Fantasy Football 2017 - Week 3 Studs & Duds, Rising Stars, Running Back Re-Draft

Summary

Fantasy Football 2017 - Week 3 Studs & Duds, Rising Stars, Running Back Re-Draft

Release Date: September 25, 2017
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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Introduction: A Week of Upsets and Surprises

Week 3 of the 2017 Fantasy Football season delivered an array of unexpected outcomes, showcasing the unpredictable nature of the NFL. The hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright, delve into the chaos that unfolded, highlighting how even strong teams can falter under pressure.

Andy Holloway opens the discussion by remarking, “It reminds us, you know, nothing” [00:52], emphasizing the unpredictability of the week's games. The trio reflects on the razor-thin margins that separate the elite teams from those struggling, underscoring the importance of strategic execution in fantasy leagues.

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Drafting Running Backs: Reassessing Top Choices

A significant segment of the podcast focuses on re-drafting the top three running backs in light of the ongoing season's developments.

Andy Holloway poses a pivotal question: “If we could redraft the top three running backs, who are they for you?” [03:25]

• Jason Moore aligns with his co-hosts by selecting Le'Veon Bell as his number one pick, citing Bell's dominant history: “He would still be my number one pick. Too large a history of being dominant to ignore” [03:43].

• Mike Wright concurs, adding Bell’s offensive involvement: “The snaps are there. The involvements the Steelers. I firmly believe that the Steelers offense will get figured out” [03:48].

• For the second pick, Kareem Hunt is unanimously favored:

  • Jason Moore states, “That's the clear number two right now. He has been so dominant” [04:24].
  • Andy Holloway highlights Hunt’s workload: “The workload is unbelievable and that's what you have to lean on” [04:21].

• The third spot sparks varied opinions:

  • Mike Wright opts for Zeke Elliott, noting his assured play despite upcoming suspensions: “[05:18] I would still take Zeke number three.”
  • Andy Holloway prefers Dalvin Cook, drawing parallels to Hunt’s usage: “Dalvin Cook is in a situation that's identical to Kareem Hunt... the workload is humongous” [05:43].
  • Jason Moore suggests Ty Montgomery, citing his high utilization and strong offensive support: “Ty Montgomery as that third guy... he's leading the entire running backs in snaps right now” [06:10].

Andy concludes this segment by mentioning other noteworthy running backs like Devonta Freeman and Todd Gurley, debating their placement within the top rankings based on performances and injury concerns.

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Weekly Rewind: Key Performances and Injury Updates

The hosts transition into a comprehensive review of the week’s performances, highlighting standout games, pivotal injuries, and their implications on fantasy lineups.

• Randall Cobb’s absence led to Geronimo Allison stepping up: “[08:07] Geronimo Allison was the big beneficiary of that situation.”

• The Washington backfield faces turmoil as Samaj P. Ryan exits with severe injuries: “[09:02] Samaj P. Ryan was forced from week three... he suffered a torn ACL and a broken arm.”

• Darren Sproles’ injury marks the potential end of his career: “[09:59] This might be the end for Darren Sprols.”

• Michael Crabtree’s chest injury is dissected, debating the legitimacy of the penalty called: “[10:34] Crabtree’s hit was a pretty clean hit... he was hit at the same time as his catch” [10:49].

• Quarterback performances are scrutinized, with Cam Newton underperforming and discussions about the return of Andrew Luck: “[16:21] Cam Newton has been horrific and he's not running the ball.”

• Kirk Cousins emerges as a focal point with his evolving roster dynamics: “[31:28] Chris Thompson is emerging as a dependable safety valve.”

The segment underscores the volatile nature of player performances and the constant need for roster adjustments to stay competitive.

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Stud Muffins: Top Performers of the Week

In the “Stud Muffins” segment, the hosts highlight players who delivered exceptional performances, earning them top spots in fantasy lineups.

• Tom Brady shines with a stellar 25-for-35 passing for 378 yards and five touchdowns: “[21:26] Tommy Brady was very, very good at football.”

• Russell Wilson matches with four touchdowns, showcasing his offensive prowess: “[21:42] Russell Wilson, four touchdowns.”

• Case Keenum steals the spotlight with an ownership percentage of 0.4%, surpassing established quarterbacks: “[22:31] Those are all QB1s that finished above Drew Brees.”

Andy Holloway praises Brady’s consistency: “[22:43] Tom Brady has not thrown a pick on the year,” highlighting his reliability despite team changes.

The segment emphasizes the importance of selecting high-performing quarterbacks early in drafts to secure valuable points.

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Raising Cane's Rising Stars: Emerging Talent to Watch

The “Raising Cane’s Rising Stars” section spotlights breakout players who have demonstrated significant potential, making them valuable additions or pickups in fantasy leagues.

• Chris Thompson emerges as a key player for the Washington offense: “[39:46] Chris Thompson is turning into their X factor weapon.”

• Stefan Diggs secures his position with an impressive 178 yards and two touchdowns: “[40:07] Stefan Diggs fits my rising star in the fact that, look, the talent's always been there.”

• Joe Mixon is mentioned for his potential to deliver big games with increased touches: “[41:16] I already claimed him... but you can now start Joe Mixon.”

Andy Holloway commends Diggs for proving his worth: “[40:53] He proved that you cannot play the game with Diggs on your roster,” reinforcing his indispensability in fantasy lineups.

This segment encourages fantasy managers to monitor these rising stars for potential game-changing performances in upcoming weeks.

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Pooped in Their Big Boy Pants: Underperforming Players

Contrasting the rising stars, the “Pooped in Their Big Boy Pants” segment critiques players who have underperformed, prompting fantasy owners to consider dropping or benching them.

• Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are singled out for their lackluster performances: “[53:23] Amari Cooper and Crabtree, very eloquent.”

• Tight ends like Hunter Henry receive backlash for their inconsistency: “[56:44] There's no way I'm moving forward with Hunter Henry.”

• Jameson Crowder struggles with low production despite consistent playing time: “[57:02] Crowder is rosterable, not startable.”

Andy Holloway expresses disappointment with several underperforming players: “[53:03] What you're getting back isn't going to be worth it unless you're,” urging managers to assess the value these players bring to their teams.

This segment serves as a caution for managers to reassess their rosters and make necessary adjustments to optimize their lineups.

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Listener Q&A: Carson Palmer’s Performance

A listener named Derek from Hawaii voices his concerns regarding Carson Palmer’s declining performance.

Derek’s Voicemail: “Carson Palmer's been pretty terrible… I'm up by about 0.7 points. Only minus one for interceptions” [59:00].

The hosts advise maintaining Palmer in lineups due to potential stat corrections that could flip matchups from wins to losses.

Jason Moore emphasizes the importance of consistency: “[59:17] In most leagues to get into the playoffs, the tiebreaker is going to be total points scored. So think big picture here and make sure you're scoring as much as you can.”

Andy Holloway concludes by reassuring Derek to continue leveraging Palmer’s performances while being mindful of upcoming matchups and potential improvements.

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Conclusion: Strategic Adjustments and Looking Ahead

As Week 3 concludes, the Fantasy Footballers underscore the necessity of strategic roster management amidst a week rife with surprises and standout performances. From reassessing running back strategies to identifying rising stars and addressing underperformers, the hosts provide actionable insights to help fantasy managers navigate the volatile landscape of NFL football.

Andy Holloway wraps up with a nod to the community and upcoming episodes: “We'll be back tomorrow with the waiver wire show. Enjoy tonight's game between the Cardinals and Cowboys and thanks for tuning in” [60:34].

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Notable Quotes:

• “He never goes down on first contact. It’s just he bounces around and has this balance that is unbelievable.” — Jason Moore on Kareem Hunt [04:24]

• “Every time you even calling him the clear number two, a lot of people would take him first.” — Mike Wright on Kareem Hunt [04:29]

• “He reminds me of those like the bumpers when you play pinball.” — Andy Holloway on Kareem Hunt’s big play capability [04:54]

• “Stud Muffins Tommy Brady was very, very good at football.” — Andy Holloway on Tom Brady’s performance [21:26]

• “Philippines McCaffrey had 9 for 101 through the air… I think you could probably acquire McCaffrey cheaper than what he’s worth.” — Andy Holloway on Christian McCaffrey [31:28]

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This comprehensive analysis encapsulates the essence of Week 3, providing fantasy enthusiasts with critical takeaways to bolster their teams in the ensuing weeks.

Transcript

[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

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

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in to the show. The world is upside down.

[Mike Wright]

It is very much upside down. I had go Bills.

[Andy Holloway]

Go Bears. Go Rams. Go Jags.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, don't leave the jets out of this.

[Andy Holloway]

Go Jets.

[Jason Moore]

They were great.

[Andy Holloway]

Go Colts.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man, I was considering last night. Do I whip up some synthesizer? Stranger things.

[Andy Holloway]

Just an absolutely insane week of football.

[Mike Wright]

Reminds us, you know, nothing.

[Andy Holloway]

Apparently these weeks.

[Jason Moore]

These weeks happen from time to time. Those, those ridiculous, outlier, crazy weeks where, and to be fair, football was awesome this weekend. Like what? These games were incredible. The finishes of all the morning games. I mean, if you just want enjoyment watching football, it was great. But talk about a wacky world of outcomes.

[Andy Holloway]

I just think when weeks like this happen, and they do happen all of the time, you know, you do have these outlier games and it just shows you that the difference between a good NFL team and the worst of the worst interval teams is actually razor thin. I think that's the reality if you do not go out and execute. I mean, look at the game that we got in New England. We didn't even mention that one. New England won that game. But Houston, Houston came out and played incredibly. I'm just shocked and amazed at all the things we saw. And even Minnesota against what we thought was a stout Bucks defense. Minnesota with Case Keenum takes care of business. We're questioning all the things we think we know about some of these players and we have a great show. We're going to get into the fantasy rewind. We're going to talk stud muffins. The mini pooped in their big boy pants. Players, I'll share some of our tales from this weekend and then we have a great quick question on the show today. So I'm very excited. You can find us on Twitter @ the FF Ballers. We are the fantasy footballers, Andy, Mike and Jason. Jason is at Jason ffl. Mike is at FF Hitman. I'm at Andy Holloway and the website's the Fantasy footballers dot com. All Right. Quick question of the day. Let's pretend we are drafting right now, right here with every injury and situation that we know about. If we could redraft the top three running backs. You're on the clock. You need to select them right now. Who are they for you?

[Jason Moore]

Just for clarity, is this like if we could do it over and we get these first three weeks or this is week four.

[Andy Holloway]

On this is the draft is today.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

David Johnson is hurt. All of those things have happened. And we are drafting right here, right now. I've got my list. Do you guys want to share yours?

[Jason Moore]

Sure thing.

[Mike Wright]

Well, we actually. Our lists are very similar.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, let's just go through. I think Lev Bell is the number one pick still.

[Jason Moore]

He would still be my number one pick. Too large a history of being dominant to ignore.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's my number one guy as well. The snaps are there. The involvements the Steelers. I firmly believe that the Steelers offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Will get figured out.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, it's. We're only three games in. The season's very long.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. My second pick would be Cream Hunted this year. Cream Hunt is. The workload is unbelievable and that's what you have to lean on. And we'll talk all about Chris Thompson, we'll talk all about some of these blowout players with smaller workloads, but I want to lean on Kareem Hunt. What do you guys think about your number two pick?

[Jason Moore]

That's the clear number two right now. He has been so dominant.

[Mike Wright]

Every time you even calling him the clear number two, a lot of people would take him first.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah. I guess I would say the clear, you know, top tier, you know, player to grab. He. His volume is assured. He's using the passing game. And more than any of that, every single time he touches the ball, it. He never goes down on first contact. It's just he bounces around and has this balance that is unbelievable. And gains another 4 to 40 yards after being hit.

[Andy Holloway]

He reminds me of those. And he has big play capability, which is amazing. Reminds me of those like the bumpers when you play pinball. Like he just hits and then bounces laterally and his feet stay directly beneath him. It's pretty incredible. All right, so we. We all think we all have a different third pick. So I didn't realize we were going to be the same on the first two. So Levin, Kareem Hunt. What's the number three running back? If you had to draft today, I.

[Mike Wright]

Would still take Zeke number three. I know that that week two was literally as bad as it can get for. For Zeke Elliott. And I guess technically you still have the suspension looming with the NFL. They were able to get their emergency court dates coming up here in the next couple weeks. We know that he will play the next two.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So this week and next week, you know, that's assured. He could get shut down after that. But I would still take Zeke as my third guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Oh, sorry. I would go with Dalvin Cook. I feel like Dalvin Cook is in a situation that's identical to Cream Hunt, which is they lean on him. The workload is humongous. He has NFL talent and so talent and opportunity. Tell me that. Here we are, two for me, two rookies in the top three picks for, you know, just proving that we knew somebody would do it.

[Jason Moore]

And you could very well argue that Leonard Fournette should be here and there.

[Andy Holloway]

In the top five for sure.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, definitely in the top five. But you could say, who would you rather have between Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette? You know, two different people would take a different one. I'm going to go with Ty Montgomery as that third guy. Very similar to Dalvin Cook in the fact that he is getting utilized. His utilization is unbelievable. Maybe even you could argue unsustainable because he's just being used so much. He's basically on the field almost every play. He leads the entire, you know, all running backs in snaps right now. So that's somewhat similar to Dalvin Cook in utilization. But then he's got Aaron Rodgers and you know, a really powerful offense that he is a part of. So. And really Zeke would be that third pick for me, except for the possible.

[Andy Holloway]

Suspension, some other honorable mentions. I think Devonta Freeman shouldn't be forgotten in that top group. He's been great this year. And what's crazy about Freeman is he's actually put up huge numbers and he's done almost nothing in the passing game. I mean, two receptions, two receptions, three receptions, yet still has scored in every single game. Kind of crazy.

[Mike Wright]

Andy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, sir? Gotta ask.

[Mike Wright]

Did you consider Todd Gurley?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, I think people probably would have expected me to mention Todd Gurley in that top five six consideration for sure. I take Freeman over Gurley still.

[Jason Moore]

So if you. If you got those. If this is like we're doing it from the beginning and you get these three weeks again, then Todd Gurley, he scored so much in these three weeks, you. But his schedule coming up gets Dallas next week, which is absolutely fine. And then it's a rough six weeks.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. In Zeke's defense, he faced Denver. And Denver just did a good job of keeping Lashawn McCoy's fantasy numbers down once again. So let's go ahead and get into the rewind.

[Jason Moore]

Weekly rewind.

[Andy Holloway]

Can we get a weekly fast forward? Can we maybe?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Randall Cobb didn't play on Sunday. Geronimo Allison was the big beneficiary of that situation. Had a big game. Rob Kelly, Jordan Reed, both inactive. You saw Vernon Davis. Sometimes I wonder just because of durability.

[Mike Wright]

Why not play Vernon.

[Andy Holloway]

I. Sometimes I just wonder that, like, I mean, he's always performed for Washington. I mean, and he was great. That seam route after the catch, he.

[Mike Wright]

Was, he was a hot topic on yesterday's periscope. People like, what do I do with Jordan Reed? I said, you're, you're fine because just pick up Vernon Davis right now. It's last year, three of the four games where Jordan Reed was out. Vernon Davis was a beast, and he was a beast. Yet again.

[Andy Holloway]

The running back situation in Washington is sort of a mess. Minus one play.

[Mike Wright]

It is secured now.

[Andy Holloway]

Samaj P. Ryan was forced from week three. Not only did he fumble, but he fumbled because helmet destroyed his hand. And then on the way down from that same tackle, he proceeded to be blown up and was bleeding from the mouth and bit his tongue or something. So it was a. Not a great exit from the game for P. Ryan. And he didn't really have.

[Mike Wright]

No, it was not a great exit.

[Andy Holloway]

He didn't show much.

[Mike Wright]

And you know that Gruden, just like Samanja P. Ryan could have broken his hand on that. We're not sure yet what the full extent of the damages, but you know that Jay Gruden is like, there's no excuse. You have to hold on to the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

We don't forget broken hands.

[Mike Wright]

Coach, his helmet broke my hand. I don't care.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, this is.

[Mike Wright]

Why didn't you have two hands on. I will never forget.

[Jason Moore]

This is a great time to get Rob Kelly.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. His, his role is, I think, very secure.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. All right, Darren Sprols. This might be the end for Darren Sprols.

[Jason Moore]

When you were describing the whole thing that went down to Samaj, all I could think of was Darren Sprouls.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

The same play.

[Andy Holloway]

He said, you know what, Samaje try, try a torn ACL and a broken arm on the same play.

[Jason Moore]

How does that happen? Did he get hit by a truck?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it was, it was bad. There was audible cursing and you're like this. He was holding his knee. You knew it was really bad. But.

[Jason Moore]

So this is career.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, this is probably the end for Darren Sprouls. He'd already talked about retiring. I mean, that guy is an absolute student.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, what a career.

[Mike Wright]

We'll love you forever, Darren Sprouls.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, what a career.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Michael Crabtree, chest injury in week three in that train wreck of a game for the Raiders last night. Pretty much hung out to drive by Derek Carr on that throw because he had him wide open. Instead, he air mails him, he goes up. How was that flag? For what?

[Mike Wright]

With the Crabtree hit.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, because he didn't target the head. I mean, but it was a hit.

[Mike Wright]

On a defenseless receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

You can hit him. You just can't hit him like that in the head. So I thought it was a pretty clean hit. I'm saying, like old feet in the air.

[Jason Moore]

Old football rules.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's a normal hit. But I feel like in today's NFL, that gets flagged all the time.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, he wasn't. The thing about Crabtree on that play is he was going up. He was not coming across the field where you were blindsiding him. He was going up, the ball hit his hands, and the hit happened at the same time. And Crabtree is now out with a chest injury. And we'll see what happened. Crabtree's got to be at the top of the list of players that essentially lost you the week. So he lost me the week, but I had a lot of tweets of people saying, I just need 0.4 more points from Crabtree or another catch. Doug Baldwin exited the fourth quarter of the Titans game with a groin injury. Ian Rappaport. Ian Rappaport said that he's going to have an MRI early. Word is that it's not serious, but who's the beneficiary there in Seattle? I mean, is it Lockett? Is it Richardson? Is it nobody? I mean, he.

[Jason Moore]

I think Richardson would be the primary beneficiary. I mean, I mean, they all basically just take a step up. Richardson, Lockett, even Jimmy Graham would all just have to get a bump up in targets, maybe a little bit more. Luke Wilson, maybe.

[Mike Wright]

And we know what we found out. All Jimmy Graham wants is in life is just a big hug.

[Andy Holloway]

He wants to jump over people. He let.

[Mike Wright]

Well, he left.

[Jason Moore]

He wants to jump into their arms. He doesn't want to hurdle them. He just wants to kind of say, carry me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that was very funny.

[Jason Moore]

If you see that play, he goes to hurdle this guy who doesn't go under, and he Stands up and then it's basically Jimmy Graham just jumping into his arms. It was looked so funny.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Brooks, can you check on this for me? Russell, Russell. Russell Wilson, I believe he had a career high in passing artist. Did he?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, he did for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So that's why I asked the question. I mean, you throw for a career high in passing yardage against Tennessee and you lose your best receiver.

[Jason Moore]

Well, he had what, 10 catches for over 100 yards by the time he went out.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So I, I'm. You know, there are players now three weeks into the season that maybe you're bailing on or maybe it's your flex play. Maybe you've got trail Pryor like me and you wonder do I play him or do I stream somebody else? Because Prior, Prior looked downright disinterested last night. Yeah, Terrell Prior, his routes were pathetic. He was the 19th read for Kirk Cousins, it looked like. And then when he did target him, he didn't make the play. So I don't know, he just has so many other options. Ryan Grant was getting targets ahead of Pryor last night. I very disappointed in that. And I basically said this is the week. This is make or break for Pryor. You either perform against Oakland or fantasy owners have to reevaluate the position that they put him in. And just to get into it briefly and I believed in Pryor hugely. Right. Pryor, Decker, Ginn. I mean, Ginn had a touchdown this week, but he had two receptions and through three weeks he wouldn't be happy. All of these receivers, this is something.

[Mike Wright]

That the team changers.

[Andy Holloway]

The team changers. When you move teams, all we do as fantasy analysts is put the rose colored glasses on and say what if, what if this player did everything that he's ever been capable for in this better situation? I did it with Prior. Prior impressed in preseason and in camp and it hasn't translated.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

I think we under, maybe we underestimate the rapport built by receivers and quarterbacks over time because Deckard isn't on the same page with Mariota right now either.

[Mike Wright]

He was for the first half of the game and then they just completely went away from him. My dream, I thought the dream was going to happen. I thought the 80 and the touchdown was actually, actually a possibility.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

You did have a good game from desean Jackson and Alshon has shown some, some good rapport. So, you know, I don't think changing teams is a universal, you know, bad thing, but, but it does. There's something to be said for sure of Guys that are in the same system that you already know that have played there for four years with the same quarterback and you know that I prefer that kind of continuity versus, you know, new hotness.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and the best example would be like, it's not that they can't. It's that they're more attractive to fantasy owners than saying, let's just draft Emmanuel Sanders. Like nobody wants to go draft what you know, you always want to draft what you think could be. And that's the problem some of the time. All right, Calvin Benjamin suffered a knee injury in the game. This is. Jason basically was going to start Calvin Benjamin and said the concern is the injury.

[Mike Wright]

Well, the injury, this injury was not related to his previous injury was his leg got caught under him being tackled. It looked really bad. The reports are he has escaped a major injury.

[Jason Moore]

He's quote fine.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, that's Bradford. Yeah. But Kelvin Benjamin, I mean that's, that is just really, really lucky if he have escaped a major injury.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe Devin Funchester set a career high in targets this week with 10. I think he only came down with three of them.

[Jason Moore]

That's about normal for funches.

[Andy Holloway]

Things are not looking good for that office right now.

[Jason Moore]

Cam Newton has been poor all season. I mean, that's nicely. He had a couple touchdowns in week one and two that really were not his doing at all. They just, you know, it was like a little screen pass to Jonathan Stewart that goes in the record book as a touchdown pass. Cam has been horrific and he's not running the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the same as prior this week. It was if Cam. Someone asked me, do you start Cam or somebody else? I'm like, if you, if you don't start Cam against the Saints, you can't start Cam. Well, you, you probably can't start Cam now.

[Mike Wright]

No, you cannot. I don't know.

[Andy Holloway]

And people ask, not when Case Keenan was out there available on the waiver wire.

[Mike Wright]

Drop Cam. I probably would just because of how I handle quarterbacks. But you Cam, he's not healthy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's what you said, Mike. You said to his credit, he just doesn't look healthy.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not a big Cam Newton believer. I don't think he's a great quarterback. But on top of that, he's just, he's. He's still not healthy. These. So that's another to put in the notebook is these quarterbacks who, who are missing the preseason, they're having off season shoulder surgery. They're not ready to go for training camp.

[Andy Holloway]

It hasn't Worked yet.

[Jason Moore]

Well, lo and behold, they don't come back and just set the world on fire. But that brings up Andrew Luck who is supposedly going to be returning to practice this week. So let's say he comes and he's in the game two or three weeks from now.

[Mike Wright]

He's supposed to start week six is what we're hearing.

[Jason Moore]

Let's say he starts week six based on what we're seeing from some of these other players missing time, coming back, not looking like themselves. Are you worried about starting him in Week 6?

[Andy Holloway]

If he's the starter, I would start Andrew Luck. I would.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, I think you should be worried. I don't know what the matchup is off the top of my head.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, if he comes back. Look, they've babied him, right? I mean they babied him back. He's going to practice, baby.

[Mike Wright]

Big baby.

[Andy Holloway]

I would start Andrew Luck because I think the weapons that he's surrounded by.

[Jason Moore]

Sorry. No, no, no. I had to do it.

[Andy Holloway]

Some of your favorite.

[Jason Moore]

I just love food.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Melvin Gordon left, came back. Knee injury that had been bothering him was re aggravated in this game. Jay had a poor game as well and he's had some recurring knee troubles.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he also had just a super nasty body slam to start the beginning of the game where it looked like his leg got wrenched a bit. So that could have impacted his now very poopy drawers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, poor game does not cover it there.

[Andy Holloway]

Matt Forte left with a toe injury. Willie Sneed's three game suspension is now over. Something to be aware of. And we're going to get into the stud muffins. Before we do that, I want to thank today's sponsor, Pristine Auction. Do you know what I can do on Pristine Auction, guys?

[Mike Wright]

What can you do?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I can go in there and I can type in George Springer's name. You want to know why I do that?

[Jason Moore]

Why?

[Andy Holloway]

Because George Springer won me a fantasy baseball championship yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, George.

[Andy Holloway]

I went over to Pristine Auction and this is the beauty of Pristine Auctions website is whenever a player has endeared themselves to your heart, you can type their name in and there is a signed framed George Springer jersey. Houston Astro hit a homer last night, won me a fantasy championship. There's a signed George Springer baseball bat on there.

[Jason Moore]

Don't care.

[Andy Holloway]

And so I'm a fantasy baseball championship. I'm going to celebrate with Pristine Auction. I'm going to go buy myself a George Springer jersey, put it up and then mock my friends in that league. Many of them foot clan members that I can now spend the next year mocking. So Pristine Auction is the best place. If you have a player that you love, you're going to find a signed, authentic jersey, ball, bat, whatever it [e-mail] p r I s t I n e auction.com yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And want to thank ZipRecruiter today. Look, if you are hiring, if you're in a company that is growing, how you choose to hire employees is the difference maker for the success or failure of your company. Finding the right candidates is pretty much the most important thing you can do. Thankfully, with ZipRecruiter you could post your job to 100 job sites with just one click and their powerful technology. It efficiently matches all the right people to your job and does that better than anybody else. In fact, 80% of employers who post a job on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate through the site within just 24 hours. There's no juggling emails or calls to the office. You simply screen, rate, manage candidates all in one place. So find out today why ZipRecruiter has been used by businesses of all sizes to find the most qualified job candidates with immediate results. And right now, our listeners can post jobs on on ZipRecruiter for free. That's right, free. Just go to ZipRecruiter.comfootballers that's ZipRecruiter.comfootballer one more time. Try it. Free. Go to ZipRecruiter.com footballers this week's fantasy stud muffins.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, Tommy Brady. Tommy, you are very, very good at football. 25 for 35, 378 and five touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

He was pretty selfish this week, to be fair.

[Andy Holloway]

Brady was. Yeah, yeah, because you got Mike Gillisley.

[Mike Wright]

He's hogging all those touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, man. I was really enjoying listening to the radio broadcast of the Patriots Houston game and listening to the announcer mispronounce Gillily. Oh, yeah, what was it?

[Jason Moore]

It was Gillings Lee or something.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, it was bad.

[Jason Moore]

It was. It was not Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

Russell Wilson, four touchdowns. Case Keenum. Oh, my goodness. Okay, nobody started him. I was looking this up. Actually, one of our writers sent this over to me. And here is the ownership percentage of some of the top 12 quarterbacks this week. Case Keenum was owned in 0.4% of leagues. Brissette, 0.8%. Bortles, 1.7%. Hoyer, 0.6%. Kizer, 5.1. Well done. Kaiser. And Golf, 7.1%.

[Jason Moore]

Now, the reason you're reading those names is because Those are all QB ones.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, those are all top 12 quarterbacks this week.

[Jason Moore]

All of those names finished above Drew Brees, who threw three touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

That's ridiculous.

[Andy Holloway]

That is correct.

[Jason Moore]

Also, Tom Brady is on pace for 5,800 yards and 43 touchdowns with zero interceptions. Just throwing that out there.

[Andy Holloway]

He has not thrown a pick on the year.

[Jason Moore]

Correct.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I, I'm impressed considering you, you lose, you lose Edelman and you go out and you're Tom Brady. It's amazing that when Tom Brady's Tom Brady, we're surprised, but sometimes it's amazing. Russell Wilson, Case Keenan, Blake Bortles. Like I said, Eli Manning turned that game around 35 for 47.

[Jason Moore]

Did he for three or did Odell.

[Andy Holloway]

Beckham turn that game around 35 for 47 for 366 and three. Brandon Marshall had a great game. Shepard, Shepard had a great game. Shepard is definitely in the waiver consideration. Second out of three games that he's had seven receptions, had a huge touchdown. Look, Manning got it done. Beckham got it done for him. But that's a piece of the puzzle that you got there. And Eli Manning took care of business. Aaron Rodgers had another great game. Jacoby Brissette took care of business versus Cleveland. And Drew Brees, as Jason mentioned. What is the.

[Mike Wright]

Did we even mention Jared Goff? Because he's there too.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Jared Goff's there as well. Tyrod Taylor against all odds in Denver, 20 for 20, 6 for 2. I'm sorry, against Denver facing Denver guys fantasy relevant. I mean, who are you looking for from this list of surprise candidates to maybe be a streamer next week or maybe be somebody that replaces Cam Newton on your roster?

[Mike Wright]

I think that you got to be careful because chasing points is always a dangerous dance to perform in case Keenum though, gets to play against Detroit. I know that they have, they had a bunch of turnovers against Matt Ryan, but those were those kind of those fluky turnovers where it's just bouncing off of the wide receivers hands and the Detroit or in the defense capitalizes. So Case Keenum, as long as he is at home in his dome. That's funny is I think that he's at home in the dome. I think that he's an okay option of these guys because I'm like Jacoby Brissette versus Seattle. No thanks. Hoyer versus Arizona. No thanks.

[Jason Moore]

I think I would, I would probably go with Tom Brady. I'm going to stick with Tom Brady. No. If I was to pick one of the lower end guys to repeat, I'm going To stick with Tyrod Taylor. I mean, we've seen it forever. When he is a starter, he's usually a top 12 quarterback because he runs so much. He's got that baseline and, you know, next week, I think it's in Atlanta. So that's going to have a high scoring. You know, Tyrod's going to have to run and, you know, try to keep up with the Falcons.

[Mike Wright]

What about Watson? Yeah, Watson, Watson. Is that. Was that more a product of. Of Deshaun Watson or was that the. Already the combination of the Patriots pass defense is really bad.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, the Patriots pass defense and defense in general is a work in progress. It was also a product of they have to abandon the game plan that you set out to have as a Houston Texans team when you're facing Tom Brady and Foxborough and, you know, points are going to be on the board. So I'm not sure that they're going to let him.

[Mike Wright]

But he was very successful.

[Andy Holloway]

He was great. No, he was.

[Jason Moore]

No. But if they have a lead, Andy's saying is that's not what they want to do.

[Andy Holloway]

They want a lead to hold with the Vonte Foreman and Lamar Miller and.

[Mike Wright]

A shout out here. I don't know who was. Was doing it, but the color commentator for the Texans game, he uttered these words that. Bill O'Brien is one of the most aggressive play callers in the NFL. So, I mean, what's happening here? We need a better vetting process for these. These commentators because Bill O'Brien is not. Is not aggressive. And in fact, on the play where he was, they were commending Bill O'Brien for being aggressive, for going on 4th and 2. They called a timeout and then they punted.

[Andy Holloway]

He. Because he heard the broadcast.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

He said, watch this. All right, look. Welcome back Jordan Howard. Welcome back to Marco Murray.

[Mike Wright]

Jordan Howard.

[Andy Holloway]

I hope you bought him low when.

[Mike Wright]

We told you to Jordan Howard. This game looked so incredibly meaty and beefy and just I was.

[Andy Holloway]

People were bouncing on a new Wendy's burger.

[Mike Wright]

I had told Jason, I said, this guy, he found a vial of gummy bear juice, if you are familiar with the reference. And he drank it and people were just bouncing off. Bouncing off of him. I mean, not phasing him.

[Jason Moore]

And you want to talk about tough? I mean, the guy's got like a separated shoulder. You could tell it's hurting him. He. He's, you know, he's going down the left sideline and it's his right shoulder that's hurt. And so when contact comes, he turns you know, 180 degrees to hit him with his left shoulder. The dude's just tough and he is really good. I think you can trust both Howard and Tariq Cohen, you know, going forward.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they don't have a lot of pass catching weapons in Chicago. You got to lean on both of those guys tremendously. It's great to see Howard come back to form. Now, I, I think there might have been people that didn't play him this week.

[Mike Wright]

A lot of people don't play him.

[Andy Holloway]

I would say if you didn't play him this week, but you didn't trade him, just be happy. Yeah, because you had to take the, I mean, you had to take a gamble that, you know, maybe he wasn't going to be involved. But look, be happy. You've got a running back, two touchdowns, 23 carries.

[Jason Moore]

That's exactly how I feel about DeMarco Murray. I would have been more inclined to sit DeMarco in this game in a bad matchup against Seattle where he was, you know, out for the week and you've got Derek Henry behind him. But at the same time, if you've got him, he looked good. He was, he was absolutely fine. The hamstring did not appear to be an issue. So I'd be happy he's on my roster.

[Andy Holloway]

We've talked about Cream hunt. Huge game. 17 for 172 and a touchdown, including his third straight game with 50 plus yard every touchdown. Dalvin Cook was great. 27 for 97 and a touchdown. I want to touch for a second on Chris Thompson. Okay, look, when you look at the total touches, eight rushing attempts, six passing or six receptions, which is great, I'll be the first to admit. Look, I told people you cannot trust him because the touches weren't there. Three times in his three and a half year career, has he had more than five receptions? Well, it's four now and he went for 150 and a touchdown. At this point in time, we have a saying on this show, it's stay in the flames. And the flames are burning around Chris Thompson. So with P. Ryan's injury, with clearly Rob Kelly is going to be eased back when he's back. I. You got to play him well.

[Mike Wright]

And I think this is also a. He is the benefactor of Terrell Pryor stinks. And Josh Dachshund is, you know, he had the one reception. It was a huge touchdown, which Josh Dachshund is going to be on the waiver wire show because he is ascending. But Cousins, he's not. He can't trust his wide receivers right now. I mean, Jameson Crowder, he's been okay, but I mean, Chris Thompson is the safety valve and he's getting it done. Why would he not continue to dump off to Thompson?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And the big plays have earned him, you know, a guaranteed role.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. When we were saying, you know, we don't like the touches, that was when he had a grand total combined touches of six. You know, if he was getting 14 touches a game like he did this last game, then you could certainly rely on him to, you know, when he touches the ball on a screen, his probability of going 20 yards is. I feel like it's every time he's great. So I think you stay in the flames with still.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just funny because I mean Gurley 33 touches, right. I mean Howard 28 touches. Here's Thompson with 14, which is probably upwards of his career high and still dynamic. Is he number three running back on the year now?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, on the year, number three.

[Mike Wright]

Well, just. It also shows you how valuable pass catching is in the NFL, especially compared to a rush.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, look at what Buck Allen was. Not this week.

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

He'll be in a different segment. But in previous weeks, if you can catch the ball to the backfield. James White again, not this week. Yeah, but it is valuable when it happens. Chris Duke Johnson, a great example of that. He scored on the ground with only. Only had two carries, but he had 6 for 81 on seven targets through the air. Duke Johnson might have been the actual biggest beneficiary of the Coleman injury and what's happening in the. In the wide receiver course. Similar situation as to the lack of trust you have in Washington. Lev Bell bounce back, scored a touchdown.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean that offense is still not there.

[Mike Wright]

It's not what you want from. From Lev Bell, but it was still.

[Jason Moore]

A good Lev Bell's just not used to playing these early weeks. You know, week one, week two, week three, he's like I usually come in.

[Andy Holloway]

About week four or five normally in the suspended state.

[Mike Wright]

Not a joke.

[Andy Holloway]

So you know, Christian McCaffrey, Leonard Fournette, good games. Christian McCaffrey had 9 for 101 through the air. So we thought he might receive a ton of targets in Greg Olson's absence and that's what we saw. Calvin Benjamin being hurt doesn't stop McCaffrey. So I think he's a target right now because I think he had a good week. He didn't score. It wasn't an over the top week. I think you could probably acquire McCaffrey cheaper than what he's worth. That's my own opinion. Wide receivers, Stefan Diggs. We're going to talk about him in a minute. We've got the raising canes rising stars on today's show. Hint, hint. Brandon Cook, Sammy Watkins. Ty Hilton, start your studs right. Ty Hilton, 7 for 153 and a touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

It worked. Yeah, it definitely worked out this week to start your studs of Ty Jacoby.

[Jason Moore]

Brissette is a good enough quarterback to at least get, you know, a great wide receiver going. Now they're all match together. Yeah. In a good matchup like Seattle.

[Mike Wright]

Seattle next in Seattle, are you going to start Ty Hilton?

[Andy Holloway]

How do you not start him after 7 for 153 and 1? I think you start your studs.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, wait, you want to go chase Robbie Anderson or Jermaine Curtis?

[Mike Wright]

It always depends on who is on your bench.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Sterling shepherd against Tampa or Ty Hilton against Seattle? I'll take Seattle. They got beat up. They've been getting beat up a little bit.

[Mike Wright]

They have. Not at home, though.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, but they played. They played the 49ers at home.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And with the 49ers, you're talking about that super juggernaut offense that we saw on Thursday.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

It's the NFL. Crazy things happen week to week.

[Andy Holloway]

A.J. green.

[Mike Wright]

Just saying that Hilton, that's going to be a. That's going to be a tough start next week.

[Andy Holloway]

The squeaky wheel got the grease. 10 catches for AJ Green.

[Mike Wright]

Squeaky wheel greased the offensive coordinator out of town.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. 10 for 111 and a touchdown has Cleveland next week. Oh, looking good. Antonio Brown was great. Doug Baldwin was great before the injury. Chris Hogan again, two touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

When Tom Brady throws five touchdowns, all the wide receivers are going to be just fine.

[Andy Holloway]

And then Jordy Nelson returned from injury and was outstanding. Nice to see Michael Thomas have a good game this week. He hadn't really flashed at all this season after being a high draft pick we've talked about. Garcon on Thursday night was great. And then Tyreek still has that rapport with Alex Smith. It seems to be growing. Could end up as a wide receiver one this year at the back end. I mean, five for 77 and a third pound eight targets.

[Mike Wright]

Do you have my special song for my man, devonte Parker? Oh, do we have that ready? Is that loaded up?

[Andy Holloway]

That's great. We do.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, the garbage land.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Devontae Parker.

[Jason Moore]

There's a new level of garbage in the world. If you did not watch that albatross of a Miami Dolphins, New York jets game.

[Mike Wright]

That. No, that was a majestic performance. That was a. The last 60 seconds of that game were incredible.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, you're talking about.

[Andy Holloway]

This is your start of the week. Mike, did you make some phone calls to the offensive coordinator? You're darn right.

[Jason Moore]

With a minute left to go in the game, Devonte Parker was a complete and utter bust. The Miami Dolphins had done nothing. They were shut out. The game was over. And for some reason they're still on the field and they're still, I mean, you know, pad the stats and then it goes to Parker and then it goes to Parker and then it goes to Parker and then it goes to Parker and then with six seconds left, seconds left. When they get stopped inbounds and they're down 20 to nothing near the goal.

[Mike Wright]

Line with six seconds left, they call it timeout. You're darn right they do. Because. Because nobody wants. Never give up. No, it's. Nobody wants a shutout then kick a field goal. No, but that's, that's the cowardly way. You at least go for it. You go big.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So he got the touchdown on the, on the last second. You know who didn't get a touchdown on the last second, who also was great? Golden Tate. Which I apologize to all Lions fans out there, if you're not aware of what happened at the end of that game.

[Mike Wright]

They are.

[Jason Moore]

Well to other non Lions fans, if you're not aware what happened. That was incredible. Golden Tate has this great game. Goes 7 for 58 and a touchdown. I think probably two touchdowns, but whatever. At the end of the game they battle back. The Lions come back and they throw a touchdown to Golden Tate. As the clock is basically expiring. I think There was like 8 seconds left and they win the game. And then on further review, they look at the touchdown and they determine that he was about an inch short of the touchdown. And due to rule, there's a 10 second runoff. The game is over. They did not score and they lost.

[Mike Wright]

There was eight seconds left. I know if they had just ruled him down, then you get up the Lions, it would have been a rush. But there, I think there is a great possibility that they could have at least got a play. They could have got the ball snapped because they were all right there. Just saying like that's, that's got to feel like an absolute hosing that you've never felt before.

[Andy Holloway]

Tight end studs drop Gronkowski once again. Eight for 89 and a touchdown on 10 targets.

[Mike Wright]

And then how dare you skip the number one tight end?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Mercedes Lewis has had three touchdowns in the last three years and he ended up with three in this game. Four for 62. No, hopefully in your league. Here's what you hope for with Mercedes Lewis, somebody else picks him up and drops a better tight end.

[Mike Wright]

I think we're, we're at the point where the Jaguars, when they fly over the ocean, they go through some kind of magical portal and they turn into a great.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, they applied to become the London Jaguars.

[Jason Moore]

If they become the London Jaguars, I'm grabbing all of them. Give me all the Leonard Fournette, because really, it's no joke. Like, every time they go to London, all of a sudden they know how to play football.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, the announcer was even saying early in the game, he's like, you know, Baltimore didn't get to be on this field and try their cleats out and figure out what Wembley's like. And Jacksonville has been there multiple times and played overseas. And no, apparently he was right.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Look, hey, Baltimore, just wear your short cleats. It's gonna work out for you. Don't even worry about it. Guys, let's play football.

[Jason Moore]

It's a really nice field.

[Mike Wright]

Where are these, where are these ice skates?

[Andy Holloway]

Over in London, you wear ice skates on the field. Ryan Griffin had a nice game. Vernon Davis, we talked about him. Charles Clay showed up against Denver. Six for 39 and a touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

Ryan Griffin, I don't want to just gloss over him. I think that he is a name that's worth talking about because he's the last man standing right now. And Ryan Griffin has gotten it done before in the passing game. So 5 for 61 with a touchdown gets to play Tennessee. Just saying, he's absolutely worth keeping your eye on.

[Jason Moore]

Absolutely. And Zach Ertz is the second best tight end.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

He's a fan of football. Raising Canes rising stars of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, who's your Raising Cane's rising star of the week?

[Mike Wright]

I'm staying in those flames. We already talked about it. But Chris Thompson, we've gotten to the point where you cannot ignore it. The talent has always been there. The opportunity simply has not. But Kirk Cousins has to rely on Chris Thompson. The play that he turned into the almost near 70 yard touchdown, whatever it was, I believe that was like the third.

[Andy Holloway]

It was third and 19.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, that's absolutely, absolutely ludicrous that a defense would allow that to happen. Number one. But they're gonna, they're gonna keep going back to Him. That's three weeks in a row now of huge plays from Chris Thompson. He is, he is going to turn in or he is turning into their X factor weapon. So I'm, I'm staying in the Flames. I understand you're not going to get 10 carries out of him, but if you're getting those five, six receptions, then good things are going to happen if.

[Andy Holloway]

You'Re in one of the 16% of leagues that he has not signed. How much Fab do you spend on Chris Thompson?

[Jason Moore]

Man, you know, I don't know, to be honest. I still wouldn't drop a ton. He's a guy that, if you paid.

[Mike Wright]

For him and he's on your roster.

[Jason Moore]

I would probably spend 10%.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to go with Stefan Diggs as my Raising Kings rising star. And that is simply because, look, I. He was bad last week with Keenum, and this shows me that you cannot play the game with Diggs on your roster. You've got to keep him in there. 178 yards and two touchdowns with case Keenum. He seems to be matchup proof every wide student. Here's the thing. Every wide receiver has a bad game, right? But this is a, this was a prove it game to me, whereas I kind of thought you couldn't. I thought it was hands off Thielen and Diggs until Bradford returns. And I think this was a prove it game for Diggs. So he fits my rising star in the fact that, look, the talent's always been there, but we're talking about start confidence.

[Mike Wright]

Say, are you.

[Jason Moore]

So you're.

[Mike Wright]

Are you putting Stefan Diggs in a start your studs category?

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I'm doing. Yeah. All right. He did the same thing that Hilton did. He proved, he proved that I don't want to play the game where one week I'm trying to keep them in, one week I'm taking them out and I'm chasing points with somebody else. And all of a sudden Rashad Higgins is in my lineup. How embarrassing would that be?

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to go with my rising star as Joe Mixon, probably the most important one.

[Mike Wright]

I tried to get into the our show doc early last night. Like, oh, yes, there's no way that Jason has gone into the dock yet. And I will steal his beloved Joe Mixon. And there he was, already in Jason's.

[Jason Moore]

I already claimed him. Here's the thing, he didn't get a touchdown. He wasn't in our stud muffins category because even though he had a fine game, he had 101 all purpose yards, 21 total touches between, you know, his 18 carries and three receptions. But the volume is what really matters here. You saw a changeover at the offensive coordinator and I do worry about the ceiling for Mixon because when they get in, you know, the two minute drill type offense or the third and passing situations, it does seem to be Geo and when it's a very short yardage situation, it still might be heel. So I'm not saying he's going to be the next, you know, great thing, but you can now start Joe Mixon and if he's getting 20 touches a game, I think he's going to have those games that are huge, big blow up games like you've seen from all these other rookies from Fournette and Cook. And here's his snaps. Kareem Hunt.

[Mike Wright]

Here's a snap percentage. Week one, 36%. Week two, 25%. Week three, 56%.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And that happened because of the changeover at offensive coordinator. He is clearly the best running back there. He's the highest graded on pro football focus and he plays the Browns next week.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, fire them up.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's great. I am sad I couldn't get them from you this week, Jason, because I liked it. And then you could have played Jacquist Rogers like I did.

[Jason Moore]

I could have, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

That was fun.

[Jason Moore]

I won.

[Andy Holloway]

Those were the Raising Cane's rising stars of the week. Remember that game day tastes better with Raising Cane's tailgates full of fresh 24 hour marinated hand battered chicken fingers and fresh brewed sweet tea. Visit raising canes.com to find your nearest location.

[Mike Wright]

Double up on the sauce, people.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. All right, moving on.

[Jason Moore]

Pooped in his big boy pants.

[Andy Holloway]

What's the what? What's the opposite of sending in the car?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, slashing the tires.

[Andy Holloway]

Send it off the cliff. I mean, what in the world?

[Mike Wright]

Park the car. I believe would be the park the car.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Well, my start of the week in Derek Carr did not work out.

[Andy Holloway]

He handed the keys to the valet and he drove it off of a cliff.

[Mike Wright]

That wasn't even saying.

[Jason Moore]

I wasn't even. Here's how insane it was. I wasn't sure I could make Derek Carr my start of the week because I thought it was too obvious. And that who you did. You asked the question, who wouldn't be starting Derek Carr? But you know, against Washington. Okay, I'll take the gimme. And they didn't show up. I mean, the entire Oakland offense looked horrific. And this week there were a couple of teams. The Ravens when they went to London and the Raiders when they flew across the country to Washington. Those two teams look like they did not show up.

[Mike Wright]

They just took an early bye week.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, look, I don't know if it's that simple to just. I think that this game came down to the offensive line for the first time and the defensive line of the the Redskins which was dominant. I mean never once last year did he have. I don't think he was sacked more than once in a game all of last season. He was sacked three times in this game. Never sacked on back to back plays. He sacked back to back plays in the beginning of this game. Marshawn lynch at times was standing on the sideline during the active game, no helmet on, wearing his snow bean while other players were on the field. It was a peculiar game. It was a game where you could not get into an offensive rhythm whatsoever. And now you go to Denver, you finally get those interdivisional matchups that we feared for Oakland offensive players in general, which was you're going to play KC twice, you're going to play Denver twice. Now you're going to be in Denver. I. You got to take a week off with Derek Carr, especially if.

[Mike Wright]

Agreed.

[Andy Holloway]

Crabtree is out.

[Mike Wright]

I completely agree. This was our concern about.

[Andy Holloway]

He's got Baltimore the week after that.

[Jason Moore]

It's a couple weeks.

[Mike Wright]

When you, if you're going to draft a quarterback high it's because you're taking him saying this is my weekly starter. I don't have to worry about it. I'll take some lumps. You know, everyone has some bad games. But that was the problem with Derek Carr is that you thought he was a great start in Washington, but he is. He's not startable in Denver. Not to me.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

His divisional game and then if he.

[Andy Holloway]

Has two straight games in a row that are bad, can you start him in Baltimore?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

And then if he doesn't do well in Baltimore because of the great D, he goes again. Two more divisional games, the Chargers and the Chiefs in division has been where he struggled most.

[Mike Wright]

Trouble.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you guys. What was that stat you heard yesterday on Matthew Stafford by the way? What was the about his winning?

[Mike Wright]

I don't remember the exact win percentage but it was like 5% Matthew Stafford against winning teams. That was Mitchell Renz who does some writing for us. He.

[Jason Moore]

It's like 5 and 200.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean it was like 5 and 43, something like that.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Right around there. Against winning teams.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Joe Flacco dunk. Hopefully you did not start him. I don't think anybody should have, would have, could have against Jacksonville, but he was. But still, I mean, it doesn't get worse than this.

[Jason Moore]

This was pretty much as bad as Andy Dalton's game.

[Andy Holloway]

Week one, 28 yards, two interceptions. How did he.

[Mike Wright]

And pulled how many passing yards? How is that even possible?

[Jason Moore]

I'm telling you, you know, you might. I think you're right, Andy, to kind of pump the brakes on what I was saying with the Raiders not showing up, that there was, there was more to that, there was credit due to Washington. But in this game, when I was watching this London game at, you know, six in the morning, it really looked like the Baltimore Ravens as a team were ill prepared for that trip. And that's not to take anything away from the Jaguars, but I mean, they, to a man, every single player looked very bad. They just looked tired and groggy and like not ready for this game at all.

[Andy Holloway]

The way that their defense had turned the ball over in the first two weeks masked a lack of offensive ability and masked Joe Flacco not being ready to play or not being in a groove. And now you see it. And Jeremy Macklin is another one of those guys that switch teams and it's hard to just imbue a bunch of fantasy points to. Especially with the way Joe Tlacco's playing. I'd be worried about Macklin and I'd be worried about leaning on a Watson or anything like that. Even though Watson scored at the very end of this game with Ryan Mallet trouble. Philip Rivers. Not a good game. Expected a lot better performance against Kansas City. 20 for 40, 237 and 3 did not look good. The eye test was bad. Cam Newton, we talked about him. And Trevor Simeon, not a good performance. 24 for 41. Nasty, nasty interception that I just across your body. Bad decision.

[Jason Moore]

He might as well.

[Mike Wright]

It's just he has weapons and I don't believe that he had leveled up to the point where you can start him on the road.

[Andy Holloway]

He was one of the most signed players last week.

[Mike Wright]

Like this week at home against Oakland. I'm all about that life, but I'm not ready for Trevor Simeon to start on his away games.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, in the running back poopers segment, I'm going to ask you guys whether you're buying low on any of these players. Jai?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, if you could, I would.

[Andy Holloway]

He's been pretty bad. I mean, this, this was 11 for 16.

[Mike Wright]

He's only played two games and he was great. Week one.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. He was horrific this week. But that's. That's when you're able to buy low on a guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Marshawn Lynch, 6 for 18.

[Mike Wright]

I don't.

[Andy Holloway]

Terrible.

[Mike Wright]

I don't think I would buy low. I mean, they just. It was so bizarre. I mean, you already kind of touched on it, Andy, but he just. It was like, yeah, we're losing. I'm not going to play. Or the coaches are said, well, we're going to put Washington and Rashard in. I mean, he doesn't get enough volume. Enough volume. I mean, when they're losing, if they're saying, okay, we're going to go to someone else, that's. That's not what you want out of a top running back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he was not dancing this week.

[Mike Wright]

No. No, he was not. C.J.

[Andy Holloway]

Anderson. I would. He had a bad game.

[Jason Moore]

I would definitely buy low.

[Andy Holloway]

But he had the same snaps as he had last week. Jamal Charles definitely performed very well. Again confirming kind of the eye test that we've seen throughout, which is Jamal Charles looks fine and if CJ ever got hurt, I think Jamal would be great. So I think it's just one of those games where the, you know, the touches didn't match the snaps. Last week, I believe he had double the touches on the same amount of snaps. Didn't happen for them this week. The game flow was different. That's the. What it comes down to, I think. And they just from ahead last week.

[Mike Wright]

They thought they could beat the Bills a particular way.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It did not work out.

[Andy Holloway]

Isaiah Crowell panic.

[Jason Moore]

This is. This is. Sound the alarm.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, hit the alarm. This was the matchup against the Browns and his counterpart, Duke Johnson against the Colts.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you, bro.

[Andy Holloway]

He wishes he was playing the Browns.

[Jason Moore]

Why can't I? I'm so good in practice.

[Mike Wright]

But Duke Johnson was. Had a great game. Looked fantastic. What, Andy, are you. Can you even. Can you even play Crowell? I'm not even talking about buying low.

[Andy Holloway]

My two starting running backs in our league of record against Jason which quiz Rogers and James White. So I'm searching for Isaiah Crowell's in the world. Apparently I can't start a running back. I don't think he's a droppable guy.

[Mike Wright]

No, I would not drop him.

[Andy Holloway]

But you're super disappointed because this was another. Like the previous games we talked about.

[Jason Moore]

This was.

[Andy Holloway]

This was a make or break game against Indianapolis.

[Mike Wright]

Would you sell him low? That's against the.

[Andy Holloway]

Sell him low. I don't think it's worth it.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

What you're Getting back isn't. Isn't going to be worth it unless you're.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, you just don't, you don't sell starting running.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, can you get Doug Martin? Yeah, if you could go get Doug Martin in his Isaiah Crowell trade.

[Jason Moore]

Right. If you're packaging to trade up at the running back position, then sure, use him as a piece of that package. But don't get rid of a starting running back and just sell low and, you know, grab a wide receiver. I wouldn't do that.

[Andy Holloway]

Jacques Rogers was terrible. 5 for 15. The game Flow was disastrous for them because as soon as they got behind, they had to put in Charles Sims and they basically just had to throw the ball. 40 passes for James Winston. And then bad performances from the two New England backs, Gillesley and White. Nothing, pretty much. And then Riddick and P. Ryan. P. Ryan did as little as you can with 19 carries as is possible. And Riddick just didn't get it done.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he did not.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you think? And Buck Allen, I mean, Buck Allen, it was incredible because you wake up on Sunday morning, everybody was already starting Buck Allen. And then you get a notice like if you're playing on an ESPN league, you get like a special ESPN update and it says Javorius Allen set to start. And then you didn't see him on the field. It was Alex Collins and Terrence west for the whole game. It was like a little, it's almost knife poke.

[Mike Wright]

They don't like him.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know what they like. They didn't come to London. They didn't bring anything to the table fantasy wise this week. I don't know what to think about it.

[Mike Wright]

I agree. So I will not, you don't want to overreact. But also looking at the facts of. They didn't want him on the team at all last year. They had to use him those first couple weeks. And they went and they grabbed Alex Collins.

[Andy Holloway]

He looked okay.

[Mike Wright]

And Alex Collins is getting play in front of Buck Allen. I mean, they, they're trying everything they can to not use Buck Allen.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you cut Thomas Rawls and Adrian Peterson?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Are they both droppable?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, they are.

[Andy Holloway]

You cut and drop Jeremy Hill based on the rising star and what you've got so far?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, Jeremy Hill can be cut.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, wide receivers that pooped their pants. Amari Cooper and Crabtree, very eloquent. These two pooped prior. Wait. You know what's amazing, Jay?

[Jason Moore]

What?

[Andy Holloway]

All my players are on this poop in my big boy.

[Jason Moore]

And I am very Thankful for that because we had a head to head matchup.

[Andy Holloway]

I just need like 18 field goals from Dan Bailey tonight. And while I'm set, Terrell Pryor 2 for 19, six catches for Crowder in that office. Josh Dachshund caught the bomb. First sighting of Josh Dockson in his career so far. I disagree with Mike on the ascendant.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no, I'm not talking like this is not an immediate thing, but okay, the snaps have gone up every week. Ryan Grant, snaps are going down.

[Jason Moore]

He started the game. He was a starter.

[Mike Wright]

At this point with how bad Terrell Pryor has been connecting with Kirk Cousins, sure, I think that Josh Dockson is worth a speculation. This isn't a pick him up and play him. This is a peek him up, a peek him up. This is a no pick him up, you grab him, you sit him on the bench and it wouldn't be shocking like he's still a first time talent. I got you and the team. Part of why the team said, okay, we can move on from Pierre Garcona to Sean Jackson is because they planned on Josh Dachshund filling that role.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. So more poopers. Jeremy Macklin, Martavis Bryant, Tyrell Williams, Dante Moncrief. Also some, you know, Marvin Jones didn't get it done. Golladay hasn't shown up since week one. This was the risk about the snaps for Kenny Golladay. The leading. I asked these guys yesterday, I said, who's the leading receiver who led the team in receiving yards for the Detroit Lions? And they went through them all. Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Theo Riddick, Amir Abdullah, Eric Ebron. Nope, nope, nope, nope. No, no, no. It's T.J. jones.

[Mike Wright]

Of course.

[Jason Moore]

The other Jones, of course.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So that's not good. And then Travis Kelsey, he said, thanks for starting me. Here's one catch for one yard.

[Mike Wright]

Classic.

[Andy Holloway]

Killed one for one.

[Mike Wright]

Classic.

[Jason Moore]

He wasn't going to let that single target be dropped to the ground. He took that target and he brought it in and we thank you for that.

[Andy Holloway]

How do we properly celebrate Hunter Henry's gooseache again?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man. Oh, fool me once. I mean, my, my rage drop of Hunter Henry felt so bad in week two. And now we have two games, two games of zero. No targets. I mean, there's, there's no way. There's no way I'm moving forward with Hunter Henry. I know that the tight end position is very inconsistent. It's hard to get those right.

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like it's worse this year because of the injuries at the top. Because you don't have Iford on the field. And Jimmy Graham was banged up. Although he had a good week finally this week. But it feels worse. Jordan Reed's out. I mean, Kelsey, you're not happy with two thirds of his weeks, right? I mean, Correct. At this point, Zach Ertz has been the most consistent with Gronkowski.

[Mike Wright]

Ertz has been a beast.

[Andy Holloway]

Rudolph, Doyle, Hooper, Ebron Fleener knocking himself out of that top five. Jason, one for 21.

[Jason Moore]

I hate Fleener.

[Andy Holloway]

Zach Miller was terrible. I played Evan Ingram this week. I mean, that was my option on the season.

[Jason Moore]

Evan Ingram is the tight end. Number what, eight, nine?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Is that before this week?

[Jason Moore]

Nope. That is including.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, any updates for the Monday Night Football game? Cardinals and Cardinals.

[Mike Wright]

I wanted to move back to a question because he's in the pooper. Jameson Crowder. How. What's your temperature on Jameson?

[Andy Holloway]

Why was he in the pooper?

[Mike Wright]

Because he was six for 52.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, Jameson Crowder, six catches is. I mean, if Landry threw six or 52, I'd be like, oh, that's Jarvis Landry. I mean, just not scoring.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, well, just saying that Crowder really has not.

[Andy Holloway]

No, that's a good clash.

[Mike Wright]

I'm talking like, moving forward.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

What is your confidence level?

[Andy Holloway]

Crowder is rosterable, not startable.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, I would say startable in a good matchup, in a flex, but, yeah, he's a rosterable guy. Wait and see.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you think, Mike?

[Jason Moore]

I just. I wouldn't drop him.

[Mike Wright]

Would you drink? No, no, no. I would not drop him, but I think I agree with that take of. You hold him on your roster, but you. You bench him. But, I mean, he's been, I guess all. Really, all of Wall Street.

[Jason Moore]

Cousins has been bad. I mean, I think that.

[Mike Wright]

But Kirk Cousins would. He was bad the first two weeks. He was great last night. And Jameson Crowder was 50 yards.

[Andy Holloway]

Why didn't we mention Kirk Cousins in the stud muffins?

[Mike Wright]

I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

What's up with that? Brooks.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

What's up with that?

[Jason Moore]

Brooks is on my team. I'm the anti Washington offense guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Well, although I did say I thought Kirk Cousins would have a good game.

[Andy Holloway]

Cousins was surgical last night. He was incredible last night. 365 yards, three touchdowns. Has only thrown one interception on the season. 37.4. And we're past.

[Mike Wright]

We're past the first two weeks, so it's Kirk Cousins time. Speaking Le'Veon Bell and Kirk Cousins.

[Andy Holloway]

It's going to be a challenge next week for Kirk, though.

[Mike Wright]

No way, man. In Kansas City's on the road. He's Kirk Cousins.

[Jason Moore]

I hear Arrowhead Stadium is like super easy to play.

[Andy Holloway]

Very quiet, very tepid conditions. All right, we did have a voicemail question pertaining to the Monday Night Football game. I'm going to go ahead and play this one from Derek.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, guys, it's Derek out in Hawaii. Kind of a weird question for you. You guys are Cardinals fans, as am I. But Carson Palmer's been pretty terrible the.

[Andy Holloway]

Last few weeks and right now I'm.

[Mike Wright]

Up by about 0.7 points. Only minus one for interceptions.

[Andy Holloway]

But he's the last player to play.

[Mike Wright]

And I don't know when stat corrections will come through. Thanks, guys.

[Andy Holloway]

As in, you would. He's thinking about benching. I believe I would play Carson Palmer.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, you definitely play Carson Palmer for a period of weeks.

[Andy Holloway]

He's at home and he actually, he was okay last week.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Even if he, especially if you're only minus one for interceptions, he would have to basically throw a pick and then not play again the rest of the game.

[Mike Wright]

Or Joe Flacco.

[Jason Moore]

But regardless of that, if you were to just sit him, you take a risk. You brought up wisely the fact that you are aware of stat corrections. You are only up by less than a point. Thursday could come. And when the NFL stat corrections roll out to most fantasy platforms, all of a sudden you realize that the victory you thought you had turned into a loss. So you are not close enough. And the last and final reason is in most leagues to get into the playoffs, the tiebreaker is going to be total points scored. So think big picture here and make sure you're scoring as much as you can.

[Mike Wright]

Want to say thanks to Squad Ql for sponsoring the show? Do you want that unfair advantage helping you dominate the Squad Ql is. It's the mobile app you need to crush your friends and rivals this year because they're helping you out making those starting decisions based on your starters, bench players, the free agent pool. You can head to squad ql.com to download the app for free. That's squadql.com and download the app for free.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we'll be back tomorrow with the waiver wire show. Enjoy tonight's game between the Cardinals and Cowboys and thanks for tuning in. Check out playdraft.comballers if you want to get in on some DFS draft action. We'll catch you tomorrow.

[Jason Moore]

Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on JoinTheFoot.com and follow us on Twitter @The FF Ballers.