy?
Adam Azer
Of course he, he should be an MVP candidate. He is having an amazing year. On the broadcast, they said that Burrow said he's having his best year and it's not even close. And he is just. He's been so damn good. And I don't know. I mean, I. You know, I.
Heath Cummings
What I'm worried about is one more loss.
Adam Azer
Yeah, I know, but.
Heath Cummings
Or once they're eliminated. Burrow shuts it down. He said he hurt his knee after the game on Monday, so. He also talked about Joe Burrow as your stud quarterback. Keep riding with him, but you better have a backup ready to.
Dave Richard
He also talked about wanting to get the Triple Crown for Jamar Chase, so I wonder how much that keeps him playing.
Adam Azer
Oh, that's interesting. All right, that is it for the shallow lose and the deeply. You know, I want to bring this up. Sorry. I don't know that they're like. There have been some weeks where they've been the shallow league guy that is so clearly ahead of everyone else, like Keenan Allen or something like that. But Jamie, is. Is there that guy this week that. Whoa, he might be out there. I was actually thinking about Tank Dell. I think he's 86% rostered. I've sort of lost faith in him, but he might be better than anyone. But Thielen, I don't know. But is there that shallowly guy that is so much better than everyone else that if he's available, you are getting him?
Dave Richard
I don't know. I gotta go back and check all the percentages now to see what's. What's right and what's not. But Christian Watson would be one, you know, just based on the game that he just had. And clearly the matchup's coming up for them. And I think just getting more. More chances to make plays downfield would probably be my favorite. Quinn Johnson, clearly 60.
Adam Azer
He's 63 rostered.
Dave Richard
Yep. That's what he was when I first started doing this. So I gotta go back and do it again. So. Yeah, so him and Quinn Johnson, you know, Johnson's certainly a big priority. So Christian Watson would be the second receiver to add for me after Adam Thielen.
Adam Azer
All right, that's kind of a headline here, so I'm just going to repeat that. Christian Watson after Adam Thielen is the number two receiver to get. He is 63% rostered. Sorry that we did not talk about him earlier in the show, but he's coming off four catches for 114 yards on seven targets at Detroit. He's not foolproof that. That's. You know, he's had two huge games recently. He's had some duds, and if they get Dobbs back, it could hurt his targets. I mean he's been mostly in the 3 or 4 target range and he had 7 last week without Romeo Dobbs. So it's, he's not like a slam dunk, but he's doing some good things, some encouraging things right now. Christian Watson, we'll come back, talk about last night's game and more. You know, who to drop, et cetera, after this. Well, I just downloaded a new game on my phone and it is awesome. It's called Marvel Snap. Marvel Snap is an award winning collectible card game that combines deep strategy, a unique snapping mechanic, your favorite Marvel characters, and thousands of unique card art variants created by renowned artists to collect and use. And first of all, it's just visually appealing. It looks awesome, but the gameplay is what matters. So let's talk about why you're gonna love Marvel Snap. The games are fast paced. Each game takes only three minutes. Your objective is to win two out of three locations by having higher total power than your opponent. And as you win, you earn cosmic cubes. I think my favorite part is the Snap mechanic. If you're feeling confident in your hand, or maybe you want to bluff, snap to double the cosmic cubes. Or if you're not feeling confident, you can retreat any time to minimize cube losses. So this is where the strategy component really comes in. I love that there are more than 270 cards in Marvel snap with over 2000 unique art variants to collect from beloved artists and new cards are released every week. They keep it fresh. Download Marvel Snap now on iOS, Android and Steam to start playing the award winning collectible card game. Attention all of you hungry people. I've got a new favorite snack. It's a hassle free snack, perfect for any occasion. I'm talking about wonderful pistachios. Specifically wonderful pistachios. No shells. Wait until I tell you the flavors they have. They're incredible. And I love pistachios, but I don't love peeling the shells with wonderful pistachios. No shells. You open the bag, you reach in, grab a handful of pistachios and eat them. So let's talk about the flavors. My favorite is sweet cinnamon followed by sea salt and vinegar. Love those two. I also love the honey roasted and the smoky barbecue is really unique. They also have chili roasted, sea salt and pepper and jalapeno lime. So believe me, you're going to find several flavors that you love. So if you're just walking around the kitchen looking for something to eat or maybe you're tailgating at the game, wherever you are Reach for some wonderful pistachios, no shells. Visit wonderfulpostachios.com to learn more.
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Adam Azer
All right, I'm going to go on a real quick, real quick football rant. Not even rant. Here's the thing that bugs me and it really bugged me watching the game yesterday. These coaches that stick with veteran running backs too long. We should have had more Rico Dowdle early in the season. That is so obvious from week one, we should have had more Chase Brown. No respect to Zach Moss. I was wrong about that one from fantasy perspective, but it's so obvious. Chase Brown is so much better than Zach Moss. Tyrone Tracy is another one that sticks out to me. I'm just so sick of these great, talented running backs being stuck behind players and needing injuries to finally break loose. And it was so clear last night watching those two running backs, Rico Dowdle and. And Chase Brown, who had nice games. Dave, any fantasy takeaways from the Cowboys and the Bengals?
Heath Cummings
I think you nailed it with Rico Dowdle. I thought he looked fantastic. He's looked great for several weeks now. And I bet Mike McCarthy, if you, if you bought him a shot of whiskey and asked him to be honest, he'd probably tell you, yeah, yeah. I wish I had started Dowdle a lot sooner. And I think he's a must start number two fantasy running back moving forward. There's no reason to have Zeke in there ahead of him. I hope Lamb's okay. You know, he, he was off to this great start in the game. He had four catches, 71 yards, and a touchdown in the first quarter. And then he landed on his shoulder. He was slow to get up. Finished the game, but finished with 693 and one only three targets the other three quarters, that's something that makes me a little bit nervous about Lamb moving forward. But as long as he's out there, you've got to continue to start him. And Cooper Rush is doing a good job of getting him involved. I wish he had done a better job of getting more throws to Jake Ferguson. Six targets is okay, but the results aren't good. That's really it from the Dallas side. I don't see myself gravitating toward Cooks. If you've been carrying Jalen Tolbert, you can let him go.
Adam Azer
What about T. Higgins?
Heath Cummings
You know who you're starting?
Adam Azer
What about Higgins? Do you make anything of this horrible game from T. Higgins?
Heath Cummings
No, I think you just chalk it up to maybe this is a sign of what Jamie was talking about where Joe Burrows wants Jamar Chase to get the Triple Crown and so now it's going to be, you know, double digit targets minimum for Jamar Chase every week and T. Higgins will have to fight a little bit more to come through on his other targets. But again, I. There's. There's not going to be anything bigger for the Bengals than winning. And so whatever it takes for them to win the game, Joe Burrow is going to have them do. It was just a little strange that it was just so lopsided in this game, but I would imagine next week we could see T. Higgins bounce back and I'm still going to start him.
Adam Azer
Yeah, well, I got to say I'm glad that Jerry Snead is not playing this week so I can start Jamar Chase in in the fantasy playoffs. All right, that's it for that game. I only have a few names on the drop o meter, but we can talk about players to drop as we get to each position. TJ Hawkinson 0 to 10 on the drop o meter with the Bears this week.
Heath Cummings
I think he's fairly droppable. Let's put him at a 5. Someone who's just not getting crazy target volume week in and week out. When he does get targets, what he does with the ball, he's just okay. And we're seeing Jordan Addison really evolve here and man, that offense is going to be a tough out in the playoffs. And so if Addison's going to continue single out targets and being explosive, what's the reason to get T.J. hawkinson involved?
Adam Azer
Nick Westbrook Akin A 86% rostered, but he gets the Bengals this week after a bad game against Jacksonville. 0 to 10 on Nick Westbrook.
Dave Richard
Kikine2 I think also he may get Mason Rudolph, take that into account.
Adam Azer
Yeah. Would you drop him for. You'd obviously drop him for Thielen.
Heath Cummings
Yes.
Dave Richard
Thielen for Watson and potentially Palmer if McConkeys out.
Adam Azer
Okay.
Heath Cummings
He's like a six for me on the drop o meter. I, I'm, I'm not, I don't want to necessarily drop him but he's exactly the type of player that you dropped as you get your roster ready for the fantasy playoffs. Like if it's coming down to Nick Westbrook, Akina as a bench receiver, definitely not going to start him or getting the defense that I want for week 16.
Adam Azer
I'm taking the defense and Kyler Murray just because I have gotten a lot of questions about him and whether or not he's worth keeping Kyler Murray. New England at Carolina at the Rams 0.
Dave Richard
He's a must start quarterback for me this week.
Adam Azer
Okay, so to the quarterbacks then. Stafford is above Richardson, right?
Dave Richard
You said I would start Richardson over.
Adam Azer
Sorry, Dave said Stafford. Jamie said I would say.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, for now I have Stafford there.
Adam Azer
All right, look, Denver is eighth best against quarterbacks. Here are the start worthy quarterbacks I would call them against Denver this year. Geno Smith all the way Back to week one. Geno Smith about 20 points. Baker Mayfield 10. Justin Herbert wasn't so start worthy at that point in the year. 15 Lamar Jackson 29 without a lot of rushing. Patrick Mahomes 17 missed Kelsey wide open in the end zone. Cadet 24. James Winston 40 points. They might be a little bit overrated and of course a little bit they're great but they might be a little overrated. But of course without Riley Moss last week they were horrible and as of now I don't expect him back. But that's not based on much.
Dave Richard
Well, I mean it's almost like a, an equal loss if Josh Downs isn't there because that takes away the, the upside of the passing game for, for Richardson. He had so many drops in that Patriots game it was disgusting and hopefully his receiving core can help him out a little bit. The thing that makes him attractive is that he's going to hopefully run and if you're getting those six points then I think that gives him the opportunity to get to that 20 point range because that's without necessarily scoring touchdowns that he's done that, you know, at least last or two games ago. 61 yards rushing. I think the thing that's encouraging is that you mentioned it that we've seen some quarterbacks have success. We've seen him play so much better since he's come back from being benched. They're coming off a bye week. And the fascinating thing, this, this. You know, I don't want to spoil it for you, but this might be the game of the week. You know, this is the two teams fighting for right now. The final wild card spot in the afc. Colts can still get it, get in if they knock the Broncos out or the Chargers slip up by any stretch. But this is a huge, huge game for both these teams and so Richardson's going to have to do probably a lot of heavy lifting and I think they'll deliver.
Adam Azer
James Winston, does he bounce back? So the Chiefs for the last six quarterbacks to face. The Chiefs have scored 20 to 25 fantasy points in six point per passing touchdown leagues. And they just lost another cornerback. The guy who was filling in for their number. Yeah, for their number two quarterback who was hurt several weeks ago. They just haven't been that good since Jalen Watson left in week seven.
Heath Cummings
So they're signing Steven Nelson.
Adam Azer
I like James this week, guys. Do you like him?
Heath Cummings
I do too. I think it's a Vol. It's the same thing as always with him. It's a volume play. You're hoping that he throws the ball 40 times and falls into production that overcomes whatever turnovers that he has against Kansas City. They're not going to be able to run against Kansas City. They really haven't been able to run against anybody.
Adam Azer
All right, so the Jameis is an option. Jameis or Stafford?
Heath Cummings
Stafford's ahead of James again for now in my rankings.
Dave Richard
Stafford for me.
Adam Azer
All right, James or Caleb?
Heath Cummings
James.
Dave Richard
James.
Adam Azer
Would you start anyone else over? Caleb Williams, Aaron Rodgers against the Jaguars. Cooper Rush, Carolina, Drake, May, Bryce Young.
Dave Richard
Rogers is close, but I would start Williams. No. So Williams out of those guys.
Adam Azer
All right.
Heath Cummings
I currently have Rogers and Williams back to back. Rogers one spot ahead. All the other guys you said are behind Caleb Williams.
Dave Richard
Yeah.
Adam Azer
Cooper Rush has been all right. He scored about 18 points last night. He's been in that range, you know, since becoming a starter. Except for that horrible game against Philadelphia. I think that was when Dak got hurt. So he's been fine. Bryce Young coming off a. He wasn't that bad. Like if league it catches that pass, it's a great game for. It's a 20 point game for Bryce Young coming off a 25.6 game fantasy point game against Tampa Bay and he's got Dallas and they just lost over shown for the season.
Dave Richard
He's not. He's not bad. He's. He clearly he's a starter in super flex and two quarterback leagues. I don't know how many people in one quarterback leagues are starting Bryce Young in the playoffs, but if you are desperate, you know, it's not, it's not horrible. And then again, if you're looking at what his upcoming schedule is, get past the Arizona game. He gets Tampa Bay again. He just scored 25 fantasy points against the Bucks and they just lost Antoine Winfield.
Adam Azer
So if Aiden O'Connell and Will Levis play this week, will they crack your top 20 Levis against Cincinnati, O'Connell against Atlanta?
Dave Richard
Probably not because there's a lot of good quarterback matchups this week and I'm concerned Levis would have if he was healthy. Coming off of a good game against Jacksonville, I was actually excited about his upcoming schedule. You know, he pooped the bed against the Jaguars. I don't know how much of that was the shoulder injury at halftime and then he just couldn't throw the ball in the second half. But the schedule is fantastic. You know, it's, you know, the Bengals have been fantastic. You know, Cooper Rush didn't take advantage of it, but I hope that will Levis can or Mason Rudolph can. And look, and again, this is more Super Flex or two quarterback leagues. Mason Rudolph, his last two starts was 21 fantasy points and now you're talking about that against the Bengals. It's not awful. So super flex, two QB leagues. He should be added and potentially started.
Adam Azer
Just off the top of my head, as I recall, Mason Rudolph was pretty good for Calvin Ridley. He was like lower adot good, you know, high percentage targets, that kind of stuff. So obviously we'll talk about that throughout the week. Let's go to the running backs here. You can see if Jalen Warren or Braylon Allen or Tank Bigsby are available.
Dave Richard
Yeah, I switched it. Bigsby's now number one.
Adam Azer
All right. Dave likes Taylor better than Bigsby. Jamie likes Bigsby ahead of Taylor. But they're one and two. That's interesting. And none of that is the is any of that the thought of Garendo possibly playing or is you're just.
Dave Richard
That's 100. The thought of granddaughter not necessarily playing for this. So for this week, if you're just talking one week, you can make a case for Taylor over Bigsby. The more I think about it, I probably would rank Bigsby higher just because the matchup against the jets has been, I think, somewhat favorable. When they decide to tackle, they're decent. When they don't Decide to tackle, which is more often than not then the, the opportunities there for the opposing running backs. And he's been good in competitive games and I think this will be a competitive game. We don't know when Girando is going to return, you know, so it might just be a one week situation. Tank Bigsby may carry into the playoffs. I mean, the schedule for them is so fantastic moving forward, you know, so it's not just the jets this week then. It's Las Vegas in Week 16 and the Titans in Week 17. Like those are all winnable games for Jacksonville if they don't get the phone call to lose the game, you know, So I think for Bigsby, he's a borderline number two running back. Taylor might stink. Like he's just, he just has a talent. Not that great. Situation is great. Situation is great. But you know, it. Like they said it could be a banana Candida this week if they decide to give him more of a look. I doubt it because a short week. But Keyshawn Vaughn, somebody knows the roster, knows the playbook. He was with them in camp. So I don't know, just the fact that Garendo could play, that's why I have Bigsby higher.
Adam Azer
Right.
Heath Cummings
But if Garando is not practicing on Monday and Tuesday, they never practice on Monday. Foot, I'm thinking he's not going to be able to play on Thursday.
Dave Richard
Yeah, yeah. No, Tuesday is. Tuesday's big, but Monday, that's always, you know, the designation of what they would have done.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, I just, I like the situation and the opportunity better for Taylor than I do this week for Bigsby. And say what you will about the jets run defense, but they've held running backs to 3.3 yards per carry in their last four games. So what, you know, obviously A Chan did a number on them through the air. That's not what Bigsby does. Bigsby still shares with etn. I love the matchup next week for Bigsby. So if you're, if you're doing it for, for week 16, your eyes are there and not on week 15, then, yeah, getting Bigsby makes sense. And Bigsby is the better talent than Patrick Taylor, but the opportunity is just better for potentially, potentially for Patrick Taylor.
Adam Azer
I think one of the big storylines, underrated storylines coming out of week 14 is Bigsby getting 18 carries and Travis ETN only getting four. That was really weird. Usually they split more evenly because ETN had, you know, 13 carries a week before they. I guess they haven't played a ton of games where both of them have been like, healthy and involved. But that was a big development because I went back and I looked at every Jacksonville game where they've been in either a one score loss or a win, and there are usually around 18 to 20 running back carries. So if that's like 14 or 15 of them going to Bigsby, that's a big deal. If it's like 12 to 8, Bigsby to ETN, that's not so good. But all right.
Heath Cummings
Anyway, they Both played roughly 50% of the snaps. ETN dominated on third downs.
Adam Azer
And inside the 10, Sincere McCormick is on this list with a very good rush average so far against Denver, Kansas City and Tampa Bay. Two great run defenses there. And now he faces the Falcons, who give up four and a half yards per carry to running backs, but not a lot of touchdowns and they don't see a lot of carries. And there's Alexander Madison, potentially Isaiah Davis, Jaleel McLaughlin. Dave talked about him as a stash. Kimani Vidal, Jerome Ford. And what about Gus Edwards? I mean, if Gus Edwards were available, would you, Would you take him over sincere McCormick?
Dave Richard
No, no. All he's doing is scoring touchdowns. He scored two touchdowns in his last three games. He has yet to crack 10 PPR points on the season. So it's just pretty bad. He's got two catches on the season. Give Kamani Vidal more work, please. Like, your team is struggling right now. A big part of that is because you lost J.K. dobbins. Vidal is not going to be J.K. dobbins. Gus Edwards is certainly not going to be J.K. dobbins. But give the younger, fresher legs. Exactly. Your point of what you just talked about Adam with Dowdle and, and. And Chase Brown. Like there's fresh legs here that might be able to do something a little bit different. I don't know if that's the case, but watching Gus Edwards run into the back of his offensive line nine times a game and maybe fall into the end zone is not the answer.
Adam Azer
No.
Heath Cummings
I don't know how much better Vidal is than Gus, but let's find out.
Adam Azer
Yeah, let's find out.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, I think the coaches already know.
Adam Azer
Maybe. All right, so Roshan Johnson and Vidal.
Heath Cummings
Played more than Gus last week, so maybe that's the sign we need.
Adam Azer
I mean, look, playing more than Gus is one thing. Let's get more carries than Gus because he's obviously going to play on third downs over Gus. Right, but let's get a couple catches, too.
Dave Richard
I mean, he had the first game that he played. He had A nice wheel route that he scored. Touchdown.
Heath Cummings
Right. So anyway, it's kind of gone away.
Adam Azer
Roshan Johnson is 44% rostered. He could fall in the end zone if he gets back from the concussion protocol. I did want to ask you about the Commanders running back, Steve. Any interest in Jeremy McNichols or Chris Rodriguez?
Heath Cummings
Yeah, McNichols is on the list. He's. He's somebody who could be the 1B back in Washington behind Brian Robinson. Could potentially be used in pass down situations. Last time we saw the Commanders play, Rodriguez had a good game. Almost all of his playing time came in the fourth quarter of a blowout win. So I'm a little hesitant to say that Rodriguez is going to be the next man up and not McNichols, but. And then again, I'm not really like, I'm not chasing after either of these guys. There are so many other running backs that I'd much rather have. But if, again, I don't know how many roster spots you guys have to play with. I don't know how badly you want to back up Brian Robinson, but in either of those cases, if you've got deep spaces and you want to carry some lottery tickets, I think McNichols is the lottery ticket and obviously the guy you want to have on your bench if Brian Robinson is on your starting lineup.
Dave Richard
I did Adam on the, on the story on the site. I did a whole list of running back handcuffs. So the perfect. The Commanders guys are in there like Quorum, like, it's just. I can't, I can't write about all these guys. There's just too many to get to. So the, you know, I kind of break it down. The ones that will maybe give you some production if they're still playing behind the starter. The ones that are lottery tickets that will help you. You know, there's, there's a lot of sort of ways to, you know, you know, pick these guys apart and where they, where they matter. You know, Corum, for example, playing more lately. If you're stuck, desperate, clearly there's some, some opportunities there. Eight carries each of the last two games. Yeah, really, it's more of, okay, these guys, if they get the chance to be starters, do you want to stash them now?
Adam Azer
Okay, wide receivers. So we like Quentin Johnston and Josh Downs if they're available. Romo Dunze, we didn't talk about. He's I think 64, 4% rostered. So how would he rank? It's Thielen 1. It's Christian Watson 2. Right now if Odunze were part of that picture, where would he be?
Dave Richard
He would be behind those guys and I would put him behind Palmer too. If you tell me Makaki's out, would.
Adam Azer
You put him behind the Colts guys?
Dave Richard
I would put him behind. If downs plays, I would take downs over all these guys except for Thielen. And then I would take with downs back. I would rather have Oduns over Pittman.
Adam Azer
Okay.
Dave Richard
And.
Adam Azer
Yeah, that's it. Cedric. Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore, interest level on them against the Chiefs.
Heath Cummings
More over Tillman. More would be at best a number three PPR wide receiver.
Adam Azer
Okay.
Dave Richard
I would take Tillman over more just because I think there's a slight upside edge to him based on what we saw earlier in the beginning of Jamis's tenure. So if you're looking for the most upside, I would take Tillman. You're looking for the safer floor. It's more.
Heath Cummings
If I were looking for upside, I wouldn't touch either of these guys.
Adam Azer
Romeo dies.
Dave Richard
One guy scored 18 PPR points in three games in a row.
Heath Cummings
I don't know when he's going to play.
Dave Richard
Oh, well, sure, I mean, that's, that's clearly a factor. But if you're, if you're talking about again, who's going to give you the highest ceiling if they are playing, it's for me, it's so.
Heath Cummings
And I'm sure you'd agree that you'd rather go and get a receiver who we've talked about that is going to play. And then you could always double back for Tillman potentially this time next week.
Adam Azer
If he plays, if Romeo Dobbs plays. How much would that affect Christian Watson?
Dave Richard
I mean, at this point, I think Christian Watson is what he is. You know, I think it would impact on Tavian Wicks more so than it would and Tucker Kraft more so than it would Watson. You know, so we've seen. We've seen, you know, I just know from last week, you know, so the first time that they played Detroit in the rain, he had a seven target game that led the team in targets, you know, so maybe it's just Detroit that they like using him in that matchup because, you know, they feel he can beat that secondary. I just think that we're, we're looking at a guy that is different than everybody else on that team. And so six, seven targets I think is realistic. I don't think Romeo Dobbs changes that. Maybe some red zone opportunities, green zone opportunities that impacts him. But I don't think the return of Romeo Dobbs is the reason why we can't have a successful Christian Watts.
Adam Azer
I hope you're right. I just feel like I have to bring this up. Christian Watson's played over 90% of the snaps in two straight games and that is super unusual for Christian Watson. It directly coincides with Romeo Dobbs being out for sure. But that doesn't mean he can't get the targets when he's on the field. Like Amari Cooper did last week, for example. All right, tight ends, by the way, are we getting, are we done with Marquez Valdez scantling?
Dave Richard
Yes, I think so. It's just they got, they have nobody else, you know, and they're probably chasing points here.
Heath Cummings
I can't feel good about a guy who's so boomer bust with an inferior quarterback.
Dave Richard
Yeah, that's certainly a fair concern, but there's, you know what do you have seven targets last week? Nine targets last week. Yeah, a lot for him.
Adam Azer
If Pat Friarmuth, MBS had seven. If Pat Friarmuth, Zach Ertz or Tucker Kraft are available, how many of them would you add over Hunter? Henry.
Dave Richard
Hertz for sure. And that's probably it.
Heath Cummings
It sounds about right.
Adam Azer
How many then would you add over Jake Ferguson?
Heath Cummings
Earth's for sure.
Dave Richard
Prior is dependent on on pick.
Heath Cummings
Yeah, Friarmouth wouldn't make it. It's Craft who I'm debating and it's a week to week thing. Like if you're telling me Dobbs is out again this week, I'm taking Craft over Ferguson.
Adam Azer
Okay. All right. So Henry Ferguson, Kincaid. We haven't talked about him. Unfortunately the Lions are the best against tight ends. That's Kincaid's matchup this week. Juwan Johnson, I mean, was getting a little momentum, but screeching halt Grant Calcaterra against Pittsburgh. Dalton Schultz is interesting to me but he's got Miami and Kansas City and then Baltimore. So good playoff matchups for him. He's been okay. He's been kind of up and down. Rarely great, but usually okay. Dalton Schultz and Dave talked about Stone Smart, SMRT and Smart. And week 15 DST is Commanders Cowboys, Falcons, Packers, Jets, Ravens number one. If they're available then Commanders, Cowboys, Falcons, Packers, Jets Kickers Will Riker, Matthew Wright, Justin Tucker, Will Lutz and Jake Moody. It is year to have Justin Tucker on a waiver wireless. Okay, we are out of here, folks. Thank you so much to Jamie and Dave and we'll talk to you tomorrow on fantasy football. Today.
Dave Richard
Paramount podcasts.
Kyle Long
What is going on, guys? It is Kyle Long from Pushing the Pile podcast and I just wanted to give a quick shout out to our partner Travis Matthew. Clothing designed for comfort and confidence no matter where the day takes you. And I gotta say, I'm a guy who likes to play golf and the new thing in golf is style and comfort. It used to be discomfort in golf. Now Travis Matthew is here to save the day with the OTC Tech Chino, the ultimate grab and go pant casual versatility at its finest. Slightly tapered at the leg while keeping the feel you love around the waist. And when I get home from work, I love throwing on that cloud waffle hoodie and sitting on the couch. And you know who loves it more than me?
Heath Cummings
Me.
Kyle Long
My daughters. They love to cuddle with me when I've got my Travis Matthew on because they know it is the softest and most comfortable fabric that I own. So make sure that you visit www.travismathew.com to get your own product.
Title: Waiver Wire! Adam Thielen, Patrick Taylor, Anthony Richardson, Week 16 Options and More
Release Date: December 10, 2024
Host/Analysts: Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings
Duration: Approximately 73 minutes
The episode kicks off with Adam Aizer welcoming listeners to "Fantasy Football Today," congratulating those who made the playoffs and acknowledging both active participants and those still battling in their leagues. The primary focus is on Week 15 and upcoming Week 16 waiver wire options, player rankings, injury updates, and strategic advice to help listeners dominate their fantasy leagues.
a. Running Backs
Adam Thielen:
Dave Richard emphasizes the value of Adam Thielen, citing his impressive performances:
"He exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds what he did against Philadelphia. So two back-to-back amazing games."
(05:32)
Heath Cummings concurs, highlighting Thielen's upside:
"I just think Thielen has the most upside across the board."
(13:56)
Patrick Taylor:
Dave Richard recommends Patrick Taylor as a flex option:
"Patrick Taylor's next man up could be at least a flex option against a Los Angeles defense that has struggled against the run lately."
(06:44)
Heath Cummings supports Taylor, noting his opportunity:
"Taylor does have some passing downs work under his belt as well as rushing."
(10:07)
Sincere McCormick:
Dave Richard suggests McCormick as another valuable flex option:
"Sincere McCormick if he gets the start again for the Raiders, another potential flex play."
(06:44)
b. Quarterbacks
Anthony Richardson:
Presented as a high-upside QB with dual-threat capabilities, particularly against the Broncos.
"Anthony Richardson gets Tennessee. ... he's still a worthwhile start if he's active."
(26:07)
Jameis Winston:
Recommended for his matchup against the Chiefs:
"Jameis Winston still going to be the starter for the Browns... so definitely a top 15ish quarterback."
(26:07)
Aaron Rodgers & Will Levis:
Discussed as potential waiver QB options, though concerns about injuries and performance persist.
"Aaron Rodgers has been playing through a hamstring tear, a sprained MCL..."
(22:39)
c. Wide Receivers
Adam Thielen (also RB):
His dual-role as a receiver and running back increases his value.
"Adam Thielen for me... he's easily the number one player to pick up."
(05:32)
Christian Watson:
Highlighted for his recent performances and potential against Detroit:
"Christian Watson after Adam Thielen is the number two receiver to get."
(31:43)
Josh Downs & Quentin Johnston:
Recommended over other receivers due to favorable matchups and availability.
"I would take Johnson over Palmer... Josh Downs for sure."
(32:55)
d. Tight Ends
Hunter Henry:
Regarded as a top-tier tight end option despite concerns over matchup:
"Hunter Henry is the number one tight end for Jamie."
(07:59)
Zach Ertz & Tucker Kraft:
Suggested as viable alternatives when Henry is unavailable:
"Pat Friarmuth wouldn't make it. It's Kraft who I'm debating."
(71:05)
e. Defense/Special Teams (DST)
Ravens DST:
Recommended for their strong performance up front:
"Ravens are initially the top choices for DST."
(37:18)
Commanders, Cowboys, Falcons, Packers, Jets:
Discussed as viable options based on upcoming matchups and team performances:
"Commanders, Cowboys, Falcons, Packers, Jets would be the top DSTs to consider."
(35:50)
Derek Carr:
Dave Richard reports uncertainty over Carr's status, emphasizing his likely absence:
"They are not planning to put him on IR... I would be shocked if he played."
(22:18)
Aiden O'Connell:
Initially thought to have a season-ending injury but dismissed:
"He has a bone bruise in his knee... not a serious injury for O'Connell."
(22:39)
Isaac Orendo & Ken Walker:
Discussed their statuses related to the upcoming matchup against the Rams:
"Isaac Orendo was listed as a DNP... Ken Walker will undergo testing on his calf."
(23:18)
Aaron Rodgers:
Highlighted for playing through multiple injuries, affecting his performance:
"Aaron Rodgers has been playing through a hamstring tear, a sprained MCL..."
(22:39)
a. FAB Strategy (Freedom, Aggression, Balance):
Adam Aizer underscores the importance of not overspending FAB (Free Agent Budget) on single players:
"If you have $50 in fab left and the next highest in your league has 30, spend 31 on feeling. Don't spend 50."
(14:00)
b. Playoff Preparation:
Emphasizes securing high-upside players and defensive strategies to block opponents:
"Check your opponent's lineup and see what your opponent needs. Don't be afraid to play a little bit of defense against your opponent."
(13:56)
c. Roster Depth:
Listeners advised to maintain depth, especially with playoff considerations:
"If you're drafting for 2025... Chuba Hubbard is a round five pick."
(23:57)
a. Quarterbacks:
b. Running Backs:
c. Wide Receivers:
d. Tight Ends:
e. DST:
Focuses on securing players with favorable matchups in Weeks 15 and 16 to maximize playoff potential. Emphasizes the importance of analyzing opponents' lineups and defensive strengths to optimize starting decisions.
Adam Aizer on Patrick Taylor’s Opportunity:
"It's a Thursday game, which complicates things for Isaac Orendo... Patrick Taylor's situation is great."
(09:55)
Dave Richard on Thielen vs. Taylor:
"I would much rather start Adam Thielen right now."
(13:56)
Heath Cummings on Patrick Taylor:
"Patrick Taylor's next man up could be at least a flex option against a Los Angeles defense..."
(05:32)
Adam Aizer on FAB Spending:
"Don't spend more than you have to."
(15:02)
Heath Cummings on Hunter Henry:
"Hunter Henry is the number one tight end for Jamie."
(07:59)
The hosts discussed listener mailbag stories, including a notable comeback story where a team won by a narrow margin, illustrating the unpredictable nature of fantasy football. They encouraged listeners to share their own stories and questions via email and social media.
Adam Aizer wraps up the episode by reiterating key waiver wire pickups and strategic tips, ensuring listeners are well-equipped for Week 15 and 16. The episode concludes with brief discussions on upcoming games and the importance of remaining active in league management to secure playoff success.
For detailed player updates and strategic insights, tuning into "Fantasy Football Today" remains essential for fantasy enthusiasts aiming to dominate their leagues.