Fantasy Football 2017 - Week 3 Matchups, In-or-Out, Gurley Delivers

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast - Episode Summary

Episode: Fantasy Football 2017 - Week 3 Matchups, In-or-Out, Gurley Delivers
Release Date: September 22, 2017
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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1. Introduction and Set Decoration Banter

The episode kicks off with the hosts engaging in light-hearted banter about Todd Gurley-themed decorations adorning their studio. Andy Holloway reveals a collection of Gurley memorabilia, prompting laughter and playful teasing among the trio.

“I've had to hide them around the office where you guys didn't know they existed for so long that I brought them all out.”
— Andy Holloway [01:29]

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2. Todd Gurley’s Stellar Performance

The primary focus of the episode centers on Todd Gurley’s outstanding performance in Week 2. Andy praises Gurley’s abilities, emphasizing his dominance despite the Rams' defensive struggles.

“Mike had Todd Gurley ranked higher than Jason or myself, the Gurley truther this week... Todd Gurley delivered absolute dominance.”
— Mike Wright [06:10]

Andy discusses Gurley’s matchup challenges ahead, highlighting a favorable week against Dallas but expressing concerns over upcoming games against robust defenses like the Seahawks and Giants.

“Next week he gets Dallas. That's another good matchup... six defenses right in a row.”
— Andy Holloway [07:15]

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3. Jared Goff’s Performance and Deserved Apology

The hosts shift focus to Jared Goff, acknowledging his remarkable improvement and highlighting the unfair criticism he has faced.

“He absolutely deserves an apology because he was on this show and in every media environment under the sun, he was spat upon.”
— Andy Holloway [04:23]

They commend Goff for his increasing passer rating and his role in the Rams’ offensive success, noting his resilience despite not being a playoff contender.

“Jared Goff is on pace to make the largest single passer rating jump for a sophomore QB from his rookie season since 1970.”
— Andy Holloway [04:16]

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4. Trading Todd Gurley for Other Players

The discussion transitions to potential trades involving Todd Gurley. The hosts debate the value of Gurley compared to other running backs like Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt, and Devonta Freeman.

“If I could get A.J. Green and Dalvin Cook for Todd Gurley, that's a perfect trade.”
— Andy Holloway [09:32]

They emphasize the importance of trading responsibly and securing top-tier running back value, highlighting Gurley’s potential despite a challenging schedule.

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5. Sammy Watkins’ Breakout Performance

Sammy Watkins’ impressive game is analyzed, with the hosts debating his future with the Rams and his impact on fantasy lineups.

“Sammy Watkins had an absolute monster game. A Willie Mays catch over his shoulders.”
— Andy Holloway [11:45]

Mike shares his excitement about Watkins’ increased targets and potential as a reliable fantasy asset moving forward.

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6. In-or-Out Segment: Player Status for Week 3

The hosts conduct their regular In-or-Out segment, evaluating various players’ availability and performance leading into Week 3. They discuss injuries, player performance, and strategic decisions for fantasy lineups.

Running Backs:

• Demarco Murray: Andy votes In, Jason leans towards Out due to uncertainty.
• Jordan Howard: Jason and Mike agree he’s likely In.
• Melvin Gordon: Confirmed In by all hosts.
• Rex Burkhead: Decided Out.

“Jay Ajayi is still on the waiver wire. I would go with Danny Amadola.”
— Jason Moore [51:17]

Wide Receivers:

• Jordy Nelson: All agree In.
• Randall Cobb: Jason opts for Out.
• John Brown: Decided In.
• Kenny Stills: Confirmed by Mike to still be a starter.

Tight Ends:

• Rob Gunkowski: Expected In.
• Jordan Reed: All agree In.
• Tyler Ifert: Decided Out.
• Jimmy Graham: Consensus Out due to injury.

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7. News and Updates

The News and Notes segment covers recent developments affecting fantasy lineups, including player injuries and coaching decisions.

• Devonta Parker’s Injury: Mike retracts his start of the week for Parker due to ankle concerns.

  “When you've practiced and then all of a sudden you're out the next day.”
  — Mike Wright [17:12]

• Deontay Foreman’s Role: Bill O’Brien has announced Foreman will receive more offensive snaps ahead of Alfred Blue.

  “Any rookie is worth rostering in that situation.”
  — Andy Holloway [19:51]

• Melvin Gordon’s Injury: Added to the injury report with a knee issue but remains In.

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8. Fantasy Forecast: Week 3 Matchups and Player Recommendations

The Fantasy Forecast dives deep into Week 3’s key matchups, providing strategic advice on which players to start or sit based on their opponents and recent performances.

• Texans vs. Patriots:

  • DeAndre Hopkins: Highly recommended Start due to his volume and matchup.
  • James White: Suggested as a valuable RB option against the Patriots’ weak defense.

  “DeAndre Hopkins is startable every single week. You have to play him.”
  — Mike Wright [30:36]

• Giants vs. Eagles:

  • Alshon Jeffery: Strong Start choice considering the Eagles' improved offense and Giants' defensive challenges.

  “Alshon Jeffrey is a stud. When he's on the field, he performs.”
  — Mike Wright [37:54]

• Chiefs vs. Chargers:

  • Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Jay Cutler, Big Ben: Recommended to Start due to favorable matchups and offensive strengths.

  “The Chiefs offense, I’m starting them all.”
  — Mike Wright [45:44]

• Raiders vs. Redskins:

  • Terrell Pryor: Viewed as a pivotal player; potential Start depending on performance.

  “If Pryor cannot take advantage of this situation, I will be looking for streaming options.”
  — Andy Holloway [46:06]

• Others:

  • Dak Prescott: No concerns for Week 3, strongly recommended to Start.
  • Zach Ertz: Highlighted as an excellent tight end option due to high target volume.

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9. Live Draft Session

The episode features a live draft segment where the hosts draft five quarterbacks each, competing to see who selects the best lineup. The session includes playful competition and strategic selections to optimize their fantasy teams.

• Selections Highlight:
  • Andy Holloway: Selects Tom Brady, Derek Carr, Philip Rivers.
  • Jason Moore: Chooses Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson.
  • Mike Wright: Picks Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Jay Cutler, Big Ben.

“We are going to each draft five quarterbacks and face off head to head.”
— Andy Holloway [15:27]

The draft concludes with humorous exchanges and anticipation for the hosts’ fantasy performances.

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10. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The hosts wrap up the episode by thanking sponsors, encouraging listeners to engage with their platforms, and wishing everyone luck for Week 3 matchups.

“Good luck, Foot Clan.”
— Mike Wright [62:07]

They also promote their DFS podcast and remind listeners to follow them on social media for updates and additional insights.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “He absolutely deserves an apology because he was on this show and in every media environment under the sun, he was spat upon.”
  — Andy Holloway [04:23]

• “If I could get A.J. Green and Dalvin Cook for Todd Gurley, that's a perfect trade.”
  — Andy Holloway [09:32]

• “DeAndre Hopkins is startable every single week. You have to play him.”
  — Mike Wright [30:36]

• “Alshon Jeffrey is a stud. When he's on the field, he performs.”
  — Mike Wright [37:54]

• “Good luck, Foot Clan.”
  — Mike Wright [62:07]

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This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast provides a comprehensive analysis of Week 3’s fantasy football landscape, offering valuable insights into player performances, strategic trade considerations, and lineup decisions. Whether you're a seasoned fantasy manager or new to the game, the hosts deliver actionable advice to help you navigate your league with confidence.

Transcript

[Mike Wright]

Hey.

[Jason Moore]

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[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.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, everybody.

[Jason Moore]

How are you feeling today? Andy?

[Andy Holloway]

You know, when the sun is shining, you gotta walk outside, my friends.

[Jason Moore]

I don't know why.

[Andy Holloway]

No, it's a good. It's a wonderful day. I don't know why. It's a wonderful day. Do you guys know why it's a wonderful day?

[Jason Moore]

I think if the amount of Todd Gurley decorations that have mysteriously shown up in our set today, I have a feeling Andy got here a little bit before us, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

I think so as well.

[Jason Moore]

I did not notice the corner over there.

[Andy Holloway]

You didn't see that?

[Jason Moore]

I did not even realize we had this many different, you know, figurines.

[Andy Holloway]

I've had to hide them around the office where you guys didn't know they existed for so long that I brought them all out. We've got the girly jersey on the wall. We have the girly painting. We have multiple variations of the Girly McFarlane. We have a bobblehead. Yeah, look, it's not been the greatest road for us girly truthers over the last year and a half.

[Mike Wright]

It's true.

[Andy Holloway]

And it was a good day.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it was a real good day.

[Andy Holloway]

He could have had five touchdowns. He could have had five. He got stuffed on the goal line and then they threw it at the end. I mean, that is the pen. Look, this is not your grandfather's Rams. And by grandfather, I mean Jeff Fisher. This is not your grandfather's Rams. This is. Look at. Look at what Whitworth does for that offensive line. Are you kidding me? He's a 1 player.

[Mike Wright]

I love that. Sean McVay. This is the head coach of the team. And I mean, a lot has been said about how young Sean McVeigh is, but, I mean, he brings a lot here. But what I love is when his team is on defense, he's like, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I don't need to pay attention.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, Wade.

[Andy Holloway]

Wade.

[Mike Wright]

Grandpa Wade. Handle that. I'm gonna be sitting back here. Scheming up plays for my offense. He's like the head coach from Waterboy. He's like got his green folder out. He's like I got my secret place.

[Andy Holloway]

He's playing Tech mobile and he has the controller off.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

When his team's playing defense, I mean.

[Mike Wright]

That'S for a head coach to especially so young to say, yeah, I'm not going to do the defense, I'm going to work on the offense and. And succeeded in a big way.

[Andy Holloway]

Although they did not do the defense.

[Mike Wright]

His defense did not succeed yesterday. So maybe he needs to get a.

[Jason Moore]

I got a lot of bums. Son of bum tweets.

[Andy Holloway]

More like a son of a bum last night or like there was some bum defense.

[Jason Moore]

You know, credit to you, Andy. You said that. And not only did you say, but you did drop the Rams defense. Very contrarian. You thought this would be a higher scoring game. And you know, you said if the over under were 78, you would take the over, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Not quite.

[Jason Moore]

But that's how ridiculous this game was.

[Andy Holloway]

You would have won money had you taken the over if the over under was 78 points.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

So very exciting. Thursday night game. Redeeming Thursday night right before our eyes. Maybe lost in the girly shuffle is another player that deserves a legitimate apology. And that is Jared Goff. Jared Goff is currently.

[Mike Wright]

Does he deserve an apology?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me get. Let me tell you why.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

He is currently on pace to make the largest single passer rating jump for a sophomore QB from his rookie season since 1970.

[Mike Wright]

Because he just had to go up 10 points to do that. I mean.

[Andy Holloway]

No, the largest. Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But zero to a number is an infinite growth.

[Andy Holloway]

He absolutely deserves an apology because he was on this show and in every media environment under the sun, he was spat upon. And the reaches of Jeff Fisher apparently extended to Jared Goff. I mean, the originality in the offense. Now this is not a Super bowl or playoff team, I don't think, but this is a fun team. This is an exciting team. This is a capable team. This is a team that has put up 40 points two times.

[Mike Wright]

So I just pulled up Pro Football Reference because I wanted to, you know, see what just really get a snapshot here of what he has done for the season. That's not what stands out. What stands out is apparently at some time in his life, his nickname has been Mr. Perfect.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you're talking about Jared Goff.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Well, you grow up in Northern California.

[Jason Moore]

Star quarterback.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Just saying, when Your nickname is Mr. Perfect, unless you're Kurt Henning from the WWF. That's. That's not going to make people really like you.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's circle back to Gurley now. There are the Twitter groundswell asked for an apology from Mike. I am in a position where I have some defense of you that I want to make. However, do you feel like you owe Todd Gurley an apology?

[Mike Wright]

Are you talking about my number four ranked running back on the week?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, see, that's. I was going to bring that up. My point was going to. Look, Mike is not an unreasonable soul if he sees the volume and he sees the opportunity. Absolutely. Mike had Todd Gurley ranked higher than Jason or myself, the Gurley truther this week. And so Mike, whatever he said about Gurley's skills or talents before you had.

[Mike Wright]

Him higher, look, the volume is there and San Francisco is not a good defense. And I came. I came in today, you know, like, I don't want to rain on the Todd Gurley parade because, I mean, that was absolute dominance. I have, unfortunately for me, my. This was not the unfortunate part, but my son had a football game last night, which he dominated, by the way.

[Andy Holloway]

How'd he do?

[Mike Wright]

Almost had a pick, caught an extra point, had like an 80 yard run. I mean, he's. He's a monster. Getting off.

[Andy Holloway]

Perfect.

[Mike Wright]

Getting off of that. Getting off that nickname. So I did. I haven't. I've gotten to see about half the game, so I know the stat lines, but I need to go back and watch. I'm very excited.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Because I saw Todd Gurley in the first half. He looked good. He looked good.

[Jason Moore]

I think he looked better in the second half.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. I mean, I'm very excited to break down the film, but my concern with Todd Gurley is, I mean, everyone is super pumped now. And next week he gets Dallas.

[Jason Moore]

That's a good.

[Mike Wright]

That's another good matchup.

[Andy Holloway]

But after that, Seattle, Arizona, it goes.

[Jason Moore]

Seahawks, Jaguars, Cardinals, Giants, Texans, Vikings. It's six.

[Mike Wright]

That is six vomit worthy of the.

[Jason Moore]

Top 10 defenses right in a row.

[Mike Wright]

So while I've been on board for Todd Gurley in these matchups, but here, the. That's the big, like, stamp, the rub.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Where the rubber meets the road. I was trying to avoid a cliche, but when he starts playing those defenses and everyone's like, yeah, you should have apologized for Gurley. If he crushes in those games, that's when I would issue the apology.

[Andy Holloway]

The quick question of the day was, do you sell Todd Gurley high? Everyone that asked me very different. Everyone that asked me last Night I said, no, I wouldn't sell him. But here's the deal with selling a player and selling a player high. If you get like, look, trade responsibly, trade responsibly. That's step one. If you get top three running back value for Todd Gurley today and he continues to perform as a top three running back because he does, you're still, you still made a fair trade. You still traded Todd. Someone told me last night they traded Todd Gurley and they emailed. Actually, they said, make me feel better. I traded Todd Gurley, I got Carlos Hyde and Ty Hilton and I said.

[Mike Wright]

Hyde had a pretty good game too.

[Andy Holloway]

I said, lost in the shuffle. Carlos Hyde, he missed a few snaps, still had two touchdowns, had a great game, been running wonderfully all year. Cy Hilton, when Luck gets back, you got fine value. You'll be. Now as to the schedule as per son of bum here in the Rams defense and what they look like, I'm not going to read too far into it because the usage, what you're going to see in the second half is you're going to see Gurley littered all over the passing game. I mean targets down the middle of the field, catching the ball, making plays after the catch. His volume is what doesn't concern me. So if I were the owner of Todd Gurley right now and I had people in my league freaking out and I could go get two great players, if I could get A.J. green and Dalvin Cook for Todd Gurley, that's a perfect trade, I would go do it.

[Mike Wright]

That's a perfect trade.

[Andy Holloway]

But that's. That applies to every player, right? If you can get better value back, you do it. If not, you don't. Now Jason, I want to hear how do you weigh in on the schedule? That's difficult. The performance is unmatchable. Right. You're not going to have. He already matched last year's touchdown total. He's obviously on his pace for a Melvin Gordon esque year in the touchdown area. But do you think that the numbers are going to dip or do you think that he'll be all right?

[Jason Moore]

I think both. I think they will absolutely dip and he'll be all right. This is. He's not a player where because of this terrible matchup stretch that you have to sell because he's going to crap your team. He's too involved in the passing game to completely crap your team right now. That's what I love about him. That's why people will be really wanting to trade for him. But his numbers are going to dip. He's not going to be playing the 49ers, you know, every week. In fact, you know, even though it's in division, the next time he plays the 49ers is week 17. So that probably doesn't count for your league. You know, I would probably be looking to capitalize on this, but let me.

[Mike Wright]

Throw out a couple names here, okay. Because we're going to get these questions on Twitter.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the number one question.

[Mike Wright]

Would you trade Todd Gurley for Zeke?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Would you trade Todd Gurley for Kareem Hunt?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Would you trade. Would you trade Todd Gurley for Jay Ajayi?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Because I skip. I get. I get a bye week out of that.

[Andy Holloway]

You're not worried about the injury concerns for Ajayi that keep cropping up compared to Gurley's production.

[Mike Wright]

I would not practicing this week.

[Andy Holloway]

What would you do, Mike? Would you trade Gurley for Ajay?

[Mike Wright]

I probably would.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. I would not.

[Mike Wright]

And then the last name, devonte Freeman.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I would not. The volume difference there is significant.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that would. I would want devontae Freeman plus something.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Yeah, I'm just talking. No, it's one. Because people are going to ask.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, we. We haven't even talked about when a game goes off like this and you got 80 points scored. There are a number of players. I mean, Robert woods lost in the background, had over 100 yards. Sammy Watkins needs to be talked about. He's now in the concussion protocol along with Tavon Austin. But Watkins had an absolute monster game. A Willie Mays catch over his shoulders.

[Mike Wright]

I did get to see that one. That was amazing.

[Andy Holloway]

What is Sammy Watkins moving forward? Is this San Francisco? Is that what you saw? Did you see San Francisco's defense as the reason why Sammy had, you know, this team perform so well? They've been back and forth now.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, they put up 41 points. They're not putting up 41 points on the reg. This is an outlier game. This is where.

[Mike Wright]

How cool are you? Right?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. This is where, you know, every single player. Marquis Goodwin was great. There was like, nobody that you could have started other than Cooper Cup.

[Mike Wright]

This game reminded me of. I'm talking, like featherweight boxing. Okay? So, I mean, you're not expecting haymakers. You expect, like, oh, it's going to be a nice boxing match, going to be some jabs. And then they decided, we're going to.

[Jason Moore]

Take the gloves off, Kicks are allowed.

[Mike Wright]

We're going to go Rambo. We're going to dip our hands in the glass. And now we're going to go at it and just start throwing haymakers just absolutely devastating each other.

[Andy Holloway]

It was, it was a great game. It was a great, it was great for the NFL. It was great for the NFL in the sense that their adjustment of the extra point caused massive drama increases. Last night you missed the extra point, therefore you have to go for an exciting two point conversion. You fail that, you have to go for an on site kick. You get that. And then the stupid.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, the one stupid offensive pass interference. That's my biggest complaint on the game.

[Mike Wright]

And those Rams jerseys.

[Andy Holloway]

You mean this one?

[Mike Wright]

My goodness, those color rush unis are fire.

[Andy Holloway]

It's funny, my wife, my wife looked at the TV and she wanted to know what's going on and she's like, man, I hate those yellow jerseys.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. They're amazing.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. All right. We do have.

[Mike Wright]

Just for Sammy Watkins. I mean, through the, through two weeks, he was sitting at seven targets and I know he played Washington, you know, Josh Norman effect. So for all that, for everyone out there who's like, I had Sammy Watkins on my bench, I mean, I don't blame you for making that move. He had 88 yards coming into the game. He wasn't getting targeted, he wasn't utilizing. But is this the breakout for Sammy Watkins where Jared Goff goes, you know what, I should probably trust this guy because he's really, really good.

[Jason Moore]

It's great to see the rapport happening and I'm desperately hoping that he clears the concussion protocol immediately so they can have this full week of building on that. I don't want him to miss the whole week of practice where you can't build on that report and then, and then get back in, you know, for Sunday's game.

[Andy Holloway]

He's still a low in two for me.

[Jason Moore]

Agreed.

[Andy Holloway]

And.

[Mike Wright]

But that's, that's better than he has been. We have two weeks.

[Andy Holloway]

We are going to talk more about more than the Rams and 49ers. We just.

[Jason Moore]

Game was just so awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

Had to start off with all the thoughts there. So many questions. Literally just now I got another question coming in saying somebody just offered me Odell Beckham Jr. For Todd Gurley and that is team dependent.

[Jason Moore]

But I prefer, I mean, if this were a draft from the top, I draft Odell Beckham from.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Even after what, you know now.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'm saying if we were to start from here from today, if there was a draft going on, you know, for week three games on, I would, I would go Odell Beckham.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Foot Clan Friday.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's Friday, which means it's a Foot Clan Friday. So if you are a supporter of of this show [e-mail] every Friday we give away a free $40 gift card to shopballers.com you can get some swag over there. And today's winner is Mike Tannery.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, Mike Tannery.

[Andy Holloway]

Congratulations.

[Mike Wright]

You won.

[Andy Holloway]

Always sing the name of the Foot Clan Friday winner.

[Mike Wright]

So I can do that.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike Tannery.

[Jason Moore]

Extra perk is you get your name sung.

[Andy Holloway]

Beautiful. So congratulations on that. This is going to be a great show today. We have. What do we got on today's show? We got the daily. We got our draft later on in the show where we're going to do an actual. We're going to each draft five quarterbacks and face off head to head. See who can win that one or the loser is going to eat something terrible, which I haven't done yet this week. We're going to double up next week. I was actually out for our lunchtime a couple times. And then we have the rest of the fantasy forecast today. Going through the matchups we've got in and out. We're going to talk through the injuries, the players. We think are they gonna play, are they not gonna play? And so it's gonna be a jam packed episode and you know, maybe it goes long, but who cares?

[Mike Wright]

Who cares?

[Andy Holloway]

Who cares? All right, without further ado, let's get into the news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we're in the news. You can find us on Twitter, by the way, at the FFballers, we always try to post any other relevant news things that come out after the fact, after the show airs. You can always find it over there. And one of those pieces of news. Yesterday we had our starts of the week. I had J.J. nelson and Mike had Devontae Parker. And then the show goes up and about two hours later we find out both players suddenly.

[Mike Wright]

Well, Devonte Parker was not sudden. He injured his ankle in the game, but he was able to play through. He got a limited practice in Wednesday, but then he was held out on Thursday and a downgrade. When you've practiced and then all of a sudden you're out the next day.

[Jason Moore]

That'S not a good sign.

[Mike Wright]

That's bad news. So I have officially retracted my start of the week on Devonte Park. If he plays, I'm still going to play him. But the you have to have real concern about his ankle. Like what will he be at 60%.

[Jason Moore]

So who is your new start of the week?

[Mike Wright]

I don't have one yet.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

Do not have one yet.

[Jason Moore]

Come on.

[Andy Holloway]

So you're just retracting it but you.

[Mike Wright]

I'll figure it out.

[Jason Moore]

All right. Follow the Twitters.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, okay. I I have JJ Nelson as my start of the week. He was limited with a hamstring injury. From my understanding, this was something that doesn't look severe thus far. I'm going to keep him as my start of the week. However, I will post and update you with what's going on with J.J. nelson. The fact of the matter is there are not a lot of passing weapons in Arizona. They face Dallas at home on Monday night and so I completely understand if you want to go another route and not play the waiting game for Monday Night Football. I still think Nelson, if he plays, will be exceptional, but we do not know. And a reminder as well, we have our Foot Clan game day alerts that take [e-mail] each week on Sunday morning which will let you know of every last minute, active, inactive one hour before the games. You will find that if you're a [e-mail] Melvin Gordon was added to the injury report on Thursday getting in a limited session with a knee injury. Any concern there?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Not, not too much there. He wasn't, he wasn't out of the practice. Just limited.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. All right, let's go ahead and turn here. Vonte Davis limited again, questionable for Sunday. I doubt he plays. This would be an upgrade for whoever you decide to play for Cleveland, but maybe Cleveland can move the ball a little bit more. I think people were surprised yesterday. I did not take the Colts as my almost upset of the week considering they were underdogs at home against the Browns. But I think the Browns probably win the game.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Jason Moore]

Well this, this helps their cause. And like I said, Higgins and Kaiser without Vontae Davis are legitimate options this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Last bit of news before we get into in and out. Bill O'Brien said that Deonta Foreman will receive offensive snaps ahead of Alfred Blue when both players are healthy. Alfred Blue had been missing time. Alfred Blue had been the handcuff for Lamar Miller the past couple of years. So good news for Foreman.

[Mike Wright]

Are you picking him up? Yeah, I'm talking not a non handcuffed situation. I'm saying are you stashing him on your bench if you have?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, for sure. The same way I was Samaj P. Ryan last week because there's just when you don't have kind of the 100% locked and loaded situation with a very healthy person ahead. I mean, any rookie is worth rostering in that situation. So Deontay, Foreman, Samajp, Ryan, I think they're worth stashing and just seeing what happens. It's. It's not somebody I'd start fair. Do you as a Lamar Miller owner, Jason, do you feel like he's also a Foreman truther?

[Mike Wright]

So, I mean, this is.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you try to acquire Foreman if you're a Lamar Miller owner right now?

[Jason Moore]

I mean, I might poke a little bit just to see if I can steal something for free. If I've got garbage on my, on my team. I don't think it's a 100% necessary handcuff. But I do like dawn to Foreman. I think his talent will succeed in the NFL. I think he's good for their scheme, but I don't think he will overtake Lamar Miller. I think it would have to be injury and injury alone because Lamar Miller has a skill set in the passing game that Deontiforman just does not have.

[Mike Wright]

All right, before we move to the in and out portion of the show, I want to thank today's sponsor. You know who they are. They are the studio sponsor of this program draft. It's daily fantasy sports. There's look, there's no learning curve to draft because you already know how to do it. There's no salary caps. You get to play in a real life snake draft and you're thinking, oh, well, my draft, it takes forever. No, this draft, it's fast, it's furious, it's intense, it's super fun. You get it done in under five minutes. It's just the one week draft. There's no management. It's just, it's a nice way to up the ante of the fantasy football weekend. I mean, you got your teams well, now you got a little DFS action on the side and I'm talking you can play there for just a buck if you want. It's. We're going to do a draft on this show and draft takes care of their players. If you had two, if you had two of these guys, Jordan Ellison, Jordan Reed or Jordan Howard, last week they refunded your entry. I mean, they take care.

[Jason Moore]

They want it to be.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, exactly. They want you to have fun. They want you to keep coming back so they take care of you. And for a limited time, all new players can get a free entry. When you make your first deposit, grab the app search draft. Use the promo code ballers. That's the promo code Ballers play draft this weekend.

[Andy Holloway]

We also want to thank new sponsor of the show, Quip. Okay, this is a. Imagine if Apple designed a toothbrush but didn't have the big price tag. That's what we're talking about with Quip. Look, we all know we should take care of our mouths. Our oral health is important. We all know that, Especially Jason. Yeah, yeah. That will not fix your grammar though. I'm sorry, but look, a lot of us, we don't brush our teeth properly and we don't like thinking about it. I'm a busy guy. I don't want to think about this. That's why I like products like Quip because they make it super easy to brush better. Starting today and Starting at just 25 bucks, Quip is an electric toothbrush that packs premium vibration and timer features into an ultra slim design. And it's awesome. You basically subscribe. You get new brush heads every three months. Which means, guess what? I don't have to think about my toothbrush or any of that stuff ever again. You just have to see it and brush with it yourself. You got to try this out. They got this little cool case. It sticks right to the mirror. Slides in and out. It literally looks like Apple designed this toothbrush and they even won. If you don't want to take it from me, they were on Time magazine's best inventions of the year in 2016. So right now, go to getquip.comfootballers to get your first refill pack free with Equip electric toothbrush. That's your first refill pack free at getquip q u I p.com footballers getquip.com footballers I guess we'll.

[Mike Wright]

I was waiting for the drop.

[Andy Holloway]

You're looking for the Marty McFly.

[Mike Wright]

What's it going to be, McFly? Are you in or out?

[Andy Holloway]

It's funny. My wife is not a big football fan, but she shows an interest in my career and was watching Sammy Watkins last night and he rolled over for a second touchdown. You know that great play. She goes, that's Sammy Biscuits, right? No, I'm sorry. All right.

[Mike Wright]

His name's not Sammy Botkins.

[Andy Holloway]

She also had some comments. She was very certain that Paul Perkins was white, like a white insurance salesman after we made those jokes. So I'm teaching her the ways of the NFL. All right, Sammy Biscuits is why I bring this up. Sam Bradford in or out this week? What do you think?

[Mike Wright]

I think he's going to play.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's in. Been practicing some running backs.

[Mike Wright]

Demarco Murray, he has not practiced at all this week. I think that he's going to be out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I'm going to say I lean towards out Friday. Today is going to be an important day, but I'm really hesitant.

[Mike Wright]

Murray's the kind of guy that he doesn't need to practice and he can play, but that's. That was going to be my question. Do you have confidence playing him?

[Jason Moore]

We had the question earlier this week of if you have both, who would you start? I've switched now. I would start Derek Henry over demarco Murray.

[Andy Holloway]

This week I'm voting in for demarco Murray and I would play him over Derek Henry. Jordan Howard, in or out?

[Jason Moore]

In.

[Mike Wright]

I think he's play, but that's me.

[Jason Moore]

Jordan Howard, he's been at practice this whole week in limited fashion.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, enter out. Melvin Gordon in.

[Jason Moore]

In.

[Andy Holloway]

J. Ajayi in.

[Mike Wright]

Because Adam Gay says he's going to play.

[Andy Holloway]

Terrence west return to practice today.

[Jason Moore]

But he's a player. I'm probably not going to start if I can avoid it. Buck Allen play either way whether Terrence west plays or not.

[Andy Holloway]

Rob Kelly in or out?

[Mike Wright]

He's been practicing. Yeah, I think he's practicing.

[Jason Moore]

He'll play.

[Andy Holloway]

ESPN adjusted their their own projections for Samajp Ryan, basically saying they believe he's going to play. Rex Burkhead. In or out?

[Jason Moore]

Out.

[Mike Wright]

Out.

[Jason Moore]

He's not been at practice at all since last week.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's shift to the wide receivers. In or out? Jordy Nelson In. Randall Cobb.

[Jason Moore]

Game time decision. I'm saying out, saying out.

[Andy Holloway]

Devonta Parker.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, I think he's going to play, but that's sketchy.

[Andy Holloway]

Does it affect. If he doesn't play, does it affect your stream of the week in Jay Cutler?

[Mike Wright]

No, I would still stream him because Kenny. Kenny Stills is still there.

[Andy Holloway]

John Brown in or out? J.J. nelson in.

[Jason Moore]

Jaron Brown in as well.

[Andy Holloway]

Danny Amadola.

[Jason Moore]

Ooh.

[Mike Wright]

Rule 80, 11.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, gosh.

[Mike Wright]

It's in effect this week, my friends.

[Andy Holloway]

You think he's in?

[Jason Moore]

He's in.

[Mike Wright]

He's in. That means he's in my lineup.

[Andy Holloway]

Philip Dorset.

[Mike Wright]

I think he'll play, but who cares?

[Andy Holloway]

So what? Robbie Anderson again.

[Mike Wright]

Again. Who cares?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, who cares?

[Andy Holloway]

All right, lastly.

[Jason Moore]

Don't start.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me. Let me give you all the. The supposed best tight ends here in the inner out.

[Mike Wright]

Rob Gunkowski in limited on Thursday, so I would assume he'll play.

[Andy Holloway]

Jordan Reed.

[Jason Moore]

He'll play in.

[Andy Holloway]

Tyler Ifert.

[Jason Moore]

Out.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's gonna be out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, there's no way.

[Andy Holloway]

When in doubt, if it's out.

[Jason Moore]

That is a really true great phrase. Because whenever he's questionable, he don't play.

[Andy Holloway]

Nah, take it off.

[Jason Moore]

When in doubt, iford's out, who needs you? Love it.

[Andy Holloway]

Jimmy Graham.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to say out. He hasn't practiced at all. No Friday reports yet. I just hate saying whenever you go against Jimmy Graham's health, like I did last year, and then it was like, oh, okay, he's a freak to recover that quick from that injury.

[Mike Wright]

Even if he plays, can you play Jimmy Graham?

[Jason Moore]

No, he's not in my lineup this week.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Evan Ingram.

[Mike Wright]

Concussion protocol limited.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, I don't understand, like, if he's on the field, how has he. I thought you couldn't practice when you're in the concussion protocol. I must not understand.

[Mike Wright]

There are certain things you can do, I believe. Just work on that fitness.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I haven't heard officially that he's been cleared, so right now I would say out of my lineup.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, that is it for in and out. We're going to get back into the games.

[Jason Moore]

Fantasy forecast.

[Andy Holloway]

You remember that hot. What is the hot tip we always give people on waiver day after the waivers have gone through, See who is dropped.

[Jason Moore]

No. Did you outpay? Wait, who'd you pick up?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, why don't you summarize the rule first?

[Jason Moore]

So the rule, drop it like it's hot. Is always look at who has been dropped. Because sometimes people on waiver day, they get too excited about the new hotness on the waiver wire and they drop a person that should not be dropped. And a lot of times those guys don't get noticed. And I will just say, if your waivers run, you know, day after day, look every day, because it's, you know, it's like most people look at the drops that first day when there's so much action, but it's the following days where people try to make sneaky drops and you can pick guys up. What happened, Andy?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, in our league of records, somebody decided to drop Jacquiz Rogers.

[Jason Moore]

Dang it, man. I knew I should bid more. I was. Oh, you were.

[Mike Wright]

You would not have been close to what Andy paid.

[Jason Moore]

What did he pay? I was going to up it to 11.

[Andy Holloway]

I paid $31. What?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. What?

[Andy Holloway]

Desperate people, I. E. People without David Johnson, do desperate things.

[Mike Wright]

You needed a running back start. I don't. I don't blame you at all for this move.

[Andy Holloway]

Get two weeks of a starter with your quiz Rogers and steal them from.

[Jason Moore]

Me because we're both in the same position playing each other. All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we are facing each other. All right. The Texans take on the New England Patriots The Patriots are 13 and a half point favorites in Foxborough. Last week the defense showed up a little bit against the Saints.

[Mike Wright]

They showed up a lot in the first half.

[Andy Holloway]

They sure did.

[Mike Wright]

It was that climb from behind where.

[Andy Holloway]

You soften your defense up. You let people get down the field. I dropped the Rams D to pick up the Patriots D and play him this week. I just think it's a terrible situation for Deshaun Watson to have to go into Foxborough and face a Patriots defense that, albeit they're finding their way a little bit. Malcolm Butler may not be in, but let's talk about fantasy storylines beyond the defense here. The Texans DeSean Watson last week had the big single play. He's hyper targeting DeAndre Hopkins so is DeAndre Hopkins startable this week in New England? Likely to play from behind, leading by the way through two weeks 48% of the team's targets. That's more than 10% of a lead over the second highest wide receiver in the NFL.

[Mike Wright]

Here's the deal. DeAndre Hopkins, he's startable every single week. You have to play him. But Bill Belichick's defensive strategy is frequently I'm going to pick one player from your team and I will remove them from the offense. Now you can't fully remove DeAndre Hopkins. He's going to get targets, he'll get some receptions. But I would not expect a big day to Sean Watson. The fantasy output last week was was usable one play. He was a QB one on on that scramble. I'm not. I would not want to play anyone from that team besides Hopkins and Miller if you have to.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike Gillisle the start of the week this week James White, Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis peripheral Burkett it probably out right. Right. But the Patriots running backs have 181 receiving yards this year. That is most in the NFL. James White Stardom oh yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. James White is a great player.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. What about what are your thoughts on Hogan in this matchup? Hogan Amendola. Who would you choose between those two if you need a spot start?

[Mike Wright]

You know right now I think scoring format matters.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it does. But I lean that Amendola is going to like. I'm more confident in Amendola because I know what his role is. He's be the chain mover, the quick slant guy. Hogan like Brandon Cooks their ceiling is tremendous but they're not going to receive as many Targets. So it does depend. I mean, if you're in a standard league, I'd go Hogan. If you're in a half point, full point, I'd go Amendola.

[Mike Wright]

And I have a fantasy football player's plea for Bill Belichick, so that falls on someone who's not paying attention. Don't let Danny Amidola return punts. Just have him play in the offense and catch some passes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, let Brandon Cooks return them.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, just anyone but Amendola. I mean, it's the hit points, Garoppolo. The hit points cannot handle staying alive with all those punt returns.

[Andy Holloway]

No, every game he starts out with a certain amount of hit points and if you deplete them on a punt, that's just. You're wasting those.

[Mike Wright]

You are.

[Andy Holloway]

Because you can only take four hits. Four total hits in the game. All right, the Dolphins take on the jets in New York. Mike likes Jay Cutler as extreme in this game. The backfield in New York is a mess. However, Matt Forte seems to be at the top of the heap the trash.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he does.

[Andy Holloway]

And so if you need a start, you could do worse than Matt Forte. He should give you Gore light numbers in New York. J Ajay, we talked about him.

[Jason Moore]

JJ is going to run for 700 yards.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean quite possibly he is quite possible.

[Jason Moore]

Obviously with Todd Gurley's performance he won't finish this way. But both Mike and I have Jay Jai ranked as the number one rusher in our weekly rankings. I mean he has destroyed the jets before. Now the jets defense is much worse.

[Mike Wright]

They're allowing 33 points a game. And that's just follow the game script on that. The Dolphins can get it done through the air and then Jai, he's just going to close it out.

[Andy Holloway]

The jets have given up 33 points a game, the worst in the league. Which has to just be painful for Todd Bowles. Being a defensive minded coach by the way, not 100% certain, but we pretty sure we're going to have Matt Forte on the show next week. We'll be able to ask him some jets questions, what it's like being in that environment right now, what the expectations are for that team and what he thinks of guys like Jermaine Kerse joining the roster. He's a player that through two games has been great. Talked about Robbie Anderson maybe not playing, get some insight.

[Jason Moore]

Maybe on Austin Safari and Jenkins.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure, yeah. Do you think Jermaine Curse is start worthy this week?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. I mean he is the number one for an NFL team that will be down and need to throw the ball. So I think Kearse is a flex. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Especially with Bowles saying that Austin Safari and Jenkins may not suit for this game. That's the only concern with Curse is that someone else is an actual athletic guy that can get open and catch passes. That's what Safari Jenkins is. But if he's not playing, then sure fire up Curse.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. The Giants travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in. Well, this is my.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Andy's almost upset of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. The Giants take on the Eagles. Eagles 6 point favorites, 43 point over under in Philadelphia. This is the game. This is a divisional matchup in which I think the Giants are able to put some pressure on Carson Wentz and Eli Manning has a fully healthy or close to healthy Odell Beckham Field.

[Mike Wright]

He's off the injury report.

[Andy Holloway]

He is. He's off the injury report. I think they turn it around a little bit. I think you see some success and I think this game's going to be really, really close. I think the Giants could take it.

[Jason Moore]

I hope it's close from a standpoint that, you know, both teams are scoring. I mean, I agreed with you on the over for the, you know, the Rams Niners, but I don't think I agree here with some of the injuries. It looks right now like Jenkins is not going to play. That's a pretty big deal. I mean, that's still up in the air.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And also the right tackle for the Giants is. I believe he's been ruled out for this week. So the pressure to Eli Manning will be there from this Eagles defense. Hopefully it's a high scoring game. I really like what we've been seeing from Alshon and he's a really good start this week.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Oh, I love Alshon this week.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Keep trade cut. You ready?

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard, Evan Ingram.

[Mike Wright]

Keep Evan Ingram.

[Jason Moore]

I would keep Sterling Shepard.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's probably cut.

[Jason Moore]

Brandon Marshall, trade Ingram. Trading room.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I can get on board with that.

[Andy Holloway]

Why are people not talking about Alshon, Jeffrey?

[Mike Wright]

I think it's just because so many people wanted to hate him this offseason.

[Jason Moore]

I also think a lot of it, you know, week one bias is a real thing. What happens in week one. People extrapolate too far. You have to wait too many weeks until you see a trend that bucks. What your brain said is the whole season in week one and you know, what we saw last week was that Alshon was the man and this week, I think this is a good matchup for him. Assuming that Jenkins doesn't play. And when you're.

[Mike Wright]

You've also seen quite possibly a true level up for Carson Wentz. And on top of that, they can't run the ball. So that means they have to throw. And that means just good things will be happening for Alshon Jeffrey. And Alshon Jeffrey has always been a stud. When he's on the field, he performs. He gets hurt frequently. At least he has in recent history. But. But when he's on the field, he's a monster. He bet on himself. And I wanted to make. I liked Alshon coming into the season.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I wanted to make a case against Alshon early this offseason. And every time that I would kind of prepare an argument, I just look at the data and go, wow, Alshon's really good. I mean, he's. His issue is injuries. If he's out there, he's going to be great. I really like him this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Definitely agree with your take on the offensive line in New York. They're going to have to be able to do a little bit more to protect Eli and to get the ball out of his hands. One of the ways they've done that is with passing the ball to their running backs. I think they're second most in the league. 18 receptions to the running back in New York. If you have to start a running back on either of these teams, I think you're starting Aaron Sproles and Shane Vereen.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Congrats. Congratulations.

[Jason Moore]

So this is a passing affair.

[Mike Wright]

We've. The whispers in the bushes are saying Orleans Darkwa could get his shot this weekend. Does that matter to either of you?

[Jason Moore]

No. I mean, it won't matter until after you see something you can't. That's not a glory play. I'm.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a fab. A fab by right.

[Jason Moore]

If you see something special afterwards, obviously you start your Zach Ertz's every week. He is, to me, an absolute weekly matchup. Pretty proof tight end right now because of the volume of targets.

[Andy Holloway]

Your. Your what? Your start. Your Zach Ertz's.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Nice.

[Jason Moore]

If you got more than one, get them both in.

[Andy Holloway]

Get them both in the lineup.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Seahawks at Tennessee. Tennessee, a two and a half point favorite. A 42 and a half point over under. And where has Russell Wilson gone?

[Jason Moore]

Where has Russell Wilson down. He's gone to the grass.

[Andy Holloway]

Some people asking where is Marcus Mariota going?

[Mike Wright]

Well, he's still there.

[Jason Moore]

He had a really tough matchup last week.

[Mike Wright]

He's Groundhog Day. I mean, he peeks his head Up. He's like, is this a good defense? Okay, I'm going back down for. I'm going to sleep for a little bit longer.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, wonderful. This is an interesting game because I think Tennessee should win it. I'm not sure they do win it. I think a lot of people are looking at the Chris Carson decision this week. Do you start Chris Carson? Would you start Chris Carson over DeMarco Murray or Derek Henry, who are in a shaky backfield?

[Mike Wright]

Nope.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

No. If Murray is playing and I've voiced some hesitance, but I would still play, play him over Chris Carson.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. The Seahawks see that Chris Carson can get all the carries, but Tennessee's defense is pretty good. They're at home. And the Seahawks have averaged 10.5 points per game this year, which is fifth worst in the league. 10 points a game distributed amongst all of those options is not going to get it done.

[Mike Wright]

Would you stream the Titans defense? Are we that down on this, on Seattle's offense that we're willing to do?

[Andy Holloway]

I would stream the Tennessee defensive line.

[Mike Wright]

I think I would do it, too.

[Andy Holloway]

It's simply an offensive line equation there where you're going to have sacks, you're going to get to Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson only completing 56% of passes right now. And I think I'd lean into that if you had to stream a defense. Jason, you said no.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, look, I guess a low end option. I believe they're number 11 in my rankings, so that is startable. But I'm not excited and I don't look at Seattle as a regular matchup where I want to target against them despite what they've done so far. I mean, we have now two years in a row history of Seattle starting slow offensively and then towards the second half of the season really ramping up.

[Mike Wright]

Now we're still. Was Russell Wilson injured game one? There's no injury right now.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, no, but I. But my point is we've seen them be able to get it together. You know, two years ago when they lost Marshawn lynch, they figured out. It took them a couple games and they figured out how to move the ball. I think they'll be able to correct their offensive woes and I don't see Tennessee as a good enough defense that it couldn't happen against that match.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think Seattle's offensive line, they gather together, they throw on game tape of the Giants offensive line and they're like, man, those guys are good.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you ever know that you're my hero.

[Mike Wright]

The Seahawks offensive line Poor, poor Wilson, man. That is not a good situation.

[Jason Moore]

Pro Football Focus. I have not vetted this stat, but I believe they ranked him as the 33rd offensive line. Now, I'm not 100% on that, but I believe they are the 33rd ranked offensive.

[Andy Holloway]

Bengals take on the packers at Lambeau. Packers, nine point favorites.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, we have breaking news there.

[Andy Holloway]

44 and a half point over under. We do have breaking news. Tyler, no. Hit the button. No, it's not. We had talked about this. We had thought he wasn't going to play. Ifert has officially been ruled out.

[Mike Wright]

You can't stop the music, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, Ifert's gone. Good. Good news for Andy Dalton, right?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Good luck, andy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Green. A.J. green is going to get a lot of targets this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Joe Mixon, Jeremy Hill, Gio Bernard. You're starting zero of these players.

[Mike Wright]

Correct.

[Jason Moore]

If you absolutely have to throw one in, I mean the matchup can surprise. I think people are obviously down on the entire Cincinnati offense. Makes sense. Andy Dalton has been very bad. But this is one of those where if you want to take a dart throw at. There are. There's a couple logical reasons to explain if you see a good Cincinnati offense come through.

[Mike Wright]

For instance, do not say you're starting Joe Mixon.

[Jason Moore]

I'm. No, I'm not saying that. I'm.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he is in our league of record because he has to.

[Jason Moore]

I was trying to pick up Jaquez Rogers to play over him, but I was not willing to drop $31 of fab, apparently. My point is simply this. You fire the offensive coordinator. You put in an offensive coordinator that has been very successful for fantasy options when they've had that role in the past. And your Week 1 and Week 2 matchups were against really good tough opponents. So now you go to Green Bay.

[Andy Holloway]

I dare you, says Green Bay.

[Jason Moore]

So now you go to Green Bay. You might need to score more and.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, so play Gio Bernard if you have to play any of them.

[Jason Moore]

Maybe that would be if for some.

[Mike Wright]

Reason you have three Bengals on your roster. First take a look in the mirror and evaluate your life as a fantasy football player. But two and it would be played Geo because they're going to be trailing.

[Andy Holloway]

Packers tight ends have been targeted more than any other team in the league this year between Rogers and Bennett. And Bennett has a ton of targets this season. A lot of that has to do. I think losing Jordy, losing Tom. It's been. It's early but Bennett is a very start worthy tight end.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. This week especially in the sense that Randall Cobb, we both, Mike and I, he's going to be a game time decision, but we lean out. If he is gone, then they just have to use him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no doubt about it. If Cobb is out, you start. I mean, you're starting Jordy Nelson no matter what. If he's active.

[Jason Moore]

Correct.

[Andy Holloway]

Devonte Adams, no matter what either. Okay. All right, let's move on. Oh, yeah. Start Aaron Rodgers, guys. Chiefs at Chargers. Another divisional battle. The Chargers are three point underdogs at home in this one. 47 1/2 point over under. We're expecting some points to fly in this game. Alex Smith, do you start him for a third straight week?

[Mike Wright]

Jason Verrett is trending towards out again and he, I mean, he's a huge piece of the Chargers pass defense. I think you can, I think that you can stream Alex Smith yet again.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it makes sense. I mean, if you look at what Jay Cutler did last week when Verrett was out and they went to Jarvis Landry left, right and center. If you can target Tyreek Hill underneath with that same kind of follow that game plan, you give Tyreek Hill that many opportunities to break something off and all of a sudden Alex Smith can throw, you know, another 70 yard touchdown pass. That is a screen pass.

[Andy Holloway]

No, that's a strong point. You start Smith, Hunt, Hill and Kelsey on the chief side without what a.

[Mike Wright]

World we live in. The Chiefs, man, the Chiefs offense, I'm starting them all.

[Andy Holloway]

34.5 points a game.

[Jason Moore]

Well, they got rid of that Jeremy Macklin guy, so now they're exploding.

[Andy Holloway]

Excellent, excellent viewpoint. Excellent. Take Philip Rivers. I think people want to know, do you start Rivers or do you start Mariota or do you start Russell Wilson this week? If you had to choose between those three.

[Jason Moore]

Rivers. Rivers. Rivers, actually.

[Andy Holloway]

So Rivers runs right through it.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, oh.

[Andy Holloway]

Melvin Gordon, you're starting him. Keenan Allen, you're starting him. What about Hunter Henry, Antonio Gates, you have to pick one of those guys. You've got the coin flip. The last two games, I'm starting Hunter.

[Jason Moore]

Henry if I have to pick one of those two.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I'm looking forward to Sunday night football. The Raiders and Redskins. The Redskins, three point underdogs at home, 54, 54 point over under. I'm excited about this game. Let me jump into Terrell Pryor here because you might get caught up in it. Terrell Pryor. This is the make or break game for Terrell Pryor. People want to know, do you give up on Terrell Pryor? Do you what? I am a believer in Terrell Pryor until he gives me a reason to reanalyze the situation in this matchup. 54 point over under. They're going to need to pass the ball. You have questions at the running back position this week in Washington and Pryor has been on the field for the majority of for more snaps than any other pass catcher in Washington. You may not have a healthy Jordan Reed, you may not have Jordan Reed at all. If Pryor cannot take advantage of this situation, these circumstances, you know, the Raiders are middle of the pack thus far through the year and I think this is the make or break. If he does not do it here, I will be looking for. I'll be looking at streaming options instead of trail. Pryor.

[Jason Moore]

Interesting. I like your take. I have been the most against the Washington Redskins offense of the three of us by a mile this week. I believe that they'll get it done being at home. Kirk Cousins, you know, this is the Oakland Raiders. They've looked great. Their defense has been all right, just middle of the pack and I believe that Kirk can get it done. Like I said, he might have two interceptions and some really bad throws. But the points, I think they're not going to be able to stop Oakland and so they're just going to out of necessity, have to keep airing it out, keep throwing. So, you know, if you go to halftime, you might be upset with your Washington Redskins options, but I think you're going to have a second half of this game where they just need to score points and you're going to get fantasy value during that game stretch.

[Andy Holloway]

Derek Carr, surprisingly, and I had to vet this, he's not throwing the ball downfield thus far this year. I believe he has one out of 60 passes over 20 yards.

[Mike Wright]

He's living with the crab people.

[Andy Holloway]

Mr. Crabtree.

[Mike Wright]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

And so it's very interesting to me now, Carr, you know how you said the Seattle, the offensive line, they go and watch video of New York.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

I think Russell Wilson goes and watches video of the Oakland offensive line.

[Mike Wright]

Seattle cry.

[Jason Moore]

They eat ice cream.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. They can't even handle it. If they put on Raiders tape, they would all just disintegrate and melt.

[Andy Holloway]

The Raiders of shame have allowed pressure to Derek Carr on 5.9% of drop backs. So Derek Carr, how upset the snap.

[Jason Moore]

David Carr, how if. If you're the. The other brother that was drafted first and you go and you are on one of the worst offensive lines in modern history and now you watch your brother go, he gets to bake a cake While he's.

[Andy Holloway]

If you're a good brother, you're very happy for him.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Get that name.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, so Derek Carr must start. I know. We love him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's a great start.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, do you start cousins, though?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I do.

[Jason Moore]

I do this week.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, quick update.

[Jason Moore]

Rob Kelly and Jordan Reed are practicing today.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Glad I paid $31 for the quiz. Rogers, because he's looking better than P. Ryan right now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And Crabtree and Cooper there. You start him every week. I talked about Jared Cook as my start of the week from the tight end. If you're at this point saying, like you had. Let's say you had ifert you were really hoping. And Jericho Cook is still on the waiver wire. I think that he is a fine play.

[Andy Holloway]

I want to rewind your throwaway comment there that you start Cooper every week. If I had to sit a guy like, if we had.

[Mike Wright]

You'd be willing to sit.

[Andy Holloway]

If I had a sit of the week, I would be willing to sit Cooper this week.

[Mike Wright]

Because of Josh Norman?

[Andy Holloway]

Because of Josh Norman and because of. You know, it's all dependent on your options. Right. I'm not sitting Amari Cooper for. I don't think I have what it takes to sit him for like Rashad Higgins.

[Mike Wright]

You're just lowering expectations.

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely. I would say that if you're in a matchup, here's an example. Let's say you face Todd Gurley or you face Carlos Hyde last night. So you know that you've got to make up a little bit. I'm not leaning on Cooper to make that up for you.

[Jason Moore]

See, that's ironic. I thought you were going to say if that was the situation. Yeah, Cooper could go off.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooper cannot go off against Josh Norman. But that's my contention. The odds of him going off are vastly lowered by his opposition right here. You're not. Derek Carr is not going to force the ball to Amari Cooper against Josh Norman. That's just not what a good quarterback does. You look at what Aaron Rodgers does with Richard Sherman. I saw some stat the other day. He almost never targets any receiver ever covered by Richard Sherman because he's a quarterback that looks to the opportunity. You've got Crabtree, you've got Cook. That Mike just brought up. You have the running backs out of the backfield. So.

[Mike Wright]

All right, so you're looking for explosion. Amari Cooper or road Martavis Bryant.

[Andy Holloway]

Amari Cooper or Road Mart? I'll take Road Martavis Bryant. I'll take Cooper okay, anybody want a Terrell Pryor, Amari Cooper bet this week? We don't have a water bet yet. And we're getting to Friday because I.

[Mike Wright]

Think we all are. We all like Pryor this week.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And it's. I'm not. I'm not completely against your stance here on Cooper.

[Andy Holloway]

How about Cooper outside the top 15? Anybody want that?

[Jason Moore]

I'll take the Cooper Martavis.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Because I see a world where Cooper is outside of the top 15.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Well, we just won't bet. Darn be boring. All right, you just heard the Jordan Reed, Rob Kelly news. You start Chris Thompson if you have to. Would you rather start Thompson or Vereen?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's a good question. I think I would go Vereen there. They're using him. He'll have more volume. So I would. I would lean Breen.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Monday Night Football, the Cowboys take on the Cardinals in Arizona. The Cardinals three point dogs at home, 47 point over under. We haven't seen that. We haven't seen great football from the Cardinals this season. You have a lot of injuries. Obviously. Chris Johnson should get a number, an increased amount of snapshots.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

I actually think Chris Johnson is somebody that I was targeting this week. Before I noticed Jacquiz Rogers out there on the waiver wire. I was trying to get Chris Johnson. I think I would start Chris Johnson over Matt Forte this week. And you're at home. And it's actually kind of comedic. The last three times the Cowboys have played Arizona at home, the Cardinals have won last second games against Dallas.

[Mike Wright]

There was a game on Christmas and it was a Christmas miracle. I was there to experience it. It was fantastic.

[Andy Holloway]

Was that the game where we blocked the punt and returned it for a touchdown in overtime?

[Mike Wright]

I don't believe so.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Three straight though. Ezekiel Elliott, does he get back on track against the Cardinals 10th ranked run defense?

[Jason Moore]

Yes. I think the Cowboys have to go and look at their play calling and say we need to not do what we did last game when we got blown out and we need to run the ball more like we have done while we were winning games over the last year and a half. So I think they're going to force the issue. And I've said this before, the Cardinals rush defense, I think is not as great as it has been.

[Mike Wright]

It's been pretty good for two games.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But I say they've been solid.

[Andy Holloway]

Top 10.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I would take a top 10. If you said our defense in top 10, I'd say that's a good defense.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no doubt. About it. And it's not like they haven't been in years past. I mean, we. I think we maybe read too much into how badly they struggled in the preseason against the Run. That being said, it's Ezekiel Elliott. You're not sitting Ezekiel Elliott. And so let's move on to Des Bryant. The. To Jason's point. No team is passed to the wide receiver targeted their wide receivers more than Dallas.

[Mike Wright]

We.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason, you found. I don't know if you remember it here on the air, but what was the red zone? Mike, you had a red zone stat about Dallas.

[Mike Wright]

I will pull it up.

[Andy Holloway]

It had to do with just the frequency that they are targeting wide receivers in the red zone this year, this far. People have to wonder why.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's pretty shocking what they are doing.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, look at when you have.

[Mike Wright]

Ezekiel Elliott through two weeks. The leader in attempts inside the 10 is Dak Prescott. That's shocking to get inside the 10 and not just say, okay, well, every single time we're going to give the ball to Elliot. So they're passing inside the 10. They're passing inside the red zone. It's interesting. It's. It's going to be a really tough matchup though, for DEZ Bryant. Patrick Peterson is playing at an elite level yet again. I'm not going to bench dez, but this is what Andy was saying about Amari Cooper. Lower your expectations. But a line of say, 30 yards and a score, that's well within the realm of possibilities for DEZ Bryant.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooper or Bryant, I would play DEZ Jason.

[Jason Moore]

I would play Cooper.

[Andy Holloway]

Good news for the Arizona Cardinals offensive line. The Cowboys defense has pressured opposing quarterbacks on just 10.3% of dropbacks.

[Mike Wright]

I think that's going up this week.

[Andy Holloway]

It's probably going up this week. But is Carson Palmer a streaming option at home against Dallas?

[Mike Wright]

The defensive struggle, the Cowboys secondary is not very good. I mean, you week one, that was a product of the Giants offensive line. Dallas looking like dominant, a dominant defense. Then you had Trevor Simeon just wax ecstatic all over the place. Okay, so I think that Carson Palmer is not my favorite. You're not going to feel good about that at all. You will have zero confidence, but he will likely end up as a quarterback one.

[Andy Holloway]

And lastly, any concern with starting Dak this week?

[Jason Moore]

None.

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Any other questions? You guys want to tackle in this game or can we move on to the Daily Dose?

[Jason Moore]

Get me some quarterbacks. The Daily Dose brought to you by Play Draft.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, it's time, guys. It's Friday and Don't forget you can get the fantasy footballers DFS podcast.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Which released this morning, Correct?

[Mike Wright]

It certainly did.

[Andy Holloway]

On itunes, on Stitcher, wherever you listen to it. It's a separate podcast.

[Mike Wright]

It is on Stitcher.

[Andy Holloway]

It is on Stitcher. So we are going to jump right into a live draft. 1v1v1. The loser has to eat something terrible this week for lunch. And we've changed chosen by the winners.

[Mike Wright]

What you can do on play draft. I mean you can play, you know, a regular game. All players are accessible. Last week we did what they call an experts draft where they remove a huge chunk of the top options. Makes things a little bit more difficult when you're doing these, you know, three person draft. And this week we're going all quarterbacks. It's getting out of control here and I have the first pick again. So. Hey guys, guess who I'm going to take with my first pick.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to guess Aaron Rodgers.

[Mike Wright]

How did you know?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm on the clock. Aaron Rodgers is somehow gone. I'm going to actually zag a little bit. I'm going to take Tom Brady.

[Jason Moore]

Dang it. He was who I was one with the second pick.

[Andy Holloway]

This is every single week we do this. I am never on the turn. I've always been the second pick in the. You guys are cheating.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to go ahead and grab Matt Ryan. I think that there's a lot of points scored in that Falcons Lions game. This is where it gets a little interesting to me. I am going to hope for the upside of the downside of New Orleans and I'm taking Cam Newton.

[Mike Wright]

I don't blame you.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to go ahead and this is an all quarterback draft. Take Derek Carr with my second quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

Ooh, that's a great pick. And I'm actually happy because you have left Matty snapback on the board. So Matt Stafford has joined the fantasy hitman team. Oh, I'm on the turn. So that means I get to pick again. And I will take the compliment, I think. Is that what I want to do?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to take the compliment for Derek Carr. I'm going to chase those Vegas points. I'm going to take Kirk Cousins at home prime time.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, I'm going to go ahead. I'm on the clock again with my third pick. I'm taking Philip Rivers against Kansas City at home in this matchup and turn it over to Jason to make his pair of quarterback picks.

[Jason Moore]

My pair of quarterback picks.

[Mike Wright]

Look, the top two fantasy quarterbacks are.

[Jason Moore]

Still on the board, Trevor Simeon and Alex Smith. I'm going to take Drew Brees as my first stack it up against Cam Newton and just hope that the points are rolling in that matchup. You know, I believe I will. This is where it gets tough. I'm going to go with my guy in Dak Prescott.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I will go ahead and take the other side of my matchup. I'm grabbing Alex Smith here with the fourth pick of the quarterback draft, turning it over to Mike.

[Mike Wright]

All right. I'm grab my stream slash start of the week in Smokin J. Cudi.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And then I'm going to complete this team. Ooh, this is a tough pick right here.

[Andy Holloway]

I've got a guy I hope you leave for me.

[Mike Wright]

You do?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Who is it?

[Andy Holloway]

It's. I really hope you leave Josh McCown. I just. Just leave him there.

[Mike Wright]

I don't know who to pick, guys.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

There is eight seconds left for Mike.

[Mike Wright]

I know he's on the road, but I'm gonna go with Big Ben.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that's the guy I wanted you to leave me. Now I've got to make a tough decision. All right. My last pick in this draft. Only 20 seconds left, and I don't know where to talk about.

[Mike Wright]

Ladies.

[Jason Moore]

I've got. I've got mine.

[Mike Wright]

These drafts are fast, furious.

[Andy Holloway]

Fast and furious.

[Mike Wright]

Seems like you're like, that's plenty of time before you know you have 10 seconds left and you've got to make a hard decision.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna take Andy Dalton.

[Jason Moore]

Whoa. I'm actually in a tough spot here because Russell Wilson's up there. His upside is there.

[Mike Wright]

No, it's not.

[Jason Moore]

But I think I want to go. Carson Wentz. Ooh, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Carson Wentz was in strong consideration for me.

[Jason Moore]

Carson Wentz or Russell Wilson? Russell Wilson.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, Carson Wentz.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going Russell Wilson.

[Andy Holloway]

There you go. All right, Mike, you have Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Jay Cutler, and Big Ben. That's an impressive line. I've got Brady Carr, River Smith, Dalton. I just want the glory of Dalton succeeding. And then Jason has Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, and Russell Wilson, and we will see how that plays out this week.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I like that.

[Andy Holloway]

So I'm. Thanks to play draft.

[Jason Moore]

Tell everybody how you're not going to eat something bad again this week. That worked out real well for you last week on the play draft.

[Andy Holloway]

What?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. You're like, well, I know it's going to be one of these two guys.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you mean I was being overconfident and cocky.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you got to win this week.

[Andy Holloway]

I lost. Are you going to win this? I get it. I lost. Look at all these Todd Gurley statues. Have you seen all these Todd Gurley? There's no losing.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, make sure you don't forget about Squad Ql. If you want an unfair advantage to dominate your fantasy football league, look no further than Squad Ql. It's a mobile app. You need to crush your friends and rivals this year. Squad Ql recommends the best starting lineup for each week based on your starters and your bench and the free agent pool. Head to squadql.com to download Squad QL for free. Again, that's squad ql.com to download the app for free.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, thanks for tuning in today. Good luck in your matchups this week and we appreciate your support.

[Mike Wright]

Go check out the DFS podcast. Even if you've said, I've never played any DFS in my life, go check it out. It will equip you to win.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Mike Wright]

Good luck, Foot Clan.

[Jason Moore]

See you Monday.

[Mike Wright]

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 Twitter the FFballers.