Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Week 14 Matchups, In-or-Out, Playoff Time!

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary: Week 14 Matchups, In-or-Out, Playoff Time!

Release Date: December 9, 2016

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1. Week 14 Kickoff

As Week 14 of the NFL season commences, hosts Andy Holloway and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright dive directly into the heart of fantasy football action. With Jason Moore taking the week off, the duo takes center stage, setting the tone for a week filled with pivotal matchups and critical fantasy decisions.

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2. Spencer Ware: Business vs. Production Time

A significant focus is placed on Spencer Ware's underwhelming performance. Wright expresses concern over Ware's high usage without corresponding production.

• Andy Holloway [00:48]: "Wasn't business time for Spencer Ware."
• Mike Wright [01:05]: "His yards, 20 for 56. You wonder if he's breaking down a little bit."

Despite over 20 carries, Ware's limited yardage and impact raise red flags for fantasy managers eyeing RB positions, especially in playoff contention.

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3. Amari Cooper's Costly Fumble

The hosts dissect a crucial turnover by Amari Cooper that potentially altered the outcome of his game.

• Mike Wright [01:28]: "Amari Cooper got deep for what should have been an easy 72-yard touchdown and lost the ball in the end zone."

This play not only affects Cooper's fantasy value but also influences Derek Carr's performance, highlighting the domino effect of turnovers in fantasy football.

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4. Foot Clan Friday: Giveaway Galore

Continuing their beloved segment, Foot Clan Friday, the Fantasy Footballers announce two lucky winners of a $50 Shopballers.com gift card.

• Mike Wright [04:30]: "Foot Clan Friday. Every Friday, we give away a $50 gift card to shopballers.com to one of our supporters."

Congratulations are extended to Ryan Fogarty and Dustin Hayden, celebrating their support and engagement within the community.

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5. Injury Updates and In-Or-Out Decisions

Injury news plays a pivotal role in shaping fantasy lineups as playoffs loom.

• Sammy Watkins' Status:
  • Mike Wright [05:09]: "When you make Sammy Watkins, your start of the week gets a little hot under the collar."
  • Andy Holloway [05:34]: "I would say 100% is related."

The discussion centers on Watkins' limited usage and how his status impacts decisions to start or sit him, especially against formidable defenses like the Steelers.

• Mark Ingram's Toe Injury:
  • Mike Wright [06:21]: "If Mark Ingram doesn't play, it's Tim Hightower."
  • Andy Holloway [06:46]: "He started last week, looked fantastic. Dinged up the toe, was able to get back out there. But it's risky business."

The uncertainty surrounding Ingram's availability is a crucial consideration for RB starts, with alternatives like Hightower stepping into the spotlight.

• Wide Receiver Decisions:
  • Mike Wright [07:32]: "Julio Jones, this is moving into wide receivers."
  • Andy Holloway [09:54]: "I expect him to play, but that's so..."

Debates arise over starting Julio Jones versus alternatives like Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, especially with injury reports affecting the Falcons' receiving corps.

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6. Quarterback Streaming Strategies

The edition delves into strategic quarterback starts, weighing options like Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and Colin Kaepernick.

• Andy Holloway [16:36]: "That's what it comes down to for me."
• Mike Wright [25:29]: "I couldn't do it either."

The hosts emphasize the high-risk, high-reward nature of streaming QBs during the playoffs, particularly with the volatility surrounding Kaepernick's availability and performance.

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7. Running Backs and Wide Receivers: Matchup Analysis

A comprehensive analysis of RB and WR matchups highlights key players to start or avoid.

• Todd Gurley Evaluation:
  • Mike Wright [39:21]: "Todd Gurley does not have a single top 12 PPR performance."
  • Andy Holloway [39:37]: "I do. I don't have a problem with Todd Gurley."

Despite Gurley's inconsistency, Andy remains optimistic about his upside, positioning him as a valuable RB2 option in playoff matchups.

• Malcolm Mitchell vs. Chris Hogan:
  • Andy Holloway [49:35]: "He looked back at what Shepard has done. It's been quiet because he hasn't had any boom games."
  • Mike Wright [48:33]: "You'd rather play Martin than Theo."

Decision-making around WR starts often hinges on matchup specifics, with players like Willie Snead and Brandon Marshall receiving thoughtful consideration based on their opponent's defensive strengths.

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8. Defensive Matchups and Their Fantasy Implications

Understanding defensive strengths and weaknesses informs player starts, particularly for quarterbacks and running backs.

• 49ers vs. Seahawks:
  • Mike Wright [34:22]: "They all worked together to get on the same page."
  • Andy Holloway [35:44]: "I'm still playing Aaron Rodgers."

Aaron Rodgers' matchup against a formidable Seahawks defense is dissected, highlighting potential explosive plays versus consistent defensive disruption.

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9. Fantasy Playoff Strategies

As the fantasy playoffs approach, strategic decisions become paramount.

• Stacking Players:
  • Andy Holloway [31:10]: "I'm probably still going with Martin because Martin has that big play."
  • Mike Wright [31:49]: "I'd prefer to play Martin than Theo."

Hosts advocate for maximizing points through high-ceiling players like Doug Martin and Brandon Marshall, emphasizing the importance of capitalizing on favorable matchups.

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10. Mailbag: Listener Questions and Expert Advice

The episode features listener interactions, providing personalized advice on lineup decisions.

• Danielle from Omaha [51:54]:

  • Question: Choosing between Kenny Britt, Malcolm Mitchell, Randall Cobb, and Brandon LaFell for WR2 and Flex.
  • Advice: Hosts recommend selecting Brandon LaFell and Randall Cobb for their reliable production and safer floor, minimizing risk in playoff settings.

• Jeremy from Oklahoma City [53:18]:

  • Question: Selecting between Hopkins, Pryor, Watkins, Gabriel, and Mitchell.
  • Advice: Andy advises starting Sammy Watkins over Hopkins, balancing upside with consistent targets.

These segments underscore the podcast's commitment to addressing real-time listener concerns, offering actionable insights for critical playoff decisions.

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11. Conclusion and Community Engagement

Wrapping up, hosts encourage listeners to engage with their community through jointhefoot.com and follow their Twitter account for ongoing updates and support. Emphasis is placed on leveraging their expertise to gain a competitive edge in fantasy playoffs.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Mike Wright [01:05]: "His yards, 20 for 56. You wonder if he's breaking down a little bit."
• Mike Wright [01:28]: "Amari Cooper got deep for what should have been an easy 72-yard touchdown and lost the ball in the end zone."
• Andy Holloway [05:34]: "I would say 100% is related."
• Mike Wright [16:36]: "That's what it comes down to for me."
• Mike Wright [39:21]: "Todd Gurley does not have a single top 12 PPR performance."
• Andy Holloway [49:35]: "I don't. And I'm one of those people."

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This detailed summary captures the essence of the Fantasy Footballers' Week 14 episode, providing valuable insights into player performances, strategic decisions, and listener engagement essential for fantasy football enthusiasts aiming to secure their playoff positions.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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

[Mike Wright]

Well, week 14 has begun.

[Andy Holloway]

It has begun.

[Mike Wright]

For some it has been fun. For others, not so much. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. My name is Andy Holloway. I'm joined by Mike the fantasy Hitman. Right.

[Andy Holloway]

What's up, party people?

[Mike Wright]

Jason Moore has the morning off and so Mike and I will be handling all of the business.

[Andy Holloway]

The business is business time.

[Mike Wright]

Wasn't business time for Spencer Ware.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no. It was business time. And I mean, the man got over 20 carries. It was not production time.

[Mike Wright]

There were two fantasy defining plays in last night's game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

There was Spencer Ware being vultured by Char west, which changed him from having a decent week. Because if he scores, he's okay.

[Andy Holloway]

If he has a fine week, if.

[Mike Wright]

He out touched Char west massively, it was obviously the Ware show. Not great production.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

His yards, 20 for 56. You wonder if he's breaking down a little bit.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I can agree with that.

[Mike Wright]

And the play, which was a broken play where Amari Cooper got deep for what should have been an easy 72 yard touchdown and lost the ball in the lights slash. I'm seeing reports this morning that some people think it hit the wire, which is bananas. It hit the NBC wire.

[Andy Holloway]

But Nanas.

[Mike Wright]

And either way, that play changes the whole game. It changes everything about Derek Carr's pathetic. I mean, the three C's let you down. Well, Crab, Cooper and Carr.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, he did throw the ball 41 times.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

17 completions, 117 yards, it seems like.

[Mike Wright]

The pinky was severely bothering him.

[Andy Holloway]

The pinky destroyed the brain. Am I right?

[Mike Wright]

Well, well said.

[Andy Holloway]

That was not the best one, but I got.

[Mike Wright]

That's not bad. I don't mind it. So we're going to talk. You know, if you're a Latavia's Murray owner, you're very happy.

[Andy Holloway]

There was. There was some big stuff that happened.

[Mike Wright]

You have Tyreek, the freaks of Chic.

[Andy Holloway]

Dropping that delightful touchdown reception. Then he was not done.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, Tyreek Hill is lightning in a bottle.

[Andy Holloway]

He's very fast.

[Mike Wright]

But I think a lot of owners were like me. I'm gonna just be honest. I started Crabtree over Tyree Kill in our listener league playoffs against you, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's. That's exactly what I would have done at this point. Crabtree has been so good.

[Mike Wright]

I just went with the targets. I went with consistent targets and I would have to.

[Andy Holloway]

That's Spencer Ware. I mean, if you're telling me, okay, hey, you're in the fantasy playoffs. Your running back is going to get 20 carries. Sign me up for that.

[Mike Wright]

Every single 20 carries against the Raiders.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, every single time. Sign me up for that.

[Mike Wright]

Well, Latavius Murray.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. At least one guy had a monster game. Over 100 on the ground.

[Mike Wright]

Travis Kelsey. Travis Kelsey. 100 yards for the fourth consecutive game.

[Andy Holloway]

They finally unleashed Zeus.

[Mike Wright]

Finally nothing from Macklin. Not that anybody played him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So today on the show, we've got the rest of the matchups. We have Foot Clan Friday. We're going to talk more about the game last night, maybe get into the mailbag a little bit. And so that's. That's the agenda for today. You know, last night we also had the late scratch of the left guard. Didn't seem to affect Murray too much. They probably should have given murray the ball 10 more times.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Because that was actually successful for their offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, some. Sometimes you become enamored with the pass.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's get to Foot Clan Friday.

[Andy Holloway]

Foot Clan Friday.

[Mike Wright]

I missed last Friday, which of course means you missed the segment because you guys were flying by the seat of your pants.

[Andy Holloway]

I missed it. Am I right?

[Mike Wright]

No. Now we've got to double down.

[Andy Holloway]

I missed it.

[Mike Wright]

So two. Two winners today from the.

[Andy Holloway]

So what? We got to explain what this is first.

[Mike Wright]

Foot Clan Friday. Every Friday, we give away a $50 gift card to shopballers.com to one of our supporters from jointhefoot.com and today we are giving two away. Winner number one is Ryan Fogarty. And winner number two is Dustin Hayden.

[Andy Holloway]

Congratulations.

[Mike Wright]

So congrats. We'll send those over. You can get some sweet gear in time for Christmas. That'll be fun. And so thank you for your [e-mail] if you want to follow us on Twitter, do so at the FF Ballers. We'll be dropping all the latest news catching you up on injuries today. We're also doing in and out. So we'll give you some of the injury updates on the show today. And check out the website, the fantasy footballers.com.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

You know, when you make Sammy Watkins, your start of the week gets a little hot under the collar.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But when a little news breaks that he has no limitations, that makes you feel a little better. How do you react to that news? Is any part of your lack of liking Watkins this week injury related?

[Andy Holloway]

I would say 100% is related.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, wow. Okay. Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

He's. He's fantastic. We Know, the talent, the matchup. Wow, Big Ben. It's road Big Ben. But, you know, there's still. The Steelers are a high powered offense. There's a possibility of a, of a shootout, having to catch up to the Steelers. That's. That speaks well for Sammy Watkins in the game script with the no limitations. I mean, I was already okay playing him. I wasn't.

[Mike Wright]

You weren't my.

[Andy Holloway]

I was nearly as emboldened as you, but I mean, I like him.

[Mike Wright]

Let me ask you this. I was asked this this morning and I answered it. Demarius Thomas without Trevor Simeon or Sammy Watkins.

[Andy Holloway]

I'd go Sammy there.

[Mike Wright]

If Simeon's healthy, do you go Thomas?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, 100%.

[Mike Wright]

That's what I said, too.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and then of course, we had your other star of the week, Mark Ingram, missing practice. Now with the toe, you weren't concerned about the toe. I mean, you got the Sammy one right? You weren't concerned about that.

[Mike Wright]

If I remember correctly, when you're in this situation, you made both guys your start of the week. You've made Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

[Andy Holloway]

I have.

[Mike Wright]

You've made Hightower and Ingram. And so I'm going to put this caveat out there. If, If Mark Ingram doesn't play, it's Tim Hightower, okay? Tim Hightower is my start of the week. I'm.

[Andy Holloway]

I thought you were going to say if Ingram does not play, he's not your start of the week. And I was going to say that that's a bold, bold strategy.

[Mike Wright]

Mike Gillesley will continue to get red zone carries, according to Bill's offensive coordinator, Anthony Lynn. That's his role, says Lynn, praising Gillisley's decisive running. I feel like I'm reading a storybook.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, I don't, I have not played professional football. I don't understand why they do these kinds of things. I don't. Mike Gillislee's not the fridge in there. He's not this. He's not the bus. I mean, I don't understand why you. Okay, well, we need to get Shady out of there. He's the slippery fish man.

[Mike Wright]

I know. Harder to slip into the end zone.

[Andy Holloway]

And it's. I am of the ilk that, that if, if Lashawn McCoy busts his butt, he's. He's risking his body for your team, getting you all the way down to the goal line. You're like, take reward. The man with the touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

I think they just want the team to win.

[Andy Holloway]

Does he have s. Does he have touchdown Escalators in his contract.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you discovered something.

[Andy Holloway]

Someone look into this.

[Mike Wright]

Eight touchdowns or more, he gets a Porsche. Of course. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

We paying cars.

[Mike Wright]

Are you in or out? In or out? Trevor Simeon, do you think he plays?

[Andy Holloway]

He practiced on Thursday, so I'm going in.

[Mike Wright]

Mark Ingram, we just talked about him. Do you think he actually plays? He did not. He got reduced to a DNP on Thursday.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that he's going to play, which trepidatiously. Yeah, that stinks for. At least for your start of the week and for fantasy players. He started last week, looked fantastic. Dinged up the toe, was able to get back out there. But it's risky business.

[Mike Wright]

Two carries for Char West. Two.

[Andy Holloway]

Come on, man.

[Mike Wright]

Come on, man. Ryan Matthews, is he gonna play?

[Andy Holloway]

Doug Peterson says he's good to go. He's gonna play Ivory with his. He's limited in practices. I'm gonna say no. I gonna lean. No. TJ Eldon, he's good to go. He's practicing full.

[Mike Wright]

He's gonna play Riddick and Dwayne Washington for the Lions.

[Andy Holloway]

Riddick for sure is in. Dwayne Washington has been limited, and we've had situations of Dwayne Washington being limited where it looked like he would play. They signed the tuba Joy Bell, so maybe they're not expecting. Maybe they're not expecting Dwayne Washington back.

[Mike Wright]

Julio Jones, this is moving into wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he plays. But the Falcons coming out saying, oh, we're optimistic that he's going to play. That is a. That is a.

[Mike Wright]

That's what fantasy playoff owners love to hear the worst.

[Andy Holloway]

I expect him to play, but that's so.

[Mike Wright]

Look, I don't know if we've said this. We've known that Mohammed Sanu might miss the game and he's unlikely to play.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

But if Julio missed the game, I mean, Taylor Gabriel is by himself.

[Andy Holloway]

It feels like he's by himself.

[Mike Wright]

Him and Justin Hardy.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, but to me, if Julio Jones misses, I think he's gonna play. But if he misses, fire up Devonta Freeman. Yeah, fire up Tevin Coleman.

[Mike Wright]

No, I agree. I agree.

[Andy Holloway]

They both will are usable.

[Mike Wright]

If I had the panic alarm button, I might hit it right now. Michael Thomas.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he. A lot of guys don't practice on Wednesday. A lot of guys, usually they're veterans. So it was a little. A little noticeable when Michael Thomas did not practice on Wednesday, but he missed Thursday as well. If you don't see limited practice by Michael Thomas on Friday, you better find another option.

[Mike Wright]

Does that make Willie Snead a better option?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Tavon Austin. Is he going to play?

[Andy Holloway]

Who cares?

[Mike Wright]

Jordan Matthews, Marvin Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to say Matthews will play. I think Marvin will play, but I don't know. You can't play him. You can't. You can't start Marvin Jones at this point.

[Mike Wright]

If Robert woods plays, is that better or worse for Sammy Watkins? Okay, I agree with you on that one. Okay. I think that's tight ends. Jordan Reed, he says he's going to play.

[Andy Holloway]

He says that he has full range of motion back.

[Mike Wright]

What's Rule 86, Mike?

[Andy Holloway]

Rule 86 is if Jordan Reed is on the football field, you play him. And I will be following that rule. I have the upgraded role of Kobe Fleener. With Josh Hill out for the year, Fleener ended up being a decent pickup.

[Mike Wright]

Higher snap count.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, he will. He will be on the field more. But if Jordan Reed plays this weekend, I'm going to play Jordan Reed. Even in what is looked at as a bad matchup against the Eagles.

[Mike Wright]

You saw what Jordan Reed did with no shoulder for the second half of the game.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, there's the tooth fairy, shows up, taps the shoulder with a magic wand.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it goes and it goes numb. Right?

[Andy Holloway]

And then you catch touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

It's true. It's true. I will be following Rule 86 as well.

[Andy Holloway]

Fantasy forecast.

[Mike Wright]

Speaking of forecast, don't forget the weather article every Sunday morning by Eric Ludwig. Eric, One of our writers. And this is all the more important now when you're getting into that, you know, the weather that the pinky hurts in, apparently the cold Pinky weather.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't doubt it, man. I mean, you just. You hurt in the cold. Yeah, that's having a double dislocated pinky.

[Mike Wright]

Cardinals take on the dolphins 43 and a half point over under. That's low. This game may have some light rain, but the weather's nice. It's in Miami. So you're not worried about David Johnson?

[Andy Holloway]

Nope.

[Mike Wright]

Are you worried about Jay Ajayi against the Cardinals run defense?

[Andy Holloway]

It's a downgrade for sure, but I think a guy like JJ can still get enough work and get it done. For fantasy purposes, I'm not benching him.

[Mike Wright]

You're starting Larry Fitzgerald?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Are you starting Carson Palmer?

[Andy Holloway]

The past defense of the Dolphins? They've been okay. They're. They're 11th in terms of yards given up.

[Mike Wright]

The consensus on Palmer this week, from what I've seen in the expert community, is low. They just have him very, very low. I don't know why there's no upside to him this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, there's upside, but it just. He's been very inconsistent on the year and his pass catching weapons have been inconsistent. The offensive line has been, I would say okay to pour and so it's just. Are you going to trust that in. When it's not a just obvious plus matchup for Carson Palmer?

[Mike Wright]

How do you make a decision on the other side of the ball with the wide receivers Landry, Parker and Stills? Yeah. Who would you go with there?

[Andy Holloway]

We've talked about this in the studio. Will Landry get the Patrick Peterson experience? And Landry has been very disappointing for most of the season. He finally jumped back into the, that double digit target range last week I think at 14. So I'm, I'll still play him. Parker is intriguing to me if, if in fact Patrick Peterson's on Landry. I don't know if they, I don't know if they'll shadow Landry with Patrick Peterson, but I'm okay playing both of them. Not ton of confidence, you know that, that wide receiver, two, three range.

[Mike Wright]

It seems like this game is going to come down to the Cardinals pass rush versus the offensive line of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are giving up a lot of sacks and then the, the Cardinals are averaging a sack every 13 pass attempts which is pretty high. Fourth in the league. So I think it's going to come down to does he have time in the pocket to make a few throws to make those wide receivers fantasy relevant? I doubt it's enough.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And that's in Vegas. Does too. He has the over unders pretty low. The Redskins take on the Eagles divisional matchup, 46 and a half point over under. Seems like the kind of game where Philly could just, you know, they're pretty much out of the playoff picture.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

But they could definitely mess up the Washington Redskins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they certainly could. But I'm not, I'm not scared.

[Mike Wright]

Your money is not on the Eagles.

[Andy Holloway]

No, it's not. I'll take Washington. Cousins is playing for that contract. He's playing.

[Mike Wright]

How many yards per game is he averaging? Do you know this number?

[Andy Holloway]

Cousins?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh.

[Mike Wright]

Average passing yards per game for Kirk Cousins this season. Third ranked in the league, I'll tell you that.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. I was going to. I'm just going to go over three bills, so I'm going to go 315.

[Mike Wright]

317. 317. Has third best in football.

[Andy Holloway]

He's. That's what I'm saying. He's been slinging it where I have this decision and I'm sure that There's a lot of Foot Clan people out here that have this decision. You've been stashing Jameis Winston and there was. You saw that stretch like, oh, I'm going to pick up Cousins and stream him. Oh, wow. Kirk Cousins was great. I can't just drop him. I'm going to play him again. Wow, he was great. And now I'm looking at this matchup.

[Mike Wright]

What are you going to do? Do you not know still? Are you going Cousins or Winston?

[Andy Holloway]

Right now, Cousins is in my starting lineup.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

But I. It's back and forth. If you want to hear the final decision of that, make sure you check out my periscope. I'm sure it will come out on Sunday morning.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you can find that on Twitter @ the FF Ballers. It's great. Every week. Rob Kelly really like Rob Kelly.

[Andy Holloway]

This. I like him too. I like him too. The volume is there. It look, it didn't work out for Spencer Ware, but 20 carries, I think Kelly's in that 15 to 20 carry range as well with good opportunity to score because you have a better offense.

[Mike Wright]

D Jacks crowder. I'll take DJs. Going back to.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll take Crowder. But the revenge game of desean Jackson and it's a funny narrative and it's. Or more it's a fun narrative to play, but if anybody wants to bring that narrative to truth, it's desean Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

Would you play desean Jackson over Alan Robinson this week?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Would you play him over Kelvin Benjamin this week?

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh, Kelvin at home versus the Chargers. Oh, I probably would play Kelvin.

[Mike Wright]

We have them back to. Back in our.

[Andy Holloway]

Do we?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we do.

[Andy Holloway]

I probably would play Kelvin.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

But yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I don't think we're touching wide receivers from the other side. We're probably not touching running backs from the other side from Philly.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, the running backs I'm going to avoid. I'm actually okay with Jordan Matthews. Jordan Matthews. I'm okay with him. Zach Hertz and Zach Hertz. Yes. Those are. Those are the two pass catching targets. Washington can be beat. We saw what Carson Palmer did to them last week, so I just. I'm okay with them. But like I said, that's not a must start for sure. Before we move on, want to thank today's sponsor, Original Grain. Yeah, there are a lot of watches out there. A lot. But if you want a watch that's going to stand out from a sea of sameness, you got to check out Original Grain watches. They combine handcrafted, exotic Hardwood inlays with stainless steel accents. The founders took and they continue to take inspiration from the outdoors to make these stunning watches. Original Grain signature dials and links feature wood selections from across the globe. African rosewood, reclaimed American oak, whiskey barrels. Each Original Grain watch has a unique story. People have been asking us a ton on Twitter like, oh, what was that watch company? It's Original Grain. They're spectacular. They are stunning. You got to check them out. Go to originalgrain.comfootballers right now because you're going to get 15% off your entire purchase. Not just one entire purchase. That's originalgrain.comfootballers for 15% off.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you got the matte white, is it. It's beautiful. I got to make distracted.

[Andy Holloway]

I got to make a stop real quick.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

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[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Wait, what?

[Mike Wright]

Let me, let me confirm.

[Andy Holloway]

What?

[Mike Wright]

Well, they're at home.

[Andy Holloway]

I.

[Mike Wright]

They are favored. They are favorable. Okay, look, you don't know if it's Simeon or Lynch. Maybe it's an early line. Maybe if Simeon's in there, that line changes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I bet it moves.

[Mike Wright]

But coming off the buy, two weeks at home, a lot of people like DeMarco Murray in this game and I don't blame them. You know the Broncos, the past defense is best in the league. They're 28th against the run because people have to run against them and they can have success. So you like Murray, I assume?

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. Love them. And there was a interview on Mike Clay's Radio show. I can't remember the name of the beat reporter, but he was a Titans beat reporter and he asked him about, well, what's going on with this Derek Henry news of where we're going to get it. More involved in the short yardage system, according to this reporter who. And so grain of salt.

[Mike Wright]

But he said, yeah, doesn't buy in.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So not. Not that you were going to. Oh, I'm Benjamin Murray now. Did you hear what they're doing with Henry? But just a maybe a little bit more boost of confidence.

[Mike Wright]

Here's the problem with this game. Mariota, Murray, Matthews, Delaney, Walker, all these players have been major fantasy contributors now for a while. The Broncos defense gives up ten and a half points a game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, even if you give them two touchdowns, that's not doing anything for your odds there. I mean, I wouldn't touch Rashad Matthews with a ten foot pole.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree. I've had several Tennessee Titan questions because they. I pumped the brakes on Mariota and to me that's a blanket for the wide receivers. I'm still okay with Delaney Walker because the tight end position stinks and Walker is one of the better options. I'll still play him, but Matthews, Sit down. Sharp. Where have you been?

[Mike Wright]

Nowhere.

[Andy Holloway]

For eight weeks. Kendall Wright. No, thank you.

[Mike Wright]

Now, on the other side, I mean, the Titans defense has only given up six rushing touchdowns on the year. You've got now a booker for set combination. I mean, I would play booker over four set in this game.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yes.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm not excited about it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, there's some shine. The shine is dinging up to a Rusty Devonte.

[Mike Wright]

It's not shiny once it gets under three yards of carry.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Him and Doug Martin.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. It's like Joyk has been working out with him.

[Andy Holloway]

There's the Joy Bell running camp. This is how you do it.

[Mike Wright]

Jogging camp.

[Andy Holloway]

You run into the line and you fall down.

[Mike Wright]

Here I am tearing joy can new one when I loved that man.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I loved Joyk Bell too. It's just. It was a. It's more of it that it's done.

[Mike Wright]

Tongue in cheek. Darius Thomas Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders is your start of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I love both. And it's a con. I said contingent on Simeon being the quarterback and not the swashbuckler.

[Mike Wright]

Right. You will not let his physical appearance go. Well, it's not Paxton Lynch.

[Andy Holloway]

It's the facial hair.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And I say these things. Or maybe it sounds like an insult. I actually think it's spectacular. I like the look. I like the swagger that's coming from Paxton lynch. But I don't like the play that's coming from Paxton Lynch. If it's Trevor Simeon, I will play both Thomas and Sanders.

[Mike Wright]

The New York jets and the San Francisco 49ers. The pinnacles of performance in the football.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh.

[Mike Wright]

In the National Football League.

[Andy Holloway]

I heard this game was canceled.

[Mike Wright]

Petty, Kaepernick, face off.

[Andy Holloway]

Wait, wait, wait. As in a Petty.

[Mike Wright]

Kaepernick takes on Bryce Petty. Look, I looked at our rankings this week. We were putting our rankings onto the website, the fantasy football, and getting them prepared. And I'm looking at the quarterbacks and I look over to Mike and I go, there are a lot of bad quarterbacks starting this week, whether it's Petty or golf or Kaepernick or Matt Barkley. Matt Barkley. And I'm looking. And he goes. He looks at me. He's like, you know, you're. I've said some things before about how I get frustrated about the calls and protecting quarterbacks. He's like, that's. That's why.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Because if they don't protect them, you've got Matt Barkley playing and nobody. And Bryce Petty.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, it's a. It's a tough situation for the NFL that you have. You have this over cautious protection, but you have to protect the product. You have to protect the game.

[Mike Wright]

Now, Carlos Hyde had a ton of carries last week. The jets defense has been good against the run, but obviously there are some, you know, they're kind of done. It seems like this game's in San Francisco. I don't have any problem starting Carlos Hyde in any way.

[Andy Holloway]

Completely agree. Completely. And even in tough matchups, Carlos Hyde begin the volume. Getting enough chunk plays to be fantasy relevant.

[Mike Wright]

Now, Jason's not here to speak about Colin Kaepernick. So what are your sentiments about him this week? I mean, I couldn't do it.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think I can do it either. This, it's. Look, the matchup is so good. That's that. This is a problem. This is a real fantasy problem. The matchup is so good. There are, like you said, there's a lot of bad quarterbacks playing, which lowers the streaming pool. Colin Kaepernick had a long stretch where he was a very solid quarterback. 1. But can you live with yourself if you make that decision and Colin Kaepernick gets pulled again and destroys your fantasy playoffs?

[Mike Wright]

Nope.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what it comes down to for me.

[Mike Wright]

I think Jason made the right point on the show that where if you Are the massive, massive underdog. Playing a guy like Alex Smith last night wasn't going to win you a week against a favor.

[Andy Holloway]

Looked like it might have. Alex Smith was playing unbelievable.

[Mike Wright]

He had a nice half. He did. He had a great half.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

But Kaepernick, you know, two weeks ago he's, he had 45 fantasy points in a six point league.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Alex Smith doesn't have that in him.

[Mike Wright]

So that's all we can say about Kaepernick. I'm not starting anything.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a. Choose your own adventure and you don't get to keep your finger on the original page and look ahead, say, oh, did I die? Oh, I didn't actually do that.

[Mike Wright]

You can't do that in the playoffs. In the playoffs you have to turn the page.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

And then if you die at the end of that page, you got to get a new book. You got to come back to next year.

[Andy Holloway]

That book's not published until 2007.

[Mike Wright]

Exactly. So on the other side I'm look, the 49ers defense has given up 1.4 rushing touchdowns per game, almost dead last in the league. And then they're like, hey, let's give up two and a half touchdown passes a game and let's make that last in the league too. So the 49ers defense can be, can be whooped, but will it be whooped by Matt Forte or Brandon Marshall or.

[Andy Holloway]

Matt Love Matt or Robbie?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, Anderson, Mr. Anderson.

[Andy Holloway]

I love, I love Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall. Look, I've got Brandon Mercil. Brandon Marshall.

[Mike Wright]

Brandon Mercil. He's only catching, you know, Brandon Mercel's only catching 49% of the passes.

[Andy Holloway]

Brandon Marshall, now he's, he's not as, as destructive as Colin Kaepernick, but he's in that mold of am I going to play him? I can't even form the words.

[Mike Wright]

He's in the mold where the matchup is so good.

[Andy Holloway]

The matchup is great.

[Mike Wright]

I am coming around a Marshall this week.

[Andy Holloway]

That's been me every single week. Yeah, it's worked out a few times like this. Is it Brandon Marshall?

[Mike Wright]

Are you willing to make him your start of the week?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

In place of Emmanuel Sanders if Simeon sits? No, I just thought I'd try. I am coming around on Marshall. I think if I have to start a pass catcher on that offense is going to be Brandon Marshall.

[Andy Holloway]

That's why it's just, it's a logic says that's the right.

[Mike Wright]

I'm hearing that Petty and Marshall are getting on the same page. And that Marshall actually likes Petty. I'm not. I'm not joking. I've heard. I've heard that Fitzpatrick has been pretty supportive of Petty and that they've all. They've worked together a little bit to get on the same page.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the death page of the choose your own adventure book.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that might be.

[Andy Holloway]

We've been over this.

[Mike Wright]

The Saints. The New Orleans Saints take the. Take their talents to Tampa Bay. Nice recovery to take on the buccaneers in a 511 1/2 point over under.

[Andy Holloway]

This is why it's so hard for me to make that Kirk Cousins decision.

[Mike Wright]

Here's what I. Here's what someone in our foot clan illustrated to me and he broke down divisional matchup games between the Saints and Bucks and whether they met the over under. And he was highlighting the fact that sometimes these divisional games where they know each other so well and they've seen each other so much, they can be a bit of a trap.

[Andy Holloway]

It pretty much. But the in Kirk cos is the same. He's in a divisional game.

[Mike Wright]

Right. Not saying it is going to be a trap. Obviously Vegas thinks it'll be a high scoring affair. The highest of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

The implied team total for The Buccaneers is 28 points.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. How in the world does Mike Evans not have a great game? How does Cameron Bray not have a great game? How does James Winston.

[Andy Holloway]

How does. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

If there's one thing I've seen and seen consistently, it's that the Saints defense will give it up to any and all. They will make Jared Goff look good. They will make anybody look good. So I'm not going to doubt Tampa's offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I'm. I'm not doubting them either.

[Mike Wright]

But do you doubt Doug Martin in any way based on how he's been playing?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You do?

[Andy Holloway]

I do.

[Mike Wright]

What does that doubt translate to for fantasy owners? Does that translate to. Let me give you some options.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. It translates to I'm starting him. I'm just downgrading what I thought. You make these moves for the playoffs.

[Mike Wright]

We have Robert Kelly ahead of Doug Martin.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Oh, man.

[Mike Wright]

I think you have them back to back. We have them two spots ahead as a consensus.

[Andy Holloway]

What's tough when I would be. If I had that decision. I know.

[Mike Wright]

How would you make it? Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I probably would still go with Martin because Martin has that big play. He has it in. And we've seen multiple games where Doug Martin just.

[Mike Wright]

He has the big game in him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. He's got the goes. Unbelievable. But we did see that from Robert Kelly a couple weeks ago. He had the three touchdown game that included a. What was a 60 or 70 yard run. But I would probably lean to Martin. It's the playoffs. I need as many points as I can get.

[Mike Wright]

What about somebody who is worried about stacking three bucks? If Winston. If it's Evans.

[Andy Holloway]

If it's Winston Evans, Brait, fine.

[Mike Wright]

Winston, Martin, Evans.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still okay with it.

[Mike Wright]

You wouldn't. Would you try to hedge if you had to decide. Let's say you had Theo Riddick.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

You would rather play Martin.

[Andy Holloway]

I'd rather play Martin than Theo.

[Mike Wright]

Rick. Okay. Okay. Other side. Drew Brees, very disappointing last week. We heard the news about Michael Thomas earlier in the show. We heard the news about Mark Ingram's toe earlier in the show. Does his show. Does his toe show?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, if his. If his shoes are off.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Brandon Cooks, Michael Thomas, Willie Snead, Mark Ingram, Tim Itower, Kobe Fleener. Who's the. Who has the highest odds of participating in a fantasy bonanza here?

[Andy Holloway]

It's still Brandon Cooks. If you. If you're chasing ceiling, which I am, in the playoffs, it's Brandon Cooks. But it's. It's the same exact situation as the Bucks. All these guys are decent to good plays, and I'm okay stacking some of these as well.

[Mike Wright]

Here's what I want to know. Because if Breeze. Let's say Thomas is out. Drew Brees on the road. You're starting him over.

[Andy Holloway]

Winston Brees over Winston.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Out of fear, out of. It's Drew Brees even on the road. We've talked about him on the road.

[Andy Holloway]

Even on the road. Drew Brees.

[Mike Wright]

No, I mean, the Bucks are seven and five.

[Andy Holloway]

I have him. I have. I have Drew Brees ranked higher.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, so do I. I like the bounce back.

[Andy Holloway]

Come on. Drew Brees.

[Mike Wright]

You have Winston at 5, though. You have Brees at 3, and that's not considering Michael Thomas or Mark Ingram being out.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So breeze would probably get a bump down, but Winston at 5.

[Mike Wright]

Is that called a bump down? Can you bump down?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

You could bump in either direction.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Seahawks, Packers. This game's gonna be very, very interesting. This is the season for Green Bay. In my opinion. Seattle has to travel to Green Bay. 31 degrees outside snow possibilities. We already know the running game doesn't really exist for the Green Bay packers offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no.

[Mike Wright]

It's a manufactured consortium. You know names.

[Andy Holloway]

What's funny is, and this is shout out to Jeff Ratcliffe because he breaks these things down. Pro football Focus. He breaks down yards before contact for running backs. And you always see teams building to fight their opponent. And you see in divisions, you know, some, eventually teams start to kind of mimic each other.

[Mike Wright]

You're saying they build their offense to defeat their division.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. But. And it ends up, your team kind of starts to look like those other teams. Three of the worst yards before contact are the packers, the Lions, and Minnesota.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

So three of four in a division are. Make up the bottom of yards before contact.

[Mike Wright]

And if you think just about the running games for those teams, you think about Detroit. Detroit and Green Bay are like the same.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, they. They basically run.

[Andy Holloway]

They wish they had theoretic.

[Mike Wright]

They do. But even with theoretic, you're looking at four carries, six carries. I mean, it's not happening. It's all being manufactured through the short passing game, through running backs out of the backfield.

[Andy Holloway]

Just a. Very interesting.

[Mike Wright]

Very interesting. That was very interesting, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

Very interesting.

[Mike Wright]

Very interesting. Look, the Seahawks, we know their defense doesn't give up a lot. They're on the precipice, right. On the precipice of five consecutive years as the number one scoring defense in the league, which has only been done once in history, in the 50s by the Browns. So you're talking about a run of. A run of a great defense that we haven't seen in a long time, however, on the road. Aaron Rodgers and Noah Earl Thomas.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still playing Aaron Rodgers.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

No, that. That's not a question for me. He's the number one fantasy quarterback. I don't think you're going to bench your stud in the playoffs, but can he have an explosive game against them?

[Andy Holloway]

Probably.

[Mike Wright]

And can, you know, can Jordy Nelson do what he's been doing? Because Nelson. Nelson is something like number five right now in the year he could.

[Andy Holloway]

We saw the Panthers doing nothing, and then Earl Thomas goes down and you go deep. So I think Jordy Nelson can get it done.

[Mike Wright]

The thing about Earl Thomas is he makes up for the risks that are taken on the front end and by Richard Sherman, who makes a lot of risky decisions but has the luxury of doing that because, you know, I've heard Earl Thomas called the Eraser. He erases those mistakes, but he's not there anymore.

[Andy Holloway]

Good movie.

[Mike Wright]

And you know the Cardinal. The good movie. Is that what you said?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. You remember the Arnold movie, the Eraser? You know, man, Arnold and Vanessa Williams.

[Mike Wright]

I. For some reason, I thought it was a Val Kilmer. That was a Val Kilmer movie. How dare you But I think I might be thinking of the Saint.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Which is a great Val Kilmer movie. Do you know he has. Apparently he has a one man show.

[Andy Holloway]

Val Kilmer?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

What's it about?

[Mike Wright]

I think it's about Mark Twain. Wait, wait, I'm serious. I'm serious.

[Andy Holloway]

Val Kilmer, one man show about Mark Twain.

[Mike Wright]

I think he pretend. I think he's Mark Twain.

[Andy Holloway]

I got to jump on the sequel.

[Mike Wright]

Citizen Twain starring Val Kilmer. One man show.

[Andy Holloway]

That sounds both terrible and extremely intriguing at the exact same time.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So there you go. Anyway, things you learn.

[Andy Holloway]

Back to the Seahawks.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like we could talk about this game forever, you know, Back to the Seahawks though. I love Russell Wilson this week. I love the fact that the ball is going to need to be in his hands. I love the fact that he seems to be fully recovered from these lower body injuries. That means he can get out of the pocket with that spin move, make plays on the run. We saw what Lockett can do now that he's healthy. We saw Baldwin have efficiency last week and Thomas Rawls giving them something on the ground. So how confident are you? As confident as I am with Russell Wilson. Because I'm going out there. No, I'm making him my start of the week. I'm starting them over guys like, you know, Matthew Stafford against Chicago at home.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not as confident in you, but.

[Mike Wright]

I like in me. You just said I'm not as confident in you.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, that's, that's every week.

[Mike Wright]

Just as a person, I hate my confidence in you.

[Andy Holloway]

It's shaky. It's shaky. Wilson, I like him. He. I'm not start of the week confident, but I would play him likely over most options.

[Mike Wright]

Are you more confident in Russell Wilson than you are in Val Kilmer delivering a solid performance as Mark Twain?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know. You put the wig and the mustache on, I think you could smash that.

[Mike Wright]

The Falcons take on the Rams. All right. Well, all right. I think, I think the debate in this game. Yeah, I think it revolves around Todd Gurley for me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, sure.

[Mike Wright]

You know, the Falcons defense gives up the, I think the third most points in the, in the league. So they're not a great defense. But if they are boat racing the Rams, I mean, how much can you lean on the running game? What was the stat you looked up on Todd Gurley yesterday that just blew our minds in the studio?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that. Todd Gurley does not have a single top 12 PPR performance.

[Mike Wright]

That is mind blowing.

[Andy Holloway]

He was very close once 0.7 points away. But he was still 13.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, doesn't that just mean he has no upside?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think he has.

[Mike Wright]

He can't finish top 12 at any point in this season. Do we need to buy into this girly narrative for this week?

[Andy Holloway]

I do.

[Mike Wright]

You do?

[Andy Holloway]

I do. I don't have a problem with Todd Gurley.

[Mike Wright]

And you do. To the tune of. Let me just. Let me just see.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, let me see. He's a running back two to me.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I can buy into that.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

You have him at 19.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Okay, that's.

[Mike Wright]

And I have him at 15. So I buy into what. I buy into running back two. I just was saying. Can you.

[Andy Holloway]

I see the upside here. All right. I see the upside, I think.

[Mike Wright]

But you have Jeremy Hill ahead of him against Cleveland.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You have.

[Andy Holloway]

There's upside.

[Mike Wright]

Carlos Hyde, Thomas Rawls, Lamar Miller.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I just.

[Mike Wright]

R. Kelly.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And you're listing these names. I feel very confident about those things.

[Mike Wright]

Is Kenny Brett a startable wide receiver in this game?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, he's startable. He's been, he's been. He's been very good, actually. It's, it's hard to knock Kenny Britt for what he has achieved in that offense with the quarterback play that he has gotten and being still fantasy relevant.

[Mike Wright]

I want you to take a guess here. The Rams offense has scored blank points per game this year.

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh, that's all over the map. They've had a couple very high scores.

[Mike Wright]

What's their average?

[Andy Holloway]

And a couple low. I'm going per game.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

I will say 15.

[Mike Wright]

Nine. Ooh, nine.

[Andy Holloway]

I over guessed.

[Mike Wright]

All right. We talked about Freeman and Coleman earlier and the fact that if Sanu and Julio, you know, if Julio's limited or out and Sunu's out. We really like Freeman and Coleman to carry the bulk of the offensive work with Taylor Gabriel I think is a spot start there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Taylor Gabriel is much like the Tyreek Hill play where it worked out. It worked out for Hill because he had the monster play.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he had the punt return.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, he had. He also had a. He also had a nice 36 yard. Yeah, 30 plus yard touchdown. Gabriel can do that. But X a question.

[Mike Wright]

Can Gabriel question.

[Andy Holloway]

Can Gabriel do that if the off. If the defense doesn't have to worry about Julio Jones?

[Mike Wright]

Probably not. Probably not. I mean, you saw this before. Everybody wanted to buy into Harry Douglas is going to be the king of the world. But Harry Douglas is not a one. And yes, he had, he had some productive games in quantity. But what Gabriel gives you is that monster play. So you're right. If Julio can't take the top off, if Julio can't get it done on one side, I think Gabriel, you know, probably doesn't have the opportunities that you hope for.

[Andy Holloway]

Now, as a quick aside, this is especially for the YouTube people that I. You can't see it from my angle, but the way that you were looking at me, your one eye is peeking through the microphone stand and the other half of your face is covered by the microphone. You look very much like a cyborg.

[Mike Wright]

I was going for that. I thought that was exactly where you were going when you said it, too.

[Andy Holloway]

After the. After my confidence shaky remark, you said, I'm going full robot.

[Mike Wright]

You're not confident in me. That's what you told me. All right. Sunday Night Football, Cowboys, Giants. This should be a great game.

[Andy Holloway]

I am excited for this game.

[Mike Wright]

The Dak attack, Dak Prescott, Zeke Des. The newly minted Goose, Jason Whitten who put up a zero last week.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, man.

[Mike Wright]

Manning and Jennings and Beckham. What's. What's the narrative in this, in this game for you from a fantasy perspective? Because, you know, we, we got a couple guys in our leagues that, you know, they're starting Prescott over Carr. Made a good decision doing that games in New York. As of now, as of now, the.

[Andy Holloway]

The narrative really to me is Ken, the Giants and their money, they paid Buco Bucks to beef up that defense. And the running defense has been vastly improved over last year.

[Mike Wright]

Number five in the league.

[Andy Holloway]

Can that run defense shut down Zeke?

[Mike Wright]

I doubt it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, I doubt it as well. But it was, it was at the, the Minnesota game where they had, they had Zeke bottled up for much of the game. It wasn't until very late that a couple, a couple chunk plays did happen for him. But for most of the game, he was sitting at a very pedestrian fantasy game.

[Mike Wright]

I love Odell Beckham Jr. In this game. I think he'll be fine. I love Des Bryant in this game. But do you buy into what Jason said where he's worried about Rashad Jennings, or do you think Jennings can have a solid running back to type of performance?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, the Giants, we talked about them being fifth. The Cowboys are second in the league. They have a great running defense and. But it's. Is this one of those they actually have a legitimately good running defense? Or is this the Arizona Cardinals from a couple years ago where all the numbers said, wow, their run defense is tremendous because all you did was pass on them. And The Cowboys are 29th in the league. Near dead last in as far as passing defense.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. They have a. It says they give up a completion percentage of 70.3%.

[Andy Holloway]

That's not good.

[Mike Wright]

The league average is 63%. So that's why I'm very confident. So pick another pass catcher for New York will tie Shepard.

[Andy Holloway]

It would be Shepherd. Okay, it'll be.

[Mike Wright]

And he's been scoring.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So he looked back at what Shepard has done. It's been quiet because he hasn't had any boom games. But he's been basically Moncrief.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, where he's just. He had that. He had the zero game where he didn't get a single target. Eli Manning profusely apologized to him and gave him many lavish presents after that. Shepard. Oh, if Shepard would slap the base, we can do that. But there are. Shepard has had a great stretch of low yardage getting a touchdown. So if anybody else for the Giants.

[Mike Wright]

So you're looking forward to this game quite a bit.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, if anybody.

[Mike Wright]

The Cowboys win it.

[Andy Holloway]

I do.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think the Cowboys represent the nfc?

[Andy Holloway]

I. It. If it's C. Ends up being Seattle versus the Cowboys.

[Mike Wright]

It'll be in Dallas, most likely.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll take Seattle.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll take the playoff.

[Mike Wright]

Even with you don't think the Earl Thomas thing is going to be. It's a factor for sure, but be interesting. Yeah, I think it'll be those two in the NFC title game. What about the other side in the afc?

[Andy Holloway]

Who's going to represent, man? I mean. Well, I'll go chalk. I'll take the Patriots as one and then I'll take whoever survives the West Chiefs. And right now I think it'll be the Chiefs.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to go Chiefs. Patriots.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I actually think the Chiefs can beat the Patriots too.

[Andy Holloway]

I would. I don't doubt that at all. You give them Gronk much different. But without Gronk, I think that the Chiefs could handle the Patriots.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

It was. It was Tom Brady in Kansas City the couple years ago where he was so bad that reporters actually asked, are you going to bench Tom Brady? Right. That was against the Chiefs.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it was. It was. I also believe the Chiefs were the one that ones that knocked him out for that year with the acl.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh.

[Mike Wright]

Monday Night Football game. The Ravens and Patriots aforementioned Patriots. Light rain in this game.

[Andy Holloway]

Flacco and Brady Patriots favor by seven.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. At home against Baltimore. A lot of people picking this as an upset.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. I'll take The. I'll take that spread.

[Mike Wright]

The Ravens running defense has been great. They have given up the least rushing TDs in the league. Only four. LeGarrett blunt. We've talked about just having a volume play there, but look, they don't give up a lot of rushing touchdowns. What side do you lean on here? Because Blunt scoring consistently.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's. I keep waiting. I keep waiting for LeGarrett Blunt to slow down in one of these matchups. It's. It's a career year for LeGarrett Blunt. He has the magic going right now. So I would still play him and I would still have confidence in him.

[Mike Wright]

Malcolm Mitchell, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, pass catchers for Tom Brady. I guess you can throw Martellus Bennett in there who's been talking about the fact he's not healthy. And I've moved way past starting Martella's Bennett at this point.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

But with Malcolm Mitchell, I found myself retreating from him. Just when push comes to shove in the first round of the playoffs, I am worried about him going up against this Ravens defense. Very good against the pass and the run. He's a rookie. I just find myself when people say, okay, it's Mitchell or it's this player, it's Crowder, it's Mitchell or it's this guy. I'm never taking Mitchell.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I slide with you. That if you're trying to say, oh, I have this steady player, but new hotness, Malcolm Mitchell. It's not time for the new hotness, people. You don't mess around with the fantasy playoffs. I think Mitchell's still an okay play, but he's a. He's a three.

[Mike Wright]

But here's, here's a comparison in this game that I get a lot of. Mitchell or Steve Smith Senior.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that one.

[Mike Wright]

And why are people so afraid to play a pass catcher against New England in this game? Is it because of a seven point over? I mean, a seven point line?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's because nobody I talked to.

[Mike Wright]

Wants to play Smith or Wallace or Pitta or anybody.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't. And I'm one of those people. I have. I have.

[Mike Wright]

Would you play Wallace over Smith or Smith over Wallace?

[Andy Holloway]

What's my in. I'll go scoring format here? Ppr. I'll take the smack. No, Wallace has been good. Yeah, not great, but he's been good and he's been steady, which is bizarre for Mike Wallace. I'd probably play Wallace west or Dixon West. I'll take the guy who scores the touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

All right. All these matchups are going to be on the website as well. And if you go on YouTube to watch the show, you can jump around each matchup again after you've listened to it here if you want to go listen to one of those or catch up on anything. If you are looking for some DFS information, Chris mean he's not on the show today, but we do have a DFS article on the website, the fantasy footballers.com by Ben Cummins and so you can check that out and people have.

[Andy Holloway]

Asked, hey, my season is toast. If you haven't checked out FanDuel and you want to do it. FanDuel.com Footballers. Footballers. Oh, mailbag.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we're gonna jump into the mailbag for a few listener questions on the show today. First one's a voicemail question. Looks like a long one. Let's tune in.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, ballers, this is Danielle from Omaha. Two things. First, pristine auction is the best and I have to actively tell my husband to stop looking at it because I'm trying to buy the man some Christmas presents and he's probably bidding against me. But for now, the actual reason I'm calling, I'm currently defending my Foot clan title from last season and my team is awful. To be honest, I limped into the playoffs after losing AJ Green, Gronk, CJ Anderson and Abdullah this season and it's a 12 person league so I know I'm starting Devontae Adams, but I need to know who to Pick for my WR2 and my Flex spot. I have Kenny Britt, Malcolm Mitchell, Randall Cobb and Brandon Lafell on my team. So I'm just looking to see who I should pick out of that group, which two I should start. So thank you so much for your help. I listen to you guys every single day and it's helped me get into the position to defend my title. Have a great day.

[Mike Wright]

All right, so Britt Mitchell, Cobb and Lafell.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I. Look, I'm with you. I think Lafell is just a guaranteed production.

[Andy Holloway]

Lafell is.

[Mike Wright]

I'd probably go.

[Andy Holloway]

Lafell's the one I like the most.

[Mike Wright]

LaFell's in and I'm having a hard time deciding between Britain. Cobb. I'm not going Mitchell.

[Andy Holloway]

Wow. So you'll go, you'll go Jared Goff as your quarterback over Thomas Brady?

[Mike Wright]

No, I would go Thomas Brady if I'm deciding quarterbacks, but someone's got to throw the ball. Yeah, I'm going to go with Lafell and Cobb.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah, that's, that's really, really tough. LA fell and because Everyone here is.

[Mike Wright]

Just so high risk that that's the problem. I feel like I'm. I'm going to say the wrong names no matter what.

[Andy Holloway]

So to me, if everybody's risky, let's just pick. Let's. Let's take some upside here then, because we know there's Mitchell. The floor for everybody. So la Fell and. Yeah, and Mitchell. All right, Kenny. Britt. I like him. Kenny. Brett has a fine ceiling against the Falcons, but, I mean, he's a three, four reception guy. While we've seen Malcolm Mitchell just get.

[Mike Wright]

Peppered with targets, another wide receiver question from Jeremy in Oklahoma City. Hopkins. Pryor. Watkins. Gabriel. Mitchell.

[Andy Holloway]

Whoa, wait, whoa, whoa.

[Mike Wright]

Hopkins. Pryor. Watkins. Gabriel. Mitchell.

[Andy Holloway]

Hopkins. Give me two priors in.

[Mike Wright]

Prior's in.

[Andy Holloway]

Pryor is in.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going.

[Andy Holloway]

Prior.

[Mike Wright]

Watkins. For you. It's. It's Watkins or Hopkins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go. Watkins.

[Mike Wright]

Shopkins.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, don't talk about Shopkins. My daughter will probably come exploding out of the closet here. Shopkins.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. So.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, goodness.

[Mike Wright]

All right, that does it for today's show.

[Andy Holloway]

Thanks again to Original Grain. I'm telling you, Folklore, these watches are spectacular. They are.

[Mike Wright]

You just gotta check them out. It's great for Christmas.

[Andy Holloway]

They're very original. Yes. Christmas is coming. You have someone who's tough to buy for. Trust me, they've never seen a watch like this. So check out originalgrain.com footballers for 15% off your entire purchase.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks for tuning in this week. Check out Mike on Periscope. Please do on our Twitter account @theffballers and check out Fantasy Jocks for all your trophy needs. We'll be back next week and hopefully your team will be too.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

All right, goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

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.