Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Footie Award Nominees + Week 18 Recap, Super Bowl Picks!
Date: January 6, 2026
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

Episode Overview

The first “offseason” episode of 2026, the Fantasy Footballers dive into Week 18 NFL and fantasy football storylines, share their Super Bowl picks, and, most notably, announce this year’s Footie Award nominees across a variety of fun and insightful categories. The crew brings their trademark humor and in-depth fantasy analysis while debating wild playoff scenarios, recapping key Week 18 performances, and discussing the coach carousel hitting the NFL.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. Goodbye to the Fantasy Season & Week 18 Recap

• Week 18 Championships: The hosts joke about those die-hard (and possibly masochistic) fantasy leagues that run through Week 18.
  • Mike: “You shouldn’t play Week 18 championships...don’t do it!” [02:18]
  • Jason: "The product actually isn’t very good. Most of those games were bad." [02:58]
• Standout Game: Steelers vs Ravens “for the ages".
  • Andy: “Lamar Jackson. What a loser. Am I right, guys?” [03:12, jokingly]
• AFC Playoff Picture: Absence of Mahomes, Burrow, and Lamar in the AFC playoffs this year:
  • Jason: “If you can’t do it now, Josh, you’re going to look back with regrets.” [04:09]
• Playoff Brackets: Hosts discuss using myplayoffpix.com and reveal their picks.
  • Jason has Bills > Rams for the Super Bowl.
  • Andy & Mike: Both pick Seahawks over Jacksonville in a surprising consensus.
  • “Which is insane that two people can be on this show, will get every single pick...right?” – Andy [05:13]
• Playoff Upsets & Bracket Busters: Carolina’s backdoor playoff berth is highlighted for its low point differential and the Rams upset.

2. NFL Coaching Carousel

• Coaching firings include Stefanski (Browns), Pete Carroll (Raiders), and Raheem Morris (Falcons), plus Cardinals move on from Jonathan Gannon.
• The crew has fun at Jonathan Gannon’s expense:
  • Andy: “Get out here, you don’t come back here." [07:33]
  • Mike: “John Cannon gone. John Gannon.” [07:49]
• Debate around the Browns firing Stefanski, with Jason questioning the move after previous Coach of the Year awards. [09:47]
• The Giants’ front office turmoil, moving on from Dable but not the GM, with speculation about potential directions for multiple franchises. [10:24]

3. Week 18 Stud Performances & Early Offseason Fantasy Takeaways

• QB Standouts: Trubisky led “stud muffins,” but he didn’t even start the game. [22:12]
  • Discussion on starters taking symbolic snaps for streaks (e.g., Josh Allen).
• Trevor Lawrence: Big topic as a breakout, particularly second-half performance (38-TD pace from Week 10 onward).
  • Mike: “Quarterbacks with 4,000 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and nine or more rushing touchdowns in the same season…2023 Josh Allen and 2025 Trevor Lawrence.” [25:23]
  • Andy: "If that's the guy you get, that's a top-three quarterback." [26:11]
• Rookie QBs: Tyler Shough's stats as a late-season rookie stand out [24:01].
• RB Notes:
  • Ramondre Stevenson, Travion and Ray Davis led big RB weeks.
  • Zach Charbonnet’s “touchdown-only” value versus Kenneth Walker’s inefficiency is debated.
    • Andy: “The one thing that keeps killing Kenneth Walker is his losing yards.” [29:22]
  • Kenneth Walker to become a free agent; speculation about best landing spots. [31:29]
• WRs/Tight Ends:
  • Zay Flowers, Alec Pierce, Puka Nakua, Michael Wilson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown highlighted.
  • Michael Wilson compared to Jerry Rice: “might actually be Jerry Rice.” – Jason [33:11]
  • Tight ends: Colston Loveland's 10-91-1 line capped a historic rookie campaign. Debate over his draft rank moving forward.
    • Mike: “His last 10 games played... on pace for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns.” [36:18]
• Dynasty Outlooks: Intrigue about future role battles, breakout candidates, and dynasty stashes, especially around rookie WRs and RBs.

4. Playoff Matchups & Staff Bets

• Quick previews and predictions for each first-round playoff game.
  • San Francisco vs Philadelphia, New England vs Chargers, Buffalo vs Jacksonville, Pittsburgh vs Texans.
  • Fun side bets among the crew and studio staff “pinky toe bet” for Packers vs Bears. [14:43]

The Footie Awards: Categories & Major Nominees

(All timestamps refer to the awards section: 41:00–57:00)

Performance of the Year [41:28]

• Nominees: Jameer Gibbs (Week 12), Derrick Henry (Week 17), Jonathan Taylor (Week 10), Trevor Lawrence (Week 15), Puka Nakua (Week 16), Kyle Pitts (historic TE game)

Fantasy Reapers (Man of the Year—Most Impactful Fantasy Injury) [42:57]

• Malik Nabers, Jaden Daniels, James Conner, Sam LaPorta, Garrett Wilson, Mike Evans.

Poopiest Pants Award (Biggest Letdown) [46:23]

• Justin Jefferson, Lamar Jackson, Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison, Chuba Hubbard.

Waiver Wire Wonder [47:09]

• Standouts include: Trevor Lawrence, Jacoby Brissett, Rico Dowdle, Woody Marks, Quentin Johnston, Michael Wilson, Alec Pierce, Harold Fannin Jr.

Fantasy QB of the Year [47:41]

• Josh Allen, Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford.

Fantasy RB of the Year [48:14]

• Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, Jameer Gibbs, Devon Achane, Bijan Robinson, James Cook, Derrick Henry.

Fantasy WR of the Year [48:47]

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nakua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, George Pickens, Jamar Chase.

Fantasy TE of the Year [49:09]

• Trey McBride (runaway leader), Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr.
  • “Trey McBride at 253 points and Kyle Pitts is the tight end 2 at 169 points.” – Andy [50:00]

Rookie of the Year [50:32]

• Nominees include Jackson Dart, Cam Skatteboo (honorary), Ashton Jeanty, Travion Henderson, Omarion Hampton, Quishon Judkins, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren.

Breakout Player of the Year [52:16]

• Drake Maye, Javonte Williams, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, Chris Olave, Michael Wilson.
• Jason questions Warren’s inclusion, thinking Kenny Gainwell may be more deserving. [53:19]

Steal of the Draft [54:00]

• Brian Thomas Jr., James Cook, Trey McBride, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Davante Adams, George Pickens, DeAndre Swift, Chris Olave, Javonte Williams, Travis Etienne.

Comeback Player [56:18]

• Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Javonte Williams, Chris Olave, Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goedert.
• Noted that last year’s comeback winner (JK Dobbins) got hurt—a Footie “curse”.

Playoff King (Top Playoff Weeks Contributor) [57:00]

• Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Bijan, Olave, Nakua, McBride, Pitts.

New Categories:

• Bummer of the Year: Emeka Egbuka, Brian Thomas Jr., Caleb Johnson, Bucky Irving, Travis Hunter. [57:46]
• Meow Man of the Year: Mason Taylor (“Meowson Taylor”). [58:31]
• Nickname of the Year: George “T” Higgins, DK “Mikecalf”, Colston “Catston Dogland” Loveland, and others. [59:29]
• Show Moment of the Year: Bill Krauski jokes, Falcon mailbag drop, Henderson hate, Meat Higgins, Nard attack, etc. [61:42]

Notable Quotes & Humorous Moments

• On Week 18:
  Mike: “You weirdos...don’t do it (Week 18 championships)" [02:18]
  Jason: “The product actually isn’t very good.” [02:58]
• On the coaching wheel:
  Andy: "You get out here, you don’t come back here.” [07:33]
• On nominees and the importance of the awards:
  Jason: “No award more valuable. Imagine thinking any other award was better than this.” [41:10]
• On Trey McBride’s TE dominance:
  Mike: “That one was when you dumb-sway the vote here – he lapped the field by a lot. It was the craziest gap.” [49:31]
• On multiple Footie “curse” winners:
  Andy: “You gotta poop your pants to become a steal." [56:01]
• On show traditions and ridiculous bets:
  Andy: “Old-fashioned pinky toe bet.” [14:43]
• On the fantasy season's poetic symmetry:
  Mike: “Every single winner of a footy last year had so much power, they just did the opposite this year. And if you got a bad award last year, you're awesome this year.” [59:49]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:38] – Show start, seasonal transition
• [03:08] – Ravens-Steelers and playoff picture
• [05:13] – Super Bowl picks reveal and bracket discussion
• [06:30] – NFL coaching carousel updates
• [11:19] – Week 18 game recaps and fun NFL stats
• [22:07] – “Stud Muffins” segment: Week 18 top fantasy performances
• [25:03] – Trevor Lawrence’s breakout and implications for 2026
• [29:34] – RB situation with Charbonnet, Walker, Bigsby
• [31:29] – Kenneth Walker’s pending free agency and team fits
• [33:10] – WR and TE highlights; Michael Wilson discussion
• [36:42] – Colson Loveland’s tight end breakout
• [41:00] – Footie Award nominees announced and discussed (main block)
• [54:00] – “Steal of the Draft” and late-round gems
• [56:18] – Comeback and playoff king awards
• [57:46] – New award categories: Bummer and Meow Man of the year
• [59:29] – Nickname of the Year, Show Moment of the Year segments

Takeaways and Tone

• Tone: Signature Fantasy Footballers blend of irreverence, sharp analysis, friendly banter and creative, community-rich awards.
• Utility: The episode serves as a comprehensive fantasy season send-off for 2025, a bridge to playoff football, and a crowd-driven celebration of memorable players, moments, and inside jokes.
• Main Takeaways:
  • Week 18 was entertaining but a poor setting for championships.
  • Season awards (the “Footies”) highlight both statistical dominance and community-driven fun.
  • The NFL’s coaching carousel and free agency will shape the fantasy landscape in 2026—names like Kenneth Walker and Colson Loveland are on watchlists.
  • Longstanding inside jokes and show moments are celebrated alongside player performances, keeping the community spirit alive.

Footie Awards Voting:
Listener participation is encouraged at footieawards.com before the following Monday, with winners announced on next week’s show.

“No award more valuable... Imagine thinking any other award was better than this.” – Jason Moore [41:10]

End of Summary