Week 14 Start or Sit: Braelon Allen, Isaac Guerendo, Zach Charbonnet and More (12/08 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today: Week 14 Start or Sit – Detailed Summary

Release Date: December 8, 2024

Hosts: Adam Aizer and Heath Cummings
Analysts: Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg

---

Introduction

In the Week 14 episode of Fantasy Football Today, hosts Adam Aizer and Heath Cummings delve deep into the latest fantasy football developments, focusing on critical start or sit decisions. This episode is packed with injury updates, player rankings, strategic insights, and answers to listener questions, ensuring fantasy managers are well-equipped to make informed lineup choices.

---

Running Back Injury Updates and Impact

The episode kicks off with significant injury news affecting several key running backs:

• Breece Hall is out for Miami.
• Ken Walker is sidelined for Arizona.
• Jordan Mason and Christian McCaffrey are also confirmed out.
• Isaac Orndo is likely to secure a starting role for the 49ers.

Heath emphasizes the ripple effect of these injuries on fantasy lineups:

"Breece Hall is out at Miami, Ken Walker is out at Arizona and Jordan Mason Christian McCaffrey they are out. Isaac Orndo is likely getting put into that starter's role for the 49ers."
[02:26]

---

Start or Sit Rankings: Braylon Allen, Zach Charbonnet, Isaac Orndo

Zach Charbonnet emerges as a favored pick:

"Zach Charbonnet is the most starty of the starts. He had a rush share of over 80% and a target share over 10% last time that Ken Walker missed a couple of games and he didn't run efficiently."
[02:26]

Heath categorizes Charbonnet as a top 10 running back, endorsing him for nearly all lineups.

Isaac Orndo is viewed as a borderline top 12 option:

"We've seen earlier this year, they trusted him with pretty much a starter's workload, and almost everyone over the last five years who's been a starting running back in this offense has been good."
[02:26]

Braylon Allen presents more uncertainty:

"Braylon Allen makes me the most nervous. He's a low end RB2. I don't have complete confidence that he's going to handle the passing downs."
[02:26]

Final Rankings:

1. Zach Charbonnet – Top 10
2. Isaac Orndo – Borderline Top 12
3. Braylon Allen – 23rd

"I've got Charbonne, I think 10th, Connor, 14th, Braylon Allen... Braylon Allen's 23rd."
[03:53]

---

Impact of Team Changes and Player Depth

With Alexander Madison reportedly not playing, Heath analyzes the implications for Tampa Bay’s backfield:

"I'm going to give McCormick a few more carries. They're both high end flexes. I'm starting Sincere McCormick in a couple of leagues."
[04:39]

Bucky Irving remains a top 12 running back despite recent injuries:

"Reports we're getting on Bucky Irving is that he's fine. He was injured during that game and performing spectacularly last week."
[05:41]

DeAndre Swift presents mixed emotions:

"The downside is that he's got a quad injury... the upside is Roshan Johnson's out with a concussion."
[05:52]

Heath positions Swift as a number two running back but prefers Charbonnet and Orndo over him.

---

Wide Receiver Analysis: George Pickens and Malik Neighbors

George Pickens is expected to play after a hamstring test:

"As for Pickens, it's an early game. If he tests it out and he's active, they say he's fine."
[08:30]

Malik Neighbors faces a limited role due to injuries:

"Malik Neighbors... will try to play versus The Saints. But the team wants to see how he feels in pregame warmups and... would be more of a limited role."
[08:30]

Heath downgrades Neighbors to Wide Receiver 30:

"I had already downgraded Neighbors to basically a high end wide receiver 3... he's kind of just the definition of that borderline starter."
[08:30]

Recommendations:

• Avoid starting Malik Neighbors unless no better options are available.
• Start George Pickens if he passes the hamstring test with no issues.

---

Kicker Updates

Key kicker news includes:

• Will Reichard is confirmed to play for Minnesota.
• Fantasy managers are advised to consider starting Will Reichard over Parker Romo.

"If you have Parker Romo, you can get rid of him and you can start Will Riker because whoever Minnesota's kicker is, is someone that you can, you know, you can start."
[09:42]

---

Listener Questions and Expert Responses

The episode features a segment where Adam poses listener-submitted questions to Heath. Below are some highlighted Q&As:

1. Nick Pacheco vs. Nick Westbrook vs. Isaiah Pacheco

   • Heath: "Westbrook, Akina, I've got projected for 10 points. Pacheco, I've got projected for eight and a half. So I'll go with Westbrook."
     [11:13]

2. Ladd McConkey vs. Juwan Jennings

   • Heath: "Definitely going to start Juwan Jennings in that situation."
     [11:28]

3. JSN vs. Garrett Wilson

   • Heath: "I'm going back to Garrett Wilson. I'm not starting JSN over him."
     [11:34]

4. Tyreek Hill vs. Jacoby Myers vs. Bucky Irving

   • Heath: "I'd go. I'd go Bucky Jacoby and Tyreek."
     [11:38]

5. Derek Carr vs. Aiden O'Connell vs. Tyrone Tracy Jr. vs. Zach Charbonnet (PPR)

   • Heath: "Charbonnet sharp."
     [12:06]

6. Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Malik Neighbors vs. Calvin Ridley (Half PPR)

   • Heath: "I am going to start Harris. No, I've got Ridley one spot ahead of Harrison."
     [12:12]

7. Jerry Judy vs. Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Drew Locke (Super Flex)

   • Heath: "Rush."
     [12:34]

8. Naji vs. Malik Neighbors

   • Heath: "It's got to be Naji."
     [12:37]

9. Dowdle vs. Braylon Allen vs. Isaiah Pacheco

   • Heath: "I am going with Rico Dowdle."
     [12:44]

10. Garendo vs. Braylon Allen vs. Brian Thomas Jr. (Flex)

    • Heath: "I am def." (Incomplete in transcript, likely intent to confirm Garendo or Braylon)
      [12:56]

11. Grando ETN vs. Braylon Allen

    • Heath: "I've got Braylon Allen. Higher."
      [13:01]

12. Jerry Judy vs. Devonte Adams

    • Heath: "Judy."
      [13:05]

13. Winston vs. Mahomes

    • Heath: "That's a great question. They are very close in the projections. I'm going with Jameis." (Assuming Jameis Winston)
      [13:10]

---

Concluding Insights and Final Recommendations

As the episode wraps up, Heath underscores the importance of staying updated with player statuses and being flexible with lineup decisions:

"You have to play him over Lad McConkey... I probably wouldn't start Braylon Allen over Malik Neighbors if he's active."
[10:21]

Key Takeaways:

• Prioritize Zach Charbonnet and Isaac Orndo in your running back slots.
• Monitor Malik Neighbors' status closely; opt for higher-ranked receivers if he's limited.
• Leverage Will Reichard as a reliable kicker option over less consistent alternatives.
• Stay adaptable by having backup plans in place for uncertain player statuses.

Final Quote:

"We'll see all at 11:30am Eastern. YouTube.com/Fantasy Football Today we'll be answering your questions. See you then. Good luck everybody."
[13:34]

---

Conclusion

This Week 14 episode of Fantasy Football Today provides invaluable insights for fantasy managers, especially concerning critical start or sit decisions amidst a backdrop of injuries and player performance fluctuations. By following Adam and Heath's expert analysis and staying engaged with ongoing updates, listeners are well-positioned to make strategic moves and maintain a competitive edge in their leagues.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Dive into the thrilling world of Marvel Snap, an award winning collectible card game that fuses deep strategy with your favorite Marvel characters. With its unique snapping mechanic and stunning card art from renowned artists, it's a game designed to collect and conquer. Get ready for fast paced matches. Each game lasts only three minutes. Your goal Win two out of three locations by having a higher total power than your opponent. Build your strategy with 12 unique cards, no duplicates and navigate over 80 diverse locations, each with game altering effects that can turn the tide of battle. Climb the ranks by winning battles and earning cosmic cubes, you'll rank up every seven cubes collected. Feel confident? Use the Snap mechanic to double the stakes, but be cautious. Max stakes can reach eight cubes impacting your rank after each match. Master the art of strategic retreats to minimize cube losses, adding another layer to your gameplay. With vast collection of over 270 cards and more than 2000 unique art variants, there's always something new to discover. Regular updates. Introduce new cards weekly and fresh seasons monthly. Keeping the excitement alive. Join a vibrant community, collect stunning cards and dominate the competitive landscape. Download Marvel Snap now on iOS, Android and Steam to start playing this award winning collectible card game.

[Instacart Advertiser]

The holidays are all about sharing with family meals, couches, stories, Grandma's secret pecan pie recipe and now you can also share a cart with Instacart's family carts. Everyone can add what they want to one group cart from wherever they are so you don't have to go from room to room to find out who wants cranberry sauce or who should get mini marshmallows for the yams or collecting votes for sugar cookies versus shortbread. Just share a cart and then share the meals and the moments. Download the Instacart app and get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes plus enjoy free delivery on your first three orders. Service fees and terms apply.

[Adam]

Setting those lineups for fantasy week 14. Here we go with big running back injury news on Fantasy Football Today Express. Welcome everyone. It's Adam and Heath here on Sunday Morning. All right. Breece hall is out at Miami, Ken Walker is out at Arizona and Jordan Mason Christian McCaffrey they are out. Isaac or no likely getting put into that starters role for the 49ers. How are you ranking Braylon Allen, Zach Charbonnet and Isaac Orndo Heath?

[Heath]

So there are levels to this. Zach Charbonnet is the most starty of the starts. He had a rush share of over 80% and a target share over 10% last time that Ken Walker missed a couple of games and he didn't run efficiently. I'm sure that's going to be brought up soon. But it didn't matter. He still scored a bunch of fantasy points because he got so many touches. He's a top 10 running back for me. I'm starting Zach Charbonnet pretty much everywhere. Isaac Grendo is not too far behind him. There's a little bit more mystery about how many touches Grindo will get, but we've seen earlier this year, they trusted him with pretty much a starter's workload, and almost everyone over the last five years who's been a starting running back in this offense has been good. I view Garindo as a borderline top 12 option. Braylon Allen makes me the most nervous. He's a low end RB2. I don't have complete confidence that he's going to handle the passing downs. Isaiah Davis is very good in that role, and I think that he might have to share a little bit more than we would like. I do kind of like Davis if you're desperate for a flex.

[Adam]

Someone's asking Braylon Allen, Zach Charbonnet, or James Connor.

[Heath]

That's a clear. That's a. That's a clear for me. Zach Charbonnet.

[Adam]

Yeah. And Braylon Allen. I just want to point out the Dolphins run defense has been fantastic, so he's cleared third on this list for me. Would you go Charbonnet, then Connor, then Allen?

[Heath]

Yes, yes. I've got. I've got charbonne, I think 10th, Connor, 14th, Braylon Allen. I said at the beginning of the week, there were not 24 running backs I wanted to start. There still aren't. Braylon Allen's 23rd.

[Adam]

Okay, and now for Charbonnet, it's. It's five games in the last two seasons with 14 or more carries. He scored 12.9 or more PPR fantasy points in four of them. He scored 16.9 or more in three of them. So you should be excited to get Zach Charbonne in your lineup. Alexander Madison is reportedly not expected to play. Just saw that. So how does that. What does that mean for Amir Abdullah and McCormick at Tampa Bay? And let's talk about the other backfield in that game. So, you know, Bucky Irving expected to play right now, so break down Bucks and Raiders.

[Heath]

So I think this is one where I'm. I'm making a change. This morning I saw an Antonio Pierce quote just talking about how well McCormick has run, and he had 12 rush attempts last week, and Pierce was saying, hopefully we can bump that up a little bit this week. So I had it coming into the week. Basically 10 rushes for abula, which I think is what he's had the last two weeks. Nine for McCormick. I'm going to give McCormick a few more carries. They're both high end flexes. I'm starting Sincere McCormick in a couple of leagues. I would rather start Braylon Allen, but he is closer to Braylon Allen than Braylon Allen is to Charbonnet or Garando. A high inflex for sincere McCormick and a fine high end flex for Amir Abdullah and full PPR leagues as well. The reports we're getting on Bucky Irving is that he's fine. He was injured during that game and performing spectacularly last week. And so I'm going to trust Bucky Irving pretty much everywhere. Top 12 running back for me.

[Adam]

DeAndre Swift and DJ Moore are both expected to play. Moore's been so hot, I don't know that you can get him out of your lineup. DeAndre Swift, though, how does he compare to these running backs that we're talking about?

[Heath]

Man, this is probably one of the biggest swings of the week because the downside is that he's got a quad injury, he's dinged up and he has not been great this year or as good as we'd hoped. The upside is Roshan Johnson's out with a concussion and Johnson's the guy who's been stealing DeAndre Swift's touchdowns. If you gave DeAndre Swift half of Roshan Johnson's fantasy points, we would love DeAndre Swift. I'd view him as a number two running back. I'd rather start him than Braylon Allen. I'd rather start him than sincere McCormick. But I would rather start Charbonne. Charbonne and Grendo over Swift.

[Adam]

All right, let's take a break. We have a lot more to get to here. We'll tell you about Dalton Kincaid, George Pickens, Malik Neighbors. Are these guys? Well, Kincaid's not going to play, but the other two, are we comfortable starting them? And we'll answer some of your questions after this on Fantasy Football Today Express.

[Shopify Advertiser]

When you think about businesses that are selling through the roof, like Aloe Allbirds or Skims, sure, you think about a great product, a cool brand and brilliant marketing. But an often overlooked secret is actually the businesses behind the business. Making, selling and for shoppers, buying. Simple. For millions of businesses, that business is Shopify. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Home of the number one checkout on the planet. And the not so secret secret with Shop pay that boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts going abandoned and way more sales going. So if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell whenever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed and everywhere in between. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout experience as business powerhouses like Aloe Allbirds and Skims. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com Odysseypodcast all lowercase go to shopify.com Odyssey podcast to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com Odyssey podcast All right, moving on.

[Adam]

Here to the wide receiver. So George Pickens expected to play. They're going to test out his hamstring before the game. I think it's hamstring and he's at 1 o'clock pickens but Neighbors. I mean I'll just read the tweet here from this is who is who had the neighbor. It's always Schefter or Rappaport, right? Schefter. Giants wide receiver Malik Neighbors, listed as questionable for Sunday due to a hip flexor injury and a lingering groin issue, will try to play versus The Saints. But the team wants to see how he feels in pregame warmups and as one source said it would quote would be more of a limited role. End quote. So thoughts on Pickens and Neighbors?

[Heath]

So I had already downgraded Neighbors to basically a high end wide receiver 3 I think I may go a little bit lower. That put them right around wide receiver 30. Basically, if you have wide receivers that you want to start, don't start Malik Neighbors. But there's still a lot of upside for a guy like him. So I, I, I don't want to say that I'm going to start someone like Aroma Dunze or a Nick Westbrook or or even a Jalen waddle over Malik Neighbors. He's kind of just the definition of that borderline starter. As for Pickens, it's an early game. If he tests it out and he's active, they say he's fine.

[Adam]

I'm starting and they're both early games. You know, Neighbors is an early game too, so at least we don't have to deal with that. Cedric Tillman is out, so that boosts Jerry Judy and Elijah Moore and David Joku for that matter. Lad McConkey is a true game time decision apparently. So I don't know what to tell you, but at Kansas City on Sunday night, it's a Sunday night game. Is there any, I mean Quentin Johnson's pretty rostered. Is there any, any backup plan here that we could use if we want to start?

[Heath]

Well, and Josh Palmer is the backup plan. I don't think he's a very good one. Another backup plan that you could have would be Brandon Cooks. So if you could get one of those two guys and wait it out. Otherwise, I think if Malik Neighbors is active, you have to play him over lad McConkey.

[Adam]

I'm sorry, would you start Braylon Allen over these guys? Neighbors in McConkey.

[Heath]

So I probably wouldn't start Braylon Allen over Malik Neighbors if he's active. I probably would start Braylon allen over lad McConkey just because we're not going to know if he's active. That's assuming I don't have a backup plan.

[Adam]

Here's a good question. Neighbors or Keenan Allen?

[Heath]

Allen.

[Adam]

Okay, see where you're at there on Malik Neighbors. And by the way, for those of you who heard me say 80 yards and a touchdown from Malik Neighbors on Friday, show could disregard that. Disregard. I'm not sticking with that. Dalton and Cade is out. Keon Coleman is questionable. Dallas Goddard's going on ir. The Bengals are going to be without both Logan Wilson, who's out for the year, and Sheldon Rankins. That's who they were missing last year. They got run all or last week they got run all over. So that's good news for Rico Dowdle, Jake Ferguson and CD Lamb will play. That's good news for Jake Ferguson and CD Lamb. And kicker news, Will Reichard is going to play for Minnesota. They so you, if you have Parker Romo, you can get rid of him and you can start Will Riker because whoever Minnesota's kicker is, is someone that you can, you know, you can start. All right, let's get to some questions here. Nick or Isaiah Pacheco or Nick Westbrook? Akina, who would you start?

[Heath]

Wow, I do not really want to start either one of them. Westbrook, Akina, I've got projected for 10 points. Pacheco, I've got projected for eight and a half. So I'll go with Westbrook.

[Adam]

Would you start Ladd McConkey or Juwan Jennings?

[Heath]

Definitely going to start Juwan Jennings in that situation.

[Adam]

JSN or Garrett Wilson?

[Heath]

I'm going back to Garrett Wilson. I'm not starting JSN over him.

[Adam]

Could you please rank Tyreek Hill, Jacoby Myers and Bucky Irving. And Jacoby Myers is expected to play.

[Heath]

So I'd go. I'd go Bucky Jacoby and Tyreek.

[Adam]

I'm sorry. Let's see. Derek Carr, Aiden O'Connell.

[Heath]

It's car for me.

[Adam]

Tyrone Tracy Jr. Or Zach Charbonnet. PPR.

[Heath]

Charbonnet sharp.

[Adam]

You answered this one at the start of the show with Charbonnet or Garando?

[Heath]

It's charbonnet.

[Adam]

Marvin Harrison Jr. Malik Neighbors or Calvin Ridley. Half PPR.

[Heath]

I am going to start Harris. No, I've got Ridley one spot ahead of Harrison.

[Adam]

Oh, okay. But both ahead of Neighbors.

[Heath]

I will have that as soon as we get done with this.

[Adam]

Gotcha. Jerry Judy or Marvin Harrison Jr. Judy Cooper Rush or Drew Locke? Super Flex.

[Heath]

Rush.

[Adam]

Naji or Neighbors?

[Heath]

It's got to be Naji.

[Adam]

Dowdle or Braylon Allen or Isaiah Pacheco.

[Heath]

I am going with Rico Dowdle.

[Adam]

Okay, and how about this one? Garendo? Braylon Allen or Brian Thomas Jr. At Flex?

[Heath]

I am def.

[Adam]

I'm going with Grendo ETN or Braylon Allen.

[Heath]

I've got Braylon Allen. Higher.

[Adam]

Jerry Judy or Devonte Adams?

[Heath]

Judy.

[Adam]

Last one. Winston or Mahomes?

[Heath]

That's a great question. They are very close in the projections. I'm going with Jameis.

[Adam]

Okay, thank you, Heath. We'll see all at 11:30am Eastern. YouTube.com/Fantasy Football Today we'll be answering your questions. See you then. Good luck everybody.

[Heath]

Paramount Podcasts.