Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Week 15 Matchups, In-or-Out, Playoff Decisions

Summary

Fantasy Football Podcast Week 15 Summary

Episode Title: Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Week 15 Matchups, In-or-Out, Playoff Decisions
Release Date: December 16, 2016
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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1. Introduction and Opening Remarks

The episode kicks off with a lighthearted celebration of David Johnson's birthday.

• Mike Wright [00:27]: "Happy birthday, Mr. Johnson."
• Andy Holloway [00:58]: "We just need a way to keep David Johnson young forever."

Jason Moore makes brief appearances, managing family commitments, adding a personal touch to the show.

2. Foot Clan Friday Winner

The hosts announce the winner of their weekly giveaway, Foot Clan Friday.

• Andy Holloway [03:24]: "Today's winner of a gift card to shopballers.com is Ivan J. Browning."
• Mike Wright [03:35]: "Congratulations, Ivan!"

The segment highlights their appreciation for listener support and showcases Jason’s festive Santa Claus persona on JoinTheFoot.com.

3. Review of Last Night's Games

Seahawks vs. Rams

The hosts dissect the disappointing performance of the Rams' quarterback and key players.

• Mike Wright [04:00]: "Quarterbacking... He doesn't know what he's doing."
• Andy Holloway [04:57]: "Todd Gurley 14 for 38 was not good."

Despite Lewis to Michael Thomas dropping a potential long touchdown, Tyler Lockett shines bright.

• Mike Wright [05:00]: "Tyler Lockett had a monster game. 7 for 130 in a touchdown."
• Andy Holloway [06:56]: "Someone is now a Tyler Lockett fan forever."

Packers vs. Bears

Injuries take center stage as James Starks suffers a concussion, impacting the Packers' lineup.

• Andy Holloway [09:05]: "Michael Floyd's on a playoff team now, or that's probably gonna go to the Super Bowl."

Titans vs. Chiefs

A strategic discussion on quarterback decisions and offensive matchups.

• Andy Holloway [19:07]: "I'm still okay where it's not. I'm not going dumpster diving on the waiver wire to replace it."

4. Fantasy Forecasts

The hosts delve into player performances and their implications for fantasy teams.

• Mike Wright [15:23]: "Le'Veon Bell's potential as the best running back in football."
• Andy Holloway [16:06]: "He's got great hands as well."

5. Injury Reports

A comprehensive rundown of player statuses across key positions.

Quarterbacks

• Andy Holloway [10:44]: "Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck— all are playing."
• Mike Wright [11:35]: "Derek Carr's pinky dislocation is a concern."

Running Backs

• Andy Holloway [12:16]: "Theo Riddick is likely out."
• Mike Wright [12:54]: "Chris Ivory is limited and likely out."

Wide Receivers

• Andy Holloway [12:44]: "Julio Jones and A.J. Green are questionable."
• Mike Wright [12:57]: "I think A.J. Green's going to sit out this week."

Tight Ends

• Andy Holloway [15:03]: "Fred Fedorowicz is unlikely to play."
• Mike Wright [15:14]: "Jared Cook will play despite a chest injury."

6. Upcoming Matchups and Weather

The hosts assess how weather conditions may influence game outcomes and player performances.

Packers vs. Bears Weather Impact

• Mike Wright [17:09]: "The game at Soldier Field might be the coldest they've ever played."

Titans vs. Chiefs Weather Impact

• Mike Wright [18:12]: "Kansas City could see the coldest temperature since March 2014. Not expecting heavy winds, just really cold temperatures."

Broncos vs. Patriots Weather and Performance Insights

• Andy Holloway [50:34]: "Doug Martin’s volume is limited by the offensive line, affecting fantasy upside."

7. Listener Mailbag

Scott from Green Bay, Wisconsin inquires about awarding point advantages based on regular-season standings.

• Scott [55:52]: "Do you think it's fair to award a point advantage for how you finish in the regular season?"

Andy Holloway [56:19]: "I wouldn't do it."

Kyle from New Jersey seeks advice on tight end starts amidst injuries.

• Kyle [57:49]: "I have to swing for the fences on my tight end this week. Choices are Cameron Brait, Fedorowicz, or Hunter Henry."

Andy Holloway [58:24]: "I don't think Fedorowicz is going to play. I'd consider Hunter Henry for high touchdown potential."

8. Sponsor Message

A dedicated segment to pristineauction.com, highlighting their authentic autographed jerseys and the excitement of daily auctions.

• Mike Wright [21:04]: "Check out my new Dak Prescott mini helmet. These aren’t fake autographs."

9. Final Thoughts and Closing

Wrapping up the episode, the hosts encourage listeners to engage with the community and adjust their lineups for the upcoming games.

• Andy Holloway [59:37]: "Make sure your lineups are adjusted accordingly."
• Mike Wright [59:46]: "Good luck, everyone. We want the Foot Clan to win."

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Notable Quotes:

• Mike Wright [05:47]: "Our job on this show is not to pick your lineup for you. We provide the information, and you make the decisions."
• Andy Holloway [07:11]: "The power of fantasy football is immense. Tyler Lockett should say thank you because he's a valuable asset."

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Key Takeaways:

• Player Performances: Tyler Lockett emerges as a standout performer, boosting his fantasy value. Conversely, running backs like Todd Gurley and Matt Forte face challenges that may impact their fantasy projections.

• Injury Impacts: Several key players are questionable or out, necessitating strategic lineup adjustments, especially among running backs and wide receivers.

• Strategic Insights: Emphasis on analyzing matchups, player usage, and weather conditions to optimize fantasy lineups. The hosts advocate for informed decision-making over automated lineup selections.

• Community Engagement: Encouragement for listeners to participate in giveaways and engage with the podcast’s online community for additional resources and support.

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For more insights and detailed analysis, join the Fantasy Footballers community at joinTheFoot.com and follow them on Twitter @the_ffballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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

Happy birthday, Mr. Johnson.

[Andy Holloway]

Happy birthday.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I thought it was appropriate to open the show with David Johnson considering He's a cool 25 years old. Today.

[Andy Holloway]

We need. Okay, Foot Clan. We need some kind of birthday. We need, like a time machine. Not a time machine. We just need a way to keep David Johnson young forever.

[Mike Wright]

I see, I see. I see where you're going.

[Andy Holloway]

Forever.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. He's 25.

[Andy Holloway]

That's. That's older. I mean, he broke in a little bit late as a running back.

[Mike Wright]

I love how that's older.

[Andy Holloway]

For not the running back.

[Mike Wright]

It is not. The new Andy and Mike here this morning. Jason's apparently taking Fridays off permanently. Hey, that's not true.

[Andy Holloway]

He's. Look, for some reason, the school of his children have said our Christmas program is at 9am in the morning.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, because no one has jobs.

[Andy Holloway]

What is up with that?

[Mike Wright]

That is who. Yeah, that's what I heard too. What's up with that? What's up with that?

[Andy Holloway]

Come on, man. Put him after 9:00.

[Mike Wright]

So he's at a recital for his children.

[Andy Holloway]

Good. Yeah, which we said you're going.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah. What. What else can you. I mean, you're not gonna bring anything to the show anyway. Just. Just kidding, Jason. All right, we have. We got the second half of the matchups. We're gonna talk about that game last night. We also have maybe a little mailbag on the show today. Got some news and notes, got some in and out. Gonna let you know about the injury reports. Mike, go ahead and stall for a second. I need to select a random winner for. Oh, for this.

[Andy Holloway]

Foot Clan Friday. I had my driving into work rain story already.

[Mike Wright]

Go for it. No, you can tell that.

[Andy Holloway]

So, Arizona, you know, we don't see a lot of. A lot of weather here.

[Mike Wright]

That's to say, to put it mildly.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, I'm sure, you know, I've seen pictures, you know, Minnesota, it's snowing. I saw buffalo. The snow on the. On the television screen. Well, today we had the light rain. I don't know how other places do what they're driving once the weather hits, because you're, you're used to it. I don't know if everything freaks out, but here we have the light drizzle. I'm sure that people have heard about California drivers In the rain. It's very similar here I'm driving to work in a light drizzle on the freeway which is a 65 mile an hour speed limit going 40 in a light. I'm talking a very, very light drizzle where you have your windshield wipers are on the one click the absolute slowest they can be on and people just.

[Mike Wright]

They don't know what they're doing.

[Andy Holloway]

We got it. We got to slow it down.

[Mike Wright]

They don't slow it down. Gotta, gotta keep it safe. We don't got them rain tires out here. We got the desert tires, the heat tires, the heat tires. All right, well, Foot Clan Friday. Foot Clan Friday. Today's winner of a gift card to shopballers.com is Ivan J. Browning.

[Andy Holloway]

Ivan.

[Mike Wright]

Ivan. Congratulations. Every Friday we give out a gift card to one of our JoinTheFoot.com supporters. We appreciate your supporting the show and if you've been over to join the Foot.com youm've seen Jason dressed up as Santa Claus giving away free stuff as well.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, it's glorious.

[Mike Wright]

It is. So last night's game was between the Seahawks and the Rams. I personally as bad as golf is pocket presence, things like that.

[Andy Holloway]

Quarterbacking.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean I don't know if he's as bad as Twitter thinks right now.

[Andy Holloway]

He's not good.

[Mike Wright]

No. But you're in Seattle and you know he had Michael Thomas drop a wide open potential 60 yard touchdown.

[Andy Holloway]

So if the Saints Michael Thomas is Michael Thomas then Rams droppy Thomas. No. Well, you have. I figure you would just Michael Thomas.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Or an extension.

[Mike Wright]

Well, this, this Michael Thomas dropped.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, the drop the bomb. Not good and not, not like the song where it's awesome and you dance because it came on Todd Gurley 14 for 38.

[Mike Wright]

People wanted to know why I had him ranked so low. That's why.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh man.

[Mike Wright]

I mean if you're in a carries only league, he had 14 of them. I mean that's really the only thing you can say about this entire game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I did have an interesting story for you from so Tyler Lockett had a monster game. 7 for 130 in a touchdown. 57 yard bomb at that. One of the things we said on yesterday's foot cast. So the episode [e-mail] was that our job on this show is not to pick your lineup for you. I know you want me to do that and I understand that. That's the, the, the question we get the most. It's like, yeah, who do I start? Here's my 14 players. But that's not how we view it. Right. Like we view our job as, you know, analysts, full time fantasy football analysts.

[Andy Holloway]

Bringing the news, bringing our news and our opinion.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we're bringing you all the information and your job is to make a decision based on that information. Because a lot of things are different. You know, we'll answer questions a lot of the times this way. Do you need a boom guy? Well, then play this one of your options. Do you need a guy that's safe? Play this option so it changes. It's not a locked and loaded algorithm here. So I wanted to tell you this story. Somebody wrote in yesterday about Tyler Lockett. He said he was listening to the Footcast. He heard us talking about wanting listeners to make their own decisions based on the information we provide. He said five minutes before the Rams Seahawks game last night, he takes out, I think it was Michael Thomas out of his lineup. Drops Inman, picks up Tyler Lockett. Oh, stuck him in the starting lineup in both, in both of his leagues because he had a feeling he was about to go off. He said, thank you for that little encouragement you guys gave in the podcast so that I could muster enough courage to follow through on a hunch that I had. I thank you. And then he said, we are gentlemen and scholars. No, you are the scholar.

[Andy Holloway]

What a move.

[Mike Wright]

That is someone credible.

[Andy Holloway]

Someone is. Someone is now a Tyler Lockett fan forever. Absolutely. The power of fantasy football. Tyler Lockett should say thank you because that guy's going out and buying a locket jersey.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. That was, that's amazing. Russell Wilson was very efficient. 19 for 26 to 29 and three touchdowns. Did throw another interception. Think that the big stories here, you know, Doug Baldwin did enough with the touchdown to not make you upset, but Jimmy Graham won for 31 and then.

[Andy Holloway]

Thomas Rawls, which was not even 21.

[Mike Wright]

For 34, is so many lost yardage plays.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, what it was, what's, what's terrible for Thomas Rawls is this wasn't the fault of Thomas Rawls. You can say the similar things for Todd Gurley, but when you're the number one running back, you're super high pick in the first round. I expect you to be able to make some things happen. Thomas Rawls was just, he would, he would be hand handed the ball two yards behind the line and just smashed.

[Mike Wright]

There were a few, yeah, there were a few times where he lost like 4 or 5 yards when two players were through the line. He had no choice. He had no chance.

[Andy Holloway]

Also Kenny Brits I believe is about 13 yards away from a thousand yard season.

[Mike Wright]

He'll get there then. That's impressive.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[Mike Wright]

I imagine if that D ball was thrown to him, he would have caught it.

[Andy Holloway]

Probably. News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

Just a reminder, if you want to follow us on Twitter, you can do so at the FF Ballers. Follow Mike at FF Hitman. I'm at Andy Holloway and Jason is at Jason ffl. We will. We'll be periscoping again on Sunday morning. And by we, I mean Mike. He'll be answering about an hour's worth of questions before the. Before the.

[Andy Holloway]

I appreciate the credit.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, well, I mean it's. It's we because it's on at the FF Ballers, but it's you because I'm not doing it.

[Andy Holloway]

You are. Very true.

[Mike Wright]

All right. The Patriots have claimed Michael Floyd off of waivers after his release following the dui. I guess if you get a dui, you get signed by a potential super bowl champion on something that, because I.

[Andy Holloway]

Was, as the Cardinal fan, you know, something had to be done. What is not taken into account here is now they. They have Michael Floyd in his contract. Let's say that Michael Floyd does nothing for them the rest of the year. Michael Floyd moves on to another team. You know what? The Patriots get a compository draft pick.

[Mike Wright]

Is the word compensatory that you meant there?

[Andy Holloway]

It certainly is.

[Mike Wright]

It certainly is.

[Andy Holloway]

Someone's got a bill in for.

[Mike Wright]

So wait, that's the case.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So why. So the Cardinal sacrificed a compensatory pick.

[Andy Holloway]

To send a message.

[Mike Wright]

To send a message.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. And that's why the Patriots are smarter than everybody.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. It's also why the Patriots need to sleep in the bed that they lie in when things go wrong.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So both of those are true.

[Andy Holloway]

Wait, when things go wrong for the Patriots, Aaron Hernandez.

[Mike Wright]

Aaron Hernandez. All right, moving on to the news. Packers said James Stark suffered a concussion in a car accident. So I guess the only thing you care about there is maybe a little bit more confidence in Ty Montgomery.

[Andy Holloway]

I like Montgomery a lot this weekend. I think he returns back. We saw that stretch in the middle of the season where he was there. Basically their Giovanni Bernard, so to speak. Except it's Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball and running the offense. I think we're going to get back to that. I don't expect Starks to play and they like Montgomery more than Christian Michael. So I like him a lot personally.

[Mike Wright]

Before we do matchups, we're going to give you the Injury rundown with in and out.

[Andy Holloway]

What's it going to be, McFly?

[Mike Wright]

Are you in or out? Quarterbacks in or out? Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, they're all. They're all going to be.

[Mike Wright]

They're all going to play. Do you. Do you have any concern fantasy wise for any of them because of the injuries or are we just pushing forward Stafford?

[Andy Holloway]

I do, but because it's a finger on your. On the throwing hand. We'll see what he can. What he can do. It appears that Derek Carr has been hampered by his. The dislocation is pinky. We saw Carson Palmer once he dislocated a finger in that Eagles game. Things really fell apart for him the rest of the season. So I do have some concern. I'm not a quarterback. I don't know which finger is worse to have the dislocation. Maybe the middle finger is. It's not so bad because you're gripping more with the front and the back of your hand. But we'll see.

[Mike Wright]

Running back wise Matt Forte, do you expect him to play in or out?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't but is this is game time decision? Luckily Merry Christmas is a Saturday night game and you don't have to fret too much. Like it's not an afternoon on the Sunday. You'll get to be able to make that decision later. Especially to me it's more of a Bilal Powell. Everyone picked him up. Is blah Powell a great start. If Forte plays, you have to downgrade him. Of course Matt Forte could go out there and say my knees grinding again. Play three snaps and go out. So there is. There's concern. I don't know if I would play Forte. Okay, I had him.

[Mike Wright]

It's more of the Powell watch in or out?

[Andy Holloway]

Theo Riddick, he's not practicing. I think he's going to be out again.

[Mike Wright]

Mark Ingram, he'll play.

[Andy Holloway]

He returned to practice.

[Mike Wright]

Darren sprawls in or out.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, he's in the concussion or he's dealing with concussion as well. If there's. It's not trending well for him.

[Mike Wright]

So you say out?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I would lean out.

[Mike Wright]

James Starks in or out?

[Andy Holloway]

I lean out.

[Mike Wright]

Chris Ivory in or out?

[Andy Holloway]

He's limited in practice so that says.

[Mike Wright]

He probably plays wide receivers Julio and A.J. green.

[Andy Holloway]

Julio's the big question mark. We need to see some limited practices on today. I don't think he's going to play.

[Mike Wright]

You lean out.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's going to sit. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

What about AJ Green with limited practices Wednesday and Thursday?

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's going to sit out this week.

[Mike Wright]

Calvin Benjamin, he should play. Michael Thomas, he's back.

[Andy Holloway]

He's back to limited practices, so I expect him to play. But it's the Cardinals tough matchup.

[Mike Wright]

Des Bryant.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Des Bryant.

[Mike Wright]

He'll play and then.

[Andy Holloway]

Moncrief. You got to get in on it with me.

[Mike Wright]

I thought you were going to give an inner out at the end of that baseline.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, go again. Out.

[Mike Wright]

Out.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's not practicing with the hamstring.

[Mike Wright]

I don't think anybody who played him last week would want to play him even if he was back.

[Andy Holloway]

What's a. Another storyline here? Philip Dorsett added to the injury. Injury report. He did get in limited, but I mean, that's it. You. What do you do with Ty Hilton? Obviously, you play him, but how your feelings on Ty Hilton if Moncrief is out? I think that stinks. Personally, as the Ty Hilton owner, I wish Moncrief was in there. But if Ty. If Moncrief and Philip Dorsett are out, do you. Are you going to buy into the. Well, Hilton's the only show in town. They're going to pepper him with targets or that he can just be triple covered.

[Mike Wright]

I buy into option A. I think he'll probably be peppered with targets.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

I also would move up Dwayne Allen. I think you'd have to use Allen.

[Andy Holloway]

Maybe Jack Doyle.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you'd have to use a tight end more often there. I mean, it's just when you lose Moncrief, you lose Dorset. I mean.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, we haven't gotten to tight ends yet, but Dwayne Allen also missed practice and then was limited.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's. I mean, you're losing options.

[Andy Holloway]

We're getting Doyle rules back.

[Mike Wright]

Actually, who it affects is. I mean, you start. You start looking at Andrew Luck and saying what can he do without passing options.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Brandon Marshall, John Brown, Adam Humphries.

[Andy Holloway]

So Marshall is apparently going to be on a pitch count.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

If you weren't going to play him anyways.

[Mike Wright]

No, I wasn't.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. John Brown, limited. Just. You can't use him right now. And Humphreys has cleared the concussion protocol, so he will play. That's more just an upgrade for Winston.

[Mike Wright]

All right, tight ends. Fedorowicz, he had a concussion. Is he going to play?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think he's going to play Dwayne Allen.

[Mike Wright]

We just talked about it. You think he will play or.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I think he will.

[Mike Wright]

And then Jared Cook, he had that.

[Andy Holloway]

Chest injury last week during the game, knocked him out. I think that he will play.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, anybody else you want to discuss? Did you guys hear. Did you guys. I'm so used to saying that. Jason, what are your thoughts on Le'Veon Bell's potential?

[Andy Holloway]

I was just going to bring it up.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Lev's going to be likely franchise tagged. I think that's a genius move by Pittsburgh.

[Andy Holloway]

You.

[Mike Wright]

He's worth the money and he's worth.

[Andy Holloway]

The short term money.

[Mike Wright]

He's worth short term money. And it's rare that a running back gets franchise tagged but he falls into that category where you can't let him go.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

And so very interesting that it's unfortunate for Mr. Bell. I agree. I agree.

[Andy Holloway]

Fantasy forecast.

[Mike Wright]

I know we're coming off the crazy week, but is Love Bell. Do you think he's the best running back in football? Do you think?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think he is. His skill set, you've at least in recent memory. There's no one who runs like that where it. Everything just looks like it's in slow motion because he's so patient and. But then as soon as it's go time, he just explodes. And he's got great hands as well.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Not a lot of running backs have that.

[Mike Wright]

It's him. It's David Johnson. It's Zeke probably right. Top three backs.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm not putting.

[Mike Wright]

You're not putting Zeke in there.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not going to put Zeke up there yet.

[Mike Wright]

Offensive line, is that why.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's unfortunate for Elliott. He could be that. But it's. It's hard to really know this early in his career when no matter who's behind that line, Darren McFadden was garbage. Darren McFadden was a thousand yard rusher last year and he looked great. So that's. It's unfortunate that we won't. We don't know his true talent yet.

[Mike Wright]

The Packers Bears game. Here's an update for you on that, on the weather for that game. These two teams have played 193 games in over between them in 95 years. The game at Soldier Field on Sunday might be the coldest. What might be the coldest game they've ever played. The current record is a 2 degree game on December 22, 2008. So not very long ago. But there's a chance this game beats that. So it's going to be cold. It's going to be cold at least. Ty Montgomery, Jordan Howard, I'm fine with.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, with the running backs. These people like to be out in that.

[Mike Wright]

No, they don't like to be out in that they like to be out.

[Andy Holloway]

In that they continue to love Lambo.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're talking about the fans.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that.

[Mike Wright]

You're talking about the players. No, it's like they've got to play.

[Andy Holloway]

No, they don't want to. Well, the guys with their no sleeves. I would be out there in just.

[Mike Wright]

So poofy because why'd you be wearing like one of those big old.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I would. They say what jersey.

[Mike Wright]

Haven't you ever. No, I know we're Arizonans. Right. But you've played in the snow, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Once you get moving. Well of course Arizona snow. Right. Like you're talking 30 degrees.

[Andy Holloway]

But I've never been in the cold, cold weather.

[Mike Wright]

Once you get running around and stuff, you sweat. Yeah, I've played in the snow. But here's like a tank top.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's the thing about football. You're running around and then you go sit on the bench for about 10 minutes and then you go and you have that sweat on your body while the wind is freezing it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's hypothermia. You can play better with hypothermia. Titans and Chiefs. Titans and Chiefs. Here's another weather game Sunday could have the coldest temperature in Kansas City since March of 2014 when when it was 5 degrees. We're not expecting heavy winds. There should be sunshine, just really cold temperatures. So I'm not worried about the weather.

[Andy Holloway]

Nope.

[Mike Wright]

But I am worried about the Titans offense in this game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I can agree with that.

[Mike Wright]

The Chiefs are, you know, a very, very competitive defense at home. You know they've only allowed a completion, one of the lower completion percentages in the league to opposing quarterbacks. I just don't know if there's going to be enough on the table for Mariota to give you anything. So we pumped the brakes on him for a second week in a row. On the other side. Look, I mean I think people are feeling pretty burnt by Spencer Ware right now.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Can you expect him to do much against the Titans third ranked run defense?

[Andy Holloway]

He's still a fine play. I mean the Titans defense is only allowed six rushing touchdowns so that does not fare well with. With where not scoring a lot of rushing touchdowns right now. You. There's not likely a better option sitting on your bench. So I'm still okay where it's not. I'm not going to go dumpster diving on the waiver wire to replace it.

[Mike Wright]

But you would have played Ware over Gurley in a heartbeat, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I would have. Yes. Me too. Do you stay in The Flames with the two on fire. Chiefs, Travis Kelsey, Tyreek Hill.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I do the Titan secondary soul bat. We saw Trevor Simeon continue that with D. Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and I'm not, I haven't been, you know, gung ho for Tyree Kill because the snaps have been so low. I, I recognize his ability and the talent. I have no problem with the player. It just. The opportunity was so low. But now with this matchup being so delicious, so delightful for wide receivers, it's one of those. Yeah, he'll. He'll probably bust a deep one.

[Mike Wright]

For context for our listeners, we have Tyree Kill as A consensus number 19 overall wide receiver this week. That is in the range of D. Jacks and Golden Tate and Julian Edelman just ahead of those guys actually as a consensus. So there's some context. I mean, on the other side, the confidence level of DeMarco Murray and. Is that it? Is it Delaney Walker and DeMarco Murray?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah, that's. That's probably it for me.

[Mike Wright]

All right, before we move on, I do want to thank pristineauction.com the sponsor of today's show. Great friends of the show. Yesterday, on our main account on Twitter at the Ffballers, I tweeted out a picture of a couple of the autographed jerseys from pristineauction.com that we have up in our brand new studio. These guys are awesome. Yesterday, Mike's father stopped by the studio, saw the jerseys on the wall, and instantly thought, how much money did you spend on those jerseys?

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Not as much as you think.

[Andy Holloway]

And I said, less. I've less than a. Than going to the store and buying a regular jersey.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

This one is authentically autographed by a superstar.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. These aren't fake autographs. These are real autographs. JSA authenticated. These guys are great people. The website, hundreds of daily auctions. Hundreds. And I heard what I said, right? Daily auctions. So they end at the end of the day. It's exciting. It's fun. You're not waiting for a week for every single auction. You can go on there. You can grab something quick. We get tweets all the time. Check out my new Dak Prescott mini helmet. Check out my new Mike Evans jersey. Check out my new Rob Gronkowski jersey.

[Andy Holloway]

Speaking of Mike Evans, there is a signed Mike Evans throwback mini helmet.

[Mike Wright]

Did you buy that?

[Andy Holloway]

That's what the only reason I'm talking about this is because I won't be bidding on it because I already got one.

[Mike Wright]

You got it?

[Andy Holloway]

I got one.

[Mike Wright]

You did Lock that down.

[Andy Holloway]

It's the Evans helmet. It's got Paxton lynch on the side. It's great.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I see what you're saying. It took me a second because you think Paxton lynch looks like the Tampa Bay.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think I know that it's.

[Mike Wright]

Him that he is.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

The mascot.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. It's like you know who it's Jerry west is the NBA logo. Right.

[Mike Wright]

Paxton lynch is the Buck lynch is the Buccaneers logo. So check them out. Pristineauction.com that's P R I S T I N E auction.com Some of our favorite people. One of the best websites. Free account. Really easy register. Grab some Christmas. No Christmas present for yourself on there. So Colts, Vikings in Minnesota in the safety of the dome we don't have to talk about weather but we do have to talk about Andrew Luck. That hurting wide receiver and receiving core.

[Andy Holloway]

Unfortunate timing for fantasy football in the in the middle of the playoffs to have the Colts have to go take on the Vikings.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to say the Colts not only have those things working against them with the injuries, but you face a third ranked passing defense in Minnesota. You know Ty Hilton's going to see. Well, here's the X man.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's the thing. He doesn't usually kind of shadow around the small guy and Hilton actually plays quite frequently in the slot. That's why it's such a bummer if Moncrief does not play that you don't have his presence on the outside keeping them them honest with Rhodes might have to stick on him where if there's a lack of talent in the pass catchers they might say okay Rhodes just cover Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

So what's the confidence level in Luck Based on the matchup and, and the injuries it's.

[Andy Holloway]

It's still a.

[Mike Wright]

Is he good for 202?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I would, I would think so. I mean he just. The volume is great. You might want to upgrade.

[Mike Wright]

No Harrison Smith, you might want to upgrade Gore.

[Andy Holloway]

You say well he's going to get more touches if they don't have passing weapons. But I don't think Gore really gets that upgrade. To me Luck just always has volume. So I'm good playing him. Yeah as a. If you're speaking for confidence I'd say you know that middle, middle, low Middle.

[Mike Wright]

Quarterback 1 really like Kyle Rudolph in this game being targeted seven and a half times per game. Very good baseline second in the league.

[Andy Holloway]

For red zone targets.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, the Colts are not a great defense. We know this. It's at home in Minnesota. I think if you. If you have to handicap a tight end getting a touchdown this week, I'm not sure there's anybody I'd put ahead of Kyle Rudolph on the odds and potential of doing that. Sam Bradford loves him. It's probably Rudolph. I'm okay with Diggs in a PPR league.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm okay with Thielen, too. Thielen has been. Yeah, he's been performing. It's Adam Thielen at this time of the year, it's black out the name so you cannot see who it is. And just look at what he has been doing. And he's been. He's been a solid wide receiver. Three at the worst.

[Mike Wright]

Would you play him over Randall Cobb?

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh, over Randall Cobb. I'm. I might against the Colts. Secretary. That's. That's a wild one, but I think I might do that.

[Mike Wright]

Would you like Thielen or J.J. nelson this week?

[Andy Holloway]

J.J. nelson. What did. What do you do with that volume against the Saints? I'd probably still go Nelson, because I think he can. Boom.

[Mike Wright]

I'm having a really hard time not playing JJ Nelson in our Listener League matchup. Yeah, I'm sitting there with Crabtree, who ticked me off last week, but he's my start of the week, so he's playing.

[Andy Holloway]

He's solid.

[Mike Wright]

Sammy Watkins against Cleveland. How are you?

[Andy Holloway]

Struggling. J.J. nelson's on the bench.

[Mike Wright]

Julio Jones, so. Well, Julio probably goes out. It's Tyree killer. J.J. nelson. That's the hard problem for me.

[Andy Holloway]

And then I would. I'd probably go Hill.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I know. I'm going. I can't play J.J. it stinks. I'm going to change the roster format to an extra wide receiver just like I'm playing this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Can you change it so that only your team has an extra.

[Mike Wright]

I think people want us to talk about Gore and then the running backs on the other side. If you're picking between Asiata and McKinnon, for me, I'm playing Oziata.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm playing Ozzy. Autumn.

[Mike Wright]

If you're picking between Gore and Gore, I'm going with Gore.

[Andy Holloway]

That's astute.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Lions, Giants, we're moving on weather in this game. Nothing too crazy, so I think we'll be okay there. Stafford and Eli talked about Stafford's finger injury. This game's in New York. New York's a really good defense this year.

[Andy Holloway]

They're great.

[Mike Wright]

Not a lot of confidence in Stafford in this game, to be honest with you. I don't think he's going to be bad. I don't Think he's going to be bottom of the barrel, But I'm a little worried. I mean, you've got some variables here that make me.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's where.

[Mike Wright]

If you got him, you got him.

[Andy Holloway]

But here's where I'm worried about. Stafford is the floor.

[Mike Wright]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

The floor this week for Stafford is literally 170 and zero touchdowns. I mean, that. That is in the realm of possibilities, which it normally is not for Stafford, which makes me want a different option.

[Mike Wright]

We all have him appropriately ranked based on that comment. We have him at 21. Yeah, 21 says. Because here's the problem. That. Yeah, that's where the stats put him. But look, I'm going to name some guys ahead of him and just compare this. You're going to play Stafford in New York? Are you going to play Big Ben in Cincinnati?

[Andy Holloway]

I'll take. I'll take on the road. Big Ben.

[Mike Wright]

Will you take Rivers at Oakland?

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Will you take. I'm sorry. At home, Will you take Palmer? Yeah. Will you take Winston?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Will you take Dalton?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Will you take Eli in this very same game?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Me too. And so if you're a, you know, Tyrod Taylor, of course.

[Andy Holloway]

Against the Browns.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So you kind of in that boat where you look at all the options out there and that's why he dropped to where he dropped. You know, Golden Tate is the only wide receiver I'll play in this game from the lion side of the ball. And we don't know if Theo Riddick's even going to play.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's. If you're for running backs, if you're scraping the bottom, you know, it's probably Dwayne Washington.

[Mike Wright]

This is a 41 point over under, and I actually, I think it's going to be a low scoring game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I don't think it's.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, this is going to be a 21, 17, something like that. That's how I see it. Shaken out. You're playing Beckham.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm not worried. I'm not worried.

[Mike Wright]

Are you worried about Jennings?

[Andy Holloway]

The Lions are 11th against the run. He's not my favorite play, but he's.

[Mike Wright]

15 carries for Perkins last week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, the split is happening with him and Perkins.

[Mike Wright]

Anything else you want to talk about in this game? Ebron.

[Andy Holloway]

What about Shepard? I mean, so the Lions are allowing a completion percentage of almost 73%. They can't sack the quarterback. They're. They're near the bottom in that. In that category. Would you play Shepard as a three?

[Mike Wright]

As a three? I would, yeah. I'M not excited, but, I mean, he scored four times in the last six weeks, so. And that's what you're waiting on. I mean, you need him to score. He hasn't had over 50 yards since week three. Yeah, I mean, that is. That's a long run of. You better score. You're not getting me something.

[Andy Holloway]

And Ebron, since the injury, has just fallen apart. Yeah, he started the year spectacular.

[Mike Wright]

Such a hopeful year for Ibrahim.

[Andy Holloway]

Fell apart.

[Mike Wright]

All right. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals 44 and a half point over under. It's going to be cold and breezy, but should be okay. Talked about on the road, Big Ben. I was afraid of him last week. I'm afraid of him this week. I think. I think it'll be okay, but I'm not excited. And I love Andy Dalton. Yeah, I love Andy Dalton. Regardless of AJ Green playing, I agree with that. Actually, they played very well. They've played well of late. He's had some good games. He had a good game against them last time. So.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, yeah, it was over 300 yards. Only had one touchdown, but 300 yards is delightful.

[Mike Wright]

I remember last time Jeremy Hill played the Browns, everybody wanted to play it in the next week. Now it's the same situation played. The Browns played well against them again, but the Steelers, they can stop the run.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Fourth against the run. In terms of yardage allowed.

[Mike Wright]

I feel like you can find a better option.

[Andy Holloway]

Probably can. Jeremy Hill is. He's just a Browns destroyer. I mean, he is. So much of his lifetime production has been racked up against the Cleveland Browns.

[Mike Wright]

It's like a confidence pill. The thing about the. I will say this because the matchup he had a couple weeks ago against Philly wasn't good. He got in the end zone. You get 20 plus carries, you might get in the end zone, but remember, you take the Browns out. Listen to these. These numbers. Philly game, 23 for 33. Baltimore game, 12 for 21. Buffalo 16 for 62.

[Andy Holloway]

That's not bad.

[Mike Wright]

Giants 15 for 46. So, you know, it hasn't been a great run for Hill. You kind of hope that, you know, two catches, three catches.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, that was. That's the difference is if he gets.

[Mike Wright]

The targets, definitely like him more than, you know, Gurley.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah. Antonio Brown is in, of course. Any other pass catchers from Pittsburgh this week?

[Mike Wright]

I don't think there's any other pass catchers from either side that I'm excited.

[Andy Holloway]

About, but Darius Green.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I guess I was thinking wide receivers. Ifrt And Green. I would play, but Green. Green isn't getting the flamboyant top of the tight end start this week.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

He's on the road. Cincinnati's looked okay of late. Green is more in that tight end 10 range. I'm going to play the Rudolphs of the world. And the Braits. And the Ertz is ahead of him.

[Andy Holloway]

The Ertzes.

[Mike Wright]

The Ertzes got to play that Ertz. All right, I'm going to this game. The Saints and the Cardinals. Hey, I'm going to this game. Right. After finding out that the Seahawks have won the division last night.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Well, congratulations.

[Mike Wright]

I was holding on to a sliver of hope.

[Andy Holloway]

It's gone. We're eliminated.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Of the division?

[Andy Holloway]

No, we're eliminated from playoff contention.

[Mike Wright]

Dear Diary, I had so much hope this year. David Johnson, Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald and that wide receiver core. We were so close last year. They said super bowl was within our grasp, all or nothing.

[Andy Holloway]

And now it's nothing.

[Mike Wright]

It's nothing.

[Andy Holloway]

Nothing. Maybe next year it's nothing but a middle of the road draft pick.

[Mike Wright]

I thought you're gonna say a middle finger. I got the middle finger from my team.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they. They did say some. Some. Some naughty words.

[Mike Wright]

And then. And then Michael Floyd's like, I guess he knew. I guess he knew we were gonna be eliminated. We'll leave it at that. All right.

[Andy Holloway]

And now he's on a playoff team.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Or that's probably gonna go to the Super Bowl.

[Mike Wright]

He's good, too. He's good when he.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he's physically gifted. I don't know.

[Mike Wright]

That's a good way to put it.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if he's a good wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

All right. All right, let's get into this game. Breeze Palmer, Cardinals, a couple point favorites at home, 15 and a half point over under. Vegas says you're going to score a bunch of points in this game. I tend to agree. It's one of the reasons I like Jermaine Gresham in my top 12 tight ends.

[Andy Holloway]

Big Gresh, big grash. Or Kobe Fleener, Big grass.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah. I'm not playing. Look, just call it Fleener roulette. I mean, Fleener is. It's a. What's the guy from Mighty Ducks? Knuckle puck.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I don't.

[Mike Wright]

Not knuckle puck. No, no, no. I'm talking about Fulton Reed. Oh, the Bass Bros. No, Fulton Reed could make it one out of every five.

[Andy Holloway]

Right, right.

[Mike Wright]

That's Kobe Fleener. Kobe Fleener is. You're rolling dice. And one out of every five games, he'll give you something that you smile about. And then the other four games, you're just hoping. And I don't want that. I want the five catches. Jermaine Gresham, five catches. Maybe a touchdown.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. I agree. And the Cardinals are shutting down opposing tight ends.

[Mike Wright]

Who sees Patrick Peterson, and who is most impacted by it? Is it Brandon Cook? Because people need to understand that when Patrick Peterson lines up against you, you don't catch passes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I don't. I don't know. I don't know who he'll cover. You have Michael Thomas coming back from the injury. Brandon Cooks is. I mean, he's a speedster, but I would. I don't know who would. Who would you actually want him to guard as watching the game?

[Mike Wright]

As a Cardinal fan.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Would you want him to eliminate Cooks or Thomas?

[Mike Wright]

I think. I think he's probably better off playing against Cooks.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Because Cooks represents that the bigger play well, so. But we'll see. Physical threat is.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still playing Cooks.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And I would play Michael Thomas if he's active.

[Mike Wright]

So you're not worried about him coming back from the injury?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I'm worried about it, but I'm still gonna play him.

[Mike Wright]

Any confidence in Ingram or Hightower in this game? The Cardinals are.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, Hightower. Revenge game.

[Mike Wright]

You love those narratives. It's not a revenge game.

[Andy Holloway]

We did cut him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, well, I was, like, 20 years ago.

[Andy Holloway]

You? Yeah. NFL players don't forget Ingram. If I have to play one of the two, I'm going to play Ingram. But the toe injury thing kind of stinks.

[Mike Wright]

Ingram or Jeremy Hill?

[Andy Holloway]

Ingram.

[Mike Wright]

Ingram.

[Andy Holloway]

Ingram has had success against the Cardinals. He is.

[Mike Wright]

We've got him down at 30. Well, yeah, that's low.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. He might have to move up a little bit.

[Mike Wright]

Kenneth Dixon or Mark Ingram? Dixon's got the Eagles at home. I'll take Dixon.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, man. I'll probably still go with Ingram.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if the rankings say that right now, but in my heart.

[Mike Wright]

That'S what I feel really like Larry Fitzgerald, this game. J.J. nelson's a great sneaky snark.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

And would you play Willie Snead if Michael Thomas is out?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Yeah. If Thomas is out, I'll play Sneeze.

[Mike Wright]

All right, man. David Johnson being targeted eight times a game.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll play David Johnson.

[Mike Wright]

You're going with David?

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. All right. You've benched him for a while. All right. 49ers and Falcons, 51 point over. Under.

[Andy Holloway]

Whoo.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Does that give you less confidence in the Falcons defense if Vegas is saying this game is going to be or are they giving all 51 points to the Falcons?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, they're. The Falcons are favored by two touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So the implied team total for the Falcons is pretty nice. For me, I'm still okay streaming the Falcons as long as they can shut down or not shut down. But limit Carlos Hyde, then they've. They've got a good shot to be a solid fantasy defense. They were ball hawking last week. I think they can get that done against Kaepernick. Maybe take one to the house. I love both running backs for the Falcons. I think we've talked about that a little bit yesterday. Tevin Coleman's my start of the week. That doesn't mean I'm going to play him over Freeman. Just means I like both of these guys. And Carlos Hyde, I like him as well. It's. It's tough to like offensive players, but also like the defense on the other side.

[Mike Wright]

Here's something interesting for you to think about, because I know you talked about the Falcons defense. In fact, you gave them your rising star of the week. That being said, how many interceptions do you think Colin Kaepernick has in his eight games?

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh, I'm gonna go with three.

[Mike Wright]

Three is the answer.

[Andy Holloway]

Whoa.

[Mike Wright]

But you're right. But does that worry you about the upside of that defense? I mean, you have three interceptions from Kaepernick in eight games, including none in the last two games.

[Andy Holloway]

Does it say how many sacks he's taken? That's a good point because you have Beasley tied for. He's tied for the lead, right?

[Mike Wright]

Vic Beasley?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

He's 13 and a half sacks.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, they're getting. They're getting after the quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

No, that's a good point. And Kaepernick's taking a ton. He took five in the first half against the Bears. So is there any chance that Kaepernick. Would you play Kaepernick over Stafford?

[Andy Holloway]

That's a good question. I might. Yeah, I might do that.

[Mike Wright]

Falcons still, I mean, despite upside and sacks and those things, still giving up points, right?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not playing any pass catches from the 49ers though.

[Mike Wright]

Playing Freeman and Coleman together if you had them on the same team.

[Andy Holloway]

If I have to, I would.

[Mike Wright]

Anybody. You're sitting on the Atlanta side of the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I'm not playing Hooper. I'd hide some high.

[Mike Wright]

If Julio's active, do you play him over Gabriel?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. I do.

[Mike Wright]

You do.

[Andy Holloway]

But that's the way I play fancy football. I'll go down with Julio Jones.

[Mike Wright]

Any chance that they get up to a lead and he only plays a.

[Andy Holloway]

Quarter or two, it's possible. That's in the realm of possibilities, but I would think that's more of maybe he sits at one quarter.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Patriots take on the Broncos. Broncos are dogs in this one by three points at home. This game might be in the single digit wind show wise, but we're not too worried about the wind. Mike, you talked about Simeon playing well of late.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I talked about him. I think it was on the footcast well I had early in the week. My stream is Sam Bradford. I still have some confidence in him. Not so much. I still have confidence in Bradford to have a solid game. But I think I'm moving my stream of the week over to Trevor Simeon. In his last four starts, he's been very good. And the Patriots run D or pass defense, it can be beat. It's kind of right in the middle of the of the pack. Meanwhile, their run defense, his sixth against yards and the Broncos can't run the ball. I. So I expect Demarius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders both to have a decent game, which elevates Trevor Simeon to me to a. He is a streamable option. If you're looking at him thinking, I I don't know. I don't know if I can do it. I'm okay. Streaming Trevor Simeon this week.

[Mike Wright]

Hi, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey. Who is. Who's. Who is this?

[Mike Wright]

How you doing? You're stuck playing a running back from the Denver Broncos. It's time to make a decision. Devonte Booker, Justin Forset, four set. I agree. Three carries last week for Booker.

[Andy Holloway]

What happened?

[Mike Wright]

I don't know. The stage was too big.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if it. I think he just. They've talked about because he was coming off of some offseason surgeries. Maybe he wore down his conditioning, was not prepared for a full three down roll. So I'm not giving up on Booker for next year, but CJ Anderson is sitting on his on the couch and just cackling.

[Mike Wright]

Thomas and Sanders, you're fine with them?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yes, yes.

[Mike Wright]

So on the other side, I mean, you talk about a difficult situation for fantasy owners, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Very difficult.

[Mike Wright]

A lot of people in playoffs right now have shares of tons of Patriots. I mean Brady and Blunt and Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell. I mean everything has to just. You're taking a percentage off the top of all these numbers.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Your upside is slightly limited.

[Mike Wright]

I Still love the Broncos number one in passerating, that they only give up a pass rating of 68.

[Andy Holloway]

But then on complete. On the flip side, The Broncos are 29th against the run in terms of yardage. I love LeGarrett blunt. This week we saw a. I don't remember what year that was. Last year, a couple years back, the Patriots went into Denver, and Denver's run defense was. You couldn't move the ball a single yard on them, and they didn't. All they did was throw. All they did was throw. And Tom Brady ended up with a decent fantasy game because Bill Belichick doesn't mess around with that. He doesn't say why I have to do this, and Bill Belichick says, okay, well, this is what I can get done. So that I love Blunt. I'm okay with Edelman. There's been a, I believe, five wide receivers who have actually scored a touchdown on Chris Harris the slot db. Edelman's one of those guys, so, you know, it's kind of a. At least I got that going for me.

[Mike Wright]

This is some news.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, breaking news.

[Mike Wright]

Darren Sprols has been ruled out. You ready for Ryan Matthews?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I was born ready for Ryan Matthews.

[Mike Wright]

You and you alone, that's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

Make that money, Ryan. Make that money.

[Mike Wright]

Oakland Raiders travel to San Diego.

[Andy Holloway]

A reminder. Wendell Smallwood's on ir. Yeah, Ryan Matthews.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he could. He could win some. Win some games. I. I'm actually curious. I'm looking here now, real quick, what.

[Andy Holloway]

His ownership percentage is.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I want to see where he's. What is ownership?

[Andy Holloway]

I bet it's in the 60s.

[Mike Wright]

72%.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, a little bit off. A little bit off.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers schemes in San Diego. Weather is not going to be a problem. What are the storylines from this game that you want to talk about? Because obviously Derek Carr disappointed, Cooper and Crabtree disappointed. But you were talking about a tough circumstance playing in Kansas City. I can't help but really like Latavius Murray again in this game because he has been a workhorse in every sense of the word, and he's getting into the end zone. This offense is just too potent to prevent him from having those opportunities that used to be. The storyline for Oakland is good running back but low amount of red zone opportunities. Those days are gone.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

So what do you see here as the debate for fantasy owners in this game?

[Andy Holloway]

The storyline to me is Kenneth Farrow is what. What can we expect with Kenneth Farrow Gordon expected to miss this week? You have Pharaoh, you have Hillman, Pharaoh is all things point to him being the, the, the heavier workload of the two. But will he get enough and can he get enough done against the Raiders to have fantasy impact?

[Mike Wright]

You have to imagine Pharaoh will be out there in all situations in which blitz pickup aren't.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I mean.

[Mike Wright]

Focus. So it's like Hillman, third down guy. Maybe, maybe so.

[Andy Holloway]

So if you're a Melvin Gordon owner, you're, you're almost. And you got Pharaoh, you were, you were lucky enough to get him. It's almost a foregone conclusion that you have to plug him in.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's true.

[Andy Holloway]

But let's say you're a different team and you just happen to pick up Pharaoh and you have usable running backs on your roster. It's the, where is the line that you say, okay, well this guy who's been starting for me, I'm going to play Pharaoh over that.

[Mike Wright]

Are you going to play him over Doug Martin against Dallas?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

You're going to play him over Kenneth Dixon against Philly?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Crowell against Buffalo?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, so there's, there's a few names for you. Antonio Gates, chasing records. You cool with him?

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

You guys are friends?

[Andy Holloway]

We're buddies.

[Mike Wright]

Tyrell Williams, Dontrell Linman. Who would you rather start between those two?

[Andy Holloway]

Man, that's a tough one.

[Mike Wright]

I'd play Inman. I'm going to stay in the six catch flames of Dontrell Inman.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, the shoulder, the torn labrum for Williams is.

[Mike Wright]

He gets really slow. He gets deep at least once a game.

[Andy Holloway]

But it's really slowed him down where he was. I mean he was looking very strong for fantasy for the playoffs. I think I'm with you. I would play Eamon. I want the volume.

[Mike Wright]

Michael Crabtree is my start of the week. If you go look at the numbers. Amari Cooper had a great game against San Diego last time. They played with 138 yards. I think in a touchdown for me. I think the circumstances have changed a little bit here. I expect Cooper to get more of Hayward and as a result I think Crabtree returns to that seven, eight catch mark and I seven eight and a touchdown. I mean I really like Michael Crabtree this week, but I really, I'd still start Cooper. It's just I have Crabtree rated a little bit higher based on the matchup.

[Andy Holloway]

Fair.

[Mike Wright]

You know, the, the Raiders are giving up a lot. I mean this is their one problem is that they are having to turn it on on the offensive side of the ball at some point. To kind of usurp the other team at the end of the game. So 49 point over under. Can you start Philip Rivers here?

[Andy Holloway]

I would, I would. I know he's been in just an interception machine.

[Mike Wright]

Does the lack of Melvin Gordon force him into a heavier passing offense? Not really.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't. I don't think so.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Sunday night football game, Buccaneers and Cowboys. This is the. Well, this is the game. I said I think I believe that. Well, let's just go right here. I mean, this makes so much sense.

[Andy Holloway]

What's that? Oh, Andy's almost upset of the week.

[Mike Wright]

I have to go with that one. I already bet Jason that Tampa would win this game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And the Cowboys are favored by a touchdown. I. I think I'm with you on the almost upset.

[Mike Wright]

I think it's going to be an upset upset.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. It wouldn't shock me. Would not shock me.

[Mike Wright]

Dak Prescott.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't want to play him. I do not want to play.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, because you really buy into the second half Buccaneers defense. It reminds me a lot of how last year Houston started so poorly. Second half, they were a different D. And if you just looked at the overall numbers, you'd say, okay, well, they're 21st against the run on the year. They're 16th against the pass on the year. But now you're. They've moved themselves into the middle of the pack on the overall rankings and played very well of late. This game is a 46 and a half point over. Under. I think it'll probably be lower.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You know, you never sit Zeke. So you're playing Zeke. You don't sit Evans, so you're playing Evans. Do you sit dez? No. Probably no.

[Andy Holloway]

Des is a guy that I just. I would never sit. But are you. What's the. What's the confidence meter at for Jameis Winston?

[Mike Wright]

It's not high. I may have them as an upset, but I'm not excited about him going up against this Cowboys defense that, you.

[Andy Holloway]

Know, Kirk Cousins said that they're not very good.

[Mike Wright]

The Cowboys.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. On Thanksgiving when he just dismantled their secondary.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, he didn't actually say that.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he said it with his play. Okay, so they're beatable. They're exploitable.

[Mike Wright]

But was that game in Dallas?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's Thanksgiving, so it's home for Dallas.

[Mike Wright]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

But the question for me now has become, are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers transforming their team? Because they were. Everything was their. Their defense was not great to start the year. It was all through the Jameis Winston was always having to carry the team through the air. I mean, he was having some monster yardage games, monster efficient or fantasy games. But now that the defense has turned on and Doug Martin is back there, they've said there's nothing wrong with Doug Martin. The poor running is. They're putting it on the offensive line, which I think is fair to put more of it on the on the line. But they're still giving Martin that 20 plus carries because they're trying to grind out the games now.

[Mike Wright]

I completely agree.

[Andy Holloway]

Which limits Winston's upside.

[Mike Wright]

Winston had 184 yards and no touchdowns against New Orleans last week. One touchdown the week before against San Diego. This has not been. And that directly impacts Mike Evans. I mean, obviously that's corollary.

[Andy Holloway]

Evans can still have a fine game. Well, at the same time, you don't want to play Winston, which stinks because I was ready. I was ready for Jameis Winston this entire playoffs. I mean, I was waiting for him for weeks. But the transformation of this team I don't think can be ignored.

[Mike Wright]

I agree. I agree. And so you have confidence in Doug Martin to give you enough of volume?

[Andy Holloway]

I have confidence for volume and I know that he can break one off. But the Cowboys run defense is pretty good.

[Mike Wright]

Cameron Bray, you're rolling out there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'll still play him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's in our top 10 titans Monday night Football matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Redskins. The aforementioned Kirk Cousins, who you just plain old love this week.

[Andy Holloway]

I love him. Love. I love him.

[Mike Wright]

51 point over, under. I'd start Newton and Cousins in this game without a lot of fear.

[Andy Holloway]

But who would you start over the other?

[Mike Wright]

I'd start Cousins over Newton.

[Andy Holloway]

You're darn right.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I would. I would. Once again, a reminder to everybody why we don't draft quarterbacks early, people. It's because things change. I mean, my favorite quarterback right now going into next year is actually Andrew Lucky.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fine. That's fine.

[Mike Wright]

But he's not the number one or close to it this year. So I mean, it just varies so much. So don't draft him early. Don't grab Cam Newton in the first, please, for goodness sakes. Robert Kelly. Confidence level.

[Andy Holloway]

Decent. Decent. Luke Keakley is practicing. We'll see.

[Mike Wright]

Kind of in that RB2 range.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, but I'm saying if Lou Keakley is out, he gets a slight bump for sure because Keakley is a downgrade factor against running backs. But the volume will be there, let's say. So Rob Kelly or Jeremy Hill?

[Mike Wright]

Rob Kelly.

[Andy Holloway]

I would play Rob Kelly as well.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, good question.

[Andy Holloway]

And they're kind of the same type of guy where they're not really known for their pass catching. Although Rob Kelly, he flashed some, some skill after reception last week.

[Mike Wright]

We laughed because we all yelled. He caught it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, Jordan Reed, what's up with Rule 86? You buying in this week?

[Andy Holloway]

I, I want to see some updates. I know he practiced yesterday. We haven't gotten really any insight from the beat reporters who, to be fair, really screwed everybody. That was very disappointing of them to say. He's going to be heavily involved after being the one saying, well, he looks like he's in extreme amounts of pain during practice. So I want to see what his comfort level has been. But for me personally, I have Jordan Reed. I grabbed Vernon Davis as a backup just in case because it's the Monday Night Football. Because I'm playing Jordan Reed.

[Mike Wright]

Right. And if he's out, you're playing Davis.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And I don't mind that. I mean, the situation that fantasy owners find themselves in with tight ends is, I mean, what's your alternative to playing Jordan Reed? To play somebody that gets you a few points?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, worst case scenario, Reed lets you down again, which is rare. Right. He's never really done that when you've had to roll him out there.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Best case scenario, you have a game winning tight end, a difference maker at the position. I just don't want to give that away because of fear. What happened last week, even if he lets you down, even if he gets you three points, I mean, Jimmy Graham last night got owners three points.

[Andy Holloway]

And toss this in here, the Panthers are at least in our scoring format, dead last, giving up points to the tight end. So the matchup is delightful. Last week, I mean, that was the Eagles. The Eagles are one of the tougher opponents for the tight end to score points on. You even saw Jordan Reed played 10 snaps. Vernon Davis still didn't do anything. So it was. They had completely eliminated the tight end. Well, while the Panthers, they just can't stop him. So as the Jordan Reed owner. Just telling you, I'm playing him. So if we go down with Jordan Reed, we're going down together.

[Mike Wright]

There you go. There you go. DeSean Jackson is your start of the week at the wide receiver position. You like him in this game. Panthers are 30th against the past in terms of points given up.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. And I like crowd air.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, they give up almost two touchdown passes a game.

[Andy Holloway]

So, I mean it's the 51 point over, under which. And this one I agree with. I think that that's right about. On.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think it could be a shootout for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Washington's defense is not the best and they're at. They're at home. So maybe their, their defense plays a little bit better at home. But I like everyone from Washington.

[Mike Wright]

Do you want to. Do you want to do a couple mailbag questions?

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. Mailbag.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. No Jason. No Jason. No Jason. Mailbag. All right, let's do a couple voicemail questions here, see if I can pull one up.

[Andy Holloway]

Scott from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I'm a huge fan of the show. Just a quick question about playoffs. Do you think it's fair to award a point advantage for say, the way you finish in the regular season? So the way we set up our league is the higher seed gets a five point advantage. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks. I get it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I get it too.

[Andy Holloway]

I understand the concept behind it.

[Mike Wright]

I'll say that. I have never played in a league like that and it scares me. Like I don't think I want to, but I get it too. Like, I mean, one of the reasons why a lot of playoff systems have two week playoffs is to try to balance some of the bad luck. I mean you, anybody can beat anybody on a one to one week. Your last place team in your league can accidentally put in Tyler Lockett or be stuck with him off the waiver wire and then blow up. And one of the more frustrating things is fantasy is when the paper doesn't match the play right. You've got the lineup that's projected to win by 35 and you lose by 100 because James Winston and Mike Evans don't show up. So I get that. How did he put that? Did he say is it fair?

[Andy Holloway]

He just was asking our opinion on it. And I mean, I don't. I wouldn't do.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I lean that way.

[Andy Holloway]

00. That's the no. 1 starts five. Oh, it's everyone starts. 00.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah, I agree. Hey guys, this is Kyle in New Jersey. Love the show.

[Andy Holloway]

Currently in a two week playoff round. 50 points down from last week thanks.

[Mike Wright]

To Des Bryant and a couple other people.

[Andy Holloway]

So I really need to swing for.

[Mike Wright]

The fences on my tight end this week. My choices are Cameron Brait Fedorowicz or Hunter Henry. Thanks, guys. It's bright.

[Andy Holloway]

It's bright.

[Mike Wright]

It's bright.

[Andy Holloway]

Fedora. I don't think Fedora Witz is going to play. I'm not swinging for the fences with Hunter Henry with two catch.

[Mike Wright]

Henry. Yeah, look, I mean, at the end of the day, you got to look at the tight ends and say, hey, who's going to give me best odds at two touchdowns? Talk about swinging for the Finches. Two touchdowns, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Break.

[Mike Wright]

Could do that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you can break it.

[Mike Wright]

Definitely do that. So don't forget, if you have a question for the show, you can go to the website, the fantasy footballers.com, click the questions button. You can also dial that voicemail hotline you just heard at 302-464-TFFB. We'll close it out with this one from Marcus in Oakland. Pick two, Tevin Coleman, Kenneth Farrow and Robert Kelly.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, so Coleman is in and so is Robert Kelly. I was going to say that we've now we have another name of that. Kent Farrell versus this guy. And I would take Rob Kelly.

[Mike Wright]

It is a full ppr.

[Andy Holloway]

I would go Kenneth Farrell.

[Mike Wright]

You saw a change?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, full ppr.

[Mike Wright]

You go on Pharaoh.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Pharaoh had. I'm gonna, I'll verify, but I believe he had six receptions.

[Mike Wright]

But do you think he'll be out there for those downs? I'm gonna take Robert County.

[Andy Holloway]

It's not just about the downs. It's about that. That Phil Rivers will check down to him. He had six receptions last.

[Mike Wright]

We're gonna disagree then.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Because I think if you play Coleman and Pharaoh, with Coleman limited snaps, Devonta Freeman and Pharaoh and the potential for Hillman to be platooning there, I think you roll out too much risk where, you know, Robert Kelly gets the A, B and C carries for Washington. So I'm going to. I'm going to go Coleman and Kelly. You're going to go Coleman and Farrow.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we'll be back Sunday morning. Mike will be on twitter @the ff ballers periscope. Well, yeah, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

But you can get there through the Twitter as well.

[Mike Wright]

Get there on Twitter@ the FF Ballers. He'll be talking Week 15 questions that morning. We'll be tuning into all the games. Don't forget there's a Saturday night game this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Make sure your lineups are adjusted accordingly.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Don't forget about that. That would be bad. That would be very bad. And what else is going on? Anything else you want to update people on? We good to go? No, Jason will be back on Monday.

[Andy Holloway]

Just good luck, everyone. I. We want the Foot Clan to win. We want those hashtag Foot Clan titles coming in. And when you get that title, you head over to fantasy jocks.com for your trophies and your rings and such. Studio sponsor use the promo code Footballers.

[Mike Wright]

Have a good one.

[Andy Holloway]

Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on Twitter @the ffballers.