
The fantasy football playoffs are coming! Find out which players made our “Pump the Brakes” list for Week 14. Get advice for Week 14 and the rest of the playoffs as we answer a handful of listener questions! Plus, a fantasy preview of Thursday Night F
Loading summary
Andy Holloway
Hey, Foot Clan. Today's show is brought to you by Fantasy Champs. Fantasy Champs offer some of the highest quality fantasy football trophies available. They take pride in every detail, from their custom fit packaging to laser engraving on high quality glossy metal placards. These are the best in the business. We're talking a gold fantasy football championship trophy. They have a crystal trophy. They have a Lombardi style trophy, an armchair champions trophy. And that doesn't even speak to all the rings, belts, bundles that they have. Check them all out@fantasychamps.com use the promo code. Ballers.
Jason Moore
Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers podcast coming to you from Draft.com Studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.
Andy Holloway
Welcome. It's Wednesday, December 5, 2018, 2019. Just around the corner. Mike, based on my ability to count. 2018.
Mike Wright
That's. That's well done.
Andy Holloway
2000. Yep. Yeah. Brooks is here. How you doing, Brooks? Excellent. You ready to ring in the new year?
Brooks
Yeah, I guess so.
Andy Holloway
Okay. Neutral on New Year's. Brooks is neutral. Jay Grizz is back.
Mike Wright
Hey, Bear.
Andy Holloway
Mike and Mike and I have got this thing. We've got this.
Mike Wright
You're darn right we.
Andy Holloway
No one can preview a Jacksonville, Tennessee game like Mike. Oh, yeah, right. I mean, we. That's our wheelhouse.
Mike Wright
This reminds me of. I think it was two years ago now. We had this exact same matchup on a prime time slate and no one cared.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, because the. I thought you were going to say it reminds you of eating, like, bread without butter. No, like, because I'll do that.
Mike Wright
I mean, that's. That's fine. Bread's good. Bread is always good.
Andy Holloway
So is this worse than that?
Mike Wright
Yes, it certainly is. I guess the Jacksonville, they're 6 and 6 or. I'm sorry, the Titans are 6 and 6. So they're still in the. Yeah, the playoff hunt. But for the most part, this isn't a game that the country is very interested in, except for fantasy football players.
Andy Holloway
So we'll preview that on the show today. We have mailbag. Pump the brakes. Catch up on the latest news. I'm sure Mike will say some very interesting things about Mike Tomlin today. Oh, we'll get to that. I'm just project. I'm predicting that's coming. Jason's out again this morning, so we've got it on lockdown. Check out footclangiveaway.com win a sign. DeAndre Hopkins jersey. Saquon Barkley jersey. Michael Thomas mini helmet head over there. Don't forget to vote for us. FootClanVote.com for the iHeartRadio podcast awards.
Mike Wright
Every day.
Andy Holloway
It's. It's an honor to be nominated for the best sports podcast amongst some very other very cool other podcasts.
Mike Wright
Heavy hitters.
Andy Holloway
Respect some heavy hitters. Find us on Twitter @The FF Ballers. We're over on YouTube. YouTube.com the Fantasy Footballers. And, you know, Jason's not here, so I'm gonna lean on Brooks a little bit for this. It's Wednesday. Wednesday means oh, oh, oh.
Mike Wright
O'Reilly, O'Reilly Auto Parts.
Andy Holloway
Jason.
Mike Wright
Wow.
Andy Holloway
Jason's got Brooks.
Mike Wright
Beat Brooks. That was.
Andy Holloway
That was.
Mike Wright
That was incredibly bad.
Brooks
I do what I can, guys.
Andy Holloway
The thing about Brooks is he's always here. He doesn't miss. Jay Gris has never once, never once manned the producer desk, nor could he, being a cardboard baron.
Mike Wright
All doesn't have opposable thumbs.
Andy Holloway
No, no. I.
Mike Wright
Or thumbs.
Andy Holloway
I imagine we would just come in here, we'd set him up over there, and Mike and I, we would record the show or so we thought.
Mike Wright
We would just text and we'd just.
Andy Holloway
Be talking to no one, and then it'd be over and we would think it was up and we would think it's on YouTube and we go about our day until we realize that nothing actually happened.
Mike Wright
Yeah. Then the timeline would be flooded. Where's the show?
Andy Holloway
We're like, the bear.
Mike Wright
It's on the bear.
Andy Holloway
All right, pump the brakes with O'Reilly Auto Parts for today. Mike, who do you have as your pump brakes breaks candidate this week? It's playoff time.
Mike Wright
Yeah, I'm pumping the brakes on Chris Carson and to speak to his ranking currently. Let me get it exactly. I have Chris Carson at running back 23. So he's still a playable guy, but pumping the brakes on my expectations for a guy that when he's played, I mean, he's been a pretty reliable fantasy guy, but he gets Minnesota. I don't like the matchup against the defense. The finger injury. He's going to play, but you don't.
Andy Holloway
Know what that it's a variable.
Mike Wright
Yeah, well, it's certainly a variable if he gets hit and it gets dislocated again, re injures. Then you have this slight emergence of Rashad Penny looking capable, looking like the player that they drafted. So I'm just pumping the brakes on what I expect Chris Carson to do in my desire to lock him in.
Andy Holloway
As a running back to match up the finger. Rashad Penny having the first game of his career where he actually looked better than Chris Carson.
Mike Wright
Right.
Andy Holloway
No, I see the logic behind That I. I struggled to isolate a New England Patriot that for this segment. And again, this is pump the brakes. This doesn't mean you, you know, you bench all of these players, but I'm just. I'm pumping the brakes on these scary playoff Patriots in part because, you know, I watched this.
Mike Wright
The matchup is good.
Andy Holloway
The matchup is good.
Mike Wright
The matchup is good against Miami.
Andy Holloway
All I mean is. Let's talk about a few players. One, Tom Brady, in and of himself over the last few years, has been a killer.
Mike Wright
Oh, yeah.
Andy Holloway
Of fantasy football players in the past. He loves it now. He's obviously not conscious of this world.
Mike Wright
Oh, no, he. He loves it like he loves vegetables.
Andy Holloway
Oh, you think so?
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
Burning down the fantasy player.
Mike Wright
It's just part of the Patriots.
Andy Holloway
Well, let me highlight a few things. When I was watching the Patriots game. We know this. We've known it for a long time, but Bill Belichick is not beholden to our expectations for his players. Devlin stole two touchdowns this past week after having one carry on the season.
Mike Wright
I mean, come on. One.
Andy Holloway
How does that feel as a Sony Michelle owner?
Mike Wright
One is whatever.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. Two.
Mike Wright
Come on.
Andy Holloway
So let me ask you this, Mike. Do you know whether James Devlin is going to receive goal line carries in this game?
Mike Wright
No.
Andy Holloway
Okay. So do you know whether Sonny Michelle is a great player or an okay play?
Mike Wright
I think he's a good play.
Andy Holloway
Okay. James White seemed like the only offense. I mean, Josh Gordon was completely shut out in the first half. Right. Rob Gronkowski has yet again been a not reliable tight end in the Patriot offense.
Mike Wright
And real quick, shout out if you saw the video of. We put a video up of me.
Andy Holloway
Oh, with the Gronk boat.
Mike Wright
People asked. That was baby Josh.
Andy Holloway
Yeah.
Mike Wright
That was his work. So credit where credit is due. He finally did something good.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. When do you leave, baby Josh?
Mike Wright
Not soon enough.
Andy Holloway
Your internships over in like a week. So.
Mike Wright
So we expect one more great video.
Andy Holloway
That's right. That's right. I want you to get that baby brain churning, but if you haven't seen.
Mike Wright
It, go check it out.
Andy Holloway
It's really good.
Mike Wright
Twitter.
Andy Holloway
It's really good. But again, this is tempering the reliability that you have on these Patriots to give you something amazing. Now, Josh Gordon is a great player and obviously he ended up with a touchdown in that game, but he was very rarely targeted. There were lot. Mike and I were watching this game. How many times was he not on the field? I mean, there were. Yeah, there were piles of formations that were James White and Philip Dorsett oriented Formation.
Mike Wright
The usage of Dorsett was strange. It almost seemed like the. The punishment that never came from weeks ago. He had just delayed it until the. The media was off of it.
Andy Holloway
And then let's just throw Rex Burkhead in the. In the. In the pot.
Mike Wright
In Quintu Ocha.
Andy Holloway
As I. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Mike Wright
I mean, if you're familiar with Ace Ventura.
Andy Holloway
So it's a matter of. Can I guarantee production from any of the Patriots? No, I can't. Do I still play them? We can look at our rankings and decide where we're playing guys over other players. But the matchups. Good. But I would not be surprised if after this week we have some people bemoaning the Patriots in their lineup after they've been eliminated from the playoffs on behalf of them.
Mike Wright
Yeah. So just.
Andy Holloway
Or because of them.
Mike Wright
Took a quick look here in Josh Gordon for the past. What do we got? Six, seven games is averaging mid 80% of snaps. And this past week against Minnesota, 65%.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. So Bill Belichick took the glove off. Smack you across the face.
Mike Wright
Well, this could just be part of the game plan. He felt like someone had an advantage. It was James White, baby.
Andy Holloway
Josh, you can avoid having to make one more video for us if you can get the game plan from Bill Belichick before this week and if we can mention it on the show. I know you're a Patriots fan. I know you probably. You're very small as a baby. You can sneak in there. You can get the game plan. All right, let's get into the news. By the way, that was pump the brakes with O'Reilly Auto Parts. Better parts, better prices every day.
Jason Moore
News and notes from around the league.
Andy Holloway
Adding to the comedy of my elimination in our Dynasty league with my amazing team that, by the way, end of the year with the second most points scored in the league. I've mentioned that only 7,000 times. Adding to the humor of that, I have tried to solidify my roster over and over and over again with wide receivers in that league. Mike, you know this.
Mike Wright
I do.
Andy Holloway
And then Sammy Watkins, you're out. I had Marvin Jones knocked out this past week. Lost a number of players. My last two remaining guys was desean Jackson. And then I had Ryan Switzer. Desean Jackson. Now, according to ESPN Bucks reporter Jenna Lane, it's quite possible they hold him out the remainder of the season. And then Switzer took a concussion. He's in the concussion protocol.
Mike Wright
I think that DeSean Jackson's time in Tampa Bay is coming to a close.
Andy Holloway
Yes. Yes. So he may Be out the rest of the season. The James Conner news. Now, Mike Tomlin came out and wanted to thwart.
Mike Wright
He was very strong.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, why don't you get into that?
Mike Wright
So Mike Tomlin was very, very heavy handed, assuring everyone. No, no, no, no. There is no ankle problem for James Conner. It is merely a contusion and he will be fine. It is a minor injury. Oh, more testing is done. James Conner has an ankle sprain and he's out this weekend. When. When that news broke yesterday, it got the sleeper alert that James Connor was going to be out. I had a very visceral reaction because I'm so sick of these coaches lying. And it wasn't just, I believe you screamed liar.
Andy Holloway
You screamed liar out into the universe. It's Mike Tomlin.
Mike Wright
Look, I will never understand it. The this weird advantage you think you're getting by lying about and being so angry about it.
Andy Holloway
Getting mad at how dare you Ask you people who pay my salary.
Mike Wright
Pro football doc on Twitter immediately was like, oh, that's an ankle sprain. And then my thumbs. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't listen to television doctors. Oh, weird, weird. They got it right.
Andy Holloway
So Tomlin said the Steelers intention is to use the running back by committee. That means we're talking about Jalen Samuels. That means we're talking about Steven Ridley. And we've brought it up on the show this week. Jalen Samuels is a running back and tight end in Yahoo leagues. Now the reason is Jalen Samuels tested with the tight ends at the NFL combine. And so they have a running back tight end tag. And they came out yesterday, Yahoo fantasy sports did and said he's had running back tight end eligibility all season and they're not changing it. So Jalen Samuels, as far as I'm concerned, if you don't have Travis Kelsey or Zach Ertz, I'm starting Jalen Samuels above every other tight end including Eric Ebron, Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle. Yes, yes, I am. I believe Kelsey is in another stratosphere.
Mike Wright
Yes.
Andy Holloway
I mean if you look at him on past catching points on the year, he's like eighth.
Mike Wright
I mean he would be a beast wide receiver.
Andy Holloway
That's what I'm saying. All pass catchers. He's number eight on the year.
Mike Wright
I'm with you with Ertz and Kelsey for sure.
Andy Holloway
I man, I just think that when you get guaranteed production like that, I mean Kittle can become beholden to Nick Mullins having a good game or something of that nature. Now, Kittle's great, but I. Jalen Samuels is going to get guaranteed work.
Mike Wright
So let's talk about the timeshare then, for Jalen Samuels. Are you projecting James Conner level work.
Andy Holloway
Or RB2, back end, RB2 work. That's your expectation for Jay and Samuels, at least mine. I expect him to be a better tight end than a running back for your team, let's put it that way.
Mike Wright
Now, he's. He's playing Oakland. They are on the road. But go back to the first part of that statement where I said they're playing Oakland.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, that part's nice. That part is real nice. The Raiders, speaking of Oakland, they've signed C.J. anderson. I don't know why. I don't know why. You do you sign an old veteran at the end of a season.
Mike Wright
They got to get ready for next year's tank job.
Andy Holloway
Oh, gosh. Deontay Foreman, running back for the Texans, activated from the reserve PUP list. This is not important, in my opinion, if you own Deontay Foreman, nor do you go get Deontay Foreman. This is just kind of like a piece of sand in your eyeball if you're a Lamar Miller owner.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
So, A.J. green, uninjured reserve. Greg Olson, on injured reserve. The Bills. This is a surprise. I guess. The Bills have waived wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. If he needed somebody with a tight end designation, he'd be the one to look at.
Mike Wright
Yeah, but hook that up. Yahoo.
Andy Holloway
So, I mean, Kelvin Benjamin is gone. Sayonara. I don't know where he'll land. I don't know if we care. He's not that good.
Mike Wright
I don't think we do care.
Andy Holloway
No. But I guess you can. You know, Zay Jones. For whatever you want to say about Josh Allen. Zay Jones is receiving more than a quarter of his team's targets. It's only. There's only a handful of players in the league that do that.
Mike Wright
Yep. No, it's not bad.
Andy Holloway
All right, well.
Mike Wright
Strange news section.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. I mean, C.J.
Mike Wright
Anderson'S throwing everything off there.
Andy Holloway
We're going to list Jalen Samuels, by the way, in our rankings in both departments.
Mike Wright
We are?
Andy Holloway
We are? Yeah.
Mike Wright
What?
Andy Holloway
We are.
Mike Wright
How are we going to do that?
Andy Holloway
Because he's in both of our. He's already in both, so.
Mike Wright
All right.
Andy Holloway
He'll be in our running backs and our tight ends because we need to.
Mike Wright
Speak for yourself.
Andy Holloway
A lot of people play on you.
Mike Wright
I get it.
Andy Holloway
But hopefully they just listened and got the assessment. Now, you. You would think twice if you had Gronk or Samuels? Are you playing with which one?
Mike Wright
I think I would play Gronk.
Andy Holloway
Okay. I would play. I'm playing Samuels in quarterback, running back, tight end, wideout. This week he's going to count 4x4x Jalen Samuels. Right, we're going to get into the mailbag, answer some listener questions. I doubt Jay Grizz is going to help very much, but we'll, we'll throw a few questions to him. Before we do that, I want to thank 23andMe for sponsoring today's show. Now through December 25, 23andMe DNA kits are on sale. You can give the gift of genetic discovery. You're always looking for an original gift. This one's pretty cool because if you sign up and get a DNA kit, you've got all your results and then if you gift it, you guys can all share your results together. It can be a very fun family experience. With their 23andMe ancestry composition report, you can explore where your DNA is from. Out of 150 plus regions worldwide, you can learn your role about gene. I was just telling Mike yesterday I looked at my report and I was looking at some of the health markers and one of the things I'm more prone to by my genetic profile is like age related macular degeneration. So down the line and now I can go buy vitamins that kind of complement my eyes.
Mike Wright
Right?
Andy Holloway
I mean that kind of insight is pretty incredible. And you know, I've been a big fan. We've all had it done now through December 25th, get 30% off any 23andMe kit. Order your DNA kit at 23andMe.com footballers. That's the number 23andMe.com footballers again, this 23andMe.com footballers want to thank RXBar for sponsoring today's show.
Mike Wright
RX bar is a whole food protein bar that actually tastes delicious. You'd likely recognize RX bar on the shelf that the ones who label the core ingredients on the brooks hasn't got them.
Andy Holloway
He might have got them all.
Mike Wright
We'll get to that. The 14 delicious flavor varieties, great seasonal flavors. Whether you like sweet, savory, chocolate, fruit, there's definitely an RX bar for you. There's no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, preservatives, fillers, they get you what you need. Throw it in your bag for a snack, plane, bike ride, whatever. Or then now check out the RX nut butter which contains nine grams of high quality protein. Put it on fruit, rice cakes, pretzels, right out of the pouch, whatever, you name it. Our man Brooks. Every day, Brooks is like, hey, guys, you guys, hey, guys, I can't work right now. I got to down this Blueberry RX bar, his favorite. He's always talking about it. For 25% off your first order of the best seller variety pack, visit rxbar.com footballers Enter the promo code footballers at checkout. That's rxbar.com footballers and the promo code is footballers. You're going to get 25% off your first order of the best seller variety pack. Valid in the US Only and for a limited time.
Andy Holloway
This seems like something you would say, you know, with someone that sponsors your show, but while you were doing. While you were talking about rx bars, I DMed Brooks on Slack and I asked him if they are seriously in the kitchen because I am so hungry right now, I did not eat breakfast. I've got that rumble.
Mike Wright
The rumble? Yeah.
Andy Holloway
But of course you have some. They're yours.
Brooks
I mean, I always do is what I'm saying.
Mike Wright
You know those.
Andy Holloway
Buy them with the company card is what you're saying.
Brooks
No, they're just guaranteed. Always gonna be our.
Andy Holloway
How many do you have around me? How many do you have? I got a 12 pack fresh present. Like in the studio.
Brooks
Yes, sir.
Andy Holloway
So I can buy one off you. You can peddle them to me?
Mike Wright
Yeah, you've seen. You know that I want one. The guy in the cities that got the trench coat.
Andy Holloway
And then when they.
Mike Wright
They open it up and they just have watches.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, that's Brooks.
Mike Wright
Except it's blueberry protein bars, but they're.
Andy Holloway
By prescription, of course. All right, we're getting into the mailbag. I think it's gonna be a Jay Grizz plus Mike situation. Let's go ahead and get.
Jason Moore
Mailbag.
Brooks
Mike, I hope you're not offended.
Andy Holloway
I get.
Brooks
I gave J. Grizz the close up cam on that one.
Andy Holloway
Okay. All right, Mike. I know for a fact. I know Mike. He's. He's pretty pissed right now.
Mike Wright
Look, well, it's. It's not just me who's mad. It's. It's the people watching.
Andy Holloway
Yeah.
Mike Wright
Being deprived of my close ups.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, he's. Because Mike got a haircut this past week. He's trim. He's looking as not indigent as he can look.
Mike Wright
Look, people. People noticed that hat. Hat week was going on.
Andy Holloway
That week was going on. Yeah. All right, let's jump into the mailbag. We're here to help you win this upcoming playoff. Week 14. I'm excited. I'm excited for you.
Mike Wright
And it's time. It's time.
Andy Holloway
Time to get it done. Send in your question the fantasy footballers dot com. Click the Submit a Question button. You can dial our voicemail hotline. We've got some voicemail questions on the show today. That number is 302464. TFFB. I wonder if Jason would call the hotline. I think we would be safe from whatever sickness he's dealing with if he called the hotline. Let's start with a voicemail question.
Caller 1
Bonjour, ballers. This is Matt from Canada. A quick question for you fellas. I got Brady and Gronk on my team. I also have Luck and Ebron. I was wondering which stack I should go with going into week one of the playoffs or if I should just mix it up and go with one from each team. Love the show, guys, your help.
Andy Holloway
That's a great question because Ebron. I have Ebron one spot higher than Gronk this week. I don't want to be blinded by the name. And it's ironic you bring up Brady and Gronk in light of my Pump the brakes today. Indianapolis is on the road against Houston. That is not as juicy of a matchup as the Miami matchup. Miami is a divisional game for New England. They traditionally, those can do some different special things. Where do you sit? Do you split those guys? I mean, would you go Brady, Ebron.
Mike Wright
No, I. Or would you go Luck, Gronk, the Texans, Colts? I mean, it's a divisional game as well.
Andy Holloway
Yes, I'm just. They're both on the road. Both. Both of those offenses. I just think that maybe the matchup isn't as juicy as we think.
Mike Wright
I would go with Andrew Luck, Eric.
Andy Holloway
Ebron just double up on the.
Mike Wright
Yeah, I would double up on the Colts. I mean, the matchup is brutal acts.
Andy Holloway
I'm with you. I'm with you because of the reliability and the doubt. This is the situation you can solve with the pump the brakes. It's not a matter. Look, he has this choice.
Mike Wright
Yeah. And Eric Ebron will 100% get targets even in a 16 last week, a game where they were shut out. Yeah, it sucked if you played Andrew Locke, but Eric Ebron was still great for the tight end position. If Houston could be exploited anywhere, I think Eric Ebron should be able to take advantage and. But what I was going to say to monitor. Monitor health of Andrew Luck's offensive line. I'm sure we'll have some more information on that when we preview their actual matchup, but they have, they have some problems at the center position.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, yeah. I mean they were shut out last week, which doesn't give you great confidence, but it was Jacksonville. All right, another voicemail question.
Caller 1
Hey, ballers, this is Jasper calling from Wisconsin. This is my first crack at the Foot Clan title and I have the first round by. But the other guy on the other side of the bracket is an undefeated juggernaut. So I was just curious if you guys had any inside information or strategies to kind of combat that situation. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks for all the great shows.
Andy Holloway
I do have my thoughts and Mike can contribute as well. I. At this point in time, Mike and I both have the buy in our league of record. We're both 10 and three. We're both the one and two seed on the other side of the bracket. The way I think about it when I'm, you know.
Mike Wright
So what are you doing to take me down? Yeah, I realized I'm not undefeated but I am a juggernaut.
Andy Holloway
I realized that I would be revealing my strategies that I would use against you. But like I said, I'm the one seed. Mike, you're the two seed, so it should. I'll turn the question on to you two seed.
Mike Wright
I'm going to play my best team.
Andy Holloway
Here's the thing. You have a bye week to play around with the waiver wire. I would be doing everything I could to make sure that I am hijacking not only the defense I want to play, but a defense that my opponent, the juggernaut opponent might start in week 15 or 16. Maybe you, I don't know if you're going to play him next week or the week after. Take his options away if you. Every little advantage matters. And why not be granular with that decision making right now? Even if you got kickers in your league, why not be granular about. You know, we say maybe it doesn't matter but you need to give yourself every single chance at any micro advantage against your opponent.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
You want to steal his handcuffs.
Mike Wright
Yeah. I don't think there's big things you can do at this point. But the moves I would personally make would be looking at the DSTs and the handcuffs. That's sure. I think that's your biggest haymaker you can throw.
Andy Holloway
And if you, if you really feel like it's a massive gap between your team and this juggernaut, then maybe you're looking, you know, we had the waiver show yesterday. Maybe you're looking at names that have a lot higher upside than Middle of the road type of starts, right? This question comes in. It's a league ethics question. This is always something I like to get into. Because we want to cover the full gamut of fantasy questions on the show. Been in New York City. Hey, ballers. I love the show. I have James Connor who is out for Sunday, and I plan on picking up Jalen Samuels off of waivers of the teams that made the playoffs. I have first dibs on the waiver wire. Do you think it is fair for another team who did not make the playoffs to pick up Samuels just to screw me over? I need your support in case I have to throw a fit tomorrow. We have discussed this on the show.
Mike Wright
Look, Ben, you will get no, no support here. There will be no one in your corner over here. Yes, they can screw you over. This is what fantasy football is. It. It's not always about winning. Sometimes it's about making sure other people are not winning because that's all you have left. And I would tip my cap and I would commend those in your league if they actually picked up Samuels just to throw some spite into your face.
Andy Holloway
Well, you want your lead to keep playing and to be active. I'm not a fan. If your opponent was openly recruiting your opponents.
Mike Wright
Yeah, that's a little bush league.
Andy Holloway
That's bush league. That's the best way to describe it. But I. Look, it's not screwing you over. It's signing the best available player.
Mike Wright
Right?
Andy Holloway
That's the thing. You don't have a inherent birthright to Jalen Samuels just because James Connor got hurt. You should have had him already agreed, right?
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
All right. This question comes in off of Twitter. Gronk or Jared Cook in absolute crisis mode. He says he thinks the answer is Cook, as does my rankings. It has what? Yeah, I told you. Gronk is five this week for me.
Mike Wright
All right.
Andy Holloway
And Jared Cook is four. Jalen Samuels is three. That's where I'm at.
Mike Wright
All right. I would play Gronk. But I will say this. We are just giving our own personal advice. If you truly feel that the answer.
Andy Holloway
Is Cook, that's what you need, then.
Mike Wright
You should go with Cook.
Andy Holloway
You would not say it's outlandish to pick Cook, right?
Mike Wright
No, not at all. But I. But I have grown.
Andy Holloway
Sure. Yeah. That makes sense. Justin in Bend, Oregon, seriously, what do I do to get. Going into the playoffs or. Sorry, what do I do going into the playoffs? With Trey? Boohoo.
Mike Wright
Oh, no.
Andy Holloway
With Trey Burton, Only options in my league are Yuzama. Ian Thomas. Not even Herndon is available. Do I just close my eyes and pray for anything? Yeah, that's what I'd be doing.
Mike Wright
Yep.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't be counting on much.
Mike Wright
I would.
Andy Holloway
If Mitch Trubisky comes back, you should be happy because. Yes, because Chase Daniel and Trey Burton haven't been. I mean, Chase Daniel has a five read progression. Here's how it goes. Cohen, Cohen, Cohen, Cohen.
Mike Wright
Ellen Robinson.
Andy Holloway
Yes, that is how he ends it. It does not involve Trey. And wait, number six is Adam Shaheen.
Mike Wright
I think that. I think that Mr. Bisky will be back this weekend, but with those options, I would roll with Trey Burton in my starting lineup this week. I don't mind the ad, though, of Ian Thomas to see if he can perform again with Greg Olson being on ir.
Andy Holloway
Someone asked me about him this morning, and my response.
Mike Wright
Did you give him the welp face?
Andy Holloway
It was close. I said, he's in the quote, maybe, and quote shrug category of tight ends. Like, you sure, pick them up, do what you want. I.
Mike Wright
Look, if you're in the situation where you're.
Andy Holloway
But we've done this with Ian Thomas.
Mike Wright
We have, but this was already out before. Right. But this was also the best game of. Of his young career. 5 for 46 this past week against Hampton.
Andy Holloway
No, this is the Matt Lacoste repeat channel. That's what that. Matt Lacoste had his best game of his career last week, but who knows, really? Hayden Bruck off of Facebook. How do you guys strategize when the playoff format is two weeks per round? Yeah, we used to have this format many, many, many years ago. I'm guessing based on that format, you probably only have four people in the playoffs. And you probably started last week. Either that or, you know, you already. Maybe you only get two.
Mike Wright
Maybe.
Andy Holloway
I don't know. Do you strategize differently? Maybe that. That's based on the results of the first week. Sure. You got a big lead. Maybe Trey boohoo's not your option. I don't know. I think you can. You can play conservative, you can go prevent defense, but the truth is, you're just playing your best team every week.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
Letting the chips fall.
Mike Wright
It's not changing for me.
Andy Holloway
This next question comes in off of Twitter. Cliff lynch says, can I trust Jared Goff this week? He's been. He's been subpar on the road. He's playing at night at Soldier Field. It does not give me much confidence. And Mike, what do you say about Jared Girth? I got him at 9 this week.
Mike Wright
I've got him at. I've got him down at 10 now. I don't know. I don't know what your other options are. I mean, he's 9 and 10 is still a 1.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. I mean, if I had.
Mike Wright
Let's. Let's play the name game.
Andy Holloway
You don't have a crazy ceiling with Jared Goff this week.
Mike Wright
Let's play the game.
Andy Holloway
You do have a low floor.
Mike Wright
Jared Goff or another fellow who's been very disappointing. Matt Ryan at Green Bay.
Andy Holloway
Goff.
Mike Wright
Jared Goff or Russell Wilson against Minnesota?
Andy Holloway
Goff.
Mike Wright
Jared Goff or Lamar Jackson against Kansas City?
Andy Holloway
That one gets difficult. I will play Jared Goff.
Mike Wright
So sounds like, yes, you play golf. Maybe you don't have confidence, but too.
Andy Holloway
Bad you're in the playoffs. This question comes in. It's another ethics question that starts with, hey, am I a horrible person?
Mike Wright
Oh, I like where this is going.
Andy Holloway
We're here to tell you whether you are or not. This is from Deborah. A person in our league was inactive for the majority of the year, but I noticed that they had a matchup that affected me getting the number one seed. I may have texted him and coached him on what to do, and he won. Is this okay, or should I feel horrible?
Mike Wright
Oh, man. You just talked about the.
Andy Holloway
I said I wasn't a big fan of this.
Mike Wright
Yes.
Andy Holloway
I think you should feel pretty horrible.
Mike Wright
It's not against the rules.
Andy Holloway
It's not against the rules. I. Look, am I happy if I'm. You? Probably. Am I feeling more horrible if my other league mates are throwing a fit? Yes. Would I have been happier if you had just somewhat casually posted in your Facebook group and it's the same, tagged everybody and said, good luck this week.
Mike Wright
In the set, your lineups appropriately, just.
Andy Holloway
Good luck in the playoffs this week? No, I. It's a little bush league.
Mike Wright
It is, but it's not against the rules.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. I mean, if you were selfless, you would have sent that text a long time ago, got this owner coached up.
Mike Wright
Yeah, but I mean, you're playing to win the game. We.
Andy Holloway
You're fine with it. Pressing your conscience, Mike, you're flicking that little white angel off your shoulder.
Mike Wright
Yeah, I'm with it. I mean, if. Unless it's not against the rules and you're.
Andy Holloway
Well, it could be against the rules, depending on.
Mike Wright
But how.
Andy Holloway
The coaching part.
Mike Wright
What, because it's unsolicited?
Andy Holloway
Yes. Because if you're coaching and basically telling an inactive person who to play, that is tantamount to running Another team. Hey, I need you to do this for me. Play these guys. Do this thing. That's collusion.
Mike Wright
I mean, I guess I don't really see it as collusion because they could be wrong. I mean, you could have said, hey, do all this and then it blows up in your face and you're like, you're only mad, only feeling slightly bad because it worked. If it had not worked.
Andy Holloway
I feel like somehow this show has brought more gray area to this circumstance. Look, hey, let me. Let me. Let me pull. Let me pull the judge. Brooks, how do you feel about the whole situation? And please use more than four words.
Brooks
I was hoping you didn't ask me. That's my first statement.
Mike Wright
Hold on. I was hoping you would. Okay, you. More than four.
Andy Holloway
How do you feel about it? Like, if this happened in your league?
Brooks
If I was the commission, I would consider a collusion.
Andy Holloway
I really would. Yeah, that's where I am. I mean, I. You want to be above board, let the chips fall. So here's your point, Mike, about they could have been wrong. That point persists into, he could have won without your coaching, too.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
Right.
Mike Wright
So let's say that this person then. But they sought out the advice. How is that not collusion?
Andy Holloway
If they sought out the advice? It's not collusion necessarily.
Mike Wright
Why is. It's almost the same exact thing. The way I see it, because it's helping out the team. It's me coming to you and saying.
Andy Holloway
Oh, dude, but we do this all the time in the studio. You go, who should I play this week?
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
I'm not thinking about it in the context of, like, how it affects me necessarily. I'm thinking about it, about how it affects you. So if you say, hey, do I play Ian Thomas or Matt Lacoste? I'm not going like, you know, you've opened up the door to me. Help you win.
Mike Wright
Sure. I just think that when you start trying to put laws on the rules on the intent of that person just having a conversation, they didn't make a trade. It was just a starting lineup.
Andy Holloway
This is why you have to have just overarching standards of conduct in a.
Brooks
League that's about to go to. I. I think I'd say it's not collusion. There's no rule.
Mike Wright
Welcome back, Brooks.
Brooks
But if I'm not commissioned, I'm then thinking about that owner going forward.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, I agree with that. I agree with that. It's not like some. You're not going to lay down the hammer. There's nothing you can do about It. All I'm saying is you want a league that's just generally respecting the spirit of the game.
Mike Wright
But this person was not respecting the game. So isn't that actually respecting the game more when you go to a dead owner, say, hey man, let's get it together.
Andy Holloway
Not in playoff week one. No, you let sleeping dogs lie in playoff week one. That's what I would have done.
Mike Wright
I'm with you. Good move.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, there you go. I mean, look, I'm not saying you're not above it.
Mike Wright
You would do it.
Andy Holloway
I would do what I've done before, which is I might post a picture of a certain player in collusion. No, it's awareness.
Mike Wright
That's collusion.
Andy Holloway
I might run a radio ad campaign in that person's local area. Yes. I might put up a billboard and just any passerby might see set your lineup. Brought to you by Andy. Yeah, I might try to be more passive. Look, assuage my conscience.
Mike Wright
I'm with it. If there is no rule against it and you're not doing a trade, then.
Andy Holloway
I would be fear if you did it to me. If this situation we're fighting for a playoff spot like in Dynasty League last week, and you texted my opponent and you told him all the good people to play against me, I would be mad. I would be mad. Well, see, you wouldn't do it then. You would you.
Mike Wright
You should be mad because I in fact have a podcast where I tell.
Andy Holloway
People, okay, I think are all the best. Let me ask you, here's the truth. You wouldn't do it, would you? If my opponent would you. Would you solicit? You go find him.
Mike Wright
But here's.
Andy Holloway
Hey, hey, Joe. I need you to play these five guys against him so that I get a number one seed.
Mike Wright
I don't know if I would or not.
Andy Holloway
Oh, I would be mad at you.
Mike Wright
Yes. Yeah, I understand being upset about it.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. Mister, mister, What'd you do that one time you stole. Stole Calvin.
Mike Wright
Calvin friggin Johnson and then buried me. Karma got me.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, this is an old story. You're bringing up old wounds. Only one time did I want to not speak to Mike for the rest of my life. I spent like an entire day trying to trade for Calvin Johnson, getting his advice about my trade for Calvin Johnson, and then I went home. Your trade was complete. The trade was not great. And Mike traded for Calvin Johnson right in my face. I never forgiven you. Never.
Mike Wright
I accept.
Andy Holloway
Of course you did.
Mike Wright
Didn't you win the title that year?
Andy Holloway
Yeah, you're right. You're Darn right I did. And I'm gonna win it this year. What is this show? All right, Instagram, Cubby Carson. What round could you see Cooper cup going in next year's redraft? Ooh, is he a second round pick? Third round pick?
Mike Wright
No, not coming off the acl.
Andy Holloway
No, no.
Mike Wright
But fourth round, fourth rounder.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. Early four Jabe. Oh, does Todd Gurley. Who Apparently I pronounce Gurley's name strangely. Do you notice this with the Jim, Jim Jam Jim conversation yesterday? I've been told. I pronounced Denver D I N V E R Dinver. Denver. Yeah. Denver.
Mike Wright
Denver.
Andy Holloway
Denver.
Mike Wright
You got the Jared Garfield. Well, it's.
Andy Holloway
You can see this is all related. Jim Din Ger. I have an eye problem.
Mike Wright
Yes, you do.
Andy Holloway
Right? It's probably because age related macular degeneration. My eye. I have an age related.
Mike Wright
Very nice.
Andy Holloway
Todd Gurley. Does he play the rest of the fantasy playoffs? I have had people bring this up. They're thinking maybe Mike, in week 16 you're not going to play Pat Mahomes and Tyree Kill when I play you.
Mike Wright
I can't imagine they would rest him for two full games. You can't.
Andy Holloway
It would be stupid.
Mike Wright
He could and then have a bye week. So you're saying that then Todd Gurley will have not played for almost an entire month and then you're going to open up with the playoffs. I just, I don't see that happening. Week 17. Yeah, he'll be rested.
Andy Holloway
This is why week 16 championships are the way to go.
Mike Wright
Yes.
Andy Holloway
Right now The Rams are 11 and 1. Is that correct? The Saints are 10 and 2. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think they're bench.
Mike Wright
I don't think they're. I don't think so either.
Andy Holloway
And I don't think that's going to happen with Kansas City either, by the way. I think, I think Kansas City, Pat Mahomes getting as many reps as possible in year one at behind the center right and their offense having to transition away from Kareem Hunt. Like you need. You need reps.
Mike Wright
Yes, I do.
Andy Holloway
This one's from Facebook. Derek from Facebook. I've got a two quarterback league, three quarterback limit. I have Winston and Stafford and Carr. Do I drop Stafford at this point and hope the draft is in my favor next year or keep him? This is a dynasty league. I was confused.
Mike Wright
I was very, very confused.
Andy Holloway
I don't know why you drop him.
Mike Wright
No.
Andy Holloway
And a two quarterback, I mean, yeah, dynasty quarterbacks. I mean picking one up next year.
Mike Wright
If it's a two Quarterback. And you have the variable that is Jameis Winston.
Andy Holloway
I was going to say you don't even know if Winston's the starter. You might not even know if Carr's the starter.
Mike Wright
Yeah. You better hold on to Stafford. He's the only guy you know is going to have a job next year.
Andy Holloway
100%.
Brooks
Then you petition to get rid of that three QB limit and it's UQB league.
Mike Wright
Yeah. For dynasty.
Andy Holloway
It's, it's a little, I get it.
Mike Wright
A little strict.
Andy Holloway
It's strict. But I get it because you don't. You're kind of balancing the hoarding situation in a two quarterback dynasty league so that people can, I mean if you, if you didn't have a limit and you're in a 2 QB dynasty, what teams have 5, 6 guys. If they could.
Mike Wright
If they could. But then they're destroying their other positions.
Andy Holloway
I mean, I have, I'm in a one quarterback. I got two, three quarterbacks. That's my goal.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
So let's get into Thursday night.
Jason Moore
Thursday night breakdown.
Andy Holloway
All right. That was the Thursday night breakdown between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. That's it for the show.
Mike Wright
Well, don't, don't forget to bring up. This is the rematch from week three.
Andy Holloway
Yeah.
Mike Wright
When the Titans won nine to six. All field goals, 255 total passing yards between the quarterbacks. Oh, yeah. Like I said, no one cares about this game.
Andy Holloway
Leonard Fournette. Owners care, Mike.
Mike Wright
Except for fantasy football players.
Andy Holloway
So fantasy football players, if you, if you categorize players of relevance, you're probably talking Leonard Fournette, Dion Lewis, Corey Davis, Marcus Mariota probably.
Mike Wright
But you, I don't know if people realize this. Derek Henry out snapped Dion Lewis last week.
Andy Holloway
Yeah. What did that, what did that equate to?
Mike Wright
Less.
Andy Holloway
So Corey Davis and Marcus Mario that.
Mike Wright
You can't rely on Dion Lewis is what it came to.
Andy Holloway
This is a tough matchup. Over the last six weeks, the Jags defense has given up only 15 points on the ground running packs. I don't think you play Lewis or Henry if you have any other option.
Mike Wright
Agree.
Andy Holloway
At the wide opposition, they've given up the fourth least 24.4 points a game. Corey Davis has done enough over the last four weeks, I think to trust him with Marcus Mariota.
Mike Wright
I would.
Andy Holloway
But again, you've got a Jalen Ramsey problem. You've got a team that just shut down ty Hilton and company last week. So am I excited? No. 96 all field goals last time. Not excited. Leonard Fournette, you can play.
Mike Wright
Oh, man, and it is really hard. I'm struggling over here to find storylines because the Titans, they're. They're shutting everything down, except for. They're not completely shutting down the wide receiver position. But in your playoffs, you're not going to start Dante Moncrief. We're past that.
Andy Holloway
You can't.
Mike Wright
You can't take that risk.
Andy Holloway
Here's. Here's Corey Davis in three games against Jacksonville in his career. 2 for 34, 1 for 4, 0 for 0. Yeah. Yeah.
Mike Wright
I mean, but Corey Davis is. It's really been recent that the connection is coming on. I. I'm going to play him with some level of confidence. Like right now, I have him at wide receiver 25. So that's. That means I'm playing him over Corey Davis or Alshon. Jeffrey.
Andy Holloway
Alshon. I think so.
Mike Wright
Corey Davis or Doug Baldwin against Minnesota?
Andy Holloway
Baldwin.
Mike Wright
All right, Corey Davis or let me get.
Andy Holloway
As you bring these up, I keep moving Corey Davis further down in my ranking.
Mike Wright
Corey Davis or Larry Fitzgerald against Detroit.
Andy Holloway
I'll play. I'll play Corey Davis. There.
Mike Wright
Okay, we found one.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, we did it. Look. That's it. Marcus Mariota. Let's talk about this. Four top seven quarterback performances in the last four games. He's finished, which is always nice. Jacksonville does give up fantasy points to the quarterback. Or has. Last week they didn't. Andrew Luck. Marcus Mariota. Mariota pulled a really good game out of a really bad game last week. So this week he's our concern. He's our consensus QB22.
Mike Wright
So I'm not. I'm not interested in playing him versus Jacksonville.
Andy Holloway
All right, Jonasmith.
Mike Wright
Like, for example, I would rather stream Josh Allen. Oh, yeah, the New York jets than play Marcus Mariota. I would rather play Cousins on the road in Seattle over Mariota. Trying to see if there's a real nasty one that I would rather do. Nah, I mean, that's like Dak against Philadelphia. I'd rather play him over Mario.
Andy Holloway
I just realized this now. Every year, twice a year, my kids school does a concert.
Mike Wright
Oh, yes, the school concert.
Andy Holloway
Now, listen, I'm going to break it down for you, dad. Life in a nutshell. Mike, you understand this very much. Now, my children, my boys, one's a fourth grader and one's a first grader. Okay, that's two shows. You darn right.
Mike Wright
That's two separate shows.
Andy Holloway
Because what?
Mike Wright
They're not close enough.
Andy Holloway
What they've chosen to do at this illustrious establishment is they want to gather together every human in our vicinity and they want to stuff Them into a building, and then they do two concerts. They do kindergarten, first and second grade, and then they do like third, fourth, and fifth grade, and then they do another one after that. But now. And they're like an hour and a half each. Okay, so you can do the math. Brooks, you can do the math, right, baby? Josh, maybe help him out. That's three hours of sitting. And your kid goes up there for like two seconds because it's. Kindergartners go up there. Then first, second, everyone the whole time. No, no, no. So you watch all the kindergarteners. You don't know any of them. Then you see your son. Then you watch all the second graders, then all the third graders. Then you see your son again for the fourth graders. Now, I just realized something. This is tomorrow for me, okay? Which means would I rather be watching Jacksonville, Tennessee, or being at this three hour concert? Now, I love my children and I'm gonna be there. And I may or may not have asked him if I had to go this morning. And unfortunately, what a terrible dad you asked. I asked the older one whether I could leave it at the halftime break.
Mike Wright
No, you know what? You deserve that.
Andy Holloway
So that him and his mom could go out for ice cream afterwards because I got to bring the little girl home for sleep.
Mike Wright
No, this is what you deserve.
Andy Holloway
He said no. He wants me there.
Mike Wright
You deserve to not only be there in the front row. Actually, no. For this plan, you've got to go second row, but you also have to have the game on your mobile device with one earbud in. Now, I've been enduring both of these travesties.
Andy Holloway
Now, if I could, I would, but I. The WI fi situation in this building is not good. I've been to many.
Mike Wright
That's part of it. That's part of the problem. You got to use that cell service, so it's buffering every three seconds.
Andy Holloway
It's a.
Mike Wright
You brought this on yourself.
Andy Holloway
This is a very. This is my night. Tomorrow night be thinking of me.
Brooks
Imagine if it was Monday Night Football on top of it.
Andy Holloway
I might want whatever disease Jason has. At this point in time, I'd rather be at home vomiting. That's not. That sounds like I'm a terrible father. It really, really does. My kids do not take. My oldest boy does not take a lot of pride in the singing of Christmas song with a bunch of his peers. He always looks very, very unexcited, uninspired on stage. Isn't that one of his core strengths? I love him and I'll happily go watch, but he's not excited. Oh man.
Mike Wright
This hole just continues to get deeper, deeper. I love it.
Andy Holloway
You want to spend three hours you you tell me you're excited at these events.
Mike Wright
No, no.
Andy Holloway
Are your kids excited?
Mike Wright
And shout out to my to the music teacher at my kids school who had to cancel the winter program.
Andy Holloway
Oh my gosh. Are you serious?
Mike Wright
You're darn right I'm serious. I'm off the hook.
Andy Holloway
Oh my goodness.
Mike Wright
I mean my children are very disappointed.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, you didn't want to see them up there.
Mike Wright
Totally, totally did.
Andy Holloway
Okay.
Mike Wright
Nah, my kids love the singing so I love watching them.
Andy Holloway
Hey, you're gonna play daily.
Mike Wright
You're gonna play daily this weekend. Draft.comballers maybe we'll see you tomorrow if the wife's don't kill us. Goodbye.
Andy Holloway
Goodbye.
Jason Moore
Thank you for listening to another episode of the fantasy footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on Twitter at theffballers.
Podcast Summary: Fantasy Footballers - "Pump the Brakes, Playoff Q's + Collusion Confusion" (December 5, 2018)
In this episode of Fantasy Footballers, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright delve into critical discussions surrounding the fantasy football playoffs, ethical dilemmas like collusion, and provide insightful analysis to help listeners navigate the final stretch of the season. The episode, titled "Pump the Brakes, Playoff Q's + Collusion Confusion," offers a blend of strategic advice, player evaluations, and engaging banter, ensuring listeners are well-equipped to make informed decisions for their fantasy teams.
The episode kicks off with an in-depth preview of the Jacksonville Jaguars versus Tennessee Titans matchup. Mike Wright highlights the low national interest in the game, emphasizing its significance primarily for fantasy football enthusiasts.
Key Points:
A recurring segment where Mike Wright identifies players with potential downturns or risks in the upcoming playoff week. This week, the focus is on tightening expectations and evaluating matchups critically.
Insights:
Key Points:
Discussion:
Insights:
Andy provides updates on various fantasy league happenings and NFL player news, ensuring listeners stay informed about developments that could impact their teams.
League Updates:
Player News:
Listeners submit questions ranging from strategic lineup decisions to ethical concerns about league conduct. The hosts tackle each query with thoughtful analysis and practical recommendations.
Discussion:
Cliff Lynch [30:24]: Trusting Jared Goff in an upcoming game.
Justin [27:36]: Decisions regarding limited tight end options for playoff lineups.
The hosts provide a detailed analysis of the upcoming playoff game between the Jaguars and Titans, focusing on player performances and matchups that matter for fantasy football.
Key Takeaways:
Interspersed throughout the episode, the hosts engage in light-hearted banter, sharing personal stories and humorous exchanges that add a relatable and entertaining layer to the discussion.
The episode wraps up with final thoughts on the Jacksonville vs. Tennessee matchup, reiterating key player strategies and encouraging listeners to make informed decisions for their playoff lineups.
Notable Quotes:
Conclusion
This episode of Fantasy Footballers offers a comprehensive look into the strategic considerations essential for navigating the fantasy playoffs. From player evaluations and matchup analyses to addressing ethical concerns within leagues, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright provide valuable insights and thoughtful discussions. Their blend of expertise and engaging dialogue ensures that listeners are both informed and entertained, making it a must-listen for any fantasy football enthusiast aiming to excel in their league.