Fantasy Football 2017 - Starts of the Week, Week 4 Matchups, Muscle Hamster

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary

Title: Fantasy Football 2017 - Starts of the Week, Week 4 Matchups, Muscle Hamster
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
Release Date: September 28, 2017

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1. Introduction and Show Structure

The episode kicks off with the hosts welcoming listeners to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast from Play Draft Studios. After a brief and humorous exchange about personal updates and the "280 Club," the trio transitions into the main content, focusing on Week 4 of the NFL season.

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2. Starts of the Week

Key Discussion Points:

• Doug Martin’s Potential: Mike Wright raises concerns about Doug Martin's ability to break into the top 12 running backs for the season, given the influx of talented rookies like Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook. (02:12)

  Jason Moore: “I think it's going to be difficult this year because of the incoming rookie class... but from here on out he will be an RB one.”

• Alternative Running Backs: The hosts consider Jay Ajayi as a potential sleeper pick, noting his performance variability and the impact of his team’s dynamics. (04:31)

  Andy Holloway: “I do not think [Doug Martin] will end up as a running back one.”

• Le'Veon Bell’s Usage: Mike Wright discusses Le'Veon Bell’s target count and his importance in fantasy lineups, despite a shaky start to the season. (33:00)

  Andy Holloway: “A 6, 4, 7 target count. That's great.”

• Christian McCaffrey vs. Joe Mixon: Jason Moore advocates for starting Christian McCaffrey due to his dual-threat ability, while Andy Holloway supports Joe Mixon as a confident starter against the Browns. (35:59)

  Jason Moore: “I think he's a Great start.”

  Andy Holloway: “I’m going [with] Joey Mixon... time hibernating.”

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3. Week 4 Matchups Analysis

Key Matchups:

• Saints vs. Dolphins in London: The hosts analyze the challenging conditions of an international game and its potential impact on player performances. They highlight Drew Brees’s return and the Dolphins' high target rate for wide receivers. (16:23)

  Mike Wright: “The Dolphins wide receivers have been targeted more than anybody in the league in terms of per game targets.”

• Bills vs. Falcons: Discussion revolves around Tyrod Taylor’s rushing ability and the Falcons' offense. Mike Wright emphasizes Ezekiel Elliott's favorable matchup against the Rams. (25:25)

  Mike Wright: “I did the math. If he can replicate... he'll put up about 14,400 fantasy points.”

• Steelers vs. Ravens: The hosts predict a lower-scoring game, favoring under bets due to inconsistent offensive performances from both teams. (29:02)

  Jason Moore: “I lean on not leaning on [Ben Watson] this week.”

• Bengals vs. Browns: Focus on Andy Dalton as a streamable quarterback option and Isaiah Crowell’s uncertain performance against the Bengals' strong defense. (36:24)

  Jason Moore: “He is a streamable, safe option.”

• Rams vs. Cowboys: Jared Goff’s impressive early-season stats are contrasted with the Cowboys' defense, considering Sammy Watkins’s increasing role. (39:14)

  Jason Moore: “Kyle Rudolph can sneak in a touchdown in this game.”

• Titans vs. Texans: Analysis of Deshaun Watson’s potential against the Titans, debating his reliability versus Marcus Mariota’s matchup. (47:15)

  Jason Moore: “He is probably a streamable option.”

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4. News and Updates

Andrew Luck’s Injury Status: The trio discusses Dr. David Chow’s report predicting Andrew Luck’s return in November. They debate the reliability of third-party injury assessments and the Colts' handling of Luck's recovery. (10:02)

Mike Wright: “I lean the second side... this is news because it's news, but it's not necessarily accurate.”

Player Injuries and Updates: Updates on players like Randall Cobb, Chris Carson, Will Fuller, and Kelvin Benjamin are provided, affecting their fantasy availability and starting potential. (12:00)

Mike Wright: “Randall Cobb removed from the injury report. Good news for Randall Cobb owners.”

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5. Fantasy Forecast and Player Recommendations

Tight Ends:

• Jared Cook vs. Denver: Recommended due to Denver's weak pass defense against tight ends. (55:21)

  Jason Moore: “I am starting him... he had two red zone targets... safe floor with a decent ceiling.”

• Ryan Griffin vs. Patriots: Andy Holloway endorses Griffin based on his target reliability. (55:25)

  Andy Holloway: “He's a good pass catcher. He's my start.”

Wide Receivers:

• Golden Tate vs. Minnesota: Safe play due to Minnesota’s high fantasy points allowed to receivers and the Lions’ inconsistent defense. (57:51)

  Jason Moore: “Golden Tate is a really safe play against Minnesota.”

• Marquis Lee vs. Jets: Recommended for his high target share despite an unsteady start. (58:18)

  Jason Moore: “Marquis Lee is a safe floor with a decent ceiling.”

• Devonte Parker vs. Saints: Andy holloway supports Parker’s potential due to favorable matchups and Jay Cutler’s targeting. (59:54)

  Andy Holloway: “Devonte Parker... getting targeted from Jay Cutler.”

Running Backs:

• Chris Carson vs. Indianapolis: Consistently recommended given Pro Size’s injury and Carson’s favorable matchup. (60:28)

  Mike Wright: “Chris Carson is start worthy.”

• Ezekiel Elliott vs. Rams: Strong endorsement based on the Rams' vulnerabilities against the run. (44:19)

  Andy Holloway: “He’s going to have a monster game.”

• Joe Mixon vs. Browns: Andy Holloway unveils Mixon as a confident starter, anticipating increased usage under the new coordinator. (61:02)

  Andy Holloway: “I think it’s time hibernating. He’s just been sleeping.”

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6. Humorous Segments and Banter

Throughout the episode, the hosts engage in light-hearted banter, including jokes about the "280 Club" (a reference to tweet character limits), playful teasing about each other’s player preferences, and humorous takes on player performances. This camaraderie keeps the discussion engaging and entertaining.

Mike Wright: “Why don't you marry him?”

Andy Holloway: “I would if I could, but you can't marry three people, dummy.”

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7. Closing Recommendations

In the final segment, each host shares their top picks for the week across various positions, reinforcing their earlier discussions with specific player endorsements.

Key Starters:

• Tight Ends: Jared Cook and Ryan Griffin
• Wide Receivers: Golden Tate, Marquis Lee, Devonte Parker
• Running Backs: Chris Carson, Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon
• Quarterbacks: Christian McCaffrey, Joey Mixon, Dak Prescott

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8. Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with the hosts reminding listeners about their online resources, including the Fantasy Footballers website and social media platforms. They encourage participation in their Draft app and tease upcoming segments, maintaining engagement with their fantasy football community.

Jason Moore: “If you want really long, elaborate tweets, then check out ffhitman...”

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Notable Quotes:

• Jason Moore (02:12): “I think it's going to be difficult this year because of the incoming rookie class... but from here on out he will be an RB one.”

• Andy Holloway (04:31): “I do not think [Doug Martin] will end up as a running back one.”

• Mike Wright (33:00): “A 6, 4, 7 target count. That's great.”

• Jason Moore (35:59): “I think he's a Great start.”

• Andy Holloway (61:02): “I think it’s time hibernating. He’s just been sleeping.”

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and recommendations from the Fantasy Footballers' September 28, 2017 episode, providing valuable information for both regular listeners and newcomers to the podcast.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Mike Wright]

Hey, this is Willie Snead with the.

[Jason Moore]

New Orleans Saints, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Andy Holloway]

Foreign.

[Jason Moore]

To the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, coming to you from the Play Draft Studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

What's up, Bookland? What's going on?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, week four is here. We got football tonight. I'm excited.

[Mike Wright]

Be a great show. We have starts of the week. Hmm.

[Andy Holloway]

You trying something new over there?

[Mike Wright]

I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

It didn't work. I love you.

[Mike Wright]

Starts of the week are still my favorite segment of the entire week. So we've got starts the week on the show today. Jason's boom boom kicker.

[Andy Holloway]

I liked it. I like that he's trying something new.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, right. No, I appreciate that. I appreciate new things don't always work.

[Andy Holloway]

I throw hundred do things out every day. Maybe one of them sticks, but that one of them makes it worth it.

[Mike Wright]

Like that haircut.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Speaking of haircut. I'm getting a haircut tomorrow, fellas.

[Mike Wright]

I was gonna say breaking news. That thing is.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm very overgrown at the moment.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. If you want to check out that truth, go to YouTube.com fantasy football.

[Andy Holloway]

And yet my hair is.

[Mike Wright]

You forget that.

[Jason Moore]

Fantasy footballers or is it just slash fantasy footballers? I can't remember.

[Andy Holloway]

On the YouTube.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, on the YouTubes.

[Andy Holloway]

Try both.

[Jason Moore]

Good answer, good answer, good answer.

[Mike Wright]

All right, check this out. Quick question for the show today. Last year, so 2016, of the top 12 running backs, three were not in the top 45 through weeks one through three. Isn't that incredible?

[Jason Moore]

That is.

[Mike Wright]

Lev Bell, Jordan Howard, and JJ were all outside the top 45 as we headed into week four, which we're doing right now. And my question is two, part one. We haven't talked about Doug Martin in a while. And Doug Martin is scheduled to return next week. Not this week. Don't put him in your lineup next week. So this is the final Jacquiz Rogers by himself. You've kind of had one good, one bad game. But can Doug Martin be one of those guys that he misses these first three weeks ends up in the top 12. And if it's not him, do you have any other names, somebody that might fall into that category? But speak to Doug Martin first because I've seen a lot of questions from people on Twitter. They want to know how much they can basically lean on Doug Martin from here on out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I actually like Doug Martin a lot. Him going to be a RB one. If you're talking on the entire season, if he were going to become at the end of the season on the whole an RB one, I think it's going to be difficult this year because of the incoming rookie class. There's just too many, you know, new guys, fresh meat that I think are going to end up in the top 12. The Leonard Fournette, Joe Mixon, Christian McCaffrey has that chance. Dalvin Cook, Kareem Hunt, I mean, I mean it's, it's an incredible rookie class. So that's going to make it hard for Doug Martin to finish as an RB one missing the first three weeks. But I think from here on out he will be an RB one and I would be willing to go trade for him. Right now it's hard to trade for a guy that was drafted and especially at this point. That's what I mean when you held him. But my tip to you, if you're in a league where you wish you could go and look at the Doug Martin owners team and look at his record because if he's 03, then he needs a win, he needs a win this week and Doug Martin's not helping him. And you could say, look, I know you held on to him, but if you go04, you're not making the playoffs, which is not true. But you can, you know, tell them.

[Andy Holloway]

That you got to use leverage, you.

[Jason Moore]

Got to use your leverage and then try to help their team look and go, this player from my team would actually help him get a win this week because that will actually facilitate a trade happening and then steal yourself some Doug Martin.

[Mike Wright]

I also recommend Jaquez Rogers owners maybe look at if you can get a more permanent running back from the Doug Martin owner at this point where that person can play quiz this week and then transition into Doug Martin.

[Jason Moore]

Good idea.

[Mike Wright]

I think it's a good idea. If I look at the top 12 running backs right now, I'm fairly certain that I don't think Chris Thompson or Tariq Cohen end up in that top 12 at the end of the year. Especially with currently zeke Lev Bell, LaShawn McCoy all outside of it right now. DeMarco Murray. But because of those names right now, being outside of that top 12, I do agree with Jason. I don't think Doug Martin will end up inside the top 12 at the end of the year. I do think it's possible. No doubt. But yeah, I would. I would vote that he'll be very good, very serviceable.

[Jason Moore]

I guess that's the real question.

[Mike Wright]

Borderline one, but not quite.

[Jason Moore]

Is he going to be really good or really bad? Because those are the only two things Doug Martin chooses to do.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think he'll be very good. And I actually, there's two answers. Right. Because there's one, this question says, is he going to end up in the top 12 at the end of the year? That doesn't mean that he's not a top 12 running back the rest of the season. Right, Right. Because if he does that, it doesn't mean he catches up to these guys.

[Andy Holloway]

He probably would, though.

[Jason Moore]

So, Mike, as the resident anti Doug.

[Andy Holloway]

Martin guy, I do not think he will end up as a running back one.

[Mike Wright]

He will.

[Andy Holloway]

He can be a serviceable running back to. He will get the volume. So, yeah, he's. I wouldn't try necessarily. You know, I would try and trade for him if I can get him cheap, but I don't think that's possibly happening. And the guy I'll throw out there, who's not in the top 45, who could end up in the top 12 this year? Jay Ajayi.

[Jason Moore]

Yep. You do it back to back years. I looked that up as well.

[Mike Wright]

But in Half point, he was the one bad game. One bad game and one bye week. That bye week cheats your entire argument.

[Jason Moore]

It still counts.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, Love Bill was suspended.

[Andy Holloway]

Wins the win, man.

[Jason Moore]

All right, good answer. Good answer.

[Mike Wright]

Are we on prices? Right?

[Jason Moore]

What? Isn't that Family Feud? Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, that's what it is.

[Jason Moore]

There we go.

[Andy Holloway]

Get your answer correct.

[Jason Moore]

But you guys got to chime in with me.

[Mike Wright]

You know, it can be the worst answer.

[Andy Holloway]

But yeah, it doesn't matter.

[Mike Wright]

Good answer.

[Jason Moore]

It doesn't matter.

[Mike Wright]

And then you got to clap.

[Andy Holloway]

The thing is, you know, for Ajayi and Howard, that was. Opportunity appeared for both of them. Ajayi was not the starter coming in. Howard was not the starter. So you're. If you're trying to find those guys, it's going to be someone who gets an opportunity like the Foreman or something.

[Jason Moore]

Like that or even, I mean, I know the talent isn't there, but the opportunity could be there for Wendell Smallwood. Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Survey says bad answer, bad answer.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he was one of the names. I thought of it. Just if he can get volume and he becomes the passing downs guy, it could happen.

[Mike Wright]

And an angel comes down and touches him on the shoulder and makes him exceptionally talented. All right, listen, we've got a long way to go on the show. We have the fantasy forecast starts of the week, as I said. Do want to remind you there are articles coming out on the website every single day. And if you just can't get enough fantasy football, you can go over there. The fantasy footballers.com There's a snap count observation article that comes out every week. But Marcus Meaney, great article. Target report articles, you can kind of just dig deeper and get some perspective on the season thus far. I've got a bunch of tweets going out today that are going to help give you the basically stats through Week 3 on a number of different areas.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and I will say this. I think Thursday is my favorite day of the week for articles on the website because the three staples of, I mean, the target report, the snap count observations, and also the decoding the top 12 quarterbacks, those are three articles that you. You really do want to read. They're. They're solid work.

[Mike Wright]

You can find us on TwitterFFballers and you can find us on YouTube, the Fantasy Sports Network. We're on JoinTheFoot.com that's our community on Facebook, Instagram, everywhere.

[Andy Holloway]

If you want really long, elaborate tweets, then check out ffhitman, who's part of.

[Mike Wright]

The 280 club, the 2A. All right, let's explain this, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

There's no explanation needed. I'm in the 280 Club and you aren't.

[Mike Wright]

How do we know it's really you that's in the tweet?

[Andy Holloway]

You'll never know.

[Mike Wright]

So, Mike, or you can just peek.

[Andy Holloway]

Over my shoulder as I go. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

[Mike Wright]

Somebody out there in the world recognized how long winded Mike is and offered you're darn right, the ability to tweet at greater lengths than we can. And honestly, Brooks, I mean, you've got to be with me and Jason just completely jealous, bent out of shape. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That sounds like a sad man losing sleep. You hear that?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, here's the thing, though, is I'm in the club, right? Sure you guys aren't in. I won't let you in.

[Mike Wright]

The bouncer, the bouncers outside, I went.

[Andy Holloway]

To like, jokingly go hashtag280club. That hashtag already existed. So there's other people out there. Who are as petty as I am.

[Jason Moore]

Let me just ask you this. Twitter comes to you and says, mike, I will give you the blue check mark for your 280.

[Mike Wright]

Which one are you taking the trade?

[Andy Holloway]

The man of the people has to explain his situation.

[Jason Moore]

You're taking that blue check mark and.

[Mike Wright]

You know it'd be 280 characters of apologizing for not having. All right. Hey, by the way, the rankings, the Week 4 rankings, initial rankings up on the website, the fantasy footballers.com as well. Let's get into the news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

Seems like a little louder than normal. A little bit like a little. The news is louder today.

[Jason Moore]

Big news day.

[Mike Wright]

What do you make of this? I want to know your thoughts on this story. So Dr. David Chow, which is rofootball doc and he gets interviewed a lot.

[Andy Holloway]

He is a great follow.

[Mike Wright]

He is. He is a great follow.

[Andy Holloway]

He's an orthopedic surgeon.

[Jason Moore]

He was the leader of a. I forget which team, but he was the charger.

[Andy Holloway]

He was the charger and he breaks things down for fantasy football. I mean, he watches the games and if he'll watch the injury and give his professional opinion on what happened.

[Mike Wright]

I'm coming at it from the angle, however, because this news report came out yesterday from him. Right. He's an independent doctor. He says he doesn't expect Andrew Luck back until November. Now, we did just get news that he's not practicing this week. How much do you believe that this is relevant news? When you don't have a doctor connected to the Andrew Luck situation, you're getting a third party opinion, mind you, a qualified one, but a third party opinion on an injury that he's not intimately familiar with. In terms of Andrew Luck himself, do you buy into the fears that this is now a November timeline? Because we're not even in October yet. That is a long time away. Or do you kind of dismiss it? Because I lean the second side of that. I lean this is news because it's news, but it's not necessarily accurate.

[Jason Moore]

The heart of the question that you're asking is really important because it's what is the source? Because not all news is made the same. And the issue here is the source is disconnected from everybody.

[Mike Wright]

Some people are verified, some people are unverified.

[Jason Moore]

Right, Exactly. But this is a really good source. He's been fairly accurate and he does know his stuff. So I take it, I take it a little bit serious. You know, he's. What he's talking about is he's going to have to be back at practice for a couple weeks before he gets in the game. That's his opinion, but it's probably right. And the fact that he hasn't started practice means that it will be October when he starts practicing now, will it be November? You know, I think he could get in in the end of October, but now this is a far stretch from in the draft season when we thought we were going to have him week one or maybe he'd miss week one, be there week two. Now we're looking at, you know, what is this going to be week eight, Right.

[Andy Holloway]

And he maybe he's saying, you know, this is what Andrew Luck actually needs. That doesn't necessarily mean that he will keep himself out of the game because if he comes in, he says, coach, put me in. They're going to put him in. But look at Cam, right?

[Jason Moore]

Look away.

[Andy Holloway]

He said he was ready. The team said he's ready by putting him in there. But Cam clearly could have used some more time to heal and get ready, but the season forced his hand to get in there. I mean, they're professional football players. They play through injury. Whether it's hurt.

[Jason Moore]

We already know that the culture necessarily do what Andrew Luck needs, like get him an offensive line.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

So I don't know. But they're taking their time with him now.

[Mike Wright]

Or a razor.

[Jason Moore]

I think it would be. I think it would be insane to wait this long on Andrew Luck for the neck beard. I think it would be insane to wait this long for Andrew Luck and then still rush him back. I have a question too. Like, do the Colts record over the next two or three weeks, could that.

[Mike Wright]

Factor in him coming? They say it will not.

[Andy Holloway]

They're a bunch of liars.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Randall Cobb removed from the injury report. Good news for Randall Cobb owners. He's going to play tonight against the Bears. Tom Montgomery also removed from the injury report. So we have that update for you for tonight's game.

[Jason Moore]

I like Cobb. Just throwing that out there. I like Cobb tonight. I think he catches a lot of balls for a few yards. If you're in a full ppr, I love lame.

[Mike Wright]

A lot of balls for a few yards. There you go. CJ Pro Size, who had tests on his ankle earlier this week, not expected to play this week. Hint, hint. That has to do with my start of the week, Chris Carson. I think he's going to have a really solid week against Indianapolis. There has been talk about essentially a rookie filling in for him, J.D. mcKissick. And I doubt that role is very Large. So I think it's a good week for Chris Carson. Corey Davis ruled out for week four. Delaney Walker has the hamstring injuries day to day. Right now, Joe Bernard limited at Wednesday's practice. Something to monitor us. Joe Mixon owners would love to see him get a little bit more work in the passing game. Bernard's looked good to me. He's looked like Gio Bernard when he's been on the field. And then Will Fuller practicing in full for week four.

[Andy Holloway]

He's expected to play.

[Mike Wright]

I think that's one of those for Watson than it is for Fuller for fantasy owners. And then a little update. Correction. Yesterday, Kelvin Benjamin did not, in fact, practice. We had said at the very end of the show he was practicing. The reason we said that is because he had come out to practice in his pads and so he was at practice, but then he ended up not practicing, not practicing and just basically on the stationary body.

[Andy Holloway]

That's my favorite way to practice, honestly.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. That's my favorite way to work out. Guys, I'll go to the gym and I watch a movie on the. On the stationary bike. But I do not pedal. What?

[Mike Wright]

But you put all the gym clothes on.

[Jason Moore]

You darn right I do. I gotta look good.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. All right, all right.

[Andy Holloway]

So your activewear.

[Mike Wright]

In your active wear.

[Andy Holloway]

Activewear.

[Jason Moore]

Get my yoga pants.

[Mike Wright]

I just. But I want to see one of those, you know, the Under Armour models that look like they're giant. I want one that's like molded after you. Oh, yeah, like the gray.

[Jason Moore]

Wait, are you talking like the punching dummies?

[Mike Wright]

No, no, no. I'm talking like you walk into a sports.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, like the mannequin store mannequin.

[Mike Wright]

And they're all cut.

[Andy Holloway]

But the Under Armour guys are just.

[Mike Wright]

Like extreme cartoon characters and they're in that gray mold. I just want. I want you molded.

[Jason Moore]

Mold me.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Hey, tomorrow, the follow up on Kelvin.

[Andy Holloway]

Is that he is practicing today, though.

[Jason Moore]

Sure he is. Love, Michael. Keith.

[Mike Wright]

Don't forget, Mike is on Periscope with game day information and questions an hour before game time on Sunday. And we will have in and out on the show tomorrow, which is kind of our final attempt at telling you who we think is going to start, who is going to sit for week number four. So without further ado, we're going to go ahead and get into week four.

[Jason Moore]

Fantasy forecast.

[Mike Wright]

All right, just a quick reminder. Make sure you. If you've got a packer or a bear, let's go ahead and take them out of your flex. Let's go ahead and make sure we put them in the actual locked in position that they play so that you have more flexibility with your flex position because once you play them tonight, they're locked. So why waste your flex because you never know what's going to happen. Make sure you get them into the running back, wide receiver spot, whatever that might be. All right. The Saints, they travel to Miami to play the Dolphins. The Dolphins, you know.

[Jason Moore]

No, they travel to London.

[Mike Wright]

Oh yes, correct. Correct. They travel to London. I was thinking about the fact that Jason made a really good point yesterday when he, he was talking in the studio about the fact that Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week they both laid a huge egg and that was actually their first week of preparing with limited time. Like they had the buy in week one. They had a long time to get ready. They both came out and played much better in week one than they did week two. Now you have the variable of London to make two, then three, their game one, their game one and game two. Now you're going to London. What do we expect to happen out of this game? It's a 49 and a half point over under. You saw a one sided affair in London last week. The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Ravens. So lay it out for me. The Saints defense has allowed 26 points per game, second worst in the league. Do the Dolphins have a shot at putting up some big fantasy numbers?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, they certainly do. But London is such a wild card of knowing how players are going to respond to the time zone change, to the start change.

[Jason Moore]

They're playing at Wembley.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean they're playing at a game time that their body never ever does. So it's, it's a difficult thing to really gauge what's going to happen. But just breaking down the actual matchup, I mean you're talking there could be a, just a absolute boatload of points going up here. The Saints, Drew Brees got back on track last week. Willie Snead returns. That's a huge upgrade for their offense.

[Jason Moore]

Their offensive line has also improved for this week due to health.

[Andy Holloway]

Adrian Peterson's a bit banged up which improves the offense.

[Jason Moore]

Get Mark Ingram that ball.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Get the best running back on the field. And Jay Cutler, I know it was bad last week, but Cutler against the Saints defense, I mean everyone's been well. Cam didn't. But the first couple of weeks people went torching those DBs and Jarvis, Landry and Parker. I mean I'm expecting big days from, from both of them. Are you shying away from playing either.

[Jason Moore]

Of those guys, Jay, I would shy away from playing either of those guys depending on my team and my matchup. Like you said, London is always a crap shoot. We see it year after year where sometimes a team comes out and they score 48 points and the other team comes out and scores three. I mean, it. You know, if you look back at the last like 10 London games, there's. There's like four times where it's just been an absolute boat race. And so I think you go, you're taking a little bit more risk, but you also have the reality that your guy could be on the team that just blows up because the other team didn't show up. I love Drew Brees in this game. I think that he is. I know it's an extreme road game, but the matchup, the corners and his.

[Andy Holloway]

You're playing Thomas, right? He's an autoplay Michael Thomas.

[Jason Moore]

I'm playing Jabris. I'm playing. I'm still probably avoiding the running back situation for the Saints until.

[Andy Holloway]

What if Peterson's actually out?

[Mike Wright]

I actually think Ingram is a start. I mean, I would regardless or yeah, I would play with Ingram this week. This is a tale of two teams in this case where the Saints, once again, they're second in the league and in targets to the running back position. Ingram has got the majority of carries and he catches the ball, whereas, you know, Camara scored last week, but it was on a rushing attempt and he wasn't that involved in the passing game. And we know that Peterson hasn't been that involved on the other side. The Dolphins wide receivers have been targeted more than anybody in the league in terms of per game targets. Jay Cutler doesn't throw to the running back. Jay Cutler doesn't throw to the tight end. Jay Cutler is throwing to Landry and to Parker and so kind of a different situation there. We're hoping that JJ kind of gets off on the right foot now and has an opportunity against the Saints defense. And so I think that's the stuff you're looking at. And it is. And it's a bit of a crapshoot. I mean, nobody last week expected the Ravens defense to look the way they.

[Andy Holloway]

Did three touchdowns for Mercedes Lewis. I mean, the, the Jaguars, what did they put up in that game? Was. Was it 48?

[Jason Moore]

It was in the 40s. I don't.

[Andy Holloway]

They may not score that many points the rest of the season. No, I'm being hyperbolic, man, but I'm just emphasizing a team.

[Jason Moore]

But my Leonard Fournette.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, but a team that does not score points. Put up almost 50 points.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Can you trust Jay Ajayi after what he did last week?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still plugging him.

[Mike Wright]

You're forced to.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still playing everyone in this game.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

The regular starts from this game are going in for me. Stills, maybe if you need a some juice in the flex spot. And I mean, even Fleener and Julius Thomas. I don't know. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm okay playing both.

[Jason Moore]

All right, well, Mike is the crazy one. Well, let's move on to the Bills and the Falcons. Before we talk Bills, Falcons, want to remind everybody about draft. Draft is the app. You have to be playing it with us. It is a blast. You already know how to play because you, you play fantasy football. You draft teams here. You get to draft them every single week, Put a little bit of money on the line, win some cash, gloat over your friends. We do it, obviously. We do it every Friday on the show and we make a lunch bet out of it on the side and get a little gloating going on. But draft is awesome. The company itself, we know the owner, we know the guys there, they are an upstanding, awesome, fun company. They have taken DFS and they have made it extremely fun. You'll enjoy playing it. And like last week, I think because.

[Andy Holloway]

They care about their players, they do.

[Jason Moore]

They really care about the people enjoying the game. I think they refunded all the entries. If you had Golden Tate last week and lost by less than a touchdown, that touchdown that was kind of reversed at the last minute. They said, you know what, we're going to give you your entry fee credited back. And they've done this a couple times, so check them out. Use the promo code ballers and you get to play a real money game for free. Just search draft in your app store or or go to draft.comballers.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, great company. We also have a brand new sponsor of the show today and that is upside. Okay? It's business time.

[Andy Holloway]

Business time.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I do. Just because of the possibility for a high score. Falcons. The Falcons offense is going to score. So just I believe in Tyrod to keep pace.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, if, if Tyrod is going to be put in a position where he's going to have to pass the ball, he will run a lot. Because like you said, Andy, the weapons aren't there. And if he's running on the Falcons, I mean I hate this. But in fantasy football, rushing yardage for a quarterback is worth so much more than passing yards and you're going to have a fine stream in him. If the Falcons can score and I think everyone expects them to be able to, you might say, well, they're the Buffalo defense has looked great this year.

[Andy Holloway]

Top 10. I mean rushing yards, they're passing yards alone.

[Jason Moore]

They are the second hardest to play against. If you're going by fantasy points given up to the quarterback position. But that's just such a fake stat because week one, they played Josh McCown, week two was Cam Newton, and week three was on the road. Trevor Simeon. Okay, Cam and Simeon, maybe they're okay, but I just don't think they've really been tested by a team that could test them. And I'm not saying they're a bad defense, but I don't think they're this top five scary. Not that anyone's benching matrimonial.

[Andy Holloway]

So you're not benching Matt Ryan.

[Jason Moore]

But my point is more on the Tyrod side. I think the Falcons will score, so Tyrod will have to do work. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And it's just a matter of does he, and if he does, it'll work out for you. Does Lashawn McCoy return to form this week?

[Andy Holloway]

Oof. The Falcons run defense has been pretty solid.

[Mike Wright]

Ninth in the league right now, but.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

But Shady's volume is just so safe. I mean, you. These last two weeks, you haven't gotten the explosion game that you want from Lashawn McCoy, but he's still been very safe. And I know it doesn't feel like it, but go back and look how many points he's scoring you. Oh, yeah, he's still fine. He's still fine. He's a weekly start.

[Mike Wright]

Charles Clay, we talked about him as a stream candidate at tight end. If you flip to the other side, those of you that were, you know, excited about Austin Hooper's explosive week one.

[Andy Holloway]

Talking about Austin Deucer.

[Mike Wright]

Nope. Austin Hoover. Austin Hoover tied in for the Falcons.

[Jason Moore]

We said at the beginning, you throw a lot of things out there.

[Andy Holloway]

Austin Deucer.

[Jason Moore]

That one wasn't the one.

[Mike Wright]

Can we keep.

[Jason Moore]

Keep them coming? We'll find the one.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, Austin Pooper is a lot. No, no.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Austin Pooper is not even referring to poop.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm talking about two targets a week. Austin Hooper has dual meaning. Then.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's okay.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fine.

[Jason Moore]

Both.

[Andy Holloway]

If you want to get your mind in the gutter, in that body humor, then you. I'm above that. 280 Club is above that nonsense. But Austin Hooper, Two targets every single week.

[Mike Wright]

All right, so the Falcons tight ends have been targeted only seven times this.

[Andy Holloway]

Year, which means I'm not playing Austin.

[Mike Wright]

That's the worst in the league. That's what I was getting at there before we got sidetracked. Good call in the pooper thing, Brooks. But if we can keep it above brow, that'd be nice.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks.

[Mike Wright]

Brooks, I really appreciate this.

[Andy Holloway]

Is A high class show.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just jumping in with Mike.

[Jason Moore]

We were all thinking it though.

[Andy Holloway]

He's trying to get in the 280 Club. I know what he's doing until our Monday duds segment.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, all right, that's, that's a fair point, Brooks. We do have a poop segment on the show.

[Jason Moore]

Parts. Part of who we are.

[Mike Wright]

It is. All right, where do we go from here?

[Jason Moore]

What about, what about the running backs? Okay, so the running backs are great. You've got the second, in theory, the second hardest schedule as far as fantasy points against the running back with the Buffalo Bills. They, again, you're not sitting, you're not.

[Mike Wright]

Sitting down to Freeman. The discussion ends there.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, so what about Tevin Coleman? Because I've started him in every week in, you know, one of my dynasty leagues.

[Mike Wright]

I think Coleman's okay. I think you're going to need to pass through the air at times against Buffalo and Coleman's been effective on limited touches again. Last week he was pretty good. I'm okay streaming or playing Coleman as a flex play. This week Freeman is basically leading the league in touchdowns per attempt in the sense that he's been hyper efficient in his utilization.

[Andy Holloway]

So what about Muhammad Sanu? And I know that initially from the name value go. Ah, but Mohamed Sanu has been, he's been a startable fantasy asset. 6 for 47, week one, 5 for 85, week two, only 4 for 28, but had a touchdown last week. I mean, on, on the season he's just, he's right in the middle of those wide receiver threes, which, that's a playable guy for fantasy. Are you willing to jump in with Sanu this week or are you concerned because of the Bills defense?

[Mike Wright]

Well, let's give an example. J.J. nelson is a player who's been boom and bust. Muhammad Sanu has been somebody who's got a 6, 7, 8 point baseline thus far. So who do you start? Isn't that a lot about, you know, your opponent? Do you need.

[Andy Holloway]

That's.

[Mike Wright]

I don't think Sanu is going to blow up for a 20 plus point game.

[Jason Moore]

I don't like the Sanu type players because I like the safe, startable. Maybe they're not going to blow up, but they're going to have a high enough baseline. But Sanu's baseline I think is like six points on a normal week. Whereas, you know, on a normal week, and obviously we're not just talking about these first three weeks a Jarvis Landry type where maybe he doesn't blow up, but he usually has a high enough baseline in PPR leagues. I think that you've got a higher floor than some players in Mohammed Sanu, but it's not high enough even with.

[Andy Holloway]

Julio, without the Julio banged up.

[Jason Moore]

If Julio's out, then he'll play.

[Mike Wright]

But he's banged up.

[Jason Moore]

He's always banged up. This is what he do.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

No, Julio's a fine start this week.

[Mike Wright]

All right. I love these games. Steelers, Ravens, always exciting. Always. I will take the under the divisional matchup. Yeah, it's a 42 point over under and I'm with you on that. The Ravens are actually three point underdogs at home in this game. We have not seen. We've talked about it at length. We have not seen the offense we expected from Pittsburgh. We didn't see any offense at all from Baltimore last week. It was absolutely atrocious. We also saw an unexpectedly large amount of carries for Alex Collins. We saw Javorius Allen kind of. Even though the snap count was in Allen's favor by the end of the game, we didn't see the production we hoped for. But that game, I almost, you know, whether it's Watson or Allen or even Macklin, you just kind of throw that game out. I mean you cannot. That's not a template for the rest of the year. It might keep you on the doubting their offense side of things, but what are you doing with the Baltimore offensive pieces in fantasy and do you have any confidence anywhere on that roster? Because I don't think I do this.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I do not. Of the running backs, I would still play Buck Allen because he got the five receptions. That's, that's what I'm looking for. I know Terrence west has the, the touchdown upside of the three of them, but I'm not playing West. I'm not playing Collins on and I'm okay. He's not like a fully confident start, but I would play Buck Allen if he's on my roster.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Buck Allen and Jeremy Macklin. I'm willing to start Terrence west and Alex Collins. I'm just going to keep a look at.

[Andy Holloway]

What about Ben Watson though? I mean the garbage. The touchdown was absolutely filthy, nasty, disgusting garbage. But you went for it.

[Mike Wright]

Well, you're speaking of garbage time.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Yeah, it was a garbage time touchdown. But the week before you saw really high volume. Are you. Which, which Benjamin Watson are you expecting this week?

[Mike Wright]

Watson's also near the top of the league in first down completion. So he has been a go to for Flacco in Those circumstances and they.

[Andy Holloway]

Did not have very many first downs.

[Jason Moore]

Last week, you know, because it's going to be a lower scoring game, in my opinion. I lean on not leaning on Ben Watson this week.

[Mike Wright]

You lean on not leaning on him?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

That's genius.

[Jason Moore]

I'm like floating genius.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Le'Veon Bell, here's an interesting stat for you. He's been targeted 17 total times. That's ninth most at the running back position. Lab Bell, David Johnson, they fell in that kind of. You count as two category because of their passing game involvement. Now you do. I kind of want to get into this because depending on your answer, it may affect how you view Love Bell rest of the year. And we all love Love Bell. We all made him a top three pick if we had to redraft running backs today. But if his targets stay at that level, is that because of, you know, healthy weapons? Martavis is there, you have juju Smith Schuster caught a touchdown. You had, you know, other weapons for Big Ben. Or is this just anomalous in the first three weeks, getting back into the flow?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he's, I mean, he. Yes, he's ninth compared to running backs, but he's six, four, seven. I mean, that's an absolute fantastic target.

[Mike Wright]

That's that target. Or is that reception?

[Andy Holloway]

Those are targets. So, okay, you want. His receptions are 3, 4, 6. I mean, that. That's still fantastic. A 6, 4, 7 target count. That's great. If you're trying to play a passing down guy like Theo Riddick or Geo or Buck Allen, I'm happy with those targets. And then you go, you add on for Lev Bell that he will rush the ball at least 10 times. And then you have those games like week two, 27 rushing attempts. Now, the efficiency has not been there for Le'Veon Bell, but he skipped everything. He skipped preseason training camp. Still got to get in the flow of things. So my confidence level with Le'Veon Bell is still very high. The usage is still where I want to see it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, it's a relative thing, is the question. It's not a matter of you talking me into Levy on Bell as a player. Last year, 7.8 targets a game. During his games. This year it's 5 point. So it's relative to what Le'Veon Bell has been. Is my question now whether or not he's a good player?

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, but I guess I'm just not, I'm not understanding what your question. What are you questioning about Levy on Bell?

[Mike Wright]

I'm questioning whether he Is a top three. Yeah. Whether he's. This is a trend that's going to continue, therefore making him not as valuable as he was last year, I don't.

[Jason Moore]

Think it's a trend that's going to continue. I think their utilization of Le'Veon Bell is as good as any running back in the league and his volume will come to form. I mean, they gave him 27 rushing attempts against Minnesota and game script this last week in Chicago kind of changed things. Le'Veon Bell is usually about a, you know, point or two better on his road splits, especially the rushing touchdowns. They tend to come more on the road than at home. So I love him this week. I still think he's top three for sure.

[Mike Wright]

Martavis Bryant, confidence level starting him. I don't have it. Not.

[Andy Holloway]

Not on the road.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Especially against Baltimore.

[Mike Wright]

Let's move on to the Bengals and the Browns. Okay. Bengals Browns matchup in Cleveland Browns Only three point dogs in this one. Kind of interesting to me. 41 point over under. Also not expecting a high scoring game. No quarterback in the NFL is turning the ball over more than Deshaun Kizer.

[Andy Holloway]

Good for you, Kizer.

[Mike Wright]

By a lot. And therefore we like the Cincinnati Bengals as a defensive play this week. Bengals are fourth best in the league right now through against the pass. They've struggled against the run, which is interesting because the Browns have struggled to run Crowell in the bottom five in yards per carry right now in qualified running backs. So a lot of questions. I think there are a lot of questions in this game. You know you're starting A.J. green.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

And the questions begin there. I think the next Andy Dalton.

[Jason Moore]

Yep. I'm fine starting Andy Dalton.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I would. I'm okay with it. But I mean you're talking that he's probably in my mid quarterback twos, which means I prefer other streaming guys.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

I'm definitely not saying that he's a must start by any means, but he is a startable, streamable quarterback. So far this year, you know, the Browns have given up what, five touchdowns to the quarterback already in three games. And Andy Dalton looked much better last week.

[Andy Holloway]

I think they'll still not great.

[Jason Moore]

No, still not great. But it's the Browns. So I think he is a streamable safe option.

[Mike Wright]

Isaiah Crawl.

[Jason Moore]

That's the biggest question here for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't. I don't think I would. I guess based on your roster, you probably have to play him, but I don't. I have no confidence right now in Crowell.

[Jason Moore]

I have a Little bit more confidence in you, but I don't feel good about it.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, he's in Crowell. Abdullah.

[Jason Moore]

I think I would go out Abdullah. And I'm the anti Abdullah guy. Yeah, they're both getting the same amount of touches a game, basically. I mean, you've got Crowell every week. He's gotten double digit rushing attempts. He's not being as involved in the passing game this year as he was last year, which. Which hurts him. You know, I don't think Cincinnati. I think Cincinnati's defense is. Is really good. And this probably isn't the week where I want to test Isaiah Crowell, so if you can sit him, I probably would.

[Mike Wright]

Gun to your head, which wide receiver do you start on? Cleveland.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know why we got to be so violent about it, but that's.

[Mike Wright]

The only way that we can possibly start a running wide receiver on Cleveland.

[Andy Holloway]

Kenny. Yeah, Kenny.

[Jason Moore]

Kenny Britt at least has done it several years. Versus Rashad Higgins. That did it one week.

[Andy Holloway]

And I mean, do recall for the Bengals that Vonta's burfict is now back.

[Jason Moore]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

So you're talking about they've been poor against the run. Well, they don't have Mr. Nasty in the middle.

[Mike Wright]

No, that makes a big impact. The Los Angeles Rams.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, wait, sorry, I answered the Kenny Brick question wrong. Gun to my head, what receiver would I choose? It would be Duke Johnson. He's their best receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, well, your head's gone now because that is not a correct answer.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he doesn't count. You can't start him in your wide receiver spot.

[Jason Moore]

Well, I'm just saying that's the one I'm still choosing.

[Mike Wright]

The Rams take on the Cowboys in Dallas. Dallas, six and a half point favorites, bigs for 81.

[Andy Holloway]

He's startable guy this defiant till the end. You darn right Jason Moore.

[Mike Wright]

It's coming from you. You're defiant well beyond any of Jason's capabilities.

[Andy Holloway]

I gave you a wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I did too. Austin Deucer over there was sweeping the nation. Terrible, just terrible. Sometimes it just doesn't work. Rams, Cowboys. Like I said, six and a half point favorites are the Cowboys 47 and a half point over under. Look, Jared Goff. Thus far he's leading the league in a ton of categories. Or near the top, let's put it that way. Basically, if you find a category, this is, this is a true statement. If you find a category that Tom Brady is leading. Nearby is Jared Goff. Thus far, passer rating yards per completion, taking shots down the field. That's Jared Goff.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, there's, there's.

[Mike Wright]

Is this a golf mirage of quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

Who have started the first three games? Jared Goff is the only quarterback that I'm seeing over 10 yards per attempt.

[Jason Moore]

He's got five touchdowns, one interception on the year. But he's also played a really, you know, powder puff type schedule. You're talking about. He played The Colts Week 1, San Francisco this past week. The toughest defense he played was Washington, which is.

[Mike Wright]

They gave him a hard time.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So what do we expect from him in this game? Because the Cowboys are definitely not an upper echelon defense. You have a good. You have a good offensive line. If you look at the numbers, Goff is having an opportunity behind that offensive line. And if you can control Lawrence. Tim. I just said Lawrence Timmons. Who's the player of the week? Cowboy fan. Come on, Brooks, give me the last name that I'm forgetting. DeMarcus Lawrence.

[Jason Moore]

There you go.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, wow. Yeah, I just flipped his name.

[Andy Holloway]

DeMarcus Lawrence.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. If you can contain him on the outside. Defensive player of the week, then I think Goff will have an opportunity in this game. Watkins was limited in practice.

[Andy Holloway]

Is Watkins. It's only been one game. You're talking two really bad games, one monster game. Are you auto starting Sammy Watkins?

[Mike Wright]

If he's cleared, I'm going to say yes. And this is why one, the clearance is happening because he played on Thursday and he's already limited in practice. So I am very confident that he'll be active in this game. We'll obviously give you more information tomorrow based on his practice today. The targets last week, it wasn't like those were through the roof. He had seven targets, he caught six of them. That's where the two touchdowns came from. But I'm going to say yes because this was a player that is acclimating to a brand new system with a brand new quarterback and easing his way in. And because they have scored as many points as they have and because Sean McVay knows things that Jeff Fisher never has known, which is the old get the ball to your better player strategy. It's one of the top new strategies sweeping the nation. This is one that the Bill Lazer of the Cincinnati Bengals employed last week. He gave it to his best players and then they started winning. I am confident enough to play Sammy Watkins, I love you.

[Andy Holloway]

Or saying in your flex.

[Mike Wright]

No, that's what's going on in my brain right now. I'm trying to think of flex versus two Situations, decisions. I'd play him over Crabtree against Denver.

[Andy Holloway]

What about Cooper?

[Mike Wright]

I'd play him over Cooper against Denver.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

What do you guys think about Watkins this week and moving forward? Can he ascend in this offense that's putting up points?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's got the talent. I mean, in the off season, he was. He would have probably been one of my three my guys if he stayed in Buffalo where he was, you know, leading the target share because his talent is as good as anyone in the league and he's shown that. The question to me has always been the target share in this offense. He's, you know, they're still going to throw to Cooper Cup. They're still going to throw to Robert Woods.

[Andy Holloway]

Sometimes they will.

[Jason Moore]

But it does appear that a rapport is developing and he is their best player. So I think you can start Sammy Watkins. You just don't want to have an expectation of last week. You know, two of his six passes were a touchdown and that's just not going to be on the regular. So I would put him as a flex option. I'd play him over both of those Oakland receivers going up to Denver.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's a strong point about the target share. If you look through three games, he's only getting 16% of his team's targets. You compare that to a guy like.

[Jason Moore]

Very low, you know, even Sammy Watkins from last year. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Or Lashelle McCoy this year, 25% of his team's targets, even as the running back position. I think this is the get right game for Ezekiel Elliott. The Rams have allowed the most rushes.

[Andy Holloway]

Still pretty solid last week.

[Mike Wright]

But you're saying, like, here's what I mean. Right now he's near the bottom in terms of touchdowns per attempt. Right. I just talked about what I think is 1 in 10 right now for Devonta Freeman. When he rushes the ball, he's scoring. Ezekiel Elliott hasn't been scoring. And this is a game where the Rams have allowed the six most, or I'm sorry, the most rushing touchdowns, six total this year. Ezekiel Elliott got it going in the back half of the game. They're at home. The equation here seems to be, look, let's beat the Rams on the ground. They're the 29th best team against the rush. You saw Carlos Hyde have successful. I think this is the game that validates Ezekiel Elliott as that top tier, top echelon guy you wanted on your fantasy roster.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's going to have a monster game. I like, I like the three big players a lot from Dallas this week. I love Dak, I love Zeke, and I love Des Bryant. And I think that they are going to have.

[Mike Wright]

Why don't you marry him?

[Andy Holloway]

I would if I could, but you can't marry three people, dummy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, thanks, but.

[Andy Holloway]

So I'm starting all three of those guys with full confidence. The question is Jason Whitten. I mean, you saw two huge games and then poof. Poof, like an old man.

[Mike Wright]

No, that's the legal requirement for tight ends this year for fantasy football is.

[Andy Holloway]

Two and then one off.

[Mike Wright]

If you've had a couple of good games, they come to you and they, you know, they snip off a finger and they say, you don't get.

[Andy Holloway]

Sorry, son. This is your time.

[Mike Wright]

This is your time. We knew that wasn't sustainable. There's a couple things you've learned about Jason Whitten. If the Cowboys are losing, Jason Whitten will rack up targets, and Jason Whitten doesn't score a lot of touchdowns. Those are the two things that have persisted throughout his career. So we knew that the touchdown totals weren't going to stay there. I don't think we saw the targets going down to where they were against Arizona. But he's a middle of the road guy. He's a startable tight end.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Especially in PPR leagues where kind of like what you're saying might not get the touchdown, but you could end up with eight receptions and have a fine outing out of the tight end. It really comes down to Jared Goff, whether he's able to move the ball on Dallas because if he can score, then his win will be.

[Mike Wright]

Will be needed. Let me put it this way. I'm taking the over. Oh, the 47 and a half point over. And you know what? I'm going to go beyond that.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, what? No.

[Jason Moore]

Sorry, Brooks. Andy's almost upset of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

What is Mr. Rams over here? He's all about that life.

[Mike Wright]

Have you ever seen Aaron Donald play football?

[Andy Holloway]

He's very good.

[Mike Wright]

He's really good. Son of bum. No, no, no. Yeah. He's not the son of bum. Their defense hasn't been son of bum worthy. But just get ready. Just get ready for the almost upset of the week. The Titans take on the Texans in a Titans Texans battle.

[Jason Moore]

Ooh.

[Mike Wright]

The Texans are one and a half point underdogs at home. 44 and 44 point over under. I am, I'm curious. Who'd you start on the Tennessee side.

[Jason Moore]

Outside of DeMarco Murray, Marcus Mariota. And we will talk about that in a minute. Oh, my. I Am confident in Mariota this week. So we'll, we'll.

[Mike Wright]

That only means one thing. He's your boom boom kicker of the week.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's a good kicker.

[Andy Holloway]

The way you're picking positions lately wouldn't surprise me. He's a running back. Jason, we need a wide receiver. Yeah, but I'll give you the running back.

[Jason Moore]

Ryan, suck up.

[Mike Wright]

Ryan, suck up. All right. By the way, Ryan, suck up. Special teams player of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh.

[Mike Wright]

Marcus Mariota. Okay. Jason likes him. He's going to talk about him in his start to the week. Eric Decker, we talked about him being cut worthy. You're stuck with the pass catchers right now in Tennessee. You can't pick one that will necessarily perform for you. That's a problem. Blaney Walker, he's obviously a start at the tight end position. And I think we can move on to the Texans because I have some questions for you. So, Desean, I was gonna say Rashad.

[Andy Holloway]

Matthews two of the three weeks has been very solid. 70 yards, week one, 87 and a score. Last week, he. He stole my Eric Decker dreams.

[Mike Wright]

So would you flex him?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm okay with it.

[Mike Wright]

21St ranked wide receiver through three weeks. I mean, that's a solid enough argument, especially with Corey Davis being ruled out. Eric Decker, you're not high on anymore, so maybe, maybe you're high on Matthews.

[Jason Moore]

I like Ryan Matthews. Rashad Matthews always have. But I'm not as down on Decker as you two.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm not down on Decker. I just think that at this point you can cut him.

[Mike Wright]

I've been fading Decker since the trade.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you have.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not going to be rising on him anytime soon. Deshaun Watson, is he startable in this game against the Titans? The Titans right now, I think we expected their defense to be a little better than they have been. I mean, 26 against the pass, 16th against the run. They've allowed 2.3 touchdown passes per game, which is second worst in the NFL. Watson impressed me last week. What do we think?

[Andy Holloway]

I wouldn't. I know it was a great game against the Patriots, but you. It's hard to get the visions of him being absolutely shut down by the Bengals out of you. I know fantasy wise he was fine because he ripped off a 50 yard.

[Mike Wright]

Touchdown run, but I'm 300 yards last.

[Andy Holloway]

Week, I still don't have WATSON Confidence.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, 8 for 41 on the ground last week.

[Jason Moore]

The way that I see it. The way that I see it is, is he's probably a streamable Option because he runs. And if what I think is going to happen in this game, I would take the over in this game. If that happens, then he has to be streamworthy.

[Andy Holloway]

If you're taking the over. That's what I'm saying, then Watson's probably.

[Jason Moore]

He would be streamworthy, but I don't yet have the confidence to actually put him in my lineup because he is still a rookie. His college tape showed some flaws. You know, we see a lot of times when rookie quarterbacks come out, once there's a game, two games of tape on them, it's a little bit easier to play to what their strengths are, you know, okay, this is his tendency a little bit more. So I would still hold off doing it, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with a decent game.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, he's.

[Mike Wright]

I've got a perfect water bet for you, Jason, because I have enough confidence in Deshaun Watson this week to watch Mariota vs. Mariota.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, sign me up. Water bet.

[Mike Wright]

I'm expecting tough sledding for Tennessee in this game against Houston. So we're in opposition over your start of the week. I think this game being in Houston, I think you're gonna. It's gonna be a fun water bet. Desean Watson and Marcus Mariota. All right, we need to move down the line here to a game that doesn't have a line. The Lions at the Vikings still undetermined what the quarterback situation is going to be for Minnesota. Matthew Stafford, been good so far. Amir Abdulloh, he's been mediocre. Gets the carries, hasn't broken anything off, hasn't scored. Not sure that's going to change this week. In fact, the Vikings are so good against the run, I would be. I would be hesitant to start Amir Abdullah if I had any other option.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't blame you. I don't blame you, really.

[Mike Wright]

Like Golden Tate, the Vikings have not been good against the pass. And Eric Ebron, what do you think about Ebron so far?

[Andy Holloway]

He looks like Eric Ebron.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You know, unfortunate. I'm disappointed.

[Jason Moore]

The one thing I will say for Eric Ebron is his home road splits are better on the road. I don't know if maybe because he's been, you know, such a bust in the expectations of Detroit fans, it gets in his head at home. He had those drops last week. He just. He does not play that good at home. And the Vikings have given up two touchdowns so far on the year to tight end. So Eric Ebron, nobody's excited to play him, right now, but I don't think this is a terrible matchup, as bad as it is for the running backs for Detroit, because Minnesota's run D is fantastic, especially in Minnesota.

[Mike Wright]

What about the other side of the ball?

[Andy Holloway]

I wanted to say if you're. I know that the Vikings numbers are bad overall. When you say 27th allowing yards, I'm not playing Marvin Jones at all. Xavier Rhodes shuts down number one wide receivers. I mean, you had week one Michael Thomas. Antonio Brown was held to a line that you don't expect from him. And then Evans last week. So I just.

[Jason Moore]

But is Marvin Jones the number one that'll be covered? I mean, I'm just saying.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I'm saying. I'm not. I would not play Marvin Jones.

[Mike Wright]

No. He's asking whether that's really where Jones is going to end up. You know, like Patrick Peterson ended up on Golden Tate.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

In Arizona.

[Andy Holloway]

I see what you mean.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't, I don't expect if, if Tate is going to stay inside, I don't expect Rhodes to follow him there.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. And the other side of the ball, who do we expect to start in Minnesota?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm playing everyone.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I guess. I mean at the quarterback position.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I expect Case Keenum to play.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I expected to play. And because it's a home game and I'm not buying in. I know Andy feels. Andy likes the Lions defense because they have been making plays. It's hard to argue against what they have done. But I think that at home Case Keenum is good enough to get things done because of Stefan Diggs, because of Adam Thielen, even Kyle Rudolph, which. It wasn't a great game. He's still one of those, you know, guys that has the touchdown upside every week. But I have the confidence to play Diggs and Thielen.

[Mike Wright]

They're both in the top 10 in terms of total receptions on the year so far. So they've been a great tandem.

[Jason Moore]

Do you get.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you agree with that or like is only was only one game?

[Mike Wright]

I've already said you can't sit Diggs. Okay, so Diggs is an auto start.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. It's a little hard to chase what happened last week. We can't possibly expect Case Keenum to do that again just because he's at home. But it's a good offense. I mean, it really is. The offensive line has improved. The rookie running back is helping great receivers and Kyle Rudolph, I think, has a great matchup here. It's interesting at home against the Lions.

[Mike Wright]

So you Would you aren't afraid of what happened last week with Kyle Rudolph?

[Jason Moore]

I am not.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

As we'll see.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Oh, goodness.

[Jason Moore]

Starts of the week.

[Mike Wright]

All right, starts of the week for week number four. Let's kick it off with the tight end position. Let's go. Oh, let's go backwards here. Jared Cook versus Denver is my start of the week. You have a banged up Crabtree, an underwhelming Cooper right now, and Denver, they know how to guard the wide receiver, but what they don't know how to defend is the tight end position. Thus far, the last two weeks, they gave up a touchdown to both Whitten and Clay, and right now, they're 25th in the league in terms of how many points they give up to the tight end position. So it seems like a good mix here for Jared Cook.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll jump in here. Mine's Ryan Griffin.

[Jason Moore]

He's.

[Andy Holloway]

I guess so. That speaks to Andy's confidence in Deshaun Watson. Last week, Jimmy Graham finally came to life against Tennessee. Had a great stat line. Got a really big hug on one of the plays. And last week, Ryan Griffin, 5 for 61 and a touchdown against the Patriots. He played 61 of 71 snaps. So Ryan Griffin from the Houston Texans, I mean, he's. He's the go to tight end. I mean, Fedorowicz is hurt. Ryan Griffin has done so. Done these things in the past. He's a. He's a good pass catcher. He's my start. I am personally starting him in many of my leagues.

[Jason Moore]

And I'm going with the aforementioned Kyle Rudolph. You know, people might be dropping him in certain leagues.

[Andy Holloway]

Nonsense.

[Jason Moore]

And I agree. That's nonsense. He's a talented player. On what we just described as a good offense with a lot of weapons. And the matchup against the Lions, you know, it might look a little worrisome if you just look at the season totals, but they played Atlanta, that hasn't really used the tight end. And Arizona, Jermaine Gresham is not a huge weapon. When they played the New York Giants, they gave up over 100 yards and a touchdown. That was where Evan Ingram had the great game. I think Kyle Rudolph can sneak in a touchdown in this game.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm interested to see what happens with Rudolph rest of the season because they've definitely. Cook has really affected that offense, so. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, let's go ahead. By the way, honorable mention. Maybe just a mention. In general, I think people should be taking a cursory look at signing Austin Severian Jenkins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I think he's going to have a good week this week against Jacksonville last week, the leading target and reception receiver of any kind on the jets in that impressive home win. He's worth a peak. See?

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely.

[Mike Wright]

All right, wide receiver. I'm going with Golden Tate against Minnesota. Look, Minnesota has given up 23, 40, 41 and 43 points to fantasy wide receivers. Now, Mike is right. Xavier Rosen knows how to shut down the number one guy, but the rest of the team has given it up. I mean, they don't give it up on the ground. And now you mix in an offense that passes 67% of the time, that's third most in the NFL. That's just a recipe for. We're passing 87% of the time against this defense. Golden Tate is always guaranteed a number of targets. And so I think you're just going to see a run through the air philosophy. And Golden, Golden Tate plays that role in Detroit. So I think he's a really safe play against Minnesota.

[Andy Holloway]

I just want the update because we misspoke. The expectation was that Patrick Peterson was going to. The report was he'll shadow Golden Tate, but he didn't. He played the majority of his snaps against Marvin Jones, who was. He had the touchdown, but other than that, Marvin Jones did nothing. So I just wanted to clarify that.

[Jason Moore]

Sure. So for my wide receiver start of the week, and this is something where I'm putting my fantasy, where my mouth is, I am starting him.

[Mike Wright]

Your fantasy.

[Jason Moore]

My fantasy football. That could go terribly, but it's gone.

[Mike Wright]

Please go in the other room.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going with Marquis Lee, the wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, because he has been the clear number one receiver. Now, fantasy purposes, Alan Hearns has caught the touchdowns, but if you look at routes, run snaps, targets, every. Every statistic says that Marquis Lee is, except for fantasy points, is the number one. Well, even there, I mean, last week.

[Mike Wright]

Highest target share in the NFL at the wide receiver position. Right behind Evans and Julio Jones. Right ahead of Tyree Kill and Ty Hilton.

[Jason Moore]

Exactly. Thank you. And week one, you're welcome. He was not involved at all. Zero catches, zero receptions. Once they. They had to go back and practice without Alan Robinson and figure out, okay, who's our number one. He comes in 7 for 76 last week, 4 for 65. And this week he gets the New York Jets. I think they'll be able to throw the ball. And you had two red zone targets with Marquis Lee last week, one of which really almost scored. And then after that is when Hearns got his touchdown. I Think Marquis Lee is a safe floor with a decent ceiling for a.

[Mike Wright]

Man who made Dalvin, Carr, Clark, Dalvin Cook his start of the week last week. You are going quite bold with Rudolph and Lee thus far. I like it.

[Jason Moore]

And even bolder with Mariota, who you say you would place one of those.

[Mike Wright]

I don't like him. So, Mike, who's your wide receiver?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going with a sir Mix a lot. Double up here, Mr. The Magic Minute man, Devonte Parker, the Magic minute man.

[Mike Wright]

Get to point a minute man. The way he was getting you an.

[Andy Holloway]

Entire week's worth of value in that last minute. He's just. He's talented. He's gonna. He's gonna get targeted from Jay Cutler. It's against the Saints. I'm buying into the matchup and I'm buying into devonte Parker again.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. I did the math. If he can replicate, like, keep pace with that final drive throughout the whole season, he'll put up about 14,400 fantasy points. So that's good news. If he can just.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll take 50% of that.

[Mike Wright]

My. My running back start of the week is Chris Carson. I mentioned it before. Pro size is banged up and he's the only one that took snaps away from Carson last week. Carson got in to the end zone through the air, and I. Look, it's his backfield and he plays Indianapolis, so that's just juicy. And I think you. I think you will have tough decisions. I think there will be those out there because of where you picked up Carson. You're saying Carson or Crowell, Carson or Abdullah Carson or some of these struggling starters that you drafted to be a starter. And look, I'd play Carson over all of them.

[Andy Holloway]

Chris Carson or Jacques Rogers?

[Mike Wright]

Chris Carson.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I don't. I don't blame you there. I'm going to go with Christian McCaffrey this week. The Carolina Panthers, obviously, Cam Newton's been told, we don't want you to run as much. Kelvin Benjamin is banged up and they're playing the Patriots in Foxborough. This is a high over under. The Patriots are going to put up points and you're going to have a lot of opportunity for the dump off screens that the Patriots so far have not been able to really handle. They have not done a good job guarding that. And if Christian McCaffrey has the opportunity to. You know, he had nine receptions for 100 yards last week, and I think this is a matchup where he could break something, get in the end zone, and I think he's a Great start.

[Andy Holloway]

And I'm going with Joey Mixon.

[Mike Wright]

Please.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going Joey Mixon and please, part of these starts, I'm saying these are starts that I have confidence in and I'm. I'm making these starts in the leagues. I have Joe Mixon. He's been on my bench waiting to see and I think it's time hibernating. He's just been sleeping. He ate a big lunch and he had to be prepared for this game against the Browns. This is. This is the confidence start for Joe Mix and this is the week where like we. You thought you could do it last week, but I.

[Mike Wright]

You could. By the way. I mean, you could start last week. He was start worthy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, well, I'm saying his end stat line, but you. You weren't sure. All signs and arrows pointed to with the coordinator change that Joe Mixon was going to get the ball more, but it was. I wasn't confident playing him. This is the week where I'm unleashing Joe Mixon on my starting roster and I actually feel good about it.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I'm starting his teammate at the quarterback position and I don't feel good about it because it's hard to red regrets coming back. Andy Dalton. I don't like saying the name out loud.

[Andy Holloway]

Careful.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

If you say it three times, he actually appears.

[Mike Wright]

But I sure like him against Cleveland. Look, this is a game that even.

[Andy Holloway]

If he throws a ball way over.

[Mike Wright]

Your head, I think that this is a game where Joe Mixon earns him some of them free yards out of the backfield. A big play. Cleveland's been so susceptible. They do not put pressure on the quarterback. They're the third worst in the league on putting pressure and hurries on the quarterback. That's been an area of struggle for Andy Dalton where he feels like he has to get the ball out of his hand too quickly because the offensive line is coming together still. This is their. You know, if they lose this game in Cleveland, you know, the wheels have fallen off of the Bengals season in its entirety. So I. There's too much on the line. We saw too much last week with Bill Lazer and improved Andy Dalton. I think you can start him this week, but don't take my word for it.

[Andy Holloway]

All right? Before I let Jason shut it down, I'm going to throw mine out. It's Dak Prescott. And you may think, well, I'm playing Dak every week. But it's. He's at home. He gets the Rams. Dak is in my top five this Week. I've said I love the big three from Dallas and I love them this week. I think that all three of them can have a monster game against the son of Bum himself. If the 49ers can put up points, I expect the Dallas Cowboys at home to easily be able to put up points. So I love Daxis and I'm going.

[Jason Moore]

To continue living on the edge with my starts.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you are.

[Jason Moore]

I've dug deeper. Going a little risky this week, but I'm going with Marcus Mariota and clearly it's a pick that not everybody would agree with since Andy and I have a water bet he is not confident in Marcus Mariota.

[Andy Holloway]

I think you guys should also do Mariota versus Andy Dalton so well.

[Jason Moore]

No, because I also like Andy Dalton. Here's the thing with Marcus Mariota, you're going on the road to Houston. A bet. So I think a lot of people are going to sit him and you know, I think the only time he's played Houston, he had a terrible game. The thing is, is I don't think their defense is as good this week as it has been before. And you saw that last week. Obviously Tom Brady, okay, he's. He's the goat, but he's still through for 378 yards and five touchdowns. That still happened against this defense. And the thing is, is this defense lost AJ Bouillet last year. Their shut down top corner and they were able to do that because they had Kevin Johnson who went out last game and I don't expect to play this week. They also are missing Brian Cushing. So three of their five best players are gone. On the defensive side of the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

Would you. Okay. I was just. My, my interesting puzzled look on my face. Was referring to AJ Bouillet as one of their top five players.

[Jason Moore]

No, from last year.

[Mike Wright]

He has been gone.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, I'm saying, I'm saying. Well, he's gone for three for these three games. And right now over the three games, I think the Texans are averaging the 24th, 25th worst score against quarterbacks. So I believe. Look, I'm not saying Mariota is going to. This isn't like your Dak. Right, Right. Dak is safe. Everyone's playing him. You're saying Dak is going to have a phenomenal game. I'm simply saying marks Mariota in what appears to be a tough matchup. I think you can still start.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Jason Moore's ironclad, locked and loaded, 100% guaranteed. Boom, boom, kicker of the week at home. Big score, big Vegas line great kicker going, dad Bailey.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, there it is.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks, Jay.

[Jason Moore]

That's it.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks a lot. That is it for today's episode. We'll be back with more matchups tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in, subscribing, listening. We appreciate it all your support and we will catch you soon. Make sure you check out draft.comballers if you want to play with us this week and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

Goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on twitterffballers.