Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Week 1 Updates, News, & Mailbag

Summary

Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast Episode: Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Week 1 Updates, News, & Mailbag
Release Date: September 7, 2016

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1. Draft Story: The Alan Hearns Mix-Up

Timestamp: 02:58 – 05:12

The hosts kick off the episode by sharing a hilarious draft day story submitted by listener Patrick from Fort Lauderdale. During a fraternity draft event, a miscommunication occurs when a member refers to "Alan Hearns" instead of "Alan Robinson." Both drafters continue to advocate for Alan Hearns, leading to confusion and ultimately, Hearns being selected at the first-round pick eight. The trio revels in the humorous outcome, emphasizing the importance of attention during drafts.

• Mike Wright [04:25]: "So, Alan Hearns, if you're out there, take this story to your counterpart there, throw it in his face, let him know you were the first round pick of this draft."

2. News and Notes: Key Updates Impacting Fantasy Football

Timestamp: 07:12 – 40:13

The hosts delve into several NFL news items that are crucial for fantasy managers:

• Seahawks Depth Chart Shake-Up:

  • Timestamp: 07:12 – 09:31
  • Kristen Michael is listed ahead of Thomas Rawls on the Seahawks' initial depth chart, raising concerns about Rawls' fantasy value. Andy Holloway [08:04]: "I wouldn't freak out just yet... If Christian Michael comes out week one and lights it up, then I would have more concern."

• Ezekiel Elliott Cleared of Legal Issues:

  • Timestamp: 10:42 – 11:02
  • Elliott is officially cleared of all domestic violence investigations, removing a significant distraction for fantasy managers.

• Jared Goff as a Healthy Scratch:

  • Timestamp: 11:02 – 12:02
  • Goff will not start in week one, marking a rare instance since JaMarcus Russell where a top quarterback is benched initially.

• Saints Kicker Change:

  • Timestamp: 12:15 – 12:51
  • The Saints have replaced Kai Forbath with Will Lutz, prompting fantasy managers to adjust their kicker selections.

• Tyler Lockett vs. Jermaine Kearse:

  • Timestamp: 12:54 – 14:44
  • A discussion on the depth chart decisions affecting their fantasy relevance, highlighting the unpredictability of receiver performances early in the season.

3. Mailbag: Listener Questions Answered

Timestamp: 16:15 – 40:13

The hosts address various listener inquiries, providing expert advice on diverse fantasy scenarios:

• Dropping Players: Steve Smith vs. Justin Forsett

  • Timestamp: 16:29 – 17:25
  • Andy Holloway [16:42]: "I would drop Steve Smith in this situation."
  • Consensus advice leans towards releasing Steve Smith due to uncertainty around his participation and performance.

• Starting Players: Thomas Rawls vs. Danny Woodhead

  • Timestamp: 17:47 – 19:35
  • Mike Wright [18:25]: "I would go with Danny Woodhead based on my rankings this week."
  • The hosts recommend favoring Woodhead over Rawls, considering matchup difficulties and usage projections.

• Stacking Players from the Same Team: Marshall, Decker, and Forté

  • Timestamp: 19:31 – 21:40
  • Andy Holloway [19:33]: "You don't really want to start both of them."
  • The discussion emphasizes the risks of having multiple players from the same team, suggesting flexibility in lineup decisions.

• Rookie Wide Receiver Selection: Michael Thomas, Will Fuller, or Tyler Boyd

  • Timestamp: 25:19 – 28:22
  • Mike Wright [25:26]: "I went with Tyler Boyd; I think he was the flyer that was worthwhile."
  • Jason Moore [27:28]: "Give me Fuller for the..."
  • The consensus leans towards Tyler Boyd, citing offensive schemes and preseason performances, though Fuller is also a viable option.

• Trade Evaluation: Adrian Peterson for Jamal Charles and Keenan Allen

  • Timestamp: 34:31 – 35:07
  • Andy Holloway [34:42]: "Yeah, do it."
  • The trade is endorsed, reflecting the high fantasy value of Charles and Allen over Peterson.

• Starting Tight End: Gary Barnage vs. Others

  • Timestamp: 38:31 – 40:06
  • Mike Wright [39:17]: "I consider Gary Barnage the salad of the tight end position... nutritionally viable."
  • Andy Holloway [39:21]: "I believe in him... Jury's out a little bit for me."
  • Barnage is recommended as a reliable TE option, though some caution due to offensive system changes.

• Starting Flex Players: Spencer Ware vs. Jeremy Langford

  • Timestamp: 29:31 – 31:09
  • Mike Wright [30:00]: "I would go with Spencer Ware."
  • The advice prefers Ware for his matchup and potential over Langford, considering defensive uncertainties.

• Auction Draft Error: Accidental $89 Bid on Arian Foster

  • Timestamp: 31:23 – 34:22
  • Andy Holloway [32:00]: "You have to have a little bit of grace and sympathy for this person."
  • The hosts suggest leniency if the mistake is promptly acknowledged, highlighting sportsmanship in league management.

• Game Time Slots: Thursday vs. Sunday vs. Monday Night Games

  • Timestamp: 35:07 – 38:22
  • Andy Holloway [35:30]: "I loathe the Thursday matchup when I have my stud on Thursday."
  • Mike Wright [36:21]: "Having a player in all the games is fun. It gives you strategic advantages."
  • The debate centers around the pros and cons of different game time slots, with a slight preference for having players in multiple games for strategic flexibility.

4. Insights and Conclusions

Throughout the episode, the Fantasy Footballers provide actionable insights tailored to help listeners navigate Week 1 challenges. They emphasize the importance of:

• Flexibility in Lineups: Adjusting based on player performances and matchups.
• Monitoring Depth Charts: Early-season changes can significantly impact player value.
• Strategic Play: Leveraging game time slots and roster flexibility to maximize weekly gains.
• Community Engagement: Encouraging listeners to share stories and seek advice through their platforms.

Notable Quotes

• Andy Holloway [04:44]: "How quick do you pull the trigger on laughing in their face?"
• Mike Wright [08:37]: "Nobody thinks that Spencer Ware is going to run away with the job if Jamal Charles is healthy."
• Jason Moore [19:33]: "You don't really want to start both of them."
• Mike Wright [25:26]: "I went with Tyler Boyd; I think he was the flyer that was worthwhile."
• Andy Holloway [32:33]: "Now, I will say this, though, right? We started today's show by a great story of Alan Hearns over Alan Robinson."

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For more insights and detailed analyses, tune into future episodes of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast and join their thriving fantasy football community.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan, are you bummed that your draft is over? Well, I got great news. It does not have to be. You can draft a new team every single week with the draft app. And in draft, you get to play, like I said, every single week. You can jump into a free game, you can jump into a paid game, and if you want to jump in those paid games, you know what draft is doing for you right now? A hundred percent bonus match of your deposit, up to $600 with your first deposit. This is what I need you to do, Foot Clan. You go download the Draft app on iOS, it's on Android. You use the promo code ballers. And you know what that code is going to get you? It's going to get you into a league to play against fellow Foot Clan listeners, including us. So download the draft app right now.

[David Johnson]

Hey, this is David Johnson, running back of the Arizona Cardinals, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Footballers Podcast coming to you from the fantasyjocks.com studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

What is that?

[Mike Wright]

I don't know. It's one of those days, man. The day before the day, the day before the day. And my voice is doing strange things today, so I had to try it out. I. Hmm. It got away from me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome to the podcast, the Fantasy footballers. Back again. Wednesday, September 7th. We are back and football is back and we're excited about the show today. We have a very just hilarious story to share in lieu of a quick question today, a draft story. Okay, so one of the listeners shared this with us. I think you'll really, really enjoy it. So I'm excited about that. How you guys doing today? Mike the fantasy hitman, Jason Moore.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm recovering and I'll tell you, I'm doing a lot better than Kai for bath.

[Mike Wright]

The life of a kicker.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it's a rough life.

[Mike Wright]

Great life if you are the kicker.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But I mean, to me, while you are.

[Unknown]

While you are employed as the kicker, I guess pretty sweet gig if you're.

[Mike Wright]

Adam Vinatieri or Gosh Kowski.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I've heard it's a lonely life, though. But I mean, even Adam Sandler told.

[Mike Wright]

Me it's like Oskowski last year, he had the missed extra point. Haunted. Haunted by. So how you doing, Jason?

[Unknown]

I'm doing very well. I feel like right now I am pre sick thanks to you two fellas. So I need to. I need to appreciate being healthy right now.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Unknown]

And next week when I'm sick, I Will blame both of you coughing all around me.

[Mike Wright]

We do appreciate you not giving us that parasite you had. Yeah, well, that sounds otherworldly. All right, look. Share this story Share this story because you got this, what, via email? Twitter. What was it?

[Unknown]

Yeah, we got this through our website. Someone, I believe it was Patrick in Fort Lauderdale wanted to tell us a little bit of a story of his draft day. He said he's a new listener, he's had a great time listening, and he's in a queue league. Right. With his fraternity brothers. And since they graduated, the winner decides the destination. They all go to that place for the draft. And so the day before the draft, they all get there on Labor Day weekend ready to draft with their friends. And what happened was one of the members of his draft started talking. They were all talking about who they're going to draft with, their first round pick. And someone started talking about Alan Hearns. Obviously, they meant to be talking about Alan Robinson. And so he said that his buddy almost corrected him and, you know, said, hey, well, what are you talking about? You mean Alan Robinson? But then they caught eyes for a second. They locked eyes and they thought, we're gonna let this go on.

[Andy Holloway]

So the friend continued to talk up Alan Hearns.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

So they talked as a great early round draft.

[Unknown]

Yes. So they both talked up Alan Hearns. Well, he said he completely forgot about the conversation until they're at their draft. And lo and behold, round one, pick eight goes to Alan Hearns. So they had immense satisfaction for being part of the reason for his terrible decision.

[Mike Wright]

So, Alan Hearns, if you're out there, take this story to your counterpart there, throw it in his face, let him know you were the first round pick of this draft. That's outstanding.

[Andy Holloway]

That.

[Unknown]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

How. How quick do you pull the trigger on laughing in their face?

[Mike Wright]

I know probably immediately.

[Andy Holloway]

Is it right?

[Mike Wright]

Is it travel draft? This is a fraternity.

[Unknown]

You. You. Yes, absolutely. But I will say this.

[Mike Wright]

The next player needs to take Alan Robinson.

[Unknown]

I was just gonna say, if I'm on, if I'm number nine, I don't even care if it's Robinson, but I blurt out my next pick immediately. Whoever Lamar Miller. Alan Hearns locked in.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. No takes. He backsy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's hilarious. Now watch Alan Hearns come out and dominate.

[Unknown]

He's the best.

[Mike Wright]

Three weeks he beats. Thought that was hilarious. I'm sure you guys have hilarious draft stories. You can share them with us on Twitter @ the FF Ballers. You. It's the beginning of the season, too. You should grab our Wheel of Water app it and make some bets with your friends like we do every single week on the show. And then if you pay those bets out, spin the wheel of Water, throw water on each other. Send those on Twitter, hashtag wheel of Water and we will retweet them. The saddest, laugh at them.

[Andy Holloway]

The satisfaction from something so ridiculous as pouring a cup of water on your friend.

[Mike Wright]

In a variety of fashions, in, of.

[Andy Holloway]

Course, in hilarious, embarrassing fashions for the victim. Look, you gotta, you have to believe me that it sounds silly until you're doing it and you're laughing in their face.

[Unknown]

So much fun.

[Andy Holloway]

And when you get the water, you feel ashamed.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. As you should.

[Unknown]

It might as well.

[Mike Wright]

As you should. They might as well be tears. We should add that. All right. So yeah, you can follow us on twitter @the ff ballers if you want to get connected with us on our own accounts at Andy Holloway, at Jason FFL and at FF Hitman. If you have a question for the show like we're answering a number of today in our mailbag segment, you can go to thefantasyfootballers.com submit your questions over there. Also, check out the plethora of articles that are being released all season long. And we're super, super excited about all of the articles that are going up on the site. We have weekly articles that are going up. We have some DFS articles that are going to be up there. Very excited about that. Just more free resources for you to help you dominate your league. And definitely check us out, subscribe on YouTube as well if you want to watch the show. If you want to watch Mike and I cough repeatedly in Jason's vicinity until he slowly.

[Unknown]

Until I'm missing from the show.

[Mike Wright]

Until you're missing. Well, we, you know, want to parse it down to the most accurate analysts. All right, let's get into the news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, there it is. Jason. Jason and I were subjected to way too much Katy Perry. I'm wide awake. From Mike yesterday because he's continuing the awakening theme. Mike, just read it. Just read it.

[Andy Holloway]

There was breaking news yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

Breaking breaking news.

[Andy Holloway]

That heartbreaking Kristen Michael was listed ahead. Ahead first, not second. First listed ahead of Thomas Rawls on the Seahawks initial depth chart.

[Mike Wright]

All right, voice of reasonableness. Come tell us the real truth behind this story, though. What's that? What's, what's going on here? If you're Thomas Rawls owner, you drafted him early, you got him at a value. Are you freaking out or what is the story?

[Andy Holloway]

I wouldn't freak out just yet, but similar to the Jamal Charles owner, you're gonna have to wait and see if this pays off for you. However, if Christian Michael comes out week one and just lights it up, then I certainly would have more concern as the Rawls owner. I mean, preseason.

[Mike Wright]

So you think. Let me put it this way. Nobody thinks that Spencer Ware is going to run away with the job if Jamal Charles healthy.

[Unknown]

Correct.

[Mike Wright]

Could Kristen Michael take enough workload permanently from Thomas Rawls to jeopardize Thomas Rawls fancy value and where you got him in the draft?

[Andy Holloway]

To me, yes.

[Mike Wright]

So you think that's possible, Jamie, do you think that's possible?

[Unknown]

I do think that's possible. I still do not expect it to happen. Kristen Michael has always been talented and he can run fast and just. I don't think he can get the best.

[Andy Holloway]

But he's been sleeping, man.

[Unknown]

Yeah, I know. I literally yesterday I look over from my office over to Mike, and all the time throughout the day, he's got his fingers holding his eyes open as wide as they can to say, see, Mike? He's awake. There's awakening. Look, you know, I don't think I was that surprised by, you know, the initial depth chart showing C Mike ahead of Thomas Rawls. I am personally not very worried about it. I think the possibility exists, but I still like Thomas Rawls. Don't go out there and get rid of Thomas Rawls and get Kristen Michael for some exorbitant value. I mean, I'm not.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, to weigh in here. I'm with you. I think Thomas Strauss will be fine, but he will not be fine this week. And I did not stat him our rankings. By the way, everyone's asking, where's our week one rankings? Getting our rankings up is a balance, right. Between not wanting to do it so early that we're giving you just random rankings. Right. We want to dig deep into the numbers. We do our rankings by game projections. We each stat out each player. And so those will go up on Wednesday every week. Just so when you're looking for them, they'll go up on Wednesday. I do have most of my running backs done, and I statted Christian Michael as the better running back in week one. I do think they'll both get carries. I don't think Rawls will be out like I do Charles, but I'm with you. I think Rawls will be able to regain that. Regain that role.

[Unknown]

And depth charts, I mean, depth charts are not the end all be all. Put it this way. Same team, right? Same exact team. Who would you start in the game, Tyler Lockett or Jermaine Curse? Yeah, because Tyler Lockett's behind Jermaine Curse on the depth chart and nobody's going, oh, the awakening for, for Jermaine Curse.

[Mike Wright]

Mike. Mike did that yesterday for Curse. Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, so that's some good perspective there. Ezekiel Elliot. The news is that he has been cleared of all domestic violence investigation related things. Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, that, that news kind of trailed off after the initial output, but it's, that's great. It's, it's great to hear that. It's now in the past.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Don't have to worry about that. Jared Goff. Wow. Will be a healthy scratch for week one. What was that stat you brought up earlier?

[Andy Holloway]

Jared Goff is the first quarterback taking at number one overall to not start in week one since jamarcus Russell. This is.

[Mike Wright]

And we've had an up close and personal view of Jared Goff's development or lack thereof on, on Hard Knocks. Hard Knocks. You know, I don't want to be disrespectful to any of the coaching staff there, but you just see, you see what happens, right, mentally when you draft a guy that high in all of those meetings. And the way they talk about him, it's almost like the whole introduction is.

[Andy Holloway]

Like, hey, check out Jared Goff.

[Mike Wright]

Why? And I just mean that even the color, everything is rose colored because you have to be. You have to be. You get in those meetings. Oh, he's really coming along. He's really coming along. And you know, he'll probably come along.

[Andy Holloway]

Maybe he needs a break. Jeff Fisher's doing him a solid here, giving him a break for week one.

[Mike Wright]

Well, it's going to be Case Kingdom for the foreseeable future. Tyler Lockett, we said he's listed behind Jermaine Curse. I think we all would rather play Tyler Lockett. I love Tyler Lockett this year. Kai for Bath.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. If you're in cut, if you're using kickers and you had Kai for Bath, the Saints are now using Will Lutz, undrafted free agents over Kai Forbath.

[Mike Wright]

All you got to do is you just kick the ball in between the, the yellow, the post.

[Unknown]

That's all done.

[Mike Wright]

Well done.

[Unknown]

Your son's gonna be a kicker. You can really coach him up.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I said kick it right there.

[Unknown]

See those yellow things?

[Mike Wright]

I want to be a kicking coach. Kick it up there.

[Andy Holloway]

Right there.

[Mike Wright]

Jeremy Curley listed as the harder. Kick harder.

[Unknown]

Exactly. You're too far away. Kick harder.

[Mike Wright]

Sure, sure. If you're up close.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You don't have to do it. That's hard. You might as well. Jeremy Curley listed as the starting slot receiver on the week one depth chart for the 49ers.

[Andy Holloway]

It's interesting.

[Mike Wright]

It's interesting because. Not because I have any interest in Jeremy Curley, but because it, it is a sentence that describes the wide receiver circumstances in San Francisco. That's what's interesting to me.

[Andy Holloway]

And to me, here's the deal. Somebody's going to get targets. Somebody.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it doesn't matter. Doesn't matter at all.

[Unknown]

I agree with Andy.

[Mike Wright]

Oh yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it could matter.

[Mike Wright]

I mean. Okay, let's pretend for a minute. Jeremy Curley is listed as the Tennessee Titans starting slot receiver for the week one depth chart.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a completely different offense. Okay, so it's an offense that is very.

[Mike Wright]

Your excitement for Curly is based on Chip Kelly.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, it's based on the Chip Kelly high volume offense that somebody there is.

[Mike Wright]

Going high volume.01 target for Tory Smith in the preseason.

[Andy Holloway]

That's why I like Tory Smith, because I thought he would be the guy getting the target.

[Mike Wright]

It's no. 1. They stink.

[Andy Holloway]

So they're not going to throw the ball.

[Mike Wright]

They're going to throw the ball. But targets don't mean catches, baby.

[Andy Holloway]

I just.

[Unknown]

It will be, it will be interesting. I do see Mike's point of the fact that they're an NFL team that will be throwing the ball and having people catch the ball and they will be scoring touchdowns, albeit less than many other teams. It's just a matter of finding the right relevant player. For my taste, it's actually Vance McDonald. I think he's going to be the more consistent guy and the red zone opportunity guy. More so than the slew of middling wide receivers who maybe one game, Tori Smith has a good one.

[Mike Wright]

I have no doubt you could flip a nine sided coin and land on that one player that you could have started in your fantasy roster.

[Unknown]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

And I. The Big Sal is probably the. I mean, Sean drone might have more fantasy relevance than just about anybody on that team.

[Unknown]

Nine receptions, week one.

[Mike Wright]

Is that what you have projected?

[Unknown]

No.

[Mike Wright]

All right, well, you guys have any other news you want to share? Anything else going on?

[Unknown]

You know there is. I will say this.

[Mike Wright]

We posted our league of record rosters, by the way, and it was a very. What's so amazing about fantasy football is this we put people put team A team or Jason put team A, team B, team C. Everybody assumed whose roster was Whose. Some people thought that I had taken Arian Foster in the third round because.

[Unknown]

Our keepers on the list.

[Mike Wright]

Our keepers were listed there, which was not the case. Although whatever you would have if he was not quite. But what was funny is, is not that people had different opinions. Like there were tons of A's, B's and C's. I actually don't know who won. Like I would. I would scan it down and people were voting for each team. But what's amazing is it's. It's not. Yeah, I think Team A. Yeah. I think Team B, it's. Team C sucks. Team A is. Team A is obviously the best team. Team B for sure.

[Unknown]

Team sees a loser team the exact opposite right next to him.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Everyone is so sure that one is the best and then that same one is the worst. It's just. It's amazing the perspective differences in fantasy football. Cool thing is we get to find out finally.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, finally tomorrow, big game. We've got the Panthers and Broncos tomorrow in Denver. Very exciting. So let's go ahead and let's jump into the mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Sounded good. Sounded very good. We're getting back righty. Let's go. Let's go to Brandon in Cincinnati.

[Andy Holloway]

Hi, Brandon.

[Mike Wright]

He has a question. He says, should I drop Steve Smith or Justin force set? I need a defense and it's getting close to crunch time. PPR league. What do you do for Brandon?

[Unknown]

You drop Steve Smith. Steve Smith, you know, right now I don't know the likelihood that he plays week one or that he doesn't and if he does, how ready he is. Justin for set will be the starter. He will get the first opportunity and could be much more fantasy relevant in week one than four set. Plus, if there's a. Let's say it was an even tie, right. And both guys are equally valuable and equally droppable, then I'm usually going to hold on to the running back because on waivers, if I need to find a starter at wide receiver, I can usually do it much more easily than running backs. They are held on to more. So I would drop Steve Smith in this situation.

[Andy Holloway]

I would agree.

[Mike Wright]

I agree as well. I think I've had a lot of people sending these questions where they didn't draft the defense and then they want to know who to drop at this point, which, I mean, strategically you did a great thing, but it is hard to drop one of these guys because there are more guys on the waiver wire now that I'd love to have on my bench. That I can't.

[Unknown]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we're going to jump into a voicemail question.

[David Johnson]

Hey, ballers, it's Billy from Jersey. Quick question. In a little bit of a jam point five PPR league, I got Thomas rolls. Got hit with that news with Pete Carroll. Cannot make up his mind. I don't know if I should start him or bench him for Danny Woodhead. Thanks, ballers.

[Andy Holloway]

Half point. That's what I. Okay, half point ppr. Danny Woodhead or Thomas Rawls.

[Unknown]

That's tough because the matchup, I mean, you can be scared about Rawls, but the matchup for Danny Woodhead is not the best. I personally, I'm still going to roll.

[Andy Holloway]

Out Rawls and I would. I would counter that by saying, yeah, Danny Woodhead's in a bad matchup where they're not going to be able to run. I don't think the Chargers will be able to run. They'll have to throw on the other side this Seattle has a great matchup where they could be up by two touchdowns by halftime and they're not going to play Thomas Rawls then in my opinion, I think they would pull him.

[Mike Wright]

And say, so you would go with Danny Wood?

[Andy Holloway]

I would go Danny Woodhead.

[Mike Wright]

I would go with Danny Woodhead. Based on my rankings this week, I'd go with Danny Woodhead. I don't think Rawls offers you the upside this week of Danny Woodhead based on the snap counts and things that are going on. He could prove me wrong. He could prove me wrong. I think that one's a very close call and so you can check out all of our rankings on there and make that decision as well. I didn't say this at the top. If you have a question for the mailbag, go to the website the Fancy Footballers.com. click on the submit a question button in the upper right hand corner or dial our voicemail hotline. Like that question there, which is 302464 TFFB. This is a question from Mike in Ohio. Is it okay to have Forte, Marshall and Decker on the same fantasy team? Oof. What do you think?

[Andy Holloway]

Is it okay?

[Mike Wright]

Is it a Jets only league?

[Andy Holloway]

I'll allow it if that's the question, but it's in ppr. We've talked about the having Marshall and Decker on the same team and first and it feels bad. You don't. Because you don't really want to start both of them.

[Unknown]

You would have been fine if you did, but yeah, yeah, you just.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't feel great about. There's no confidence starting here's the problem.

[Unknown]

I have with, with stacking a team like this so, so deeply, especially going beyond just Marshall and Decker, but adding in Forte Week one is the perfect example. They go to play the Bengals and they are a good defense. The Vegas point spread in that game is very low. I think it's like 4. 41. 41 and a half points total to be scored in that game. So now you've got, you've got, you know, half of your fantasy team at the most important positions here in a bad matchup. And so what, you just lose. That's why spreading the wealth around, it allows you to have more flexibility based on weekly matchups, things like that.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, very well said. And I. We were talking about this yesterday. Like there are so many situations in which logically, look, we're going to have lots of wide receiver tandems in our rankings that are both start worthy. Right. They're both, you know, Jordy A. Cobb or. Or Marshall Decker.

[Unknown]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Marshall Decker, Hearns and Robinson. These number one.

[Andy Holloway]

Number one. Alan Hearns.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Manuel Sanders, Demarius Thomas, all of those guys are going to be start worthy. But here is why the mental hurdle is there for starting two guys. And it's okay on some teams, but not three. Very often the problem is this. You mentally, as a fantasy owner want the opportunity to have all of your players explode. That's what it is. It's the thought process that Marshall might score three touchdowns, but not at the expense of my other wide receiver. You know, if I have Marshall and Hearns, both of those guys could score two touchdowns today. But it's un. It's just not very likely that you'll have boom production out of both. I think that's why the mental thing there is there. Even though the logic says, okay, they're both start. Whether you should just play them, it doesn't matter if they're both on your team or somebody else's team.

[Andy Holloway]

Sounds like you don't believe in the beard.

[Mike Wright]

I don't believe in playing 3, 3 from one team.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't think he's 5 a game?

[Mike Wright]

It's doubtful. It's doubtful. Hey, before we grab this next question, I want to thank today's sponsor. You heard us talk about it yesterday. It is the app to have the draft app. It's trending on itunes right now. They are. It's a brand new. A different way to play dfs. And it's snake drafting real drafts.

[Unknown]

Like. Like if you draft a guy, I can't draft him. What? What we're Used to. I love that.

[Mike Wright]

And the best thing, I mean there's league functionality in there. Yesterday on our show, after the show, we did a three person league draft. So we drafted against each other, 15 seconds a pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Super quick.

[Mike Wright]

My team was the best. It was by far the best.

[Unknown]

Till Jordy catches that bomb from my guy Aaron.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's true. Then you double up. But you've got to check this out. And like Mike said in the intro, right, if you jump in the draft app, so you go to iOS or Android, just type in draft. Download the draft app. If you type in ballers, you'll get put into a league with us and with all of the listeners of the show. And we have a free league, but we also have a $10 league. Right. Like this app is awesome for $5, $10 head to head games. It's, it's really fun. And they match your first deposit up to 600 bucks. And so it's just a great way to, yeah, 100% match. Upgrade your weekend with draft. Enjoy Sunday morning. You never have to stop drafting. I mean, we love this app.

[Unknown]

Oh yeah. Hopping in for $1, $5 games left and right. I just love it. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And if you're on your computer, you can go to playdraft.com ballers that'll get you involved. And if you joined the leagues yesterday, jump into the $10 league with us. See if you can win some money, win some prizes. Super fun.

[Andy Holloway]

And I tell you what I'm going to do out there. Foot clan.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Weekly I'm going to figure out how to get how to choose the contestant. But weekly I'm going to go head to head with water. You for a full water bet. Me versus you. Mono e, mono or woman on oh.

[Unknown]

For a water bet.

[Mike Wright]

There you go.

[Andy Holloway]

So we're check my Twitter for that.

[Unknown]

We also want to thank our other sponsor, a new sponsor here of the fantasy footballers, Warby Parker. Warby Parker has a new concept in eyewear, right? I mean, everybody has a personal brand. Mikey's got the beard. Andy, you've got the tight nice part in your hair. But for me, for me, my brand is my glasses, right? This is a fashion accessory in addition to a completely necessary part of my life. Glasses are important. And Warby Parker has this concept where they have contemporary eyeglasses that are actually affordable. I know, it's crazy fashionable and affordable. You don't have to like pay the price of a plane ticket or a new iPhone just to have glasses. In fact, glasses start at 95 bucks. Okay. That's including prescription lenses and sunglasses. 95 bucks including polarized lenses. Here's the cool thing, because I was worried, like, well, how do I buy glasses online? They have this thing called their home try on program and here's what they're going to do. They will send you five different frames completely free, risk free. You can get them at home. They send you a prepackaged, prepaid shipping box so you can try them on. Get the input from your friends, your family, your wife, your husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, whoever say which glasses look best. Then you ship them back, give them your prescription and they ship you out the great glasses. And that's completely risk free. It's free to try. So here's what you do. Head to Warby Parker. That's W A r b y parker.com Footballers for the free home try on program again warbyparker.com Footballers to begin your free home try on experience today.

[Mike Wright]

All right, rookie wideout question from Scott in Arizona. Hey, guys, love the show. Used your UDK for my draft and had a great draft.

[Unknown]

Nice.

[Mike Wright]

Been hearing that a lot. Great to hear. My question is, out of these three, which rookie whiteout would you roster? Michael Thomas, Will Fuller or Tyler Boyd? And this is a PPR league. And I. Let me say this. I faced this question at the end of my draft. I was staring down my draft board. I had the last pick in my draft, which I know should have been like a kicker, right? But I put off this decision about a rookie and I looked at Fuller and I looked at Boyd and I looked at Thomas and I went with Boyd, I went with Tyler Boyd, Fuller. It was close between Fuller and Boyd. I just thought that the kind of top end upside of what could happen this year, I mean, if. If AJ Green went down, if Brandon lefell plays like Brandon Lefell.

[Andy Holloway]

How dare you.

[Mike Wright]

I know. I just think Tyler Boyd with the offense, with Dalton, the good things we've seen in the preseason, to me, he was the flyer that was worthwhile. And I will add this. I didn't want to take a flyer on a guy that I thought I was going to have to wait six to eight weeks to see upside on because that player is an illusion. He's not actually a roster spot. I would drop him in two or three weeks.

[Unknown]

Right? No, I agree. I would rank them. Boyd, Fuller, Michael Thomas. Fuller is not getting enough respect, I feel like in the draft circles because, you know, he dealt with drops and a long ball and his specialty is a long ball. But he's looked great in Preseason Brock Osweiler has the arm to get him the ball. The problem there is I'm not sure there's going to be enough targets to actually start him. Whereas with Tyler Boyd. The great thing about guys like Tyler Boyd and you always want this on wide receiver, he's always open. You always want those wide receivers that on. It seems like on every play he can get open for a pass, the target numbers go up the. You know and I completely agree. Brandon lefell, look, he's. He's not that good. He's currently the number two. I expect after a couple weeks Tyler Boyd will go to the outside role in two wide receiver sets. I like Boyd a lot. He was one of my favorite guys coming into this year's draft.

[Andy Holloway]

Give me Fuller for the.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, that's fine. And Fuller looked great for those keeping score though I took Tajie Sharp three rounds earlier. I think Tajie Sharp is the rookie wide receiver to own personally that so I have him above. I mean it's him and Shepard I was going to say are the highest producers.

[Andy Holloway]

Shepard or Sharp then.

[Mike Wright]

Well, don't ask me that.

[Unknown]

Oh, Shepard or Sharp.

[Mike Wright]

You know, I'm going to take Tajie Sharp because you want.

[Unknown]

It's simple. Give me a water.

[Mike Wright]

Tajay Sharp is going to be the number one wide receiver in Tennessee and Shepard can't be. I agree that now the number one.

[Unknown]

In Tennessee but the number one in Tennessee is Delaney Walker.

[Mike Wright]

I don't agree with you. I don't agree with you. And I would water better reception total between those two.

[Unknown]

Between.

[Mike Wright]

You're saying Delaney Walker and Tajie Sharp.

[Unknown]

Oh, and Tajie Sharp.

[Mike Wright]

Put your money where your mouth is, brother.

[Unknown]

All right, I will. I will make the bet on targets.

[Mike Wright]

No. Well, you just said the number one receiver in Tennessee is Delaney Walker.

[Unknown]

All right, let's do it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Water bet.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we needed a water bet today.

[Unknown]

Yeah, it's been a while.

[Mike Wright]

I mean it's been a little while. We got the season started out all right.

[Unknown]

We need a water bet for tomorrow night's game so we could pay out a water tomorrow. And let me just say this because this is how I feel about it and I think I might be different than you guys. So there might be a water bet to be found here. I hate this game. Like I absolutely think that this game is going to be a fantasy albatross. I don't want to personally start almost anyone in this game. I think it's going to be a defensive oriented early season getting kinks out defenses are better than offenses early on. You, you got two great defenses. You got. So if anybody thinks, hey, someone's going to do great in this game, I'll pretty much guarantee I got a water bet against them. And I'm thinking it's Cam Newton, Cameron Newton, Andy. So think about it. Make me a bet.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, I, I think I agree with everything you said, which sucks. So. All right, let's go ahead and jump into another voicemail question here, let me get it pulled up.

[David Johnson]

Hi, this is Tom from Burlington, New Jersey. I hope you guys had a great Labor Day holiday. My question is a start fidum and a flex. It is a one point ppr. Should I start Spencer Ware or Jeremy Langford in week one?

[Mike Wright]

Thanks, Lana. Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, I'm sure you drafted Lankford well ahead of where and you're excited for Lankford. This is not a hard one for me personally.

[Unknown]

No, I think this is an easy pick and this is a perfect question.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah. And for me it's Spencer Warehouse. I mean Spencer Ware I have as a top 10 running back this week. I think Langford has a very difficult matchup. He faces Houston in Houston.

[Andy Holloway]

He did say ppr.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he did. I still say where, but that is a good point.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I agree. I still lean towards where the PPR makes it closer.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's true.

[Andy Holloway]

Because where is not going to be catching a bunch of passes if for.

[Unknown]

Some reason, and this is one of those, you got to pay attention to the end. Because I agree with you, Andy, it's easy as of this, this moment, it's where. But come, you know, come Saturday, come Sunday, if the news, if these two things break different, then I would actually start layingford ahead and it would be if it says that Jamal Charles is going to play in split reps. So if the expectation is he might get half the reps and JJ Watt is not going to play because that's the matchup against Jeremy Langford. If those two things happen, then I'm not so worried about Houston's defense without Watt. And I'm not so thrilled about where with Jamal Charles. However, I expect Jamal Charles to not play or barely play and J.J. watt to play. So I'm going where.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. All right. Draft question. A draft controversy question from Doug and New Hampshire. These auction draft. Somebody put up Arian Foster, a player in our league accidentally bid $89.

[Andy Holloway]

Andy.

[Mike Wright]

Right, right. Was supposedly asking for a friend trying to hit. Asking for a friend was trying to hit he was really trying to hit 8 on the keyboard. He hit 8, 9. He wanted us to redo the bidding. We refused. Who is right?

[Unknown]

Ooh. If.

[Andy Holloway]

If said player, who is definitely not Andy said immediately that I didn't mean to put 89. And you guys know it's pretty clear that no one in their right mind is gonna bet 89 bucks for Arian.

[Unknown]

What?

[Mike Wright]

On a thousand dollar budget? Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

No one in a regular league is going 89. You can't. Yeah, you got to have a little bit of grace and sympathy for this person. We've all fat fingered. We've all done it.

[Unknown]

If he said it right away, you know, he hits that and goes, oh, shoot, I made a mistake. That's fine. If it. If it's like, if it goes hard, if it goes all the way through and then he.

[Andy Holloway]

If he notices after it went through and was like, oh, crap, I didn't mean this to do 89, then too bad. But if you say it right away, then you got. Come on, man.

[Unknown]

Now, I will say this, though, right? We started today's show by a great story of Alan Hearns over Alan Robinson. I mean, if someone in our draft. Right. Someone in our draft actually said at 108 in a. In a startup. I'll take Alan Hearns here.

[Mike Wright]

Let's. Let's play the hypothetical situation out there. You play the person that is drafting Hearns, and we'll play the league mates.

[Unknown]

All right? For the eighth pick, the Ventura Bravehearts will select Alan Hearns.

[Andy Holloway]

Jacksonville 109, Allen Robinson.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to leave a very lengthy pause. That's the reality for me. I would leave a long pause and I'd say somebody else is on the clock.

[Unknown]

And that's the difference is does the player themselves recognize the mistake? Because if I recognize his mistake, if I said Alan Hearns or I mean Alan Robinson, that's who I meant, you know, then that's different than saying Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Was, I think, joking. I don't think he would do that. I.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I would, because I think in a draft, in a draft, a mental error is different than me physically typing.

[Unknown]

Okay, so that's what you see the difference.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. But you have the opportunity. I mean, anybody in a regular draft, they might go, alan Hearns. Oh, you know, I mean, if they catch themselves, sure. And that's why I'd give them a hearty pause. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

I'm a commissioner, though. You know, I have responsibilities here to my league. You're more of a kind of, you know, take advantage of people to win type of guy.

[Unknown]

You're a wear your own printed banner as a flag and dance around with hate blockers on.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I may or may not have done that while playing all night long. All night long. I mean, that thing didn't leave my drafting.

[Andy Holloway]

With me is the best.

[Mike Wright]

That's one way simultaneously the best and the worst. Yeah, we'll give you that.

[Unknown]

I'm happy you're there, and I hate while you're there.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's like owning desean Jackson. It's both good and bad at the same time.

[Andy Holloway]

There we go.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Trade question from Brian in Massachusetts. I was going to abbreviate the state and decided to follow it all the way through.

[Unknown]

What was the Mass?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Mass. And then I realized that was kind of silly.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, like, he's in Catholic mass.

[Mike Wright]

Brian is in Mass right now. He has a little question.

[Andy Holloway]

Put the phone down.

[Mike Wright]

Trade Adrian Peterson for Jamal Charles and.

[Andy Holloway]

Keenan Allen in a ppr. Oh, man.

[Unknown]

Jamal Charles and Keenan Allen for ap.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, do it.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm betting on Charles.

[Unknown]

I would as well.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah, the fear. I mean, we had a trade in our league during the draft. Somebody shipped Lacey decker and the 49 for AP.

[Unknown]

And the person who shipped, the way AP won that trade, if you're curious.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's. There you go, John in Levittown, New York.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, well, you didn't say New York City.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Unknown]

And he gives us a look like we're supposed to say New York City, Levittown, New York.

[Mike Wright]

What is your favorite game time slot to have your fantasy players in? Do you like the head start Thursday night game Sundays or the late push Sunday Monday night games?

[Andy Holloway]

I loathe the Thursday matchup when I have. When it's my stud on Thursday.

[Mike Wright]

Could not disagree in a greater. I mean, I just.

[Unknown]

I am completely with Mike on this.

[Andy Holloway]

Because I'm more on. Look, I understand. I'm siding on. I'm siding with negativity over here. Because when you have that. When your stud craps the bed on Thursday night, you sit in it. You sit in it for days. Okay, I see. I understand. Until you can come back on Sunday.

[Mike Wright]

Look, but if you got a head start on Thursday, having that is great.

[Andy Holloway]

But. But Thursday is just when you have.

[Unknown]

A guy on Monday night. I love this. Because you're always in the game. Like, no matter what, no matter how Sunday goes, you have hope that you can win that game because you've still got your guy left on Monday. I love that.

[Mike Wright]

Now I'm gonna Bring some actual wisdom to the conversation.

[Unknown]

Sure. It'll be a first. Hold on. Are you recording?

[Mike Wright]

All right, all right, all right. I like. Well, two things. One, I like having a. A player in all the games. It's just fun for me. Like, I like having a player just from an entertainment standpoint. Two, if you've got guys going on Thursday, it really does give you a strategic advantage for Sunday. That is because whether they do well or bad or well or. Yeah, well or poor, you know what to do with your roster a little bit differently. Maybe you play the Larry Fitzgerald over the Tyler Lockett on Sunday morning because you are up by 20 points and you're projected to win so you can play a safer. I like that.

[Unknown]

Yeah, that is a very valid point.

[Mike Wright]

Would you say it was wise?

[Unknown]

I would say it was very wise. And that you should have a long, gray beard. And since we're on this topic of Thursday night games and those type of things, public service announcement will probably try to make it every week. But if you are playing a guy in that Thursday night game, make sure they are not in your flex. In fact, I'll give you the perfect example. It's Andy's team this week. Andy's team has. He's stacked at wide receiver, right? He's got Julio Jones and Alan Robinson and Emmanuel Sanders. Well, Emmanuel Sanders. Emmanuel Sanders is playing on Thursday. And of course, he's not better than Julio or Alan Robinson, but he. He's going to want to put Alan or Emmanuel Sanders into the wide receiver role because what happens if, come Sunday.

[Mike Wright]

What about Robinson sprains his ankle?

[Unknown]

Well, Julio already has an ankle. He's working. You know, if it comes out Sunday morning that Julio tested his ankle and hurt it again.

[Andy Holloway]

Julio's fine, people.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's fine. Yeah. No, continue.

[Unknown]

My point is that it gives him flexibility to say, oh, I don't have another wide receiver to play. I do have a running back. So now the fact that my flex is still open. I didn't screw myself by playing Emmanuel Sanders.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. James White can slide right in for Julio's bum ankle. That isn't really exactly. All right, that's a good point. Let's. Let's do a couple more questions here. This one comes in from. Oh, I thought it came in from Gary Barnage, but it was not. It's about Gary Barnage. He said, first off. So glad I found the podcast.

[Andy Holloway]

It's from Eric.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's from Eric in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I got Gary Barnage in the 10th round of a 12 team, league.

[Andy Holloway]

Nice.

[Mike Wright]

Everyone has him ranked top seven, but I never hear anyone really talk about him. With Gordon and Coleman coming into the core. Is Barnage okay as a starting tight end or do I drop someone like Devonte Booker for Virgil Green or pick up James? Jesse James is who I think he means there in Pittsburgh, so it's a great question. I consider Gary Barnage the, the salad of the tight end position and that's why he doesn't get publicity. Because what. You don't talk about a salad. You just. It's just there, it's nutritionally viable and it, it, you know, it gets you through the meal. And I think Barna's will get you through the meal.

[Andy Holloway]

Maybe you've missed it, Eric, but we have, we've talked Gary Barnes quite a bit in this offseason. I love him.

[Mike Wright]

I feel like we haven't in a while, though.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. That's fair. I believe in him. I believe that maybe he's. Maybe he won't replicate last year because that was a great season. I think he's still a very strong tight end. One. I do.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Unknown]

There you go. I agree.

[Mike Wright]

Jury's out a little bit for me. New offensive system, head coach, quarterback.

[Unknown]

Yeah. There are a lot of moving parts and you don't have the history to say Gary Barnage is great. So there are reasons to be concerned. I have Gary Barnage as a top five tight end on the year, so I'm not dropping him for any of those other.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not dropping him. And you got him in the 10th round, so. Well, that's great.

[Andy Holloway]

I've seen the usage in preseason already.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And he's looked good. He's made some impressive catches. He seems like he's, you know, he's just a late. The lettuce is crisp.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a late.

[Mike Wright]

Everything's good. So that is it for today's show. Let's talk about what we have going on tomorrow and on Friday.

[Unknown]

Real important because we do this five days a week, every week.

[Mike Wright]

Did you guys get the memo? We have to show up tomorrow.

[Unknown]

Doing this tomorrow.

[Mike Wright]

You have to show up. We even did it on Labor Day.

[Unknown]

We sure did.

[Mike Wright]

What's wrong with us?

[Unknown]

Take days off. We love fantasy football. We love bringing people their hashtag Foot Clan titles. And this is where it starts. Starting tomorrow, we are going to get your starts of the week. We're going to talk about some players. Maybe you shouldn't start this week. We're going to talk probably split up half the games and preview them These are important things. I mean, who you choose to start and sit and pick up off of waivers, those are the things that win championships.

[Mike Wright]

I personally, and I know this from beginning to stat out my players this week find week one to be by far the hardest week.

[Unknown]

Oh, it's super difficult.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, that. Because you have all the variables that exist anyways, which is. Are things like, I don't know, gamesmanship. Peach cobbler, anyone? I mean, Thomas Rawls and Jimmy Graham are playing two weeks ago. And then last week Rawls is definitely playing. And then two days ago.

[Unknown]

I mean, wait till Rawls gets 25 carries.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, what? Yeah, that's the kind of thing that could happen in week one. So keep it tuned in here. We're gonna go through all the matchups like he said. We're gonna get you in tune with the guys that you need to start and get you ready to hopefully go for that back to back title this year. But if you didn't get it last year, we'll help you get it this year. So that is it. You guys got any parting words for the Foot Clan?

[Unknown]

No, Just check out Fantasy Jocks. If you need a trophy or championship belt, get your league. All those cool things.

[Mike Wright]

You guys should buy that. Get it ready for me.

[Andy Holloway]

Promo code Footballers.

[Mike Wright]

That's Fantasy Jocks. Yeah. See you guys. Take care.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot. Com and follow us on Twitter the FFballers.