Starts of the Week + Week 4 Breakdown, Confidence Canoe

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast Episode: Starts of the Week + Week 4 Breakdown, Confidence Canoe
Release Date: September 26, 2019
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with a brief advertisement for Roman's FDA-approved hair loss treatment before welcoming listeners to the show. Mike Wright humorously comments on Kyle Rudolph's introduction, highlighting his slow cadence and excellent pronunciation during his children's book reading.

2. Week 4 Player Rankings Challenges

Wayne Gallman vs. Robert Woods

• Andy Holloway (02:57): Identifies Wayne Gallman as a challenging player to rank due to his uncertain role and the Minnesota offense's inefficiency. Despite Gallman's potential, Andy remains skeptical about his consistency.

• Jason Moore (03:22): Acknowledges Minnesota's offensive performance last week but shares Andy's doubts about Gallman's reliability.

• Mike Wright (03:41): Mentions that Gallman is a startable asset in some leagues but underscores the uncertainty regarding his team's dependency on him.

  Notable Quote:
  Andy Holloway (03:22): "But I have a hard time believing in Wayne Gallman. You know, he's still right now in my rankings, a very startable asset."

Sammy Watkins vs. DeMarcus Robinson

• Jason Moore (05:11): Highlights Sammy Watkins as a difficult player to rank due to inconsistent performance and limited targets, despite facing a favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions.

• Andy Holloway (06:30): Points out Watkins' fluctuating performance compared to DeMarcus Robinson, emphasizing Watkins' higher target share.

  Notable Quote:
  Jason Moore (05:11): "I have a hard time believing in Wayne Gallman... Sammy Watkins... in the 40s."

3. News and Notes

Melvin Gordon's Return

• Mike Wright (08:25): Announces that Melvin Gordon will report to the Los Angeles Chargers but won't play in Week 4 due to a holdout ending.

• Andy Holloway (08:50): Expresses enthusiasm about Gordon’s return, acknowledging his value as a top running back and fantasy asset.

• Jason Moore (09:27): Reflects on the uncertainty surrounding Gordon’s return and praises early drafters who managed to secure his spot.

  Notable Quote:
  Andy Holloway (08:50): "We don't want to see him sitting out the whole year or 10 weeks."

Amari Cooper's MRI Update

• Mike Wright (11:02): Reports that Amari Cooper's precautionary MRI results are negative, suggesting he might be available for the next game.
• Jason Moore (11:14): Discusses the implications of the MRI results, seeking clarification on terminology.

Injury Updates

• Andy Holloway (13:23): Shares updates on players like Damian Williams, Ty Hilton, Mike Williams, and Chris Godwin, noting their practice statuses and injuries.

4. Weekly Matchup Previews

Panthers vs. Texans

• Overview (19:00 - 20:33): Discusses the matchup with the Texans favored by 4.5 points and a 47-point over/under. Focuses on quarterback DeSean Watson versus Kyle Allen, evaluating their fantasy viability based on team dynamics and offensive efficiency.

• Andy Holloway (20:01): Praises Christian McCaffrey’s consistency and discusses the reliability of players like Carlos Hyde versus Duke Johnson, favoring Chris Thompson for his explosiveness.

  Notable Quote:
  Andy Holloway (20:33): "I would scoop him up for sure. If you're in a super flex, have that third quarterback."

Cleveland Browns vs. Ravens

• Overview (26:32 - 28:45): Analyzes the game with the Ravens favored by 6.5 points and a 45.5-point over/under. Focuses on Baker Mayfield’s declining performance versus Lamar Jackson’s consistency.

• Jason Moore (26:32): Decides not to start Baker Mayfield against the Ravens due to his poor touchdown-to-interception ratio.

• Andy Holloway (28:13): Endorses Mark Ingram as a reliable weekly play, citing his high efficiency and volume.

  Notable Quote:
  Jason Moore (26:32): "I'm not playing Baker against the Ravens."

Patriots vs. Bills

• Overview (37:00 - 42:21): Discusses the anticipated defensive struggle with a 42.5-point over/under. Evaluates Josh Allen’s QBs performance against the Patriots' stout defense.

• Andy Holloway (38:47): Expresses doubt in the Bills' offensive capabilities against New England’s defense.

• Mike Wright (40:35): Considers starting Darwin Howard due to Buffalo's strong defense limiting opposing QBs.

  Notable Quote:
  Jason Moore (41:21): "I really want to start this guy... but I really don't want to play any of them."

Chargers vs. Dolphins

• Overview (42:21 - 43:56): Reviews the Chargers (15.5-point favorites) facing the Dolphins with a 44-point over/under. Highlights running backs like Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson against a weak Dolphins rush defense.

• Andy Holloway (43:49): Recommends starting Justin Jackson for his favorable matchup despite Ekeler’s high volume.

• Mike Wright (43:56): Agrees with targeting Justin Jackson and cautions against starting any Dolphins players.

  Notable Quote:
  Andy Holloway (42:56): "I actually think Justin Jackson is... he's a flex worthy start this week against this Dolphins."

Raiders vs. Colts

• Overview (46:57 - 53:38): Examines the Colts (7-point favorites) playing the Raiders with a 45.5-point over/under. Focuses on Jacoby Brissette as a streaming option and the potential impact of Ty Hilton’s health on tight end performance.
• Mike Wright (47:06): Prefers Matthew Stafford over Jacoby Brissette due to the expected offensive dynamics.
• Jason Moore (50:07): Emphasizes Eric Ebron as a start based on defensive vulnerabilities.

5. Start of the Week Picks

Tight Ends

• Andy Holloway (54:34): Selects TJ Hawkinson for his involvement and favorable matchup against Kansas City.

• Mike Wright (53:42): Chooses Austin Hooper, citing his consistent target share and the Texans’ defense against tight ends.

• Jason Moore (55:19): Starts Eric Ebron, anticipating increased opportunities due to Ty Hilton’s injury.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Jason Moore (57:29): "I like the narrative that you're bringing up about the likelihood of them having to throw to catch up in this game is very high."
  • Andy Holloway (57:07): "I'm going to make it TJ Hawkinson... if you're watching the game, he's still involved."

Running Backs

• Andy Holloway (61:18): Emphasizes Kerryon Johnson for his volume and matchup against Kansas City’s weak rush defense.

• Jason Moore (62:13): Sticks with Chris Carson, leveraging his efficiency and favorable matchup against the Cardinals.

• Mike Wright (60:43): Highlights James Conner against Cincinnati, acknowledging his struggles but favoring the matchup.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Andy Holloway (61:18): "He is the goal line guy and he will be out there in passing situations too."
  • Jason Moore (62:13): "He's pretty close to a weekly wide receiver to play because it's him and Darren."

Wide Receivers

• Andy Holloway (64:32): Chooses Tyler Boyd for his consistent double-digit targets and strong matchup against the Steelers.

• Jason Moore (64:35): Selects Sterling Shepard, leveraging his matchup against the Raiders' weak pass defense.

• Mike Wright (64:01): Picks Mike Williams for his potential bounce-back performance against Miami.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Andy Holloway (64:32): "Double digit targets out of the slot against the Steelers. I'm all about that life."
  • Mike Wright (64:11): "He's got a great opportunity to take a few extra targets."

Quarterbacks

• Mike Wright (58:42): Selects Russell Wilson for his ability to generate points against a vulnerable Arizona defense.

• Andy Holloway (59:16): Opts for Philip Rivers, favoring his consistency and favorable matchup despite potential travel fatigue.

• Jason Moore (59:16): Starts Matthew Stafford for his deep pass attempts and performance against Kansas City.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Andy Holloway (59:16): "If I had him, I would start him. He does have those weeks where it's very simple."
  • Jason Moore (59:16): "My start of the week, it's Matt Stafford at home against Kansas City."

Kickers

• Andy Holloway (66:19): Selects Will Disley, advocating for his touchdown-scoring ability.

• Mike Wright (66:19): Recommends Will Disley based on matchup and reliability.

• Jason Moore (66:19): Places emphasis on accuracy and matchup, ultimately supporting the hosts' choices.

  Notable Quotes:
  Andy Holloway (66:19): "Will Disley. He's your guy."

6. Humor and Banter

Throughout the episode, the hosts engage in light-hearted banter, joking about topics like power walking, humorous alliterations (e.g., "Confidence Canoe" for Chris Carson), and playful teasing about podcast rules and giveaways. This engaging dialogue adds an entertaining layer to the analytical discussions.

7. Giveaways and Sponsors

• Giveaway Announcement (07:03): Hosts promote a signed Saquon Barkley jersey giveaway in partnership with Pristine Auction, encouraging listeners to visit footclangiveaway.com.
• Sponsor Messages (15:47 & 67:42): The show acknowledges sponsors like Pristine Auction and partners promoting travel destinations like New Mexico.

8. Conclusion

In wrapping up, the hosts reiterate their start of the week picks, encourage listeners to join their fantasy football community, and tease upcoming content, including live social media updates and further analysis. They also humorously conclude with a nod to their sponsor’s auction achievements.

Final Notable Quote:
Jason Moore (67:34): "Appearantly his name is John Matthew Stafford. And now you know. We'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye."

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This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast provides a comprehensive analysis of Week 4 matchups, player rankings, injury updates, and strategic start-of-the-week picks. The hosts blend expert insights with entertaining discussions, making it a valuable resource for fantasy football enthusiasts aiming to optimize their lineups and gain an edge in their leagues.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Mike Wright]

Roman's hooking them up.

[Andy Holloway]

They're hooking them up. Free online visit. Free two day shipping when you visit getroman.comfootballers that's getroman.comfootballers for a free visit. To get started, getroman.comfootballers hi, this is Kyle Rudolph and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from pristineauction.com studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, James and Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in. Week four is upon us now. I appreciate good friend of the show, Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph introing us in. Yes, he's joined us before. Great guy. I also think that it's possible he would be the greatest children's book reader of all time. Very well pronounced, a very slow cadence. Did you notice that? I mean, it was clear as day.

[Jason Moore]

Living in Minnesota. Good Minnesota boy.

[Mike Wright]

We look for different.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we look for very different things in our children book reading. You're looking for like diction. I'd be looking for animation.

[Mike Wright]

So he's not a fit for the animation side.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. Sorry.

[Jason Moore]

What about bedtime stories?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, there you go, children then. You're putting them to sleep.

[Jason Moore]

You're welcome, Kyle. Retirement.

[Mike Wright]

Figure out that's a new app. Kyle Rudolph reads you to sleep.

[Jason Moore]

You know, get on that call map.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in Thursday, September 26, the fantasy footballers podcast. Yeah, that's what it is. Boom boom kicker on the show today. Starts of the week, Fantasy forecast news. Some mailbag if we have time. Quick question of the day, who's the hardest player for you to rank in week four right now?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that's easy for me it's Wayne Goleman because we don't know exactly what he's going to be. There's so many things lined up perfectly right. He's at home, they're favored. He's the only guy in town with any kind of talent. He opportunity is so much more valuable than talent at the running back position. All that being said, it's a bad offense, you know. It's not, is it?

[Jason Moore]

It was not bad last week.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. I know that they, they scorched the earth last week with the rookie sensation.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Daniel Jones.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

But I have a hard time believing in Wayne Gallman. You know, he's still right now in my rankings, a very startable asset.

[Mike Wright]

We're starting him in one of our leagues, 25 on our consensus rankings, so.

[Andy Holloway]

But he's difficult.

[Mike Wright]

I think he's difficult because I don't know what kind of dependency the team's going to have on him. That's part of the question for me. Running a ton of routes last week. One target or whatever it was.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

But we also so far haven't seen them add anybody. I mean, Elijah Penny's going to be the fullback there. Wayne Gallman's there. They've worked out some guys like Zach Zinner, no Jay Ajayi in sight. So right Now I think 25, I feel good with 25. Don't you feel like that's, that's, that's probably.

[Jason Moore]

I think he can easily outproduce that.

[Mike Wright]

He could, he could. I'm going to go with Robert Woods.

[Jason Moore]

It's fair.

[Mike Wright]

I think Robert woods is a difficult player to rank right now. I don't think Robert woods the player is any different than what he was last year. I do think that it's very normal for players like Brandon Cooks who are now in year two with Sean McVay and Cooper cup, who is an up and coming superstar in the league. I think it's possible for those players to take a step up and that could mean that Robert woods maybe is a little bit different than what we've had in years past. I think he's still going to have his days, I think he's still going to have his games. But maybe, you know, three weeks from now, maybe we're looking at this team a little bit less like, you know, 1A, 1B, 1C and a little bit more defined. So he's a little bit difficult for me to know what his upside is right now. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And mine is very similar to that. Mine is the heart. The player who's hard for me to rank. It's Sammy Watkins. It's the Lizard King. He's been cold blooded for your fancy the past couple Weeks he came out, he was a absolute sensation, a weak winning player in week one. Then the opportunity was there with Tyree Kill going to miss time. And yet the Chiefs drives are averaging like two snaps per offensive drive because McCoy Hardman and DeMarcus Robinson keep taking 40 yard bombs to the house, not giving Sammy walks. They're ruining everything for people who have Sammy Watkins. But the matchup is delightful against the Detroit Lions. So, like, yeah, it's tough. He should still like top five is still in the range of outcomes. But he's been like in the 40s.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Watkins was number one week one, and then he was in the 40s week two and three. Whereas Demarcus Robinson.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Who was like wide receiver 100 and something week one. He was the wide receiver one in week two. And then he followed that up being the wide receiver 29. So you're like, who. Who's more valuable here? But you still usually. And Pat Mahomes breaks all the usually statements he does. You still usually want the guy who's getting the most targets, and that is still Watkins.

[Mike Wright]

You've seen a little bit of the same impact that, you know, the not marching the ball down the field pass by pass has impacted Travis Kelsey too. So not that he's been bad, but just that. Right. You know, if you're not methodically moving it down the field with your. Your best possession guy, which is Sammy Watkins, I think we'd agree with that. And your best possession tight end. I mean, it's just a product of those big plays like you said, and then they get big leads. Nobody's kind of keeping up with them.

[Andy Holloway]

We really need these defenses to be better so that Travis Kelsey and Sammy Watkins can score.

[Jason Moore]

How about just the other offenses?

[Mike Wright]

As a Nicole Hardman owner, I disagree with you entirely.

[Jason Moore]

I just want the other offenses to be better.

[Mike Wright]

That's what it is.

[Andy Holloway]

Come on. Matthew Stafford.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I like him a lot this week.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Hey. We are giving away another signed jersey from Pristine Auction. We love doing this. I think last month we gave away an Alvin Camara signed jersey. You can go to footclangiveaway.com enter for free. We're giving away a signed Saquon Barkley jersey. Papa Josh thought this was the opportunity that we needed to go acquire and give away a Saquon Barkley jersey.

[Jason Moore]

To be fair, you will have it forever.

[Mike Wright]

That's true. He will not be out forever.

[Jason Moore]

He's out. Look, you can dry your fantasy tears with a signed Safehorn Barclay jersey.

[Mike Wright]

I don't recommend it.

[Jason Moore]

But I don't either. The name might smudge.

[Mike Wright]

Well, we're giving one away nonetheless, so. Footclangiveaway.com the Blitz, our weekly newsletter is Wayne Goleman next up for giveaways. Hmm, yeah, probably a less lasting value there, but the Blitz, our weekly newsletter with the five biggest stories in fantasy, comes out today. Number one on that list is Melvin Gordon. So got some news.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league presented by sleeper.

[Mike Wright]

Melvin Gordon will report to the Los Angeles Chargers today. He will not play in Week 4. The holdout is over. We talked a lot about the implications of that yesterday, but now we have some actual news that it's happening.

[Andy Holloway]

This is awesome. I mean, this is, look, there's some, some people, some people out there. I've got, I've got, you know, in our listener league, I have Austin Eckler and I don't have Melvin Gordon. So obviously less awesome for me there. But in general, this is fantastic. You know, he's one of the best running backs of football, one of the most valuable fantasy assets. We don't want to see him sitting out the whole year or 10 weeks. You know, those people who drafted Melvin Gordon earlier are somewhat being rewarded. I mean, if you told me that he was only going to miss four games and then come back, I would have drafted Melvin Gordon.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Pretty high.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. You had no idea. You had no idea what was going to happen with him. You knew at some point he was going to come back because it was slightly different than Le'Veon Bell. But we were led to believe from very high up news sources last year, like this is okay, this is the week Le'Veon Bell comes back. So you. It was just a risk that I think it was still the right thing to, to avoid him in those early rounds. Now if you took your scratcher sometimes you win. The Melvin Gordon people, the drafters are looking like that right now.

[Mike Wright]

We were able to. In a lot of leagues there were people that dropped Melvin Gordon. Echler did well. He wasn't to be seen anywhere. You know, Gordon wasn't out there. So we picked him up in the sleeper bowl league. Somebody dropped him in sleeper bowl and had him on our bench and so very excited to get him back. There is going to be a press conference this afternoon with head coach Anthony Lynn and from Ian Rapaport. He has shown up. He's there.

[Andy Holloway]

Also update on our sleeper bowl league. We did beat juju Smith Schuster last.

[Jason Moore]

Week, so take that Juju, I think.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you for your long touchdown as well.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we thanked him in the chat right after he scored. It was fun.

[Andy Holloway]

Ninja, you're next.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Is that this week that we're playing Ninja this week?

[Mike Wright]

All right, well, he's. He's distracted right now.

[Andy Holloway]

That's right.

[Mike Wright]

Singing inside of Mask Singer. All right, Dallas Morning News reporting Amari Cooper received an MRI on Wednesday, reportedly precautionary. Not a good thing. I mean, I don't want a precautionary mri. It doesn't say good things about whatever I'm getting the MRI on.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't get a precautionary MRI when you're one. We're just like, it's a hundred. Oh, you're scheduled for a Wednesday mri?

[Jason Moore]

Well, I was thinking about getting one just in case.

[Mike Wright]

When does it become just a cautionary. When is it a difference instead of a precautionary. Yeah, is this step one, then you go cautionary mri, then regular mri?

[Andy Holloway]

I think they're getting this wrong. I think this is a cautionary mri.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe that's true.

[Andy Holloway]

Precautionary would be. I'm fine. I just want one that's precautionary.

[Mike Wright]

I don't think that we're analyzing the language perfectly, but. But I've chosen to.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Nonetheless.

[Andy Holloway]

Regardless, keep an eye out. It's his ankle you want to.

[Jason Moore]

And this is not the. This is the other foot. This is a different below the shin injury than he was dealing with at the beginning of the season.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Mike Tomlin is optimistic. Vance McDonald will play in week four against the Bengals.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not playing him.

[Mike Wright]

I think you might not have a choice. I mean, there are. There are situations where you need a tight end and are you more off of him because of Mason Rudolph, or are you off of him because of the shoulder?

[Jason Moore]

I'm off of him because of the injury. Optimistic. Okay, maybe if this was a Sunday morning game, but optimistic that your tight end is going to play on Monday night. I'm out, man. That's fair. I totally get that. In fantasy football, you could be very wrong. Advance. McDonald goes and catches two touchdowns and you feel like crap. But my process would have me. What about.

[Andy Holloway]

You have to be.

[Mike Wright]

What about Eifert? I mean, what about putting effort on your. On your bench as a.

[Jason Moore]

As your pivot move?

[Mike Wright]

It's pretty crappy pivot, right?

[Jason Moore]

I mean, would you go with IFRT or Usama?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I don't know. Maybe. Maybe we just steer clear and you make other plans.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's probably how I would approach it.

[Mike Wright]

We do have starts of the week. Today. So we'll talk through some tight ends that we do like and get into some different names in the fantasy forecast as we preview the week four games. Quick practice report update. Damian Williams with the knee. Didn't practice. Ty Hilton. Mike Williams didn't practice. Chris Godwin with a hip injury. This was a surprise. Didn't practice. He's listed his day to day. Also was not spotted on Thursday's practice as of this recording. Rashad Penny didn't practice.

[Jason Moore]

That one's interesting.

[Mike Wright]

We'll see what happens.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Today. If he doesn't show up today, then you can reason that he's not quite rebounding as quickly as head coach Pete Carroll.

[Jason Moore]

That was a devastating walkthrough.

[Mike Wright]

Well, you can't walk too fast on those.

[Jason Moore]

Mike, you ever done power walking?

[Mike Wright]

I've never done power walking. It's one of my proudest accomplishments.

[Jason Moore]

No, it's too bad. Have you.

[Andy Holloway]

Have you have not power walk?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I've.

[Jason Moore]

I've done power walking in my day.

[Mike Wright]

Now, that's different than just walking fast, Mike. Of course it's okay.

[Jason Moore]

It's different because it's exercise.

[Andy Holloway]

He's like, sometimes I really got to go to the bathroom, so I power walk there.

[Jason Moore]

You never power the potty, but like.

[Andy Holloway]

Are you holding little weights?

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

Like, let's do this.

[Mike Wright]

And do you roll? Is it heel to toe? Heel to toe on the course?

[Jason Moore]

It is.

[Mike Wright]

On the quick power walk.

[Jason Moore]

My mechanics are sound, my shorts are short and I'm power walking.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe that part for sure.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Devin Singletary. Mark Andrews didn't practice. Mark Andrews has been not practicing.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's getting managed. He's.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So I was gonna say he's being. He's being managed. I. I'm. I've just got pictures in my head of Mike power walking now, and I think he's wearing the 80s 90s.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Jazzer size type of outfit.

[Jason Moore]

Of course. In the headband.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I was going to say headband has.

[Jason Moore]

To the high white socks. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Didn't Suzanne Somers. You look like Suzanne Somers in this situation.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

After I power walk, then I get on the ThighMaster.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. All right. The MRI was negative. There is an update to the Amari Cooper news that we just got in. So it was a negative. Negative for anything bad. I guess in or out tomorrow.

[Jason Moore]

The verbiage of that. We all know what it means, but it's still strange. What were the results for the mri? Negative.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. What was the result? Positive for something negative. All right, News and notes. Is always brought to you by the sleeper app. Don't miss a single piece of impactful fantasy football news. Download the free app today. Now we want to thank today's sponsors before we head into the fantasy forecast because they keep this show going. So we're going to start here. If you are a true adventurer who loves traveling with your friends, adventure is out there. My friends or family to totally unique places, you do not want to sleep. We talk about sleepers all the time.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

You sleep in New Mexico.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Not on it.

[Andy Holloway]

Right?

[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

Never.

[Mike Wright]

Did you know that? The chili capital of the world, Jason, we're talking green chili cheeseburger.

[Jason Moore]

I love chili.

[Mike Wright]

You do? Are you?

[Jason Moore]

I do.

[Mike Wright]

Monster fan. I love chili. They are also home to the most funky small towns, including Pie town. Okay. Pie Town. So much to learn about New Mexico. To do that and plan your trip, visit new Mexico.org that's newMexico.org, new Mexico.

[Jason Moore]

True Foot Clan. Listen up. Fame, money, ego. These things can make athletes seem superhuman. But what happens when those in professional sports reveal the darker side of humanity?

[Mike Wright]

Is this the Antonio Brown podcast?

[Jason Moore]

He's probably going to be on this show a little bit later every week. The Parr Cast network's new podcast, Sports Criminals explores some of the most significant sports crimes throughout the world. Some of these crimes are shocking, like the illegal dog fighting ring by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Others are disheartening, like the burglary, the controlled substance charges against NFL draft bust Ryan Leaf. Or this one hits hard like other crimes that went undetected for years. Like the case of Tim Donaghy, the referee who was betting on games and hosed our Phoenix Suns.

[Mike Wright]

Don't bring that up, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Never forget. But you can. You can check out those stories and more Sports criminals. Athletes you thought you knew. Crimes you won't forget. Listen and subscribe to Sports Criminals. For free on Spotify and anywhere you listen to podcasts or visit parcast.com sportscriminals to listen now.

[Andy Holloway]

Fantasy Forecast.

[Jason Moore]

I'll say something I learned from that read about sports criminals. They were very specific. It's Tim Donaghy.

[Mike Wright]

They were hard G stuff. I was going to correct you.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, well, you would have been corrected.

[Mike Wright]

So is Donaghy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe that's where his problems began.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he was misunderstood his whole life.

[Mike Wright]

Being called the wrong name.

[Jason Moore]

I told you it's important to get people's names right.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, J.J. i start betting on games.

[Mike Wright]

Yep, that's what happens. Yesterday it was like if your fantasy season goes wrong, you're a looter in the streets. Now if someone mispronounces your name, you're allowed to.

[Jason Moore]

Well, that's why it came out. I don't know if you guys heard this, but it's actually Pete Rozay.

[Mike Wright]

I disagree with you. Two teams on by this week, the 49ers and Jets. If you play them, zero points coming your way. So don't Thursday Night Football DeSean Jackson officially out. Alshon Jeffrey officially in Packers Eagles. We previewed the game yesterday if you want to listen to that Thursday night preview. But I'm excited for that is a Thursday night game that I'm. Yes, I'm primed for. I want to see if the packers can go to 4 and oh. All right. Let's start with the weekly matchups here. The Panthers at one and two take on the Texans. They're two and one. This game has a 47 point over under. The Texans are four and a half point favorites. Kyle Allen v. DeSean Watson we have Watson as our quarterback two on the week consistency or on our consensus rankings. So Watson's obviously in. Kyle Allen the question that people have as fantasy owners fantasy quarterback streamers was last week a fluke?

[Jason Moore]

I will say it was not a fluke. Kyle Allen is surrounded by incredible talent at every skill position that he needs to be a successful fantasy quarterback and real life quarterback, however, definitely inflated by the defense of the Arizona Cardinals. Kyle Allen. I'm not looking to play him in one quarterback leagues but if you're in a two quarterback and you've scooped him up, I think he's a fine in.

[Andy Holloway]

A super flex man. I would want one more. I would scoop him up for sure. If you're in a super flex, have that third quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

He's already gone. If you were.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no. I'm saying I would have but I'm not Going to start him. I think the fact that you come out against the Arizona Cardinals who don't have any DBs, you know, Patrick Peterson suspended. Robert Alford was gone. Going to the Texans now with a game of film to watch. I would. I would want a week off. But your point is well taken. The weapons are great between Greg Olson, DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, Christian McCaffrey. This is the reason I loved Cam before the season. If he was healthy, he'd be balling out. This was almost my answer for the most difficult players to rank this week when it comes, not Kyle Allen, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel. Because of Kyle Allen.

[Mike Wright]

Sure, it makes sense. Kyle Allen did have. We've seen a couple of good games from him in the pros. It was against New Orleans at the end of last year. Three touchdowns, had a. Had a nice game. I look at Kyle Allen Villa very similar to how I would try to rank Daniel Jones. And like you said last week, they had a pretty easy matchup, you might say. But the Texans are an easy matchup, too, for fantasy quarterbacks. So far this year, 27th in the league in points given up. So it just depends on the options you have. We have them at QB 19 by consensus ranking. So if you have somebody that's a better option, you go there. Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson. We already know on the Carolina side, Christian McCaffrey is going to ball out. He does it most every week. And I would start him now. He only played 92% of snaps last week.

[Jason Moore]

Only.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, wow. They gave him. They gave him a breather. He had played every single snap on the season up till last week.

[Jason Moore]

That dude's cardio is insane.

[Mike Wright]

That dude's everything is insane.

[Jason Moore]

Fair point.

[Mike Wright]

He's a player with a lot of natural talent that is taking it to the next level by working his butt off year in and year out and leveling up. Carlos Hyde, Duke Johnson. We said, we said on the show yesterday, these guys are just players. You just don't really want to play them. I mean, this is a. It's a tough situation to be able to count on them. If you have to pick one. Carlos is Carlos Hyde. Just from a reliability standpoint, right?

[Jason Moore]

I think Duke Johnson is just. You can drop him like he. Make room on your roster. Carlos Hyde. I don't blame people if they. If they don't want to play him, but he's still a bench player to me. With bye weeks coming up, I think Duke Johnson.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, I'd rather have Chris Thompson than Duke Johnson.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, 100%.

[Mike Wright]

It's far more explosive and we've seen more over time from him and they.

[Andy Holloway]

Utilize the past catching running back in Washington whereas desean Watson doesn't. You know that's just not what he is used to doing.

[Mike Wright]

Did have a season high five targets last week Duke Johnson did curious if this team starts to give him more opportunities if they don't think Hyde is efficient enough. DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, you said they're hard to rank this week. We have them at the kind of rb or wide receiver 3 range.

[Jason Moore]

Both playable.

[Mike Wright]

Both playable. DeAndre Hopkins obviously out there. You know Will Fuller, he's also difficult.

[Jason Moore]

To rank because he we know what he can do and it's not that he's off the field. I mean he's week one 97% of snaps. Week two 91 week three 97% of snaps. He's out there all the time.

[Andy Holloway]

Stills is hurting him.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, that's a fair point that they have another speedster that they can go to. Stills had you know a pretty nice game last week. Will Fuller just has it's not hit yet. And when you're he's okay to throw out there as a flex play as that that nitro button so to speak for your for your starting roster. But it's really unfortunate that through the first three weeks we're just, we're not seeing the big you're not seeing the big play that you had hoped when you drafted him.

[Mike Wright]

And we know that Kiki is kind of working himself back in. He's sitting behind Stills right now on the rotation. But he did get out there a little bit last week. You wonder if that starts to even further muddy the kind of wide receiver two landscape for those guys. And then tight end Wise thoughts on Greg Olson having another solid week.

[Jason Moore]

Greg Olson is he's a weekly play at this point. I know that the matchup technically through three weeks is not great the with the Texans giving up points to the tight end position. But in this landscape of tight end Greg Olson gets targets and has upside every single week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you start them but you're not going to get anything like what you got against.

[Jason Moore]

No, certainly not.

[Mike Wright]

I think this is going to be an interesting game. I think Kyle Allen will be able to keep up against this Texans defense the way that they're playing this year. Panthers have the fastest pace of play in the NFL now after last week. So that's just good for the fantasy options.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Now who would you rather have between DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel rest of season?

[Jason Moore]

It's still more.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I Would lean DJ Moore as well.

[Jason Moore]

But I did. But they haven't really separated.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It was just more explosive plays from more.

[Andy Holloway]

Thus far more explosive. I see what you did. It was just one of those things weird where he only got two targets last week with Kyle Allen. So you wonder if it switches with with him in there.

[Mike Wright]

All right. The Cleveland Browns at 1 and 2 traveled to Baltimore to take on the Ravens at 2 and 1. Interesting fact here. The game's a 45 and a half point over under. So if you look at the implied point totals, the Browns are at 19 and a half points. The Ravens are at 26 and a half. That's what Vegas expects from this game. Ravens are six and a half point favorites. The Browns have yet to hit their team implied total this season. That is a product of an offense that is overhyped. Yeah. Clearly over. The expectations are have been much higher. I think in this game being six and a half point dogs, we're starting to get closer to what we're actually seeing. Baker and Lamar. What do you do here, Lamar? Lamar is automatically in this matchup at home.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not playing Baker against the Ravens.

[Mike Wright]

No. That would not be a wise decision.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

In 2018, he had a touchdown every 2.7 pass attempts in the red zone. This year, 20 touchdowns, zero. Or I'm sorry, that was last year. 20 touchdowns, zero interceptions. This year in the red zone, it's been trash three of 14. That's how the game ended last week. So we need to. I think we're all saying the same thing. We need to see more from Baker before he becomes a streaming option in any capacity. Nick Chubb. Volume is supporting Nick Chubb throughout this season.

[Jason Moore]

Yep. And he got. He was. He was receiving those targets this past week. Seven targets. I don't expect seven to keep up. But Nick Chubb, he's out there. He's going to get a ton of volume. Unfortunately, this matchup sucks.

[Andy Holloway]

He's been an RB2 or better all three weeks. I think the volume is great. You're obviously going to play Chubb. You should.

[Mike Wright]

Mark Ingram. You're obviously playing Mark Ingram. But a bigger question. Fantasy owners probably want to know when they think about selling high, is this going to be the Mark Ingram we get throughout the season? When you look at the schedule, he did what he needed to do, but it was Miami, Arizona, Kansas City. It's going to get harder for Mark Ingram, not easier. And he's been one of the most efficient runners as well. Touchdown to carry ratio.

[Jason Moore]

His touchdown to carry Ratio is. Is absolutely out of control. He's carried the ball 43 times and he has five rushing touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Now he has Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Seattle on the docket. I don't. Those don't intimidate me to the point where I'm thinking it's going to change dramatically at home against Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Cincinnati, Seattle are pretty nice matchups. So.

[Andy Holloway]

They are. And what you've seen is, we've talked about this over the years, is that a mobile rushing quarterback oftentimes helps the running game. And you see it, you see why it happens. Lamar runs so much. The defenders are always looking to see if he's handing the ball off or keeping it and they pause for a second. And that helps Mark Ingram. I think Mark Ingram is going to continue to be a great weekly play for the next half of the season. But he, you know, he's not getting three touchdowns like he did last week.

[Mike Wright]

Four. You're going with four. All right. Beckham and Landry, you obviously can play Beckham. I think you probably sit Landry in this matchup. He's more in the. I don't know. He's a must bench player. I don't blame you if you want to kind of hang on to him and see what happens if this offense gets going because he's very talented. He's had seven targets. Seven targets, nine targets.

[Jason Moore]

Jarvis Landry is the perfect example of fantasy not matching the NFL because Jarvis Landry is a really freaking good wide.

[Mike Wright]

Receiver, as is Stefan Diggs.

[Jason Moore]

But the opportunity is not there for the fantasy points that we need. Jarvis Landry can be a great fantasy player when he's getting targets like he did in Miami, but he's not getting those targets. So he is a bench for me or if you're playing him. My expectations are low end wide receiver, three at best.

[Mike Wright]

So one of the things that I'm doing in my fantasy leagues is targeting Marquis Brown everywhere.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I've been trying to acquire him. He's got a 26% target share. We have him as the wide receiver, 21 in this matchup. I think he finishes inside the top 20 on the. Over the course of the year. And I think as it becomes rougher for Mark Ingram in some of these other matchups that aren't quite the cakewalks that he's had, it's only going to benefit Marquis Brown, who's seeing such a significant amount of the targets. He gives you everything you want. You got a high target chair. You've got a young player with explosive play ability. So he can win you a week with one DeSean Jackson style play and he's the favorite of Lamar Jackson. So I'm actually, you know, I went out and I offered lots of different players for Marquis Brown. Not everybody, not many people budging, but I still would be targeting him in my leagues. What do you guys think about Hollywood?

[Jason Moore]

100%. I agree with this. Like this is the, this is your perfect opportunity to buy low and I think it might be your last one to. And it's not really that it's buying low but you may be able to convince the person who has Hollywood Brown to, to trade them away because he only had two receptions for 49 yards but he had nine targets. Lamar Jackson's accuracy, it will be suspect from time to time. You, you saw that this past week with Lamar that, that game against Miami. That's not who Lamar Jackson is going to be week in and week out. But Hollywood Brown I think has become a very high end fantasy option. The target share to me I'm is. Has been very, very surprising. His ability is not but the target share is.

[Mike Wright]

I think it just speaks to, and I'm a big John Harbaugh fan and I think it speaks to a well run team. When you take, you know, you have a team, we're concerned about wide receivers having value in this offense. Then you draft a wide receiver in the first round and then you put them in a position to succeed and then the team builds around that. I just, we don't always see that. Right. You see you have a lot of talented players that just have limited opportunities to showcase themselves. Hollywood's just ended up in a great.

[Jason Moore]

Position and it's not just Harbaugh, it's. It's also Greg Roman. No doubt like that was the perfect hire to coach up Lamar Jackson. And you know like when you go back and you realize what has happened, perhaps we all should have been higher on, on Hollywood Brown because like Sammy Watkins with Tyrod Taylor his, his big monster year where he was over 1,009 touchdowns in 13 games. That was Tyrod and Greg Roman.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And Hollywood is an incredible player. There's a reason he was a first.

[Mike Wright]

Round draft pick while injured and being miniature sized.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Because he's lightning.

[Mike Wright]

Mark Andrews is our tight end for on the week. I guess we're buying into a bounce back game for Mark Andrews in this one.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean monitor the injury. The injury could be part of the problem last week and this week. But in the tight end landscape, how do you not start Mark Andrews and.

[Mike Wright]

I and I watched, I watched a lot of those snaps last week for Mark Andrews. I can tell you it wasn't all the injury problem. It was a lot of inaccuracy from Lamar Jackson. He was open, he had opportunities, ball was thrown behind him. I think it's brighter this week if Lamar can get him the Rock Chiefs at three and oh take on the Lions who are also undefeated 20 and 1. They are, they should be 3 and.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh they really should have not tied that Arizona Cardinals.

[Mike Wright]

Friend of the show Adam Lefkoe tweeted this morning how happy he is for Buffalo Bills fans and the Lions fans because these are long suffering organizations and fan bases and I think both of their early season success is real. You know they're pretty good teams and the Lions are going to lose this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, that is a fact. The question is by how much. Right now the Chiefs are only favored by six and a half points. I would, I would bet on the Chiefs.

[Mike Wright]

You like the Chiefs. Here they are six and a half point fairs. The game has a spectacular 54 and a half point over under puts the Chiefs at 30 points, the Lions at 24. It is always difficult to know when you can turn to Matthew Stafford as a quarterback. Streamer.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Are you wearing the snapback hat this week? Is Matthew Stafford on your list of streaming?

[Jason Moore]

Not only am I wearing it, I am Matthew Stafford.

[Andy Holloway]

You're also a member.

[Jason Moore]

I'm turning it around like it will be a backwards facing cap in in honor of Matthew Stafford. I like him a lot this week. He, he should have come through this last week against the Eagles but we had TJ Droppinson letting everybody down and I think that he's in a perfect, he's back at home. He's in the dome. I love Stafford this week.

[Andy Holloway]

You know the Chiefs have really been torched by tight ends and I know people are afraid of TJ Droppinson the Hawks strap since week one. You paid up. You got him. You've been super disappointed. Really hard to play him after the last couple of weeks. I think he's a fine play this week. Match up at home against Kansas City. They're going to need to throw the ball. Kansas City has not done well against tight ends. This is a Hawkins, this is a hockey leagues week.

[Mike Wright]

Oh yeah, I tend to agree with you. I think that he would be a candidate for, you know, a shot in the arm start of the week type of guy. I don't know if either of you guys picked him this week but he's in that Category Patrick Mahomes on pace for 6,000 passing yards. So because of that fact alone, I will go ahead and start my. Go ahead and start him this week. Yeah, for what it's worth, the Lions, by the way, giving up 32 and a half points per game to the wide receiver position. That's 22nd in the league. We got to feel good about Watkins, Robinson, Hardman. If you've got them, you're starting them. Yep, they're attached to Patrick Mahomes and maybe even more so with Damian Williams on the on the shelf right now. LaShawn McCoy banged up Darrell Williams. Sure, I think Darrell Williams is a great play if those two guys are out. But that doesn't mean that this team doesn't put more on the back of Mahomes. They can.

[Andy Holloway]

I would expect Lashawn McCoy to play. They're saying that the ankle injury is minor. He had the ankle injury last week, still played, had a great game. He was not the workhorse. He got the touchdowns, had the better fantasy game. But you're right, it still last week it was Darrell Williams who had more opportunity. So this week I think you could start Darrell Williams and LaShawn McCoy. I agree if assuming that Damian Williams is not yet ready to suit up.

[Mike Wright]

Kerryon Johnson is our RB12 on our consensus rankings and you can see all of our rankings use the Start sit tool at the fantasy footballers.com on the website. But carry on. Jason, you like him this week?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I love him. We'll talk about him a little bit later. I mean, really, obviously.

[Mike Wright]

Back to the well.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm a big Kerryon Johnson.

[Mike Wright]

Back to the well. Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

This matchup is very good for him. I think he'll be fine.

[Mike Wright]

Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, you still lean Golladay's way in this decision. Would you start both players because of the matchup in the over under?

[Jason Moore]

I would. Galladay is. He's locked in as the one. Marvin Jones had the big game over a hundo and a touchdown this past week. And the target share from Arvin Jones has been going up the last two weeks. So I think you can play Jones as a player.

[Andy Holloway]

It would be. It would be difficult for me to not play Marvin Jones in this matchup at home against Kansas City where, you know, the implied team total for the Lions is still pretty good at 24. You know, he's, he's one of those. When you're looking at a flex play, I always want my flex play to be able to have a monster game. And Marvin Jones could go out there and completely ball out like he did last week.

[Mike Wright]

All right, The Patriots at three and oh take on the Bills at three and oh, this game's a 42 and a half point over under. I think we're expecting a much more defensive struggle in this game. Patriots with a 24 point implied point total, a seven point favorites and the Bills are at 17 points. Tom Brady v Josh Allen. Now, Jason, you're the highest on Josh Allen on the week. He's the QB9 on the season. This is a difficult matchup. The Patriots are, I would say the best defense in football statistically. They've had very easy matchups, but they did what they needed to do. They're literally giving up. This seems like a typo. This has to be a typo, but it's not. 5.9 points to the quarterback, 10 to the running back, 17 to all wide receivers total in a game which is number one and then three to the tight end position is another way of saying this. They're giving nothing up to anybody. So are the Bills at three and oh, with the success they've had, are they the team that's going to be able to finally challenge New England's defense? Maybe some of the run pass ability of Josh Allen can keep them on their heels. What do you think?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think they're going to be able to challenge much. I've got Josh Allen higher in the rankings, but he's still not a. He's still not a start. He's not a top 12 guy. For me, you look at last year when he came back the second half of the year and was dominant. Josh Allen was running the ball like crazy. He played New England and you know, back then, granted it was on the road 217 yards, one touchdown, two turnovers, only rushed for 30 yards.

[Mike Wright]

But there's 5.7 points on the table, Jason, for him, that's what the Patriots are giving up per game, 5.7 points. They lead the league in sacks and interceptions.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I do not believe that the Buffalo Bills have a good offensive game here, but I do think they have got a great defense. I'm very interested to see can they slow down this New England offensive machine?

[Mike Wright]

I think they do slow it down. I've had a hard time. I've been going back and forth on this game. You know, at the beginning of the week, I kind of thought the Patriots would come in, blow them out, establish themselves at the top of the division. I'm starting to bend myself a little bit more towards this being A low scoring affair. The Buffalo Bills defense will be primed or at home. And the Patriots don't have Antonio Brown anymore. They have a banged up Julian Edelman who did practice, but still there's a little bit of risk there. And when you talk about, hey, Tom Brady's got to move the ball with Josh Gordon and Philip Dorsett against this defense, which is one of the best in football right now, I think it could be a little bit of a lower scoring game. We did get news just now that Devin Singletary returned to practice today.

[Andy Holloway]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

Devin Singletary, Frank Gore on the at the running back position for the Bills. Michelle James White, Rex Burkhead.

[Jason Moore]

This game is wild because I'm, I'm very excited to watch this game. Very fascinated to see how it plays out. And the only player that I'm like, okay, I'll start this guy. It's the guy coming off an injury is Julian Edelman. I like. I'm not playing Sony. I'm not playing Sony. Just based off of what has happened already to him and his workload. Then you add in that the matchup is ridiculous. Josh Gordon. I'm lowering my expectations against the Buffalo Bills defense and Trevius White, Frank Gore becomes far less appealing for his volume. If Devin Singletary is going to play like this, it's crazy that there are so many fantasy relevant players in this game on both sides of the field and I really don't want to play any of them.

[Mike Wright]

I agree with that. I think that you trust Vegas is over under in this game and Buffalo being at home, it means a lot to me. Divisional matchup, you know, they've competed in the past, even in years where Buffalo's struggled. So, you know, I don't want to repeat the same refrain that got me in trouble with the Dolphins matchup being a divisional matchup at home. But the Bills are a far better team than the Dolphins.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm okay with a Sony Michelle start if you need to or a James White start. I'm not bullish, but I'm not completely off the way that you two are.

[Mike Wright]

All right. The way that Mike is the way that I'm okay with.

[Andy Holloway]

Sounded like you agreed. But sure, I'm glad for the insight. The way that Mike is completely off. I still think that the one place that they can beat the Bills is at the running back position. And you know, you just, you just trust Brady and Belichick to get the job done.

[Mike Wright]

Chargers at 1 and 2 take on the Dolphins at Owen 3. Chargers are 15 1/2 point favorites, 44 point over under. They won't have Melvin Gordon back and gosh darn it, they won't need him because they're taking on the Dolphins. So thank goodness, some start of the week's permeating through the Charger side of the ball. Austin Eckler is currently Mike and I's number one running back on the week by for our rankings and projections, Miami's giving up the most rushing yards in the league, a staggering 189 per game.

[Jason Moore]

How is that possible?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it's possible. All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, teams are up usually 40 to 3 by the half. And so then you run the ball, which is why I think obviously if you have Austin Eckler, you're going to start him. But I actually think Justin Jackson is. He got a little bit more work. He's been getting more work. And I think that he is a flex worthy start this week against this Dolphins because of the matchup, because of how bad the Dolphins have been, I think you could do worse than Justin Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I agree with you. I think he's a flexible player this week. He's had a few big runs called back. I think he's looked explosive. I think that both players have looked really good in the running game. You're not starting any Dolphins at all. You're not?

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Please, not.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

But, but what about.

[Andy Holloway]

Just kidding.

[Mike Wright]

You don't even know what name to say next, do you?

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, if I had to play someone.

[Mike Wright]

What about Dan Marino? Yeah, you can play Dan Marino this week.

[Andy Holloway]

If I had to play someone, it would of course be Kenya Drake.

[Jason Moore]

Sure, of course.

[Mike Wright]

And I would love to see it. You should try that. Keenan Allen, he leads the league in targets, receptions, receiving yards, air yards and target share.

[Andy Holloway]

That's okay.

[Mike Wright]

This week he goes up against Avian Howard, who just gave up multiple touchdowns to Amari Cooper. Jason pulled up a clip before the show of him giving up on a play. You talk about why things start to kind of snowball over the course of a game. Playing defense when you're down four scores, not as fun as when you're in a competitive matchup.

[Andy Holloway]

Is Avian Howard's great? Yes, he's a. He's a phenomenal player. He's not been good this year because how do you give it your all?

[Mike Wright]

No pass, which breaks down any cornerback. You know, you can't cover a guy for 15 seconds, 10 seconds, however long it takes for them to be back in the pocket. And so you're in a position now where obviously Kenan Allen's a start. I think you're going to have opportunities outside of Kenan Allen this week. I'm a big Mike Williams fan. Yes, I know he missed practice on Wednesday. Last week, I danced with the devil a little bit with Marlon Mack, who was dealing with practice reports. I'm just telling you that if Mike Williams is active, he's a big start for me. There's a lot of opportunity to go around there. Travis Benjamin's banged up, and so I think Mike Williams will have more opportunities this week in a matchup against a team giving up 33 fantasy points per game to the wide receiver. And I don't think it's all going to be Keenan Allen.

[Jason Moore]

The only discussion for me here for Keenan Allen, it's related to the future because we know when Keenan. When Melvin Gordon is out, Keenan Allen sees a huge uptick in opportunities and the offense runs through him.

[Mike Wright]

You've been saying that for weeks.

[Jason Moore]

And it's not that Keenan Allen disintegrates and goes away by any stretch when Melvin Gordon comes back, but how are you. How are you guys feeling with the expectations? Because Keen now, like you just ran through that list. I mean, that's. That's an absolute ridiculous list of accolades for the first three weeks for Keenan Allen. But Melvin Gordon coming back, how do you. How are you approaching Keenan Allen?

[Andy Holloway]

He's going to have a monster week this week against Miami. And so if you wanted to trade high, if he does have another monster week, people are going to offer number one wide receiver overall value if you can get back a stud. And, you know, if you can get back a really quality wide receiver and a running back or something like that.

[Jason Moore]

You have to get multiple pieces if you're considering trading Keenan Allen.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, but I do think Kenan Allen dips a little bit as the season goes along, but he's still going to be good. He's still going to be a top 12 guy.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's go to the Raiders. Colts matchup. The Raiders at one and two. The Colts two and one. The games in Indianapolis, they're seven point favorites. It's a 45 and a half point over under Derek Carr. Jacoby Brissette. A lot of people in on Jacoby Brissette this week. Are you one of them?

[Andy Holloway]

Yep. I mean, I think he was a great streaming option last week. I think he's an even better streaming option this week.

[Mike Wright]

Jacoby Brissette, Matthew Stafford, who do you prefer?

[Andy Holloway]

I would go Stafford for the upside of a shootout. This game does not have the Recipe of a shootout. If the Colts get up, they will continue to run the ball because they can, and I think they will in this game. Jacoby Brissette's just been very efficient. Two touchdowns, week one, three touchdowns, week two, two touchdowns, week three.

[Mike Wright]

A lot of those going to Ty Hilton, though. And if Ty Hilton's out in this game, that definitely. Does that change your expectation for Jacoby Brissette?

[Andy Holloway]

If Ty was not there, I would look to pivot off of Berset as a streamer.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Another player that I'm targeting, actually both of these players at running back, I'm targeting in a lot of leagues. I think they're both. I think they're both very interesting trade targets. Josh Jacobs right now, he's only got one reception on the season. He was. He took four IV bags in the middle of one game where people were worried about Jalen Richard being out there. He's their future at the position. I think it's better for him over the duration of the year. So I'm targeting him now in this game. We have him ranked as the RB19 on the road, so a little bit of risk in this specific matchup, but the Colts defense has given up 24 and a half points to the running back position and there, there should be opportunity for him to run. And then Marlon Mack, I've got him at RB7 this week. He's got the most carries in the NFL, 20 rushing attempts per game. And I still view him as a buy low player because I think when you headed into the season, Sands Andrew Luck, expectations have changed for him and less established than some of the other bigger names out there. So I actually think you can acquire Marlon Mack in a lot of leagues slightly below his true value, which I think will sustain throughout the year. What do you guys think about Marlon Mack both this week and over the course of the season?

[Andy Holloway]

I tried to trade for him in the listener league. I offered Sammy watkins and Lashawn McCoy was quickly turned down on that. But I agree with you, Andy, that the Colts offense, Marlon Mack, is so incredibly important to this offense and he's been good. He's not going to go away barring injury. He's got a little bit of injury risk because of the history of missing games. But in the meantime, their offensive line is great, their head coach is super smart and he's a talented player.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Mike, what do you think of Tyrell Williams this week?

[Jason Moore]

You're just. You're hoping for a touchdown. The Colts defense has been holding up very well. Against wide receivers, at least fantasy wise. He's Tyrell Williams like I see him. He's pretty close to a weekly wide receiver to play because it's, it's him and Darren. I am the walrus as the two guys that, oh, look, Tyrell Williams is. But he's more of a wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Three this week, Darren Waller has a 30.2% target share.

[Andy Holloway]

It's going up this week.

[Jason Moore]

That is be Nana.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, actually, I actually disagree with that. I think it's going down this week. I don't think Waller is going to sustain this. I think teams are going to start paying attention to him because they don't have as many other options. They just released Ryan.

[Jason Moore]

Have they not done it already?

[Mike Wright]

Well, because there's been three games and he broke, you know, he had the Monster 13 reception game last week and they were meaningless reception. So if you think the game's going to be a blowout, maybe you get more meaningless receptions from Darren Waller.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't.

[Mike Wright]

I think you're going to see a lot more Hunter Renfro over the course of this year as well.

[Jason Moore]

A lot. To me and my fantasy team, I.

[Andy Holloway]

Don'T think Colts care about Darren Waller. I think they've seen Darren Waller catch a bunch of passes that are all worthless. The way that the Colts play defense is they stop the big plays. You know, they're funneling everything down. Go ahead, beat us in front of us. You're not going over the top and that's, that's bad for Tyrell Williams and good for Darren Waller. I think they're going to be like, sure can continue to be worthless 100 times a game in reality, but it'll be a monster fantasy game.

[Mike Wright]

Now you could, you could be right. I mean, if teams don't care that he's soaking up the, you know, run through the air situation, I just think over the course of the season, we've also seen the product of a limited Josh Jacobs and a Josh Jacobs not used in the passing game yet. That should take away some of it. And like I said, Hunter Renfro, they released Ryan Grant, they're going to start integrating him. And he's an underneath type of player too. What I'm saying is Derek Carr will find a way to be meaningless in the shallow range to a couple other players as well. Right now Darren Waller is just at an incredible pace. He's on pace for 138 catches. It's a 30% target share. He's just blown up my friends, right?

[Andy Holloway]

It's not Going to. It's not going to stay this level. I agree with that. But I do think the matchup I like this week.

[Mike Wright]

Eric Ebron, we have him as the tight end, 12 on the year. Are you comfortable with Ebron? If you're a kiddle owner, yep. And then you've got other options like O.J. howard, T.J. hawkinson. How would you order Ebron and Howard and Hawkinson?

[Jason Moore]

First I need to know what, what is the health of Ty Hilton?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that could make a big difference.

[Jason Moore]

So it's a little bit of a spoiler here, but we're going to get into it in the next minute or two. But right now I have Eric Ebron as my start of the week at the tight end position. But this is based off of Ty Hilton's current participation. Like if Hilton's out. Absolutely. I'm in on Eric Ebron because the matchup is fine against the Oakland Raiders, but. So that's what I'm looking for for Ebron.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, the Raiders gave up 20 fantasy points to Mr. Travis Kelsey and the Chiefs in Week 2 last week against Minnesota, 4 for 71 against the tight end. It makes me happy to make. Makes me happy to hear you say that, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

I saw it. You picked him up to play him.

[Mike Wright]

I did, I did. I did pivot back to Ebron for my start in place of George Kittle. So that makes me happy. Thank you for, thank you for thinking of.

[Andy Holloway]

I would still prefer Hawkinson over Ebron, but by the slightest margin, if I, if I could choose between those two guys, I like the upside of I.

[Mike Wright]

Would even with, even with Hilton out.

[Andy Holloway]

To me, Hilton being out is not a benefit to Ebron. Ebron's a touchdown scoring guy.

[Mike Wright]

Well, Hilton scored four times on the year. That should be a benefit to him.

[Andy Holloway]

But my point is Hilton's been. Hilton helps move the ball, helps give more opportunities. So sure, you can argue it either way, but I don't, I don't see that as a major boon that only benefits Ebron.

[Mike Wright]

All right, it starts time.

[Andy Holloway]

Starts of the week.

[Mike Wright]

All right, it's week four. We've got some starts of the week for you. All of our rankings available at the fantasy footballers.com the start sit tool. We update our rankings multiple times every single day based on the news information, weather reports, all that stuff. Jason is smirking.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm just smirking at who I've got in for tight end.

[Jason Moore]

Oh my goodness. Did someone else write that in or is that legitimate?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I wrote that in.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Starting at the tight end position.

[Jason Moore]

No, we need to not start here so we can give him time to think about this.

[Mike Wright]

This is fair.

[Andy Holloway]

You're not. You're. You're missing the parentheses. Oh, this is. I have put in my start of the week for next week in tight end.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, I am. I am in hard rule right now. Handing. Handing. Or I'm handing it out on the fantasy footballs podcast. I am allowing your start of the week of Will Disley.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

I was about to say, Mike, so you play that all wrong. What you should have said your start of the week is Will Disley. He's not in the doc. He could have been your guy. Right then.

[Jason Moore]

That's.

[Mike Wright]

Jason tried to preempt it. If you don't understand what's going on. We have a show doc, every week. Last week, Jason decided moments after you know that he was going to put Will Disley in really early. Make the stake the claim. Because if you got him in the show doc, they're your guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

You have essentially licked it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. It's like if you take a cookie and you lick it, it's your cookie.

[Andy Holloway]

And the reason I put him in.

[Jason Moore]

Was a good point, Andy. My start of the week at the tight end position is Will Disley.

[Mike Wright]

It's not in the dock. So it's your. It's your start of the week, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

It's actually. It's in there right now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So Will Disley.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, let's do this. Let's do this. I'm fine with that.

[Jason Moore]

And anyways, my rule was going to be you can't rush to the doctor. Put whoever's playing Arizona.

[Andy Holloway]

That's because that's what I was doing is I had Tyler Ifer in for week five solely because he plays Arizona in week five.

[Mike Wright]

So I thought, Mike, you're going to say the rules. You have to wait until the week four show is over to put week five players. Yeah, that's a strong point, too. We know Jason will cheat Always, Always to win. Sure. Sure. To the detriment of all. But let's start. Let's go, tight ends. Let's just kick off the starts of the week at the tight end position. I have Will Disley.

[Jason Moore]

I already said it.

[Mike Wright]

No, I know. I'm going. Austin Hooper against Tennessee. The target share for Austin Hooper, his ability in this offense to, you know, just be a reliable target for Matt Ryan. Tennessee's actually giving up points to the tight end on the year. So Austin Hooper, my start of the week, I think he has another solid performance for your team.

[Jason Moore]

Hooper was going to be who I put in until I saw that you already had him.

[Mike Wright]

Sweet.

[Andy Holloway]

Tight ends are the most difficult starts of the week every week because the reality is here's who. You start, you start Kelsey, Ertz, Kittle, if he's not on by Ingram, Waller, Waller, Mark Andrews, Greg Olson, Delaney, Walker. And so we don't want to just constantly be saying those names. We're looking for someone else. So by start of the week this week, I'm going to make it TJ Hawkinson. I'm going to say that this is you. You're hesitant to play him based on the last few weeks, but if you're watching the game, he's still involved, he's getting valuable opportunities. This is an at home game against Kansas City. I think I would be willing to start him.

[Mike Wright]

I just, I just like the narrative that you're bringing up about the likelihood of them having to throw to catch up in this game is very, very high since every team over the last two years has pretty much had to do that against Kansas City. And so he's a valuable pass catching option. He's a player that can, you know, find space in the vertical passing game and give you a big play. So I like that start of the week.

[Jason Moore]

And so my real one, like I said, it's Eric E. Braun. I think that his target share can go up with Ty Hilton dealing with injury. Even if Ty Hilton plays, there's no guarantee that he makes it through the game. He exited last week as well. And Oakland is one of only seven teams to already allow over 200 yards to the tight end position. So I think Ebron's in a good spot for those streaming the position.

[Mike Wright]

So that makes Will Disley our global show start of the week, our honorary.

[Andy Holloway]

He plays the Cardinals start of the week well.

[Mike Wright]

And it's also. He is better than the other three options we brought up.

[Jason Moore]

Disley is. He's a weekly guy now. I think he's moved himself out of a streaming option to me.

[Andy Holloway]

So would you. So I think we would all play Disney over Hawkinson over Ebron. Would you play Disley over Hooper?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

This week I would, yeah. This week, yeah. Against Arizona. Absolutely. And then I, you know, the neat thing, depending on your perspective, whether you're a fan of the Seahawks or not, is this defense is giving up some points and some yardage. And so I think at home in Arizona, Kyler's going to get enough done against him. Russell is my start of the week at the quarterback position because Russell's going to have to throw the football. Arizona's defense, the low hanging fruit here. But Russell will follow up a big performance last week. Russell's my start for this week.

[Andy Holloway]

For me it's Philip Rivers. I know he's traveling from the west coast to the east coast for a 1pm Eastern game. That's always a little bit hard on those guys. But I think that the Miami Dolphins will be the salve that makes it okay. Philip Rivers, he's always consistent, never has those gargantuan monster huge performances for fantasy. But he does have those weeks where it's very simple. He can go out there very Easily, throw for 253 against the Miami Dolphins. If I had him, I would start him.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I picked him up to start him over Carson Wentz this week and in.

[Mike Wright]

Doing so there's the back of my head fear that because Miami gives up 200 yards on the ground if they start this game and Echler and Jackson score the first two, three touchdowns, I'm teeny bit scared that, you know, what we hope from Keenan Allen and Philip Rivers doesn't come to fruition. But on paper it should and it.

[Jason Moore]

Shouldn'T be because this is like ancient history. But like it's in my, it's there. It's in the back of my head. We had years ago, this is what they're the San Diego Chargers, they were going to Miami and it was just Miami was not good at this time. They were a, it was like Phil Rivers was a smash streaming option at the quarterback position and they went and they got shut out by Miami. I know that's a very different Miami Dolphins team, but I remember being, being 100% confident in rivers against a bad Miami team and then just traveling across the country like it takes its toll. My start of the week, it's Matty Stafford at home against Kansas City. Craziness where we are through week three with the OC Daryl Bevel. But Matt Stafford is throwing the ball. He has the most deep attempts in the league at the quarterback position. And that's what you're going to need against the Kansas City Chiefs to keep pace. I'm going to. I'm streaming Stafford in. I like him.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's move to the running back position. My running back and wide receiver are both bounce back players. My running backs, James Conner against Cincinnati. It's not been pretty for James Conner. James Conner owners are very unhappy with what they've received and now they probably feel like they've been sentenced to suffer with it through the duration of the year because of the quarterback change and where this team is headed. But I think this specific game against Cincinnati, it's just a great matchup and I think James Conner gets, gets, gets you what you need. Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So my running back start of the week this week is carry on Johnson. Kerryon Johnson is set up this week. He has been non. He has been not as effective as you want, not as efficient as you want, but he's getting the volume and the opportunities that make it okay. He had 20 carries last week. He had a touchdown. He is the goal line guy and he will be out there in passing situations too. And the nice thing is Kansas City is going to need to pass the ball or because of Kansas City, the Lions are going to need to pass the ball this week. When you're getting 20 carries and you're playing against the Chiefs who are giving up the highest rush success rate in the league. It's a really good combination. The six most rushing yards per game. So I think that you know, the talent plus opportunity game script implied point total. There's a lot of reasons to say carry on Johnson could be have a huge week this week.

[Jason Moore]

When one is faced with raging rapids in a river. Yes, you need a confidence canoe and Chris Carson. Confidence canoe. That's four Cs alliteration is out of control with this start of the week. But Chris Carson against the Arizona Cardinals get right game. There's on the Cardinals defense often the salve that a running back needs. And with Rashad Penny still dealing with his hamstring problem that the walkthrough problem. I'm going Chris Carson.

[Mike Wright]

I don't remember how long ago the words confidence canoe came up on this show. It was years. Yes ago. But I appreciate it, Mike and I.

[Jason Moore]

Feel like get in that boat.

[Mike Wright]

The irony is that this week all three of our starts of the week happen to be my guys. Mike, James Conner, Chris Carson, Kerryon Johnson, Jason obviously just giving himself a shot in the arm. Not surprising, right? I'm giving your guy a confidence canoe. You're giving my guy a confidence canoe. This is a safe space for my guys this week. Let's go to the wide receiver position. I'm going to go with Mike Williams. I think he has the bounce back against Miami. I think you know, we saw every single play go to go to Keenan Allen last week. I think there's going to be opportunity for Mike Williams if he's healthy, if he's out there. Keep an eye on the practice reports. But we're In a position now where you need to have some confidence to start. You know, Mike Williams or Emmanuel Sanders or Marquis Brown. There's the flex range wide receiver here. I think we expected more from Mike Williams to begin the year. He's dealt with injury, but this week I really like him against Miami. And he's not matched up against Xavian Howard, who I do believe is a good cornerback who probably won't slow Keenan Allen down too much. But Mike Williams has the best opportunity to take a few extra targets for.

[Andy Holloway]

My start of the week at wide receiver. I am going with. Look, there's only two wide receivers in the National Football League who've had double digit targets every single week. Yeah, I can't take Keenan Allen. Too obvious. But Tyler Boyd is the other one. Double digit targets all three weeks. And now he's playing a perfect matchup where the Pittsburgh Steelers have been torched by the slot wide receiver this season. You give me double digit targets out of the slot against the Steelers. I'm all about that life. Tyler Boyd, start of the week, I'm.

[Jason Moore]

Going with Sterling Shepard. I'm continuing my alliteration at the start.

[Andy Holloway]

Starts of the week, but can you get four?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I had Eric Ebron, so I actually had three. This is a sensational moment in my life. Fellas. Sterling shepherd, my wife.

[Mike Wright]

You really need to change your quarterback at this point.

[Jason Moore]

All right, you give me a name. Well, we'll find.

[Mike Wright]

We'll find you somebody.

[Jason Moore]

Mike Washington. They've given up the second most.

[Mike Wright]

Danny Dimes.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, dude, I could. I could. I'd be. I mean, I'm starting his wide receiver. Washington giving up the second most points, fantasy points to wide receivers and that is barely second because they are right behind the Giants. There could be a lot of points going up in this Giants Washington matchup, especially to the wide receiver position. And Sterling Shepard was. He was the man for Danny Dines. We got one more week of that before Golden Tate comes back and we have a reshuffling where period where we're gonna have to see who emerges as the number one wide receiver. But until then, Sterling Shepard. Oh, Brooks is writing in Marcus Mario.

[Andy Holloway]

I was going to bring it up. It's the only one that shares would rather die.

[Mike Wright]

Well now, here, now that's surprising because generally you will go with the joke over, you know, there is no possible death.

[Jason Moore]

There's no joking ever allowed when it comes to Marcus Mariota and fantasy football.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, one, Let me throw this out there. Not the same letter, but certainly alliteration. You could still go with Kirk Cousins.

[Jason Moore]

Kirk Cousins, my newest.

[Mike Wright]

You do have to obviously spell it with a K. The last name with a K. If you do that, that's fine.

[Jason Moore]

That's the way he'd be okay with that. One more Mortal Kombat style.

[Mike Wright]

Correct. Yeah. One more very important seg.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason Moore's ironclad, locked and loaded. 100% guaranteed boom, boom. Kicker of the week. Look, last week was great with the Chiefs. Harrison Butger. This week will be even better with the Ravens. Justin Tucker. I just flipped it.

[Mike Wright]

It sounds like a great pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you. Thank you. A lot of research went into that.

[Mike Wright]

Tomorrow on the show we'll have in or out. So we'll give you more practice reports. We'll let you know our expectations, whether we think certain players that are fighting injury will be in there. A reminder that on Sunday, one hour before kickoff, Mike will be on Sunday live. All of our social media channels, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, you can get the last minute news start sit decisions, that type of thing. And you can get game day [e-mail] or fantasy football community. One last reminder to head over to footclangiveaway.com if you want to win a signed Saquon Barkley jersey. Otherwise, this show's a wrap. Mike, we're out. Three out of four alliteration starts of the week. So impressive.

[Jason Moore]

I'm sorry I could not complete the quattro.

[Mike Wright]

That's okay. I think people will be more confident in your picks. The fact that you didn't.

[Andy Holloway]

Matthew Mafford is start of the week.

[Mike Wright]

We want to thank our studio sponsor, Pristine Auction. A signed Keenan Allen jersey was sold yesterday on auction for $61.42. You can go to pristineauction.com, use the registration code BALLERS and save $5 towards your first purchase. There's hundreds of daily auctions. You can check out your favorite player and your favorite team. Otherwise we'll be back with the rest of the matchups tomorrow.

[Jason Moore]

Apparently his name is John Matthew Stafford. And now you know. We'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

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