
Fantasy Football Podcast for November 30th, 2017. The Fantasy Footballers are back with a jam-packed show to help lead you to victory in the final week of the fantasy football regular season. We preview a number of Week 13 matchups during the Fantasy Fore
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A
Got a great show for you today on the Fantasy Footballers podcast. We'll be going through all the Week 13 matchups. Before we jump right into the show, I just want to say thank you to everybody that's supporting this independent podcast over@jointhefoot.com you guys are what make this show special. The community that we have over there, we try to pay that back with a bunch of amazing perks, extra shows, live streams, things like that. If you want to get involved, check it out@jointhefoot.com this is hall of Fame and Marshall Falk and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers.
B
Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers podcast coming to you from the Play Draft Studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.
A
Welcome to week 13 to be here. It's gonna be a great show today.
B
Jason Moore really pronouncing that double O in there.
A
There's more good stuff on the show today.
B
It's gonna be a great show. We got matchups today and the matchups, we've got some new defensive data.
A
Right. We are looking at some recency as well as the season long data and we're gonna break down these matchups and we're going to do what we always try to do on this show, which is give you information, give you opinions, give you analysis, give you our best interpretation of that data and then leave it in your hands to make some decisions.
B
Then run and hide.
A
Run and hide. This is the NFL after all. Yeah, you have to do that. So it's going to be great. We're going to get into week 13. Got a great quick question going to start it off right now. Here's the quick question of the day. Should you acquire players and hold players off of the waiver wire simply so that other teams can't and don't start them against you? So I can think of an example right out of the bat that, you know, we talk so much about.
B
Right out of it. Let's get out of the bat. Yeah, you want to get outside the bat today? You know, think outside the bat. I'm just happy that I got to put it out on.
A
You know, it's. It's a different kind of week. We got Jay Grizz in the building. Jason, you're taking the role of Mike. I'm taking your role. That's what.
B
Sweet. So that means Jay Grizz is the host.
A
Let's get outside the bat.
B
All right.
A
And what I was going for there is yesterday we talked a lot about the fact there's probably only three auto Start quarterbacks right now, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, and who do we say Tom Brady would be?
B
The other one.
A
And so an example of this situation is, look, this week you're facing somebody who doesn't have one of those three quarterbacks. Maybe you do, or maybe you have a couple options on the waiver wire. You don't want to face off against Philip Rivers against Cleveland. So you're going to sign Philip Rivers against Cleveland, throw them on your bench. I'm fine with that.
B
Yeah.
A
That's called strategy.
B
Yeah. You have to look at your opponents when taking waivers into account, especially at this point. I mean, you don't always do this early in the season, but when you're at week 13, the week before the playoffs or the first week in the playoffs, and 14 and 15 and 16, and hopefully not 17, because you're not in a stupid league that plays in week 17. Just got to get that in there.
A
So many people that play in week 17.
B
I know. And look, I love you guys, but I want better for you. I want your leagues to be improved. So. But you have to look at your opponents and see, oh, my goodness, they're going to need to pick up a tight end because their tight end matchup is the worst, you know, at that point. Oh, a little bear. There's a little bear here. You know, at that point, you've got to steal that tight end away or the defense. Even if you look and you go, man, in week 16, the championship week, there's two great defenses. I prefer this one. Depending on your roster and your bench, you might want to pick both of them up to make sure your opponent doesn't get the other one. So I think it's great strategy, 100%. Now, I'll add to this quick question. What do you think about the strategy where you're out of the playoffs? Do you make waiver moves to try to pick up the best players to keep them from those championship teams? I know Mike's opinion. Mike, when Mike's out of the playoffs, you know, some men just want to watch the world burn, and Mike is all about that life. He's. He's going to pick up every player and keep him away from everybody that he can.
A
Yeah, I mean, I. It's hard to ask somebody in a redraft league that's 3 and 9 to have the same kind of ambition and passion that they would if they were nine and three. Yes, that's a tough ask. However, the reason Mike does that is not just because he's the host of A fantasy football podcast. It's because the league is hyper competitive. So it's brought about by the fact that you have league mates that want to see one another destroyed in this league. And so when that comes into the equation, when you build a league with solid players, it's one of the reasons why we spend the entire off season recording shows, providing resources like the Foot Clan forums to allow people to find leagues with highly competitive people. It's because that makes the league better. If you have. I will say this. The league is better if all the bottom feeders are trying to steal away players.
B
Yes, 100%.
A
But just telling them to do it. It doesn't work that way.
B
No, you can't blame anyone for not doing it, but you certainly can't. A lot of times people blame those players for doing it. They're like, you're out of the playoffs. What are you doing picking up that tight end? It's like, what are you. He's. They're playing. Yeah, they're still playing.
A
It's called pride. I want to jump in and ask.
B
I've seen people ask the question about having a rule once the playoffs hit that teams that are not in the playoffs can't add players off waivers. What do you guys think about that?
A
I've heard that a lot and I.
B
Think universally we usually discourage rules that impede action, you know, that say less transactions or things like that. So I would be against it. Obviously, there are rules that impede action that are good, like trade deadlines, that make sure that the integrity of the league goes on when some teams are out of the playoffs and things like that.
A
But I would say the general rule of thumb for all owners is handle your business. Just. Just manage your team, be competitive, manage your team, carry it through to the end, whatever that means to you. Hopefully you have a league that makes you want to do that. Rankings are up on the website. Week 13 initial rankings up on the site. Those will be, as always, updated throughout the week.
B
Players and oh, so good.
A
Oh, oh, so very good. Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, those situations, you know, when we get more information, we'll adjust the rankings. We'll keep you in the know. And as always on Sunday morning, we have a periscope. Mike will be back in town. He'll actually be doing that periscope on Sunday morning. So he'll be back before Monday. He'll be back doing that on Sunday because, you know, that's what Mike does.
B
Yeah.
A
And then we have the game day alerts, a lot of weather implications at this time of year, Brooks and the writing staff is all over that. And we'll make sure that you're up to date on the weather situation and a lot of good stuff going on this week. This is a make or break week for a lot of people. In one of my leagues. I'm playing for the buy, so whether or not I have to play in week 14, I actually tried to do the defensive move you're talking about, add another defense to keep them away from somebody. But in our league, we have a maximum of three defenses that you can roster and I already have three, so dumb rule. All right, you can follow us on twitter@the ff ballers, the websites, the fantasy footballers.com, the community is jointhefoot.com we're also everywhere. We're on YouTube. You can watch this show. You can see Jay Grizz in the building. And it's great. It's great. It's a great product on YouTube.
B
Yeah, you know, we get a lot of people that are like, oh, yeah, I was listening to you on podcast. I had never seen you guys for like a year.
A
I think that's most people.
B
And then I. And then I watch on YouTube and that's the better way to watch. I'm always gonna do YouTube, so go, go do it.
A
And finally, a shout out to everybody. That leaves us those reviews on itunes. We really appreciate that. You're the best support the show. Let's get into the news.
B
News and notes from around the league.
A
All right, the Bucks have confirmed that Jameis Winston is going to start Sunday against the Packers. Doug Martin on the same roster, still in the league's concussion protocol. But Jameis Winston starting this has to bode well for Mike Evans.
B
Yeah, it bodes well for, I think all parties for the entire Tampa Bay offense, especially the guy that I would bumped the most is probably Cameron Brait. Just because he disappeared without Winston, it was. Fitzpatrick was not going to. Cameron Brait, it was not going to happen.
A
The only player that I actually think takes a small hit is a player he's yet to find rapport with, and that's desean Jackson. With desean Jackson, when he was in the game with Fitzpatrick, he's had better games. He scored a couple of his touchdowns with Fitzpatrick. It's kind of one of those situations where, you know, you see Jay Cutler, he's going to start this week. All of a sudden, Devonte Parker becomes relevant again, whereas he was not relevant at all last week. With Stills and Landry taking the bulk of the targets From Matt Moore.
B
Yeah. And as far as the Doug Martin news, he hasn't passed concussion protocol yet, but he's also not practicing at all. And a lot of times you can get clues into the concussion protocol because guys will be able to practice in a limited fashion even before they've cleared the protocol. Right now that's not happening for Doug Martin. So if I had to guess, I would guess he's not going to clear this week, but it is at this point still an educated guess. A hypothesis, if you will.
A
An educated hypothesis, yeah. Staying in the concussion vein. Amari Cooper, very unlikely to play this week. Michael Crabtree, already suspended. That does move Seth Roberts and Jared Cook into fantasy relevance this week.
B
I would also argue it moves Marshawn lynch up a notch or two. It does in the sense that we saw, you know, he didn't get 20 plus carries last week against Denver when their wide receiver options went down. Have to focus more on the run and obviously would bump down Derek Carr a smidge or two.
A
Did you know who won NFC Offensive player of the Month? Jason.
B
Offensive player of the month. I am unaware.
A
Case Keenum. Case Keenum won NFC offensive player of the month and he was rewarded by Mike Zimmer, head coach of the Vikings, saying, we're going to go one week at a time with Case.
B
Yeah.
A
So for those of you wondering if he's an auto start rest of season, the reason he's not is because of that.
B
Because he might not be the starter.
A
Yeah.
B
I don't blame Mike Zimmer for doing this. I don't expect Case Keenum to get the bench even in a bad game.
A
Right. A bad game they win, he's not going to get the bench. A bad game that they lose, you're going to start wondering and hearing things. I mean, you're already hearing things about Alex Smith and Pat Mahomes. People in Kansas City, they are losing their minds.
B
Yeah. But they're on a huge losing streak right now.
A
Yeah. Still six and five though. So Sterling shepherd says he's back to normal, going to play this week. This is good news for Geno Smith and any shot he has at success on the Giants offense. Jordan Reed, surprise, surprise, out for tonight's game. So Rule 86 still in play. If he's active, you play him. And if you don't, if he's not.
B
Yeah. My jaw just fell to the floor when I saw that he wasn't. I mean, I was shocked. Jordan Reed out.
A
Yeah. After the. He's kind of an iron man.
B
No one, no One could see that coming.
A
Opposite of an iron man. Iron man.
B
A noodle man.
A
Noodle man.
B
That's the opposite, Right. You've got hot, cold, iron. Noodle.
A
Iron and noodle are polar opposite, right? Exact opposites. That's what I learned in science. Science class.
B
You learn a lot here at the fancy football.
A
That's correct, yes. Limited practices on Wednesday for alshon Jeffrey and DeAndre Hopkins. I expect both to play. Hopkins especially. He was limited last week. He's been a little banged up, but he's still the best wide receiver on earth right now outside of Antonio Brown and maybe Julio Jones. So.
B
So not the best wide receiver outside of.
A
Yeah, that's.
B
That's a. You qualified. That's fine.
A
Okay. All right. There's a bunch of players that had no practice on Wednesday. We'll keep you up to date. We do in and out on the Friday show and let you know whether we think these guys are going to be active. Is there anybody on that list, Jason, that, you know, Aaron Jones being getting in a partial practice. I think that's interesting. I think people kind of maybe tossed him aside with Jamal Williams and Time Montgomery. But Aaron Jones is not on the ir.
B
Yeah, you know, Josh Reynolds, you don't usually give the rest Rookie day. You know, rookies don't get the rest day. That goes to the veterans. That one is a little bit interesting to me. Robert Wood still not practicing, so, you know, something to monitor, maybe. You know, I do think that if Josh Reynolds is hurt later in the week, might be an actual downgrade for Cooper Cup. I just think it's, you know, obviously.
A
I think it's an upgrade for Cooper Cup. There you go.
B
Just more targets.
A
Yeah, I mean, Sammy Watkins is still there, so cup is still the two off of Patrick Peterson. I would actually bump up a guy like Tyler Higby or Gerald Everett as a shot in the dark, deeper league play.
B
Shot in the dark.
A
Yeah. That sounds just like the real song. All right, let's talk forecast.
B
Fantasy forecast.
A
Really a lot more singing from you this week without Mike in town.
B
Well, I mean, you got to do what you got to do, and I'm not going to let people down who come for just music. A lot of people just listen to this podcast solely for the vocal musings of Mike.
A
Yes.
B
And so I've got to carry that torch this week. As we look into. I find a couple things interesting because it's such an important week in the fantasy forecast here. There's no major weather problems. It does not appear that there's going to be any super duper cold games or super windy games and that's a reprieve from the last few weeks. And yet, and yet the over unders this week as a whole. If you look at, you know, how is this week in the NFL matchup wise lining up. Usually you look for those games that are like 55 point Vegas, you know, over under 54 and a half point. Those massive games and the highest scoring games predicted by Vegas this week are only 47 and a half. And ironically those two games include some of the best defenses in the league. That's Seattle and Philadelphia as well as the Minnesota Vikings.
A
Yeah, the kind of the big juggernaut games this week involve some of the best defenses in the league. That's why those numbers are pulled down for sure. The Vikings will start there nine and two on a hot streak. Case Keenum Offensive player of the Month Jason's hall of Fame inductee seven and four Atlanta Falcons they're heading to Atlanta to take them on. Falcons a three point favorites in this game. Falcons are playing well. Look, look at since week nine, Julio Jones targeted 45 times, the second most in the NFL. And since week nine, Matt Ryan, he's thrown for over a thousand passing yards which is fifth most in the league. They've found themselves a little bit despite Davanta Freeman being out for a couple of games.
B
Yeah, I mean they've had good matchups. This one is going to be tough. It's nice that it's at home for the Falcons because the Minnesota Vikings defense has just been great. I mean they started the year very good. They were, you know, they came in as one of the best defenses on the season. Their top 15 against the quarterback, the running back, the wide receiver and the tight end. Now though, over the last six weeks they've improved across the board. Tight wide receivers been about the same but they're top 10 now against quarterbacks. They're number one against running back, number seven against tight end. So this will be interesting. I will say, I will say this with Matt Ryan at home, it's a difficult matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. But I don't think you should get too scared. You know, in, in our dynasty league. I had Blake Bortles in ahead of Matt Ryan for a minute thinking oh, the matchup's too bad. But I don't think the numbers you just said about what the Falcons offense has been doing, they've been on a roll. They're at home. I don't think you should be, you know Terrified of starting the Falcons. No.
A
And we saw it. You know, Xavier Rhodes is great, but he gave up some big yardage a score last week to Marvin Jones Jr. And they're on a roll. The Falcons is a confidence based offense. You know, they, they're finding themselves. They're at home. Like Jason said, on the other side of the ball you have Case Keenum. He's got four top six quarterbacks week. Four top six quarterback weeks. That's one more than Tom Brady on the year, believe it or not. But the question I want to ask you. Let me, let me pull out a couple of the secondary wide receivers of this game. Mohammed Sanu, big week last week. Stefan Diggs, he's been a little up and down this year. You know you're starting Thielen, you know you're starting Julio Jones. But who do you have more confidence in this matchup, Sanu or Diggs?
B
I would have more confidence in Diggs. I mean, you've still got a really.
A
Good, you're just going talent then.
B
I'm going talent, absolutely. You know, the Falcons have been pretty good against wide receivers, but Stefan Diggs is a, you know, if he's healthy, he is a top end talent, especially if you're in a full point PPR league. I would much rather go with Diggs.
A
Okay, just for the sake of the argument, we have Diggs right now at 19. Actually, you and I both have him at 19 and we have Sanu significantly further down at 30. So Derek McKinnon, Latavius Murray. Are you all in on Murray over McKinnon at this point after three straight weeks of outscoring McKinnon?
B
Yeah, I am. This is a decent matchup for McKinnon because according to Vegas, you know, the points are going to be flowing. And so if Atlanta can get up in a lead, that's better for McKinnon. But the reason I'm Murray, greater sign McKinnon. It's way more based on the play of Murray. I mean, in the last few weeks when you watch the film, you go, he looks strong, he's got good cuts. He's the offensive line as well, has been opening up really good holes for his running style. So I'm more and more a believer in Latavius Murray more than I am a doubter in Jerick McKinnon.
A
Who do you think wins this game?
B
I'm going to go with the Vikings on the road, give them the three points. I'm going to give them the three points. They have just been such a good, you know, all three phases of the game type of team. They will win in the special teams, they'll win on defense. They'll win. They very well might be the better offense, which is crazy because that's, you know, Atlanta's game from last year.
A
Jared McKinnon, Latavius, Murray. Murray had 55% of the snaps last week. McKinnon had 45% of the snaps. So you had a flip last week, both of them on the field quite a bit. I think both might have an okay game in this one. And the Falcons defense, when you look at the past, what, six weeks, they've been, you know, not bad.
B
Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, they're really good against the wide receiver. They've gotten a little worse over the last few weeks against the quarterback and middle of the pack on running back and tight end. This is just a game where I think it's, it's such an important game for, you know, both teams. This is the week where we have some NFL games, forget fantasy football, but in the NFL there's some games where, you know you're going to get 100% from every player on the field because their entire season or their playoffs or their bye week or whatever is on the line.
A
That's why I'm taking Atlanta. I'm going to take Atlanta at home to take, to take care of business. They're playing good enough on defense, I think, to win this game. Before we move on to our next matchup, I want to thank Pristine Auction. You've heard us talk about them at length. They're great. Yesterday, Evan ingram signed giants jersey $51. JSA certified. David Johnson signed cardinals jersey yesterday. $79.17 was the final auction price. Michael Crabtree 64 bucks. Look at this. Alvin Kamara signed 8x10 photo 92 bucks. Now, a lot of you hear us say, look, they use the best authenticators in the business, but what does that mean? I'm going to tell you what it means. We've been to these signings that they do. A JSA witnessed. A JSA certified item is an item on which it's not only certified by this, by jsa, but they witness it. They send a representative to the signing to witness every actual signature. You are not going to get a bogus signature or a non authentic product from Pristine Auction. And that's important when we tell you these prices on their auction house. So you got to check it out. Pristineauction.com p r I s t I n e auction.com let them know that the fantasy Footballer sent you.
B
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A
Oh, any gift you can eat, by the way, is better than a gift you can't eat.
B
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A
You can't go wrong with a tartlet, Jason.
B
Oh, the caramel app.
A
Any tartlet of any kind.
B
Impossible.
A
Impossible to go wrong. The 6 and 5 Lions take on the 6 and 5 Ravens. Boy, I'm not excited about any Ravens right now.
B
The Lions excited about their defense in general?
A
Sure. Well, that. That's not going to. That's not going to help Jeremy Macklin, is it? No, that's not going to help Joe Facco.
B
Oh, he. Someone. Someone help Joe Flacco.
A
This game's it. Hey, look, the crowd's going to try. This game's in Baltimore. Only a 40 point over under in this one. And look, Matthew Stafford is right on the cusp of the auto start. But you have a tough matchup on the road. Are you looking elsewhere or are you confident starting Matthew Stafford? He's, you know, since week nine, he's thrown for the second most yards in the league.
B
Yeah, he's been great. As close to an auto start as you can get. And if he was an auto start, then you'd Start him here and he's not. And you don't. I mean, this is. Look, the Baltimore Ravens on the season, they are the number two team against quarterbacks as far as fantasy points given up to the position over the last six weeks, they're number one. They are at home. They are on fire as a defense. I, you know, I realized three fantasy.
A
Points given up to the quarterback.
B
Yeah, I mean, that's it.
A
Not good.
B
It took an otherworldly performance from DeAndre Hopkins last week to be even relevant. And still, I mean, you know, if.
A
You look at three turnovers for Tom Savage.
B
Yeah, Savage was just a train wreck. So this is a. This is a defense. That's why I say I'm excited about the Ravens defense, which is another way of saying I'm really worried about the Lions offense. You've got a team that's number one against quarterback, number five against running back, and number two against the tight end position. Over the last six weeks, they're just shutting people down and they're at home. You know, if I can avoid Lions, I will. I mean, I'm going to put Marvin Jones and Golden Tate as pretty much the only two guys that I'm willing to start in this game. I think that they could be all right, but I'm still going to temper my expectations with them.
A
You're playing a guy like Robbie Anderson against Kansas City over Marvin Jones. You're going to play somebody like Larry Fitzgerald at home against the Rams over Marvin Jones?
B
I would.
A
Des Bryant against Washington over Marvin Jones?
B
I would.
A
Okay, so that gives you kind of some context for what we expect out of that matchup. Like you said, Baltimore, they're on fire. Now, Danny Woodhead on the other side, are you comfortable with him as a flex play this week against the Lions defense over the last six weeks, they're giving up a lot of points to the running back position.
B
They sure are. And it, you know, I guess over the whole season.
A
They are.
B
Yes. Over the whole season, they've been terrible against running back. I'm really not sure if this is going to be a Danny Woodhead game or if it's going to be more of an Alex Collins game.
A
Sure.
B
Alex Collins has looked great. Last week in a really tough matchup against Houston, Alex Collins, you know, 60 yards, a touchdown. He was very serviceable, looked strong. I would rather start Alex Collins than Danny Woodhead in this game.
A
Even in a PPR league.
B
Even in a PPR league. I think his. His usage is more guaranteed. And in a matchup that's Beatable. He has the talent to, you know, start running off 6, 7, 8 yards runs left and right. So I would rather have Collins than Wood.
A
Would you rather have Alex Collins this week in this matchup at home against Detroit, or would you rather play Tevin Coleman against Minnesota?
B
That's a. That's a perfect question.
A
They're back to back in our rankings.
B
Just for the record, I would rather have Alex Collins. I think Minnesota's run D has been great and Devonta Freeman is back, so I'm going to lean towards the Alex Collins side.
A
Yeah. In the rankings, you have Collins 16, Coleman 22.
B
There you go.
A
All right, let's talk about the Patriots 9 and 2 taking on the Buffalo Bills in the playoff hunt at 6 and 5. Good news. Tyra Taylor is going to start a quarterback Jason that well.
B
That's great news for literally everyone. That is not Nathan Peterman.
A
Might be good news for Nathan Peterman based on how it went last time.
B
That's. That's true. That's fair. This is really good news for Nathan Peterman's family there.
A
I had a suggestion for another water wheel option.
B
Oh, I saw this. Remind me.
A
Called the Peterman, where the person that is watering, they throw the whole cup and the other person has to catch the cup and then finish themselves off.
B
Yeah. Because they're going to intercept the pass no matter what.
A
Intercept it. And then what's left in the cup they have to dump on themselves.
B
That's not. I hope Nathan Peterman never plays again. Not. Not for any. I just want the fact that he came in through six picks and then. And then left.
A
Brooks. That's not nice.
B
That's not nice.
A
Brooks.
B
That's. That.
A
It's really not. It's not a kind thing.
B
Darn it. I don't like it.
A
How can you be entertained by someone else's demise, Jason?
B
I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be. I'm wrong here, Nathan. Why don't you come on the show and you can call me fat.
A
That's okay. That's the free pass. The pass that you give everybody. I shouldn't be speaking because I plan on being very entertained by Brooks demise in our Dynasty league this week.
B
All right, let's talk about Tyrod Taylor for a second because you and I, we've done so many shows this week, I forget where it was. But we talked about our hesitation for Tyrod Taylor based on what the Patriots have been able to do in the. On the season. They're 28th against quarterback. But that is in spite of the fact that over the last six weeks they're the sixth best team against quarterbacks. They're shutting people down. So I'm a little bit worried about Tyrod.
A
But you know what the Patriots defense is right now?
B
I'm going to find out.
A
They are. They're the delicious. Like, you know how for the hall for like Valentine's Day, you get the box of chocolates and they look really great and you open it up and then you take a bite and there's like worms inside of it.
B
I've never had. What? What?
A
No, I'm saying that's what it is. Oh, it's a box of chocolates. That looks great. If you look at the season ranks.
B
28Th against quarterbacks, 23rd against running backs.
A
29Th against wide receivers, 17th against tight end. Well, look at the last six weeks. You're starting people against them. Based on the beginning of the year, last six weeks, they're the sixth best team against quarterbacks, ninth against running backs, first against tight ends.
B
Yeah, they're. They're shutting guys down.
A
And they're the classic box of worms.
B
Yeah.
A
That we've all experienced.
B
That's the issue. I feel like you were sharing something from experience. Like, hey, you know when you get one of those box of chocolates and then there's all these worms in it.
A
You haven't had that happen.
B
Well, not recently.
A
So the Patriots defense has been on fire. That's the moral of this worm story.
B
Now, all of that said, Tyrod Taylor is still a streaming option because his utilization, especially at home in the running game, will help him have a solid enough baseline to be started. But.
A
And they're going to be playing from behind.
B
This is not one of those, hey, Tyrod at home, you know, great matchup. Fire him up. This is just a. You can use them if you need them. Temper your expectations. One of the worries I have is the fact that his primary weapon over the last little while has been Charles Clay. And as you just said a minute ago, over the last six weeks, the Patriots, they're number one in the league against tight end. They've kind of shifted around their defense and it's helped them play that position. So if Charles Clay is taken out of this game, then you're relying on Zay Jones and maybe a healthy or not healthy Jordan Matthews.
A
I have some concerns over Lashaun McCoy in this matchup as well. I mean, the Patriots, they take away your best weapon. They're going to take away Lashawn McCoy. McCoy has been stuffed on 41% of rushing attempts since Week 9, which is the worst in the league. Now he makes up for it with big plays. But the Patriots, I think they're going to focus on McCoy and Clay and they might let Tyrod Taylor rush nine times. But I do worry about. It's not like you're not starting McCoy, but I think if you're thinking of McCoy as a top three option this week, based on the fact the Patriots defense has this terrible rank against running backs on the season, you're going to be a little bit disappointed.
B
Now on the other side of the ball, the, I mean, the Bills defense that started, the Bills defense started where it was like, oh, they're pretty good. I mean, even on the season overall, they're still ranked top 10 against the quarterback. But lately, the last six weeks, they're dead last against running back. They have just been awful at that position and near dead last against the tight end. So you've got.
A
You can start Dion Lewis.
B
Yes. And I think you can start Rex Burkhead as well. We have seen him involved enough and the only time since he's been back from his injury that he had a subpar game was the game where he came in and fumbled early and his work was basically cut in half.
A
So you're starting Lewis, you're starting Burkhead. Expecting either of those guys to be in the RB1 conversation at the end of the week?
B
Yeah, I do. I think one of them will be there's going to be enough touchdowns going to the New England Patriots where, you know, we saw last week, Rex Burke had got two touchdowns, was an RB one, but I, and you and anybody else, you can't predict who it's going to be. I just think it right now it looks to me that it is a two man show. James White is just sporadically peppered in and if, and if Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis are getting the bulk of the New England Patriots rushing game, then both will be serviceable and startable. Cooks. Brandon Cooks, you're firing him up. Tom Brady, you're playing. Is there anybody else? Gronk, obviously.
A
Nope. No other pass catcher, wide receiver wise, that I really have confidence in. I know Amadola, you've been able to, you know, think about him week to week. I'm kind of going to pause with Danny Amendola, find a better option. The 49ers at 1 and 10 are taking on the Bears in Chicago. The Bears are 3 1/2 point favorites, a 40 point over under and Jimmy Garoppolo is going to make his debut as the 49ers quarterback. It's going to be a little tough. However, I mean the Bears defense, they're 10th in the league over the last six weeks against fantasy quarterbacks. They've been a little bit more vulnerable to the wide receiver position recently than they have on the whole year. But they're a pretty solid defense. And the 49ers with a first week quarterback. I just don't have a lot of confidence in Garoppolo in this matchup. Marquis Goodwin, we've talked about him a little bit.
B
Goodwin or Sanu, I would go Goodwin here. I think he's the one. Yeah, he's the number one target for Garoppolo. Garoppolo, in the few times that we've seen him play, he has looked like a average to above average NFL quarterback. And whenever you've got a non bad quarterback and a wide receiver one on that team, I think that, you know the targets and the volume will be enough to produce fantasy points. So I would go with Goodwin here. And his speed can always, I mean you've always got the shot of that 70 yard touchdown. Even if he catches one ball, it could be a great game.
A
You see Jeremy McNichols promoted from the practice squad for the 49ers back in the NFL.
B
I remember him.
A
I know a lot of hype in Tampa and it did not go well. No Carlos Hyde. Confidence level on Hyde this week. Is he in RB1? Is he in RB2?
B
Yeah, he's an RB1. I think you know you're going to keep starting him. The Bears have only been middle of the year.
A
We've got him at 9 and 10.
B
Right now against running backs. This is one of those games where I expect both running games to be active. I don't think either team is going to jump out to this massive lead and just be a great offense against the other team. If you look at Jordan Howard, he has 199 rushing attempts this season. That's the third most in the league. And they're going to be able to run on the Niners.
A
Yes, they are.
B
So they're going to slow the game down. And if Jordan Howard's the number one running back on the week, I'm not going to be shocked because the Niners are a terrible defense.
A
25 points a game given up on the season to the running back position.
B
It's dead last.
A
Dead last in the league. Hasn't really changed throughout the year. They've been atrocious. Last week the Bears offense only put up 26 fantasy points in total. When you combine the quarterback, the running backs, the wide receivers, the tight ends, Jordan Howard, I've got confidence in him this week. But you're not touching anybody else, are you, Doncho Inman?
B
No, I'm not.
A
Targets have been there.
B
You know, there's the, I would say this, the metrics point to, you know, if you're in a two quarterback league. Mitchell Trubisky. No, I mean you've got again on the season. The San Francisco 49ers are dead last against quarterback as well. You mean Jay Grizz's QB streamer for the week? Yes. Yes. Good call, Jay Grizz. Very, very nice call. On the, on the Trubisky.
A
If you're not starting, 31 other quarterbacks are gone. I'd be all over Trubisky. You're right about that.
B
I would say if probably 27.
A
I can't believe you mentioned Mitchell Trubisky. Okay, I don't think there's anybody else we need to discuss in this matchup. Let's move on to the Buccaneers. Jameis Winston returning against the packers in Lambeau Field 5 and 6, Packers 4 and 7. Buccaneers 44 and a half point over under. And we've talked already about the implications for Jameis Winston. We've kind of covered that. You know, Cameron Brake gets the bump up. Doug Martin probably not going to play. Jacquiz Rogers and Peyton Barber. Charles Sims would split time in that backfield. Not super excited about any of those guys on the road this week. But on the other side of the ball, Brett Hundley. Surprise week last week, big week, some broken plays, but he did find different receivers for touchdowns. Jamal Williams, he found through the air. Devonte Adams, really like him this week. We're going to talk about some starts of the week later. But what are your thoughts on this Green Bay Packer offense? Because the Buccaneers, they're about, they're about as bad as it gets when it comes to covering the fantasy wide receiver.
B
Yeah, I think they are as bad as it gets if you look at how they compare to the certain teams that they have played against. Not just, you know, just the total points against other teams, but actually the opponents, they are the worst. I mean the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just look at, you know, Julio last week and pretty much someone every single week, you know, that's why Devonte Adams, an absolute great start this week. He has been very solid since Hunley took over. And you're always scared because Hunley Even in his bad games, while devonte Adams has been good. You just watch Hunley and you go, I don't want to trust that. But we've seen, we've got enough experience of bad quarterbacks still making a wide receiver, a certain wide receiver relevant. And when you've got a guy like Adams who's been targeted 37 times since week nine, which is tied for six most in the league against a defense that is bad, you have to play devonte Adams.
A
Yeah, I agree with you. I think Huntley's made some strides. Impressive performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now he's at home. Devonte Adams. Would you start Devonte Adams over Mike Evans? Mike Evans is. No, Mike Evans is the 20th ranked wide receiver on the season. He hasn't had any of those otherworldly performances. I'm just asking the question because Evan Adams, he's been targeted the six most times since week nine. Evans is probably at the top of that list. I don't think he's ever received under eight targets this year. But he hasn't up prolific numbers.
B
Well, since week nine he's, he's below Adams and targets. He's had 28 targets since week nine and he's only had. He only has 12 receptions on that. But that's not been Jameis Winston and that's the problem. I think the reason that Mike Evans is the 20th ranked wide receiver is because of the quarterback play. And now you get Jameis Winston back. They held him out enough time to be sure that his shoulder is good. Mike Evans is my number one wide receiver of the week right now in my rankings. So I believe in Mike Evans a lot because the Packers I might take.
A
The over in this game. I think both teams put up enough points to make a lot of players fancy relevant. We like Jamal Williams.
B
The packers are. They're watching what Tampa Bay has done against wide receiver and how bad they've been and they're like, hold my beer, I'm going to show you bad against wide receiver.
A
Packers have been worse over the last six weeks and they've been 29 and 31.
B
Exactly. So Mike Evans with this quarterback. I think you know, any hope for.
A
Jordy Nelson this week?
B
I was going to ask you that. I've had a couple Jordy Nelson fielded questions and it's one of those things where I am willing like over the last.
A
I'd rather take a chance on Jordy Nelson this week in this matchup than I would Seth Roberts. Really, I would.
B
I don't know that I would do that, but I would probably do it over Muhammad Sanu.
A
There you go.
B
So, I mean, Jordy is in that flex consideration. Over the last several weeks, I've been playing the wide receiver two against Tampa Bay and it's been just fine. It could. Jordy.
A
It could be Jordy this week instead of Randall Cobb. Randall Cobb had the long touchdown last week. There's no reason it couldn't be Jordy. I. You are 100% playing the matchup. You're not reading into any other metric or any other hope for Jordy Nelson because he's been terrible without Aaron Rodgers. Now, people who are asking this question I'm going to ask you before we move on, they want to know if you should pick up Aaron Rodgers, bench Aaron Rodgers, wait for him to come back, and then with that, there is the trickle down right of Jordy Nelson's relevance if he's sitting out on your waiver wire. If Rogers came back on week 15 or 16 for some reason, I mean, if the, if the packers win this game, the 500.
B
Yeah.
A
I mean, they should win this game.
B
If this is a, this is an absolutely winnable game and a very important game for the packers, if they win this week, then the chance that Aaron Rodgers might come back moves up a smidge. You saw him throwing over 50 yards in the air during the last game, warming up. Would I pick him up? I. I don't think I would pick him up in most situations, but if Jordy was on the waivers, which he. It makes sense. I'm willing to cut Jordy in general, but I think I would be willing to pick him up as well. If you want that hold. Because if Aaron Rodgers comes back, I'm more excited about Jordy than I am about Rogers.
A
I'm going to spell this out. I mean, look, this isn't hard to do at this point. They play the Buccaneers at home. They're going to win that game. That's my opinion.
B
Okay.
A
Okay. They play the Browns next week. Okay. Without Aaron Rodgers. Week 14, then you're talking about the two relevant weeks, 15 and 16. At that point, your team is a game above.500. So there's no point from now until then that I think they're going to lose ground on a playoff race. So if they're still relevant, assuming they. Assuming they beat the Buccaneers and the Browns, I think Rogers could come back. Now you got to come back and you got to go to Carolina. Then you got to come back and you got to play against Minnesota. So you're asking Aaron Rodgers to come back and then put up otherworldly performances against the Panthers and the Vikings. And if you're in the playoffs, you probably have another option that makes you a little, little bit uncomfortable. Rolling Aaron Rodgers out in Carolina, his first game back. If he came back.
B
Yeah. I mean, how comfortable would you be, Brooks?
A
Not very. Not very comfortable.
B
I can say that I would be pretty comfortable. I mean, I'm going to put my trust in Aaron Rodgers. He's not going to come back if he's not ready. And if he's out there, I'm not. I'm going to just say, oh, yeah, he's first ballot hall of Fame. I'll.
A
I'll start him over.
B
Most options.
A
Yeah, I guess there's only three auto starts right now.
B
Yeah.
A
So. All right. The Colts take on the Jaguars. The Jaguars lost last week to Arizona. They're seven and four. The Colts are three and eight. Jags are nine and a half point favorites, forty and a half point over under. I have seen a startling piece of information here. Oh, I do not like where Larry Fournette is being ranked by the consensus of experts around the NFL right now.
B
I agree.
A
For this week, everyone sees an Indianapolis defense and they just, for some reason, they just want to kind of imbue fantasy points. And that hasn't happened when people face Indianapolis recently and then Leonard Fournette, he's been banged up. You've had TJ Yelden on the field three straight drives last week. How are we putting Fournette in the top 10 this week? I don't understand that.
B
Well, I mean, India has been bad. This is a low scoring game. It's one of those things where you don't see a world where team's been bad. Right.
A
Is that what you're talking about?
B
Yeah. So therefore, if the Colts aren't going to be able to put up a bunch of points against the Jags great D, then they will be able to continue to run the ball. We've seen massive great games from Leonard Fournette this year, which, you know, matches his college tape. All of those reasons factor into it. I mean, when you look at the Colts on the season and you say, oh man, they're so bad against the run. I agree with you, Andy. You need to be a little bit more realistic about what has happened over the last several weeks. Because let's just look back. You had the Cincinnati Bengals with Joe Mixon, who is a good running back. They don't have the best offensive line, but he's a good running back. Seventeen carries, and Indianapolis gave up only 34 yards on those carries. You had Lamar Miller pretty much shut down. You didn't have a great yards per carry from Le'Veon Bell last week. DeMarco Murray was. Was pretty much shut down. So it's one of those things where I think you're going to start Leonard Fournette. You are?
A
Yes.
B
You know, if he shouldn't be top 10, then he should be 11, 12, 15.
A
All right.
B
I mean, he's still a good play because of the volume and. But you temper your expectations.
A
All right. You know who has the second most receptions in the NFL amongst tight ends?
B
Oh, I don't, but. Oh, I can't wait. Is it baby hands?
A
It's baby Hands. Baby hands. Jack Doyle, 59 receptions on the year bounce back week last week. Is he the one pass catcher you can start from Indianapolis?
B
I don't know that there is one. I mean, if there is one, he is.
A
I mean, that's the one position they're the worst against, certainly, but they're not bad against them.
B
Yeah, the Jacksonville Jaguars, they're number one on the season. They're number one against quarterback and number one against wide receiver. So that funnels targets to the tight end. And Jack Doyle is obviously, as you said, he's. He's up there in targets and receptions. He's been. He's been good, but I just kind of don't trust that. I feel like it's a trap. You know, there's only two targets that. So Jacoby Brissette comes into a game plan, and this is his game plan. I'm getting the ball to Jack Doyle today. Or he's like, how I'm going to switch it up. I'm getting the ball to Ty Hilton today, and that's like pretty much what he does. He just picks on the week, pulls out of a hat and decides who he's going to throw the ball to. And I think Jacksonville is going to be able to be a good enough overall defense, especially with their D line against the Indianapolis Colts offensive line. I don't expect a great game from Jack Doyle, but you could, you could play him in a pinch and hope for the targets.
A
Yeah, I'm okay with Doyle this week. I mean, they're going to be playing from behind. We've seen Brissette when that situation arises, I'm okay with him. Frank Gore was pretty good last week. I don't love him this week. If you got to start him, he's a three for me. On the other side of the ball people want to know. Marquise Lee going up against the Vonte Davis list. Indianapolis Colts. Are you back on the Marquis Lee bandwagon? Is he a better start than DD Westbrook?
B
Yeah. Marquise Lee I still think is their number one option. It's really strange because Blake Bortles has not been throwing the ball deep and when he does, he hasn't been throwing it deep. Well, that's where the Colts have their issues, is that deep ball. So maybe we see it this week and Blake Bortles can kind of write that ship. Marquis Lee, Dede Westbrook. So far, what we've seen is just the kind of short crossing routes. Pepperum and I think that doesn't play as exciting into what the Colts are bad at. So I'm kind of avoiding most all players in this game, both sides of the ball.
A
All right, we're going to tackle the rest of the matchups on tomorrow's show, but right now it's time for our starts.
B
Starts of the week.
A
By the way, Foot Clan, you might be excited to know Jason Moore is going to be hosting the DFS podcast this week with himself and Ben Cummins. Jake Seeley, or, I'm sorry, Big Cummings, Chris Meaney, and you might want to tune in. That'll be released tomorrow morning, so you might want to tune into that. Brooks is nodding, so you know it's good.
B
Oh, yeah. The head bob is rocking. The show's going to be ruckus. It's going to be a good time.
A
Yeah.
B
Subscribe now.
A
Subscribe now.
B
Prepare yourselves.
A
The Fantasy Footballers DFS podcast on itunes. All right, starts of the week. Here we go. Case Keenum. I'm going to go with Case Keenum. I'm going to stay in the offensive player of the week. Of the month. Flames.
B
Yeah, he's my Case.
A
Kingdom against Atlanta. I love it. The weapons are too good. He can. He can find some fantasy value in McKinnon out of the backfield. Diggs, Thielen, Rudolph. Rudolph had a great week last week. We didn't talk about him, but I still think, you know Rudolph. Two touchdowns last week. Case Keenum's looking good. I'm going to start him. I'm going to do it this week.
B
Yeah, I don't blame you. I'm going to also stay with the guy that's been really hot lately.
A
I like him more. I like him even more.
B
Philip Rivers last week had 434 yards, three touchdowns, a great game. He's been targeting Keenan Allen the way he should, which is every drop back and this week, you know, he's got that great matchup against Cleveland. They're 27th against the, you know, against quarterback on the season. There's almost like a guaranteed two touchdown passes being thrown, especially when you, I mean, we'll get to it. But when you combine the fact that one of Cleveland's weakest points as a defense is a, is a usual strength for the San Diego Chargers offense, I believe in Philip Rivers this week.
A
All right. At the running back position, I'm going to go with a little bit of a surprise, a little bit of a deeper start of the week.
B
I liked it. I really.
A
Isaiah Crowell, guys, I'm going with Isaiah Cruel. He had a very good week last week. He's still getting the bulk of the carries out of the backfield. We know that Duke Johnson has had relevance. Now, Isaiah Cruella, there was a little bit of news this week that he was limited on Wednesday, so you need to monitor that. But last week, Isaiah Cruell, despite the failures of this team as a whole, 16 for 95 against a pretty good Cincinnati defense, put up 12.6 fantasy points without scoring and did catch a pass. So I think this week against the Chargers, who. That's what it comes down to. The Chargers are the absolute worst in the NFL against the running back position. They can rush the passer, but they do that at the expense of the running game right now. So I think he's good for 15 carries. I think he's good for 75 to 100 yards in this game against the Chargers with a chance of a touchdown.
B
Yeah, I like that one. Because of the matchup, San Diego has not been good against the run. My start of the week at running back is Jamal Williams. Ty Montgomery might be back. You've got Aaron Jones at practice today. In limited fashion, I am saying you start Jamal Williams no matter what. I don't care if both guys are active, you're going to start Jamal Williams. I don't expect both guys to be active. It very well might only be Jamal Williams, but even if Ty Montgomery is there, you're going to start him. Over the last three weeks since Jamal Williams has become the starter, he is tied for the league lead in rushing attempts. He's getting basically 20 attempts a game.
A
The truthers are coming out too. Just so you know, on Twitter, I had some of those people, the BYU fans that told me he's the best running back in all of Green Bay history. All it took was an Aaron Jones anti Montgomery injury for us to see it.
B
But he has Looked good last, last game against a very good Pittsburgh defense. He was, he was very good the last two weeks. Each of the last two weeks he's had four receptions. So I think his baseline is safe. And because of the matchup against Tampa Bay, in a game where both you and I agree, I would expect the over more place to be scored in this game. I just really like Jamal Williams. He's safe. Start him.
A
We do agree, Jason. We agree on the over and that's why I'm staying with the packers for my wide receiver, Devonte Adams. I mean, it kind of hurts me a little bit, but I got to give Devonte Adams credit. I give him a lot of, I gave him a lot of grief in the off season and now he survived the injury to Aaron Rodgers and despite that, he's been putting up fantasy relevant weeks. I mean, this is, this is the DeAndre Hopkins situation. Light in Green Bay, you lose your starting superstar quarterback to Sean Watson. Hopkins still found a way to relevance. Adams has done the same thing. He's been the most heavily targeted, most relevant making plays. I got to give him credit. And this week against Tampa, Come on, please. Tampa gave up 70 something points against fantasy wide receivers last week. Brooks 70 the week before, 45. That's a lot. Now I think 65 of them were Julio Jones, but still 70 fantasy points. Devonte Adams is going to get his this week.
B
Yeah, yeah, I agree. I like it a lot. My wide receiver start of the week, it's a little bit scarier just because he's such an up and down guy. But I am putting my confidence this week in Tyreek, the freak hill he's been, you know, the last two weeks. Seven receptions both games. You haven't seen the big long touchdown.
A
You might this week in a while.
B
But this is a good week for that. The jets, you know, they'll give up the big play and if he's continuing to get seven receptions a game and still being used, you know, a rush or two or three rushing attempts a game, I think this is the type of matchup where it's, it's a get right game hopefully for the Kansas City Chiefs and that offense and the jets have been. We've said this before about the Kareem Hunt situation. The jets over the last six weeks, they're the second best against the run. Kareem Hunt might not be the one to get right and therefore they'll need Tyree Kill against, you know, a position that's succeeded against the New York Jets. So I like Tyreek Hill, despite the.
A
Losing streak four out of the last five games, he's had pretty decent fantasy. So he is their number one target outside of Kelsey. Now, Jared Cook is my tight end start of the week. Now I know. I know what it's like to own Jared Cook. I know what it's like to start Jared Cook. It's not a good. It's not a good experience.
B
No, it's. It's the Yelp.
A
Reviews are bad for starting Jared Cook right now, but he's probably the biggest beneficiary of the Cooper Crabtree situation. And I have an interesting question for you, Jason. Would you rather start Jared Cook? Let's say you got to start a flex position. Seth Roberts or Jared Cook? I think I'm playing Jared Cook.
B
I would rather play Jared Cook as well. We've seen the games where Gotta do.
A
Your cooking by the book.
B
Yeah. Where Derek Carr comes out and uses Jared Cook as his number one target. This is. This has as good a chance as any of being one of those games where Jared Cook could end up with, you know, 80, 90 yards, several receptions at a touchdown. I like Jared Cook a lot.
A
All right, well, who's your tight end?
B
I'm going with the goose. There it is. You left me hanging there for a second.
A
I'm sorry. I hit the. I hit the button.
B
It's all right. The goose. Hunter Henry. Hunter Henry has been really frustrating. He's had plenty of good games, but he's had several games where he's not involved. I said this a minute ago. He's kind of my stack with Philip Rivers. I. Stack of the wood. Super stack, stack, attack, triple stack, triple stack, double stuff. White chocolate dipped Oreos.
A
If you're a member of Join the foot, the. You can kind of do like a little Snapchat thing over there now, if you've got the app and I.
B
What do they call that?
A
It's the lens. Patreon lens. So I posted a little clip of me at my house eating a white chocolate Oreo.
B
Good for you. Anyways, Hunter Henry, he's had plenty of big games this year. Obviously had a ton last year. Philip Rivers loves using the tight end, especially around the goal line. And you've got the Browns on the other side of the ball that they are so bad against. Tight end. They've given up a touchdown each of the last four games. And in the majority of their weeks on the season, they're 31st against the position. So, you know, I think Hunter Henry gets a touchdown this game. That helps Philip Rivers. I'M cool with it.
A
All right, those were our starts of the week. We're going to move on to a much more important segment.
B
Oh, Jason Moore's ironclad, locked and loaded. 100% guaranteed. Boom boom kicker of the week. Get ready for this foot clan. This might be the best rhyme I've ever come up with. Despite the fact that Brooks the judge, Giamatti himself and Andy think it's the worst. I'll let you be the judge.
A
Who's your boom boom kicker? Jason.
B
Well, you might be a little worried about his health this week, so just take a Prozac and roll the dice. This week with the Chargers, Nick Novak.
A
Nick Novak.
B
Nick Novak.
A
Boom boom kick of the week. Can I get a ruling, Brooks? We already know Brooks on that rhyme. No good.
B
All right, we're going back to you.
A
I don't think Brooks. Brooks is not the most outspoken guy in the world. Like, he rolls with the punches, he puts his head down, he gets some work done when he pops up and says, that's the worst rhyme I've ever heard in my life. Like before?
B
Yeah. Hey, YouTube, vindicate me. Tell me you and YouTube.
A
You think YouTube? It's the crowd behind you.
B
Yeah, the YouTube crowd is behind you.
A
They all love you.
B
Well, I love them.
A
Yesterday, though, I will say the majority of people were on my side about the Akib Talib Crabtree fight being worse than A.J. griffin.
B
Absolutely. They were not on my side. This one, though. I mean, Prozac, Novak. What else are you going to do for Novak? That was great.
A
That is the challenge.
B
Nick and kick, man. I rhyme last names here, Brooks. That's low hanging, easy fruit. First names.
A
All right, we got the rest of the matchups on tomorrow's show, so thank you for tuning in today. We'll be back tomorrow. Very excited about week 13. Hopefully your team is kicking some butt and we can get you ready for a win. So take care. Check out draft.comballers. look, this is the time of the year. Jump in there, play with us draft.com ballers. Take care.
B
Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on JoinTheFoot.com and follow us on Twitter @The FF Ballers.
Episode: Fantasy Football 2017 - Starts of the Week, Week 13 Matchups, Boom Boom
Release Date: November 30, 2017
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
The Fantasy Footballers dive into the intricacies of Week 13 matchups, emphasizing the importance of strategic decisions to gain a competitive edge. Andy Holloway opens the discussion by highlighting the relevance of both recent and season-long defensive data in making informed lineup choices.
“...give you information, give you opinions, give you analysis, give you our best interpretation of that data and then leave it in your hands to make some decisions.”
— Andy Holloway [01:17]
A significant portion of the episode focuses on the strategic use of the waiver wire, especially as the season approaches its climax. The hosts debate whether to acquire and hold onto players solely to prevent opponents from utilizing them, particularly in scenarios where facing strong quarterbacks is a concern.
Andy introduces the concept:
“Should you acquire players and hold players off of the waiver wire simply so that other teams can't and don't start them against you?”
— Andy Holloway [01:36]
Jason agrees, emphasizing the heightened importance of this strategy in later weeks:
“...you have to look at your opponents when taking waivers into account, especially at this point.”
— Jason Moore [03:17]
They also explore offensive moves by teams out of playoff contention to disrupt competitors, with Mike Wright notably advocating for “stealing” players to weaken opponents, a tactic rooted in league competitiveness.
“Mike is all about that life. He's going to pick up every player and keep him away from everybody that he can.”
— Andy Holloway [04:25]
The discussion extends to league rules, such as potential restrictions on waiver moves during playoffs, with the hosts generally opposing such limitations to preserve managerial autonomy.
The hosts provide a comprehensive roundup of pertinent NFL news affecting fantasy decisions:
Jameis Winston's Return:
The Miami Dolphins confirm Jameis Winston's start against the Packers, potentially boosting Mike Evans' performance.
“The only player that I actually think takes a small hit is a player he's yet to find rapport with, and that's deseas Jackson.”
— Andy Holloway [08:16]
Doug Martin and Concussion Protocol:
Doug Martin remains out due to concussion concerns, with Jason speculating he might not return this week.
“Doug Martin hasn't passed concussion protocol yet, but he's also not practicing at all.”
— Jason Moore [09:39]
Case Keenum's Performance:
Case Keenum wins NFC Offensive Player of the Month, with Mike Zimmer indicating a cautious approach to his continued role.
“Case Keenum won NFC offensive player of the month...”
— Andy Holloway [10:10]
Injuries and Player Statuses:
Updates on players like Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Jared Cook, and others, with detailed analysis on their potential impact on fantasy lineups.
The Fantasy Footballers update their weekly rankings, highlighting key players and providing start recommendations based on upcoming matchups:
Quarterbacks:
“Philip Rivers last week had 434 yards, three touchdowns, a great game.”
— Jason Moore [48:18]
Running Backs:
“Jamal Williams is safe. Start him.”
— Andy Holloway [50:37]
Wide Receivers:
“Devonte Adams is going to get his this week.”
— Andy Holloway [51:29]
Tight Ends:
“Hunter Henry gets a touchdown this game. That helps Philip Rivers.”
— Jason Moore [54:20]
The segment ends with the "Boom Boom" kicker of the week selection, where Jason nominates Nick Novak for his reliability and favorable matchup against the Chargers.
“This week with the Chargers, Nick Novak.”
— Jason Moore [55:27]
Andy critiques the rhyme but acknowledges Novak's value:
“...that's the worst rhyme I've ever heard in my life.”
— Andy Holloway [55:26]
The hosts wrap up by teasing upcoming discussions on additional matchups, encouraging listeners to stay engaged for comprehensive analyses in future episodes.
“We're going to tackle the rest of the matchups on tomorrow's show...”
— Andy Holloway [56:35]
They also promote their community platforms and invite listeners to join their forums for deeper engagement.
“...give you information, give you opinions, give you analysis...”
— Andy Holloway [01:17]
“...you have to look at your opponents when taking waivers into account...”
— Jason Moore [03:17]
“Mike is all about that life. He's going to pick up every player and keep him away...”
— Andy Holloway [04:25]
“Philip Rivers had 434 yards, three touchdowns, a great game.”
— Jason Moore [48:18]
“Devonte Adams is going to get his this week.”
— Andy Holloway [51:29]
This episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast delivers in-depth analysis and strategic advice tailored for Week 13, blending player news with actionable fantasy tips. Whether you're navigating waiver priorities or optimizing your starting lineup, the hosts provide valuable insights to help dominate your league.