Fantasy Football Podcast 2015 - Week 9 Fantasy Football Questions, Mailbag

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast - Week 9 Summary (November 4, 2015)

Episode Title: Fantasy Football Podcast 2015 - Week 9 Fantasy Football Questions, Mailbag
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
Release Date: November 4, 2015

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Introduction

In this engaging Week 9 episode of Fantasy Footballers, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright dive into listener questions, offering strategic insights and expert analysis to help fantasy managers navigate the complexities of their leagues. The trio maintains their signature blend of humor and professionalism, ensuring both entertainment and valuable advice for their audience.

Mailbag Session

The core of this episode centers around the Mailbag segment, where fans submit their pressing fantasy football questions. The hosts systematically address each query, providing well-thought-out recommendations backed by their extensive knowledge of NFL players and matchups.

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1. Trading for Players with Favorable Playoff Schedules

Listener Question:
"Which player or players are you trying to trade for due to their easier playoff week schedule?"
— Quick Question Segment

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore suggests three running backs with favorable schedules in weeks 14-16:

  • Lamar Miller (New York Giants)
    • Quote: "Lamar Miller goes New York Giants, San Diego Chargers, and the Indianapolis Colts." [02:14]
  • Mark Ingram (Tampa Bay)
    • Quote: "Mark Ingram goes Tampa Bay, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville— not bad." [02:27]
  • Frank Gore (Jacksonville)
    • Quote: "Frank Gore, Jacksonville, Houston, and Miami." [02:44]

• Trade Considerations:

  • Andy Holloway emphasizes the importance of team durability, noting that all three players are already on his team, making them unavailable for trade.
    • Quote: "I can't trade for them. They’re all on my team." [02:58]

• Mike Wright raises a hypothetical scenario about trading Andrew Luck for Philip Rivers, ultimately advising against it.

  • Quote: "No, I wouldn't either." [03:55]

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2. Julio Jones' Playoff Matchups

Discussion Highlights:

• Andy Holloway expresses concern over Julio Jones facing Josh Norman in crucial playoff weeks, questioning how this matchup might affect his performance.

  • Quote: "Julio Jones is maybe the best wide receiver in all of football, but... he’s going to be Josh Norman." [04:22]

• Mike Wright discusses the scheduling difficulties and its potential impact on Julio Jones:

  • Quote: "What an NFL scheduler does... it’s ridiculous." [05:11]

• Jason Moore and Andy Holloway agree that while the matchup could lower Jones' ceiling, his elite talent should still enable him to perform well.

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3. Choosing Between Running Backs: Chris Ivory vs. Charkandrick West

Listener Question:
"Who would you rather have the rest of the season, Chris Ivory or Charkandrick West?"
— Charles in Boston [09:32]

Discussion Highlights:

• Andy Holloway and Mike Wright lean towards Chris Ivory due to his consistent performance and more reliable schedule.

  • Quote (Andy): "It's Chris Ivory by a mile to me." [10:28]

• Jason Moore acknowledges Charkandrick West's strong schedule but still prefers Ivory for his higher reliability.

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4. Running Backs Decision: Lamar Miller vs. Latavius Murray

Listener Question:
"Should I start Lamar Miller or Latavius Murray this week?"
— Michael in Boston [09:54]

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore favors Latavius Murray for his consistent weekly performance despite occasional fumbles.

  • Quote: "I would lean Lamar Miller here just because... you need those big, big weeks." [13:04]

• Mike Wright concurs, citing Murray's reliability over Miller's higher upside but lower floor.

  • Quote: "It's probably Murray, man." [12:57]

• Conclusion: Both hosts recommend Latavius Murray for his steadiness and fewer risks.

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5. Starting Wide Receivers: Randall Cobb vs. Emmanuel Sanders

Listener Question:
"Who's got the best rest of season outlook? Randall Cobb or Emmanuel Sanders?"
— Trey in Spartanburg, SC [15:00]

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore and Mike Wright advocate for Randall Cobb, citing his improved health and favorable schedule ahead.

  • Quote (Jason): "Randall Cobb. He is getting over his shoulder injury... his schedule gets really good." [15:00]

• Andy Holloway echoes the sentiment, emphasizing Cobb's return to top-tier performance expectations.

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6. Flex Position Decision: Brandon LaFell vs. Tavon Austin

Listener Question:
"Should I play Brandon LaFell or Tavon Austin in the flex?"
— Nick in St. Louis [16:28]

Discussion Highlights:

• Mike Wright supports Brandon LaFell due to his substantial workload and consistent performance.

  • Quote: "I'm going with Brandon LaFell." [16:57]

• Jason Moore concurs, noting LaFell's favorable matchup against the Redskins.

  • Quote: "We're gonna go Martellus Bennett here." [29:22]

• Andy Holloway also aligns with LaFell, favoring his reliability over Tavon Austin's limited opportunities.

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7. Tight End Choice: Jordan Reed vs. Tyler Ifert

Listener Question:
"Which tight end should I keep for the rest of the season, Jordan Reed or Tyler Ifert?"
— Jared in Los Angeles [17:11]

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore opts for Tyler Ifert, anticipating potential injuries with Jordan Reed.

  • Quote: "I would rather go Tyler Ifert." [17:19]

• Mike Wright considers Ifert the safer choice but acknowledges Reed's higher ceiling if healthy.

• Conclusion: The consensus leans towards Tyler Ifert for his availability and lower injury risk.

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8. Handling an Inactive League Member

Listener Question:
"One of the guys in my league has gone AWOL with several top-tier players. How should the commissioner handle this?"
— Corey in Alabama [31:52]

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore recommends replacing the inactive owner if possible.

  • Quote: "If that guy wants out, then that's what I would do." [32:05]

• Andy Holloway and Mike Wright discuss options like freezing the roster or maintaining league integrity by ensuring active lineups.

• Jason Moore emphasizes maintaining fairness and competitiveness within the league by addressing absenteeism promptly.

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9. Flex Position Decision: Michael Crabtree vs. Ronnie Hillman vs. Willie Snead vs. Devonte Adams

Listener Question:
"In the flex, should I play Michael Crabtree, Ronnie Hillman, Willie Snead, or Devonte Adams?"
— Bob in Los Angeles [29:17]

Discussion Highlights:

• Devonte Adams is dismissed due to recent poor performance against Carolina.

• Mike Wright and Jason Moore debate between Ronnie Hillman and Willie Snead:

  • Mike Wright: Favors Willie Snead for his consistent performance.
    • Quote: "It's between Snead and Crabtree for me." [24:35]
  • Jason Moore: Prefers Crabtree for his recent surge.
    • Quote: "I'm gonna go with Devonte Adams." [23:24]

• Andy Holloway and the hosts collectively decide in favor of Willie Snead for his reliability.

• Outcome: While the debate is lively, the recommendation leans towards Snead and Crabtree based on matchups and recent form.

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10. Kicker Management During Bye Weeks

Listener Question:
"Are McManus and Goskowski the only kickers you keep through the bye weeks? Should I drop Hauschka?"
— Baron in Houston [20:50]

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore advises keeping McManus and Goskowski as top-tier kickers and suggests dropping Hauschka.

  • Quote: "Those are the only two that I think are absolutely... I would keep them and not drop them through a bye." [20:50]

• Mike Wright shares his personal preference for holding onto Justin Tucker and retaining Hauschka.

  • Quote: "Mike Hauschka, I think, is pretty close, but I am a Justin Tucker owner in many formats." [21:01]

• Andy Holloway underscores the importance of strategic roster management, especially as the playoffs approach.

• Conclusion: The hosts recommend maintaining reliable kickers and considering the strategic depth of your roster when deciding to drop or keep kickers during bye weeks.

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11. Handling Jordan Matthews' Status

Listener Question:
"Is Jordan Matthews still a must-start player?"
— Martinez in New Mexico [19:25]

Discussion Highlights:

• Mike Wright and Andy Holloway advise against starting Jordan Matthews, suggesting he should be a bench player instead.

  • Quote (Andy): "Jordan Matthews is struggling." [19:39]

• Andy Holloway explores the potential of Nelson Aguilar as an alternative for later-season pickups.

• Conclusion: Matthews is not deemed a must-start, and managers are encouraged to consider other options with better performance metrics.

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12. Handling Suspicious Trades and League Integrity

Listener Scenario:
A league member trades Jordan Reed for Adam Vinatieri, reportedly involving family connections and sudden changes.

Discussion Highlights:

• Jason Moore and Andy Holloway express concern over potential collusion and unethical trading practices.

  • Quote (Andy): "You can't let the trade go through and you gotta punish the guy." [34:58]

• Mike Wright emphasizes maintaining league integrity by addressing suspicious trades promptly and ensuring fair play.

• Conclusion: The hosts advocate for strict adherence to league rules and prompt action against any form of collusion to preserve the competitive balance.

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Key Takeaways and Strategies

• Playoff Preparation: Focus on players with favorable schedules in the fantasy playoffs (weeks 14-16) to maximize scoring potential during critical matchups.

• Player Reliability vs. Upside: Prioritize consistent performers like Chris Ivory and Latavius Murray over higher-upside but riskier players.

• Roster Management: As the season progresses, strategic decisions regarding kickers, tight ends, and handling inactive team members become crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.

• League Integrity: Vigilantly monitor trades and team activities to prevent and address any signs of collusion or unethical behavior.

Notable Quotes

• Mike Wright: "The thing that is going to separate listeners of this show from their league mates is going to be 1, 2, 3 of the little things every week." [21:32]

• Andy Holloway: "We're just healing the world." [09:16]

• Jason Moore: "We want to put the odds ever in your favor." [21:32]

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Conclusion

Week 9 of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast offers a wealth of insights into effective fantasy football management. From evaluating player matchups to maintaining league integrity, Andy, Jason, and Mike provide actionable advice that can help listeners optimize their teams and improve their chances of winning. Their collaborative approach and engaging banter make complex fantasy decisions more accessible and enjoyable for all fantasy football enthusiasts.

For more expert advice and to engage with the Fantasy Footballers community, visit thefantasyfootballers.com and follow them on Twitter @theffballers.

Transcript

[Mike Wright]

Foreign.

[Jason Moore]

To the fantasy footballers podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

We are back again, the fantasy footballers podcast for Wednesday, November 4, 2015, week nine of the NFL season and your fantasy football season. And we're back. And this is Andy and Jason and Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Hello, everybody.

[Jason Moore]

Hello, people.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, this is our mailbag show. We're going to tackle some questions from the listeners. Try to help out your fantasy teams.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to tackle these like that hit on. On Marvin Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

Man, that was brutal. He got broke in half.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, just like I'm going to break these questions in half.

[Andy Holloway]

Two part questions. Oh, we do have a good show for you today. Excited to talk fantasy football once again. Check us out on the web. The fantasy footballers.com you can. What's so funny?

[Jason Moore]

Nothing. I'm just excited for the quick question.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, okay. All right. And you guys excited for the quick question?

[Mike Wright]

I guess I don't even know what it is.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's going to be fun. Twitter @the ffballers. You can check us out on jointhefoot.com join our fantasy football community, talk with other listeners about their teams, about their players, waivers, trade questions, get feedback, all that good stuff. Exclusive content. Check us out on Facebook, facebook.com the fantasy footballers. Click the like button. You know how it works. And check us out on YouTube and the fantasy sports network. We are everywhere. We're in your pocket, on itunes, on. I understand we're now working properly on the overcast app.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we're back.

[Andy Holloway]

So that was weird.

[Jason Moore]

We didn't change anything.

[Andy Holloway]

I did tweet at the developers for that app and say, hey, we're not working and maybe they got it fixed. So yes. Good day. Let's ask the quick question then. You guys ready for this? I'm ready. I'm going to go right to you. Okay. Which player or players are you trying to trade for due to their easier playoff week schedule?

[Jason Moore]

Let me give you three guys. Okay, let me give you three fix. Three guys that I think well at running back position that have a really good schedule for the weeks. You know, generally it's 14, 15, 16.

[Andy Holloway]

These are all on his team.

[Jason Moore]

Here's one. Lamar Miller. Lamar Miller goes New York Giants, San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts. Here's another one. Mark Ingram. Mark Ingram goes Tampa Bay, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville not bad.

[Mike Wright]

Juice bad.

[Jason Moore]

How about another one? Frank Gore, Jacksonville, Houston and Miami. So those are just three guys. If you. I can't trade for them. I can't go out and trade for them. As your quick question asked but if.

[Andy Holloway]

You wanted to, why not Jason?

[Jason Moore]

Because they're all on my team. Honestly, I didn't know that somebody wants.

[Andy Holloway]

A deep playoff run this year. So you didn't know that?

[Jason Moore]

Well, I realized they had good ones, but I was looking up for this quick question and I just.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think Chargers in general are pretty good to own towards the end of the season. Although I have. If they're. If they go down the. If they go. They're not playing well. They're not competing for anything that might hurt.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. But if it's Philip Rivers, he's. He'll keep playing. There will. Philip Rivers does not quit. I have a. An interesting question for you fellas that I just came up with because Philip Rivers is always the name that I think of, and I've tried for weeks to tell people, go get Philip Rivers. It's probably going to be a lot harder now, but. And I guess Jason just said the Colts do have a favorable matchup for the playoffs. Would you trade Andrew Luck to get Philip Rivers?

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

No. No.

[Mike Wright]

You wouldn't?

[Jason Moore]

No, I wouldn't either.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, I get it, but no Philip Rivers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Philip Rivers has scored more.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a fair question because the concern with Luck isn't. So if. If the rib injury news and that type of stuff didn't come out, but I think the. The Colts are gonna be fighting for playoff lives. We saw what Andrew Luck can do in like 10 minutes when he wants.

[Jason Moore]

To play well, and it was also an absolute hurricane there. And during the 10 minutes when he started playing well, the weather was finally a little bit better.

[Andy Holloway]

We didn't say this dude Norman is ridiculous.

[Jason Moore]

He is awesome. Speaking of playoff schedule. And now look, Julio Jones is going to get his. Julio Jones is maybe the best wide receiver in all of football, but it is worth at least noting that in week 14 and 16, two of those games, two of the fantasy playoffs, including the championship week, that is going to be. He's going to be Josh Norman.

[Mike Wright]

So how does this. This is not fantasy related, but how does an NFL scheduler do that? Like, let's have you play the A division rival two times in three weeks at the very end of the season. Yeah, that's ridiculous.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I know. Does that make you worry about Julio Jones, Mike?

[Mike Wright]

A little bit. I haven't.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a lot bigger than Ty Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

I haven't vetted the stats of Julio Jones versus a DB like that because Jason just brought it up. But no, I think Julio's too good. Maybe it might lower his ceiling. That's. I can. I'll agree with that. But I still think Julio can get it done.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, we're going to get into the listener mailbag, answer questions from the Foot Clan, questions about your team, and see if we can help you out this week. Before we do that, I want to thank our sponsor for today's show. You've heard us talk about them. It's Harry's. Harry's is the best. Listen, have either of you guys ever taken part in Movember?

[Jason Moore]

I have.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you know what Movember is?

[Jason Moore]

The mustache where you just grow the must. The stash.

[Andy Holloway]

Why? It is the month where guys grow mustaches to help raise awareness for men's health issues. Now, I'm not sure if I'm doing it or not this year, but Harry's is the official sponsor of Movember. Oh, yeah. They support the foundation there. So you guys have to let me know if I should sport a mustache for this month.

[Jason Moore]

I'll let you know. And the answer is yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I figured that was coming.

[Mike Wright]

I feel like you both should do it.

[Andy Holloway]

They are the official razor partner for Movember. So we love Harry's here. And the thing about Harry's is that the quality that you get with Harry's compared to the price is what makes them so incredible. Jason and I talk about it all the time. Harry's is the best shave that you can get. The blades are super sharp. They provide a close, comfortable shave. I love that foaming shave gel.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, it's nice.

[Andy Holloway]

Try that out. It smells so good. Hydrates your skin. Really surprised how high quality the products are for the price that you're paying for. And Harry's is a lot like us. It was started by a few guys that were passionate about creating a better shaving experience by delivering an amazing shave at an affordable price. Comes straight to your door. You will never go back. When you go to Harry's. And listen, here's what you can do. Go to Harrys.com right now as a special offer for fans of the show. Harry's will give you a $5 off. $5 off your first order with the code FOOTBALLERS. That's Harry's dot com. H a r r y s dot com. Enter the code Footballers. You will not regret it. No, I can promise you that. So let's go ahead and get into the mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

I just noticed the volume was a little down on that. Did you. Did you catch that?

[Mike Wright]

Do I need to do it again?

[Andy Holloway]

I think we do it again.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag. Mailbag. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you meant the drop volume was.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Dude, do we need to do it again?

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, that brings me to something I wanted to mention on the show.

[Mike Wright]

I feel like it sounded like Miss Piggy just.

[Andy Holloway]

That was. Yeah, that's exactly what it was.

[Jason Moore]

Karma.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I have to mention this because we couldn't really read the review on the show yesterday for the review of Source Rex because it was just too darn long. But now seems like a good time to mention it when you scream mailbag at the top of your lungs, which, by the way, the other day, like, what a music major gave you credit for being on pitch.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you're darn tootin.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, well, you're a music.

[Mike Wright]

My pitch is immaculate.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Immaculate. Immaculate pitch. That's my.

[Jason Moore]

That's what they.

[Mike Wright]

They called me in the streets.

[Andy Holloway]

But the review came in on itunes and it was basically that we saved somebody's marriage because they have this deal where when they do a cross country trip, whoever's driving gets to listen to whatever they want. And so the guy was dry. This review came in from the wife and the husband was driving for four hours and he said, I'm listening to fantasy football podcast. And so she assumed their marriage was. Was gonna end and turns out she got kind of into it. She really liked the, you know, the drops and mailbag and like the singing and said that she enjoyed it and.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, thank you very much.

[Andy Holloway]

And it saved the marriage.

[Jason Moore]

You're.

[Mike Wright]

You are welcome. That's what we're here to do.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. We're just healing the world. All right, Charles in Boston, mailbag, question. Who would you rather have rest of the season, Chris Ivory or Char Kandrick West?

[Mike Wright]

It's. Oh, come on. It's. It's Ivory. But that's. It's at least interesting and I think worth talking about. I think Shark Hendrick West. I haven't. Let's look at the schedule for Shark Hendrick west and like I've been telling people, there's. I have Chris Ivory concern if Ryan Fitzpatrick has to go out for an extended period of time.

[Andy Holloway]

Too soon to tell.

[Mike Wright]

And we don't know that.

[Jason Moore]

But if.

[Mike Wright]

If Geno Smith is leading that Jets. The jets offense, I can't imagine that defenses will have to be as worried about the pass as they are with Ryan Fitzpatrick. So are you pulling up a schedule right now?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Chuck Hendrick west actually has a phenomenal schedule for the rest of the season.

[Andy Holloway]

It's not close yet, guys.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, no, it's not close. It's Chris Ivory by a mile to Me, I would not want to trust Charkandrick west, but he does have a good schedule on an unreal.

[Mike Wright]

I would love to have both, but I'll go with Ivory.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah. Bilal Powell will come back. He will be taking over some third down, so that could hurt Ivory as well. He'll be back maybe next week. So Ivory for now. West is still a good start. Stephen in Martinsburg. Where's Martinsburg?

[Mike Wright]

I don't know.

[Andy Holloway]

You want to take. Just take a guess. I'm going to guess Massachusetts.

[Jason Moore]

That's a.

[Mike Wright]

That's a great guess.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going Maine.

[Andy Holloway]

Got a one in 50 shot. Somebody's got to look at that. Is Jameis Winston worth a streaming start against the Giants this week? His other quarterback is Matt Ryan.

[Jason Moore]

I know the answer. It's West Virginia.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You were way off.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I was. I was way off.

[Mike Wright]

Jameis Winston has been playing better quietly. If you're not paying attention to what. To what's going on in Tampa Bay. But we. We had just looked at this, and since his game a few weeks ago where he had the four picks, he's been playing a lot better. Not turning the ball over, getting it done.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's three. Three games in a row, zero interceptions. He's been throwing, which for Jameis Winston is a big deal, but he doesn't have the best of matches.

[Andy Holloway]

Colin Kaepernick has no picks in four games either.

[Jason Moore]

Well, just saying.

[Mike Wright]

He's not going to have any more picks.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not streaming Winston over Matt Ryan against San Francisco.

[Jason Moore]

Absolutely agree.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Charles in Boston. That's the one we just read. Super duper. All right, Michael in Boston, should I start Lamar Miller or Latavius Murray? This week, the Dolphins face the Bills and the Raiders go into Pittsburgh. They're both road games. Who would you start if you had to choose between those? That is a close one for me.

[Jason Moore]

It's really, really close.

[Andy Holloway]

Standard league.

[Jason Moore]

I think both guys are going to be decent. But I would lean Latavius Murray. Latavius Murray has been doing it week in, week out this year. I know he had those two benchings for fumbles, but even. Even during those games, he was performing well, and he's done it against good matchups. You look at this. Last week he had a tough matchup and he ran right through it. So I would go, latavius Murray.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's a. Murray runs through it.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, was that like a river runs through it choke?

[Andy Holloway]

Just move on. Just move on.

[Mike Wright]

That was a stretch.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Very close for Me, but I'll lean Latavius Murray as well.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you guys think about Murray rest of the season? If the same question between Miller and Murray rest of season, do you have a guy that you prefer? Is it still Murray? Same same answer.

[Mike Wright]

It's probably Murray, man. I'm jumping in. Me and me and the Raiders, we are best friends now.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Lamar Miller is a guy I see with a higher upside but a lower floor. So you're going to have a little bit more volatility from Miller going forward if you need the big games. I kind of lean Lamar Miller here just because when you get in the playoffs, you need those big, big weeks. Latavius I see, is really solid, like a great number two.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Ricky in Cleveland wants to know which two running backs does he start this week. From this McCluster of running backs, PPR is PPR. Yeah. PPR League Alpha Blue. Theo Riddick, TJ Yelden, McCluster, as I said, and Gio Bernard Yelden is.

[Mike Wright]

Is probably in automatically.

[Andy Holloway]

He's locked and loaded for me.

[Mike Wright]

Yelden's been very solid and he's getting better. I take Bernard and I would take Bernard with the ppr. This. The question is the. It's a Thursday night game against the Browns. That sounds very much like a hill of a game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, hey, all Hill will break loose.

[Mike Wright]

So that means Jeremy or that means Joe Bernard is going to get about 30 points.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

So go Gio Bernard.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And while I love Theo Riddick in a ppr, I don't love him on a bye week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I wouldn't start bye week guys. Historically, you know, I looked at the metrics on that. Historically speaking, bi week guys have underwhelmed. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

They've.

[Jason Moore]

They have not put up solid fantasy production.

[Andy Holloway]

We had a guy in our league start Austin faring Jenkins last week injured, and he put up the same amount of points as a bye week guy. So that's kind of what you're looking at for buys.

[Mike Wright]

Get it together, Gabe.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Shout out. Get it together, Gabe on blast. Stick a fork in them. All right, Trey in Spartanburg, South Carolina. All right, who's got the best rest of season outlook? Randall Cobb, Emmanuel Sanders.

[Jason Moore]

I love this question because one of these guys has been far better than the other one coming in, but I believe rest of season it's still going to be Randall Cobb. He is getting over his shoulder injury while Emmanuel Sanders has just entered into his. And I believe that after this Carolina week, I don't like the matchup. This week for Randall Cobb, but after that the schedule gets really good for Cobb. His health looks completely back and I think he'll return to that wide receiver one status that we've been waiting very long for him to get to.

[Mike Wright]

Emmanuel Sanders also has a pretty delightful schedule with just a couple bumps in there with a the Patriots game.

[Andy Holloway]

Most notably, you guys noticed that Jason has very rosy outlooks for his current roster.

[Mike Wright]

But Randall Cobb, I agree.

[Andy Holloway]

Bright for Jason.

[Mike Wright]

I think better days are coming for Randall Cobb.

[Andy Holloway]

I do too.

[Mike Wright]

And I'll take the, the superstar quarterback who's in the prime of his career.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I agree you could focus on the recent game and be discouraged by it, but I wouldn't.

[Mike Wright]

Or games if you're the Randall Cobb owner.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. But I mean more specifically for Rogers. I mean they played each other last game and obviously the, you know, the packers didn't fare well. So. Nick in St. Louis, should I start Brandon Lafell or Tavon Austin in the flex this week? Other two receivers are A.J. green and Emmanuel Sanders.

[Mike Wright]

We just talked about Tavon Austin, where he is. He is getting it done every week, but it's on such limited work.

[Andy Holloway]

It's low catch total.

[Mike Wright]

It's really hard to trust him. If you, if you want to go for it, I, I'm not going to stop you. Like, that's not a move where I think, oh, that's just crazy. You can't do that. But I would still lean Lefell. He was on the field for over 80% of the snaps for New England who is putting up over 30 points a game. So I'm going to go with Brandon Lafell.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to agree with you. I'm going to lean for Lafell and.

[Jason Moore]

We'Ll make it unanimous. I just like the matchup against the Redskins a little bit better.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Jared in Los Angeles, rest of season question. These are great. Jordan Reed or Tyler Ifert?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Holy guacamole.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's, that's such a split.

[Jason Moore]

How you have to say, I can answer it.

[Andy Holloway]

I think I know what you're saying.

[Jason Moore]

It's going to have to be Tyler Ifert. Even though Jordan Reed on a, on a per game win playing basis has been just as good and actually better than Tyler Eiford. You have to have that caveat, right? You have to say, well, that's if he's out there. I mean, before the season we were high on Jordan Reed, but we said how long is it going to be before he gets injured? And it wasn't that long. And so how long is it going to be, you know, over under on Jordan Reed missing another game? You know, do you expect him to miss another game the rest of the season?

[Mike Wright]

Probably.

[Jason Moore]

Probably just based on history. So I would, if I had to have one of these guys, I'd like either. But I would much rather go Tyler Iford.

[Mike Wright]

If you're the gambler and you want to go go big, you go with Jordan Reed.

[Andy Holloway]

I think I got to just go the Ifrt side because even with the gambling side of things, if it's so high on the list of tight ends, I want that. It's, you know, if this is like Jordan Reed or Ebron or something, you know, I'd be like, oh, just, you know, Jordan Reed with Reed and let it burn down.

[Jason Moore]

Jordan Reed or Barnage?

[Andy Holloway]

It's Barnage. But, but the hard, the hard part.

[Mike Wright]

Of this is the rest of season, really.

[Jason Moore]

So rest of season you're. No, I'm saying rest of season. Would you rather have Tyler Ifert or Gary Barnage?

[Andy Holloway]

Gary Barnage.

[Mike Wright]

Barnage.

[Jason Moore]

Really?

[Andy Holloway]

Workload.

[Jason Moore]

I am so late to the train.

[Mike Wright]

I guess I just gotta jump on, man. Go look. Go look at what he's doing.

[Jason Moore]

No, I realize what he's been doing because I've been trying to throw cold water. I can't.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean there's been maximum Barnage happening. I mean there's a. He's a barnyard dog. See, He's a barnacle.

[Jason Moore]

So you're telling, you're telling people right now, you got Tyler Ifer, go trade him for Gary Barnage.

[Mike Wright]

Not necessarily. If you can one for one, it.

[Jason Moore]

But let me ask you this. You got Gary Barnard. Do you go and trade for Tyler Eifer?

[Mike Wright]

No, you hold on to Barnage.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. I'm just saying I would rather have.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, here's a follow up Barnage of Gates.

[Jason Moore]

Barnage.

[Mike Wright]

Barn is just because of the injury. But that's, that's close to me. If Keenan Allen misses any period of time. Antonio Gates is gonna as long. As long as he can get back in tune with his mcl. Because we know the MCL is big. A big part of Antonio Gates.

[Jason Moore]

We saw that this last week.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a very important part of the knee. Martinez in New Mexico, is Jordan Matthews still a must start player?

[Mike Wright]

No, no. But he's a guy that I don't want to cut. I'd rather have him on my bench.

[Andy Holloway]

Jordan Matthews, I've got a name for everybody.

[Jason Moore]

Is, is a startable player, but definitely not a must start player.

[Andy Holloway]

This is this is the part of the show where my selfish desires in my own leagues get destroyed because obviously we're. We're here for the people. We're here for the Foot Clan.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. What are you doing?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm signing Nelson Aguilar and stashing him in some leagues. Not because I think it's. It's this week. You know, he's practicing again. Huff has done nothing with the opportunity. Jordan Matthews is struggling. Aguilar was a top pick. He's sitting there on your waiver wire in most leagues. If I, if I had to grab a guy with later season upside potential, I'm taking a chance on Aguilar. Maybe it's just me, but he's been, you know, he battled the injury, but they got. They need somebody.

[Mike Wright]

If both Matthews and Aguilar are on the waiver wire, who would you.

[Andy Holloway]

It's Matthews.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Matthews. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Baron in Houston. Are McManus and Goskowski the only kickers you keep through the bye weeks? He has Hausch goodbye coming up. Doesn't know if he should drop him or not. He is ranked fourth among kickers. Great question. Something we debated at lunch a little bit. I'll let you guys speak to it. I got my own thoughts.

[Jason Moore]

Those are the only two that I think are absolutely. I would keep them and not drop them through a buy. The only other guy that is in that ranking to me, Hauschka wouldn't be there for me.

[Mike Wright]

Mike Hauschka, I think, is pretty close, but I am a Justin Tucker owner in many formats and I'm going to do my best to hold on to him.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's kind of what I was going to say. You know, they might be the only two guys. They might not. It really depends on your team. I mean, if you're, if you're in line for the playoffs, I don't see a reason why you can't stash an extra kicker for a week. You know, that might be faux pas in the beginning of the year when you're waiting for breakouts and you're losing or these things. For me, I'm. I've used a lot of my bench spots on. On playoff prep.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

We're getting into the point of the season where it's not uncommon to see my roster or Andy's roster holding two defenses because we know a good matchup is coming and in hand. So like handcuffs become more important if you know, it's a solid handcuff, of course, and multiple defenses and weird things like holding onto a kicker on by. These things come into play now in the season.

[Andy Holloway]

The thing that is going to separate listeners of this show from their league mates is going to be 1, 2, 3 of the little things every week. And a lot of that is going to come down to the kicker or the defense. Unfortunately, just based on the fact that scoring in leagues, you know, it's pretty significant for those positions. It's going to come down to handcuffing the back or grabbing the waiver wire ad. And you do one or two, three of those things and you're just putting the odds in your favor week to week. That's the goal. That's why we exist, is we want to put the odds ever in your favor. Yeah. So there you go. That's funny. It's like I knew the quote. I didn't even know where it came from. It's just in my head.

[Mike Wright]

I read this on a milk carton once.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. Right on the cup at Chipotle. Then I hear that. And I'll be honest with you, my first impulse was X Files.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's like.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no way. That's.

[Mike Wright]

It's more like that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, you might have been Octave High or something.

[Mike Wright]

Immaculate pitch. I'll remind you. That's what they call it.

[Andy Holloway]

I know. So you were probably dead on in the alleys. All right, Bob, in Los Angeles, in the flex, should I play the resilient and rising Michael Crabtree, the new starter, Ronnie Hillman, the need for Snead or Devonte Adams.

[Jason Moore]

Pretty good group to flex in here.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I throw Devonte out, by the way.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, Devontae is definitely out.

[Mike Wright]

He's out for me.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he's playing Carolina and he didn't look very good. And wait and see on him.

[Jason Moore]

He's a guy on our waiver wire show yesterday. I almost brought up as a. Wait one more week. He will be on more waivers after Carolina and then his schedule opens up.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, so who is it? This is a tough pick.

[Mike Wright]

It's. It's crap, people, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Crap, people. Well, let's look at the matchups for people. The Raiders play in Pittsburgh. Hillman takes on who. Who does he have? The Colts. And Snead is facing Titans.

[Mike Wright]

Snead is a great play this week. And for Ronnie Hillman.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm taking Hillman.

[Mike Wright]

Ronnie Hillman. The Coops came out and he said they're going to continue to split CG Anderson looked. Looks pretty good.

[Jason Moore]

This is a Bermuda triangle here because I'm going Snead.

[Andy Holloway]

I already looked at the board here.

[Mike Wright]

I do. Like, it's hard for me to bet against Sneed. You don't have the drop.

[Andy Holloway]

I didn't put the drop in there yet.

[Mike Wright]

Well, then we can't. Then. I won't do it.

[Jason Moore]

You've ruined it.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you want me to go try to find it while you talk about it?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Mike doesn't. He's like, I don't want to take this bet because Willie Snead's the best pick.

[Mike Wright]

It's between Snead and Crabtree for me. And it's.

[Jason Moore]

Crabtree has been great lately. I just really want to build you up on Crabtree. So you'll take this Bermuda Triangle water bet.

[Andy Holloway]

Wait, so the bet would be I.

[Jason Moore]

Would be taking Willie Snead, you would be taking Andy, Ronnie Hillman, and Mike would be taking Michael Crabtree. So we didn't help our listener, but we might have helped the show.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Need you find it? Yeah, go ahead.

[Jason Moore]

Bermuda Triangle water bat.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

All right. Our first ever official Bermuda.

[Andy Holloway]

Sometimes things happen just for novelty. Just for the novelty.

[Mike Wright]

Bermuda and all caps.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's be honest. I don't want to be betting Ronnie Hillman at any time in the future.

[Jason Moore]

And you have.

[Andy Holloway]

And I have. Did I lose?

[Jason Moore]

Yes. I was just.

[Andy Holloway]

The Brandon Lafell.

[Mike Wright]

Cy Hilton bet.

[Jason Moore]

Brandon Lafell with his 4 for 48. You lost because Ty Hilton got Normand.

[Andy Holloway]

As I said, he got rained on and Norman. Yeah, and it was gross. All right. That sucks. I thought I was undefeated.

[Jason Moore]

We'll also get rained on with a watering.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I see. Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Very, very clever.

[Andy Holloway]

They're super smart.

[Mike Wright]

Moving on.

[Andy Holloway]

Matt in Boston. Hey, guys. Love the show. Been downloading and listening all year.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, thanks, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Love the witty banner and the exceptional fantasy advice. Probably in that order. No, hopefully not in that order. I have Julio Jones and AJ Green along with their quarterbacks. Which quarterback should I start this week for the best possible qb? Our wide receiver stack.

[Mike Wright]

Ooh. Okay, so Matt Ryan and Julio are playing San Francisco, and Dalton Green are.

[Andy Holloway]

The red against Cleveland. Hook me up with that Dalton green. Yeah, give me that Dalton green. Oh, it's. It's.

[Mike Wright]

They're both great.

[Andy Holloway]

It's no brainer.

[Mike Wright]

They're both good, though. Yeah. But I'm going to go with Dalton.

[Jason Moore]

I agree. Both good options. The big difference here is the difference between what Matt Ryan's been doing and what Andy Dalton's been doing.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what the words out of my mouth.

[Jason Moore]

That's what's the tiebreaker. So you definitely go Dalton and Green.

[Andy Holloway]

Both could have. Mike is right. Both could have huge weeks. You could be talking about, you know, the best two stacks of the week.

[Mike Wright]

You could be talking about like Ty Hilton or Dante Moncrief.

[Andy Holloway]

Bl. That was. That was rough. That was rough for that guy. All right, Kang like kangaroo in Grand Prairie, Texas. Okay, what do I do with Peyton Manning? Keep him and hope he gets better. You're a few weeks late on this. I think. I think it's, you know, does he trade him?

[Jason Moore]

I still believe. I still believe you can get trade value for Peyton Manning.

[Andy Holloway]

I still believe Peyton Manning could be all right. But I was streamer.

[Mike Wright]

I would trade a bag of chips for Peyton Manning.

[Andy Holloway]

Like generics or like full on, like ruffles.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, you were getting no brand name chips for me. For Peyton Manning, you are getting bottom shelf mostly crumpled up.

[Andy Holloway]

Some of them green in there.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, there's probably some moldy chips in there.

[Jason Moore]

We've said this before, but what I would do is I would take one of your middle tier guys or even one of your upper guys, pair him with Peyton Manning and go and trade to upgrade Rivers. That other guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Go get Rivers.

[Mike Wright]

Good luck.

[Andy Holloway]

Because the rivers runs through it thing, that's way.

[Mike Wright]

That's so much better.

[Jason Moore]

The river runs through the Murray.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Shows getting away. All right. Jeremy in Illinois. Oh, I did it again. Dang it.

[Mike Wright]

Jeremy in Illinois. I am a levy on bell owner. How much fab do I spend on D'Angelo Williams? So some people have their waivers run a little bit later in the week. We talked about this yesterday, but in case you missed it, everything, all of it. You take everything you have and you spend it on D'Angelo Williams to try and stay afloat.

[Andy Holloway]

Shout out to a guy from our league, Nick, who three consecutive weeks signed D'Angelo Williams Sunday morning before the games.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, guy moves.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just a. Maybe something happens.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, guy moves to out on your. On your lineup. You move them to the IR and you pick up a guy off of waivers. That's such a good move.

[Andy Holloway]

Paid off in a humongous way.

[Mike Wright]

So Mark Malcolm in Louisiana, do you think Tyrod Taylor would will play Week 9? If not, would Brian Hoyer be a good start?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to go and read the rest of them.

[Jason Moore]

I'm proud of you, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

This is a bi week start.

[Mike Wright]

Buy him Carson Palmer on play.

[Andy Holloway]

Tyro Taylor.

[Jason Moore]

Absolutely.

[Mike Wright]

Absolutely.

[Andy Holloway]

Jonathan in Fort Lauderdale. Charles Clay or Martellus Bennett.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So you get the easy one to read.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Well, I like that.

[Jason Moore]

I like Both of these options, San Diego and the San Diego Chicago game is the second highest scoring in Vegas. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna go Martellus Bennett here.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I like both these guys, but I'm going to. I would lean Clay with the return of Tyrod Taylor.

[Andy Holloway]

Ah, it's a coin flip for me, but I'll let it land on Clay for this.

[Mike Wright]

I assume that Watkins and everybody is still going to be out, so the weapons for Buffalo are needed.

[Andy Holloway]

Dev. Dev. In New York, playing in a matchup against Big Ben Roethlisberger, he has Heath Miller, D'Angelo Williams and Martavis Bryant. Wondering if it makes fantasy sense to play Martavis over Amari Cooper in order to siphon off whatever points don't go to Antonio Brown. This is one of those fantasy questions that comes up very frequently. I think you're playing with fire. If now Martavis might be the better start over Cooper, that's debatable on its own merits, but that's how I would debate the question because it can go both ways. It's great when the guy does siphon the points up. It's also terrible when the balls go to Antonio Brown or somebody else. Heath Miller in the goal line and you don't get anything from Artavis and then it's like a double whammy.

[Mike Wright]

I always go with the better guy. I don't try and just mitigate like you said, if the mitigation is natural because it's your best matchup, that's nice. But you go with the better player or the better start.

[Andy Holloway]

So the question is, is Martavis or Cooper a better matchup? Cooper plays the Steelers and the Steelers play.

[Mike Wright]

You know, I would go with Cooper.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think Cooper would be the better play. He would be statted ahead. But I do understand this question because they would be so close to me in my opinion that as a tiebreaker I might go Martavis. But I do expect, I mean, David Carr's Derek Carr is my stream of the week. So I'm going to stick with Cooper here.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm with you guys. I'll stick with that. Here's a question, a league question from Corey in Alabama or as he says, Bama, one of the guys in my league has obviously gone awol. His lineup had three guys on a bye week this week. That's fine and all, but he's got several top tier guys on his team. How should I, as the commission handle this situation? Should we have him drop all those guys so the rest of the league can Divvy them up, leave things in and no one gets them or see if we can get him to come back. Just as long, long enough to make some trades for the guys.

[Jason Moore]

We don't want option D, replace him, find another owner to come in and take over that team. If, if that guy wants out, then that's what I would do. I would. I mean if he's got a decent team.

[Andy Holloway]

So let's talk about. Yeah, I completely agree with you. That is the best option. But let me, let me throw something out there for you. If you can't do that, I don't think you, you know, you don't drop them, you don't divvy them up. No, but there's a. There's obviously an integrity league integrity issue where somebody should be in the lineup. So if. Is there any automation of this team that you would approach in the sense of, you know, okay, we look at the Yahoo ranks and we just start the guys that are highest ranked on that team for the integrity of the league. Is that. Do it in reverse and hurt other teams because you're not, you know, if you can't.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I don't, I don't think you can get rid of. You freeze this guy's team if you can't replace him as an owner and you.

[Andy Holloway]

Even with the bye weeks and everything.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And you, you just make sure that you put in the best starters. Based on. Yeah, based on.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you freeze the roster. But yeah, you still put guys in the lineup for them. What do you do, Mike?

[Mike Wright]

I like the. Replacing the owner. That's the best option. If that is not an option, then I completely freeze the team. I leave it as it is. You do not adjust anything because you.

[Andy Holloway]

Say it's not fair. Then it's fair for these teams that have already got to play pure buys to now going forward. The commissioner is going to run the team.

[Jason Moore]

It looks like it was one week though. One guy got to play the three buys.

[Andy Holloway]

Obviously gone awol.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. That's just the way it falls sometimes in fantasy. I had a funny story that I wanted to bring up that's it's sort of similar to a just a league question because they were. Someone was asking me about a collusion type thing and they said a player in the league was tried to add a kicker late and then claimed the system would not let him put the kicker into the lineup. Something funky happened. I don't know.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It sounded fishy either way. Said so to. To move on from that. That player then made a trade with his brother to get Adam Venatieri, who played yesterday. Okay, so to he. He corrected his own mistake. And to get Venetarian, I'm like, well, as long as the trade was fair, you know, there's. I don't have any problem with. I don't care that if it's. That if it's his brother, you got to be able to trade with everybody. You can't have.

[Andy Holloway]

If you don't be in a league with your brother, if you can't have.

[Mike Wright]

Family connections, then the guy comes back, says, okay, well, I just found out that the brother had. No. Did not know anything about the trade, logged into his brother's account, and accepted the trade.

[Andy Holloway]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, so. But here's the question. Here's the question. I mean, clearly, that's. Red flags are everywhere. You got. Everything is abort at this point. But the trade was Jordan Reed for Adam Venateri. What do you do?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, just on principle, you can't let the trade go through.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And you gotta, like. You gotta punish. You gotta punish the. The guy doing this mayhem. He's got to get, like, a loss.

[Mike Wright]

The story just got better and better.

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like he should lose Jordan Reed and Venatori and the week or something like that is ridiculous.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, listen, you want to win like that, just go. It's really easy. It's free. Go to espn. Start a league. Invite yourself and no one else. And no one else. And you will win. But almost 100% of the time. How did he.

[Jason Moore]

Did he think he was gonna get away with that?

[Mike Wright]

The next week, someone would show up.

[Jason Moore]

Where's my kicker?

[Mike Wright]

On a real serious note, guys, I need both of your login information just in case. Just in case you guys can't access your accounts or something, Right? And you need me to do something.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, you know, the system can go wonky when you're trying to sign a kicker. Your phone doesn't work. Yeah, I really buy that story. After hearing what he did at the end of it, I'm sure this. Oh, boy. My phone didn't work anymore. The app's broken. Yeah, okay. You're playing for your brother, too. All right, that does it for today's show. Thanks for listening. Check us out on jointhefoot.com we will be here again tomorrow talking starts of the week. Yes, talking Week 9.

[Jason Moore]

Week 9. Matchups, drama.

[Andy Holloway]

All the injury updates that you could ever imagine. I mean, just hours and hours of them.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Just not hours and hours. But we'll get. We'll give you the big notes. We'll let you know what's going on with guys that might be on your roster who you need to start. Let us know how you did on TwitterFFballers in terms of your waiver wire, guys that you signed. And hopefully things are going well for you this week.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we got. We have some. You can hit the button, but we have some big matchups in our league of record. Yeah, the playoffs are on the line here.

[Andy Holloway]

They're coming. Be sure to check out Harry's as well.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, absolutely.

[Andy Holloway]

Use that code. Footballers money on.

[Mike Wright]

Goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another edition of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Don't forget to visit us on the web at www.thefantasyfootball and follow us on Twitter at theffballers.