Starts of the Week, Wk 3 Matchups, Boom Boom

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary
Episode: Starts of the Week, Wk 3 Matchups, Boom Boom
Release Date: September 20, 2018
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

The Fantasy Footballers deliver another insightful and entertaining episode, delving deep into Week 3 matchups, player rankings, and strategic starts to help listeners dominate their fantasy leagues. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode.

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1. Introduction and Overview

The hosts kick off the episode with their signature banter, setting the stage for an in-depth analysis of Week 3. Andy emphasizes the importance of thorough research, while Jason and Mike contribute with their unique perspectives and humor.

• Andy Holloway [01:25]:
  "I'm still doing research, digging in deep, because I want..."

2. Week 3 Player Rankings and Matchups

a. Hardest Players to Rank

Jason Moore brings up the difficulty in ranking certain players due to various factors, highlighting Carson Wentz and Rex Burkhead as challenging options this week.

• Jason Moore [04:14]:
  "The hardest player for me to rank this week, maybe the rest of the season, is going to be Chris Hogan."

b. Carson Wentz Analysis

Andy Holloway expresses mild concerns about Carson's weapons due to team changes but remains confident in his performance.

• Andy Holloway [04:13]:
  "Carson Wentz is good. And so I'm pretty confident in him. But there's a smidge of worry."

c. Rex Burkhead and Patriots RB Situation

Mike Wright discusses Rex Burkhead's fluctuating role due to team dynamics and injuries, assessing his value in Week 3.

• Mike Wright [04:25]:
  "What do we do with him? Because week one, he came out, played 50% of New England snaps at the running back position..."

d. Chris Hogan's Value

Jason Moore debates the future value of Chris Hogan, especially with other receivers like Edelman returning, suggesting a potential trade-off.

• Jason Moore [06:05]:
  "I have a problem with Hogan right now. And look, I would try to get rid of him. That's what I would do."

3. Team and Player Updates

a. Larry Fitzgerald's Upcoming Game

Jason Moore and Andy Holloway analyze Larry Fitzgerald's prospects against Chicago's strong defense, considering home-field advantage and PPR league implications.

• Jason Moore [11:03]:
  "Last year he went to the Los Angeles Rams and put up three for 30..."

b. Melvin Gordon's Status

Updates on Melvin Gordon indicate participation, but concerns about his role remain due to team strategy.

• Jason Moore [12:23]:
  "Keenum was not practicing Wednesday, precautionary..."

c. Jarvis Landry's Injury

Jason Moore highlights Jarvis Landry's questionable status due to a contagious injury, advising fantasy owners to be cautious.

• Andy Holloway [15:41]:
  "If you are starting Jarvis Landry tonight, take him out of your flex..."

4. Matchup Analysis

a. Saints vs. Falcons

The hosts discuss the potential for a high-scoring game despite last year's defensive struggles, considering team needs for victory impacting offensive output.

• Andy Holloway [19:22]:
  "I'm still believing that this will be a high scoring game and I took the over on this game..."

b. Broncos vs. Ravens

Jason Moore and Andy Holloway debate Case Keenum's viability against a tough Ravens defense, weighing offensive weapons and quarterback performance.

• Jason Moore [28:07]:
  "What do you do with Case Keenum on the road here? Is this just hands off?"

c. Giants vs. Texans

The episode covers the Texans' coaching stability amid struggles and the Giants' defensive vulnerabilities, spotlighting Desean Watson's potential.

• Andy Holloway [35:00]:
  "This game could be a surprising fantasy relevant game..."

d. Titans vs. Jaguars

With uncertainties around Marcus Mariota's health, the discussion centers on Leonard Fournette's impact and Blake Bortles' performance trends.

• Andy Holloway [37:21]:
  "There is not a single pass catcher that you can play. You should bench."

e. Bengals vs. Panthers

The focus shifts to Gio Bernard's opportunities and the Panthers' evolving offensive dynamics, evaluating Christian McCaffrey and Cam Newton's roles.

• Jason Moore [43:07]:
  "I believe he will get the bulk of the work."

f. 49ers vs. Chiefs

Jason Moore provides insights into Patrick Mahomes' consistency and Jimmy Garoppolo's matchup against the Chiefs' struggling defense.

• Andy Holloway [47:38]:
  "Tyreek Hill surprisingly has more success on the road than at home..."

5. Start of the Week Recommendations

a. Quarterbacks

• Jason Moore [52:22]:
  "DeSean Watson is chucking it deep. I'm calling him Launchpad."

• Andy Holloway [53:11]:
  "My start of the week this week is Matt Ryan..."

• Mike Wright [54:05]:
  "I love him this week."

b. Tight Ends

• Jason Moore [55:36]:
  "George Kittle against Kansas City for all the reasons Mike just brought up."

• Andy Holloway [55:45]:
  "Jordan Reed has been on the field, he's been healthy..."

• Mike Wright [56:00]:
  "I'm staying in the Flames with Jesse James."

c. Wide Receivers

• Jason Moore [57:32]:
  "Brandon Cooks is everything that Sean McVeigh has wanted from that position."

• Andy Holloway [58:41]:
  "I can't delete his name out of my starts of the week."

• Mike Wright [59:29]:
  "I feel pretty confident about him."

d. Running Backs

• Jason Moore [61:26]:
  "I'm calling the shot of buying into the news that Jai is going to miss this weekend."

• Andy Holloway [62:19]:
  "He is a top 15 running back this week against the Giants."

6. Kicker of the Week

Jason Moore humorously nominates Dan Bailey as the kicker of the week, emphasizing his accuracy and role in the Vikings' offense.

• Jason Moore [63:56]:
  "Dan Bailey is the pick here."

• Andy Holloway [64:12]:
  "Dan Bailey is the second most accurate kicker in NFL history."

7. Conclusion

The hosts wrap up by reinforcing their strategies and encouraging listeners to join their fantasy football community for ongoing support and updates.

• Andy Holloway [65:07]:
  "Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jason Moore [04:14]:
  "The hardest player for me to rank this week, maybe the rest of the season, is going to be Chris Hogan."

• Andy Holloway [07:55]:
  "If you're not able to capitalize on his five target, three reception, multi touchdown game this past week, I think you might have a great opportunity next week."

• Jason Moore [11:03]:
  "Last year he went to the Los Angeles Rams and put up three for 30."

• Jason Moore [52:22]:
  "DeSean Watson is chucking it deep. I'm calling him Launchpad."

• Andy Holloway [53:11]:
  "My start of the week this week is Matt Ryan..."

• Mike Wright [63:55]:
  "Dan Bailey is the pick here."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast offers a wealth of information for fantasy owners looking to optimize their Week 3 lineups. From nuanced player rankings and matchup analyses to strategic start recommendations, the hosts provide actionable insights bolstered by expert opinions and statistical analysis. Whether you're deliberating over tight end placements or quarterback decisions, the Fantasy Footballers equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and gain an edge in your league.

For more detailed analysis and ongoing discussions, listeners are encouraged to join the community at jointhefoot.com and engage with the hosts on Twitter @TheFFballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Jason Moore]

We also want to remind you about the Ultimate DFS Pass. If you're going to play on FanDuel DraftKings Draft this weekend and you want an edge, check out the Ultimate DFS Pass. Some of the best experts in the industry, picks, rankings and more. Ultimate DFS Pass.com.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, this is Alan Robinson and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from Draft.com Studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Jason Moore]

Ah, welcome in. So excited to be with you this morning. The Fantasy Footballers. Jason Moore is here.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah, I am here. That is correct.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I'm just, look, in preparation for this show. Yeah, I'm already like. I mean, the show's rolling. I'm still doing research, digging in deep, because I want, you know, that's how.

[Jason Moore]

They normally do it on the test at school. You want to be doing your study right up.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

Right before the test.

[Andy Holloway]

But I'm just. I'm browsing here the. The. The game log of 2015 for Ryan Fitzpatrick. Dude was great. He had three games that whole year where he didn't throw multiple touchdowns. And in one of those, he. He threw 300 yards.

[Jason Moore]

This was Decker and Marshall.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And a new Noir. Okay, well, Godwin D. Jacks, O.J. howard, Mike Evans.

[Andy Holloway]

I was considering how difficult I find it mentally to rank Ryan Fitzpatrick because of our upcoming quick question. And no longer. No longer.

[Jason Moore]

I thought you were going to say because of beard bias, which is one of the reasons I can't. I have a hard time working with Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

I can't trust.

[Jason Moore]

I grew up. I grew up in an environment where we didn't tolerate men with beards. No, not of that length.

[Andy Holloway]

No. That's a good. That's a good environment, Andy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, right, right. Mike is here.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, do you.

[Jason Moore]

Are you having any deep contemplations on Ryan Fitzpatrick this morning? Oh, that's his beard. That's his beard rubbing.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if that's going to come across on the audio podcast.

[Mike Wright]

Just turn it up.

[Andy Holloway]

It Was Frank. It was Mike saying no with his beard.

[Mike Wright]

I got beard kisses for my microphone.

[Jason Moore]

We have a great show today. Fantasy forecast starts of the week, Jason's boom boom kicker. We did a Reddit AMA yesterday, and one of the first questions was, look, why is your. Your audio quality so great? And then, you know, and then I rub my beard so that we can capture the beard. That's. You have to cover your bases. All right, quick question for week three, who's been the hardest player for you to rank? Okay, you can go to the website, the fancyfootballers.com, use the start sit tool, click on the rankings, see who we have ranked. For week three, who's been the hardest player for you to rank?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, certainly not Ryan Fitzpatrick.

[Mike Wright]

He's moving up.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. No, for me, number one, I would say it is Carson Wentz. I am not afraid. You know, I said this yesterday. I'm not afraid of him coming back, but I am a little worried about the weapons. I mean, whenever your team goes out and signs Jordan Matthews, you know, you've got an issue. Hey, Darren Sprols might not play, which, you know, is a great, you know, pass catching running back. So if it's just Aguilar, and if Aguilar goes to the outside because of Jordan Matthews, there's just slight concern here. But the matchup is good. Carson Wentz is good. And so I'm, I'm, I'm pretty confident in him. But there's a smidge of worry.

[Jason Moore]

The first game back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, first game back.

[Mike Wright]

I will jump in here. The hardest player for me to rank. New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead. Rex Birkenstocks. Rex Goat had. What do we do?

[Jason Moore]

Rex Benchhead.

[Mike Wright]

What do we do with him? Because week one, he came out, played 50% of New England snaps at the running back position, had 21 opportunities against the Houston Texans. Then he had the weird injury week. He was in the concussion protocol. What was happening. He came out, he actually started the game and then vanished because the New England Patriots were in such a negative game script that everything went in the favor of James White. And so now what do you do? Because this is a great matchup for the. For the Patriots. They should be. They should have a nice lead over the Detroit Lions this weekend.

[Andy Holloway]

Sony Michelle just got back in, made his first appearance last week. I'm sure that was part of what ate into Rex Burkhead. And now that you know, presumably he's even more healthy and could take more.

[Jason Moore]

Volume, it's a problem. There's a Too many variables for my, for my confidence. Look, you. You probably have to. You might have to start it. If you are in a situation where, you know, there are a number of injured running backs, there are people that maybe you don't have confidence in. But let's put it to the test, right? I mean, we all have Burkhead ranked outside the top 24. We have him in the 30 range this week, which is, you know, that's Peyton Barber, Isaiah Crowell range.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I have him back to back with Kerryon Johnson. And so that should show, you know, Carry on is the third on a depth chart and is not a guy that you want to start yet.

[Jason Moore]

I would start Burkett over Carry On.

[Mike Wright]

I would, too.

[Andy Holloway]

He is ahead in my rankings by one.

[Jason Moore]

Mostly because I think New England's going to be ahead in this game.

[Mike Wright]

That's why it's hard to rank.

[Jason Moore]

Theo Riddick's gonna go out there and ruin Jason's life. Yeah, that's what he does. I'm gonna stick with the Patriots. The hardest guy for me to rank this week, maybe the rest of the season, is going to be Chris Hogan. Now, he had one reception in week one. He had three last week. Now, two of them were touchdowns. But four receptions on the year is not what we expected from Chris Hogan going into week three. He's not been the go to target monster that we hoped for. And look, I have him lower than the other two guys in this office. I have him at 22 this week against Detroit. Jason's up at 15. Mike, you got him at 18. I just have a problem with Hogan right now. And look, I would try to get rid of him. That's what I would do. Because coming off a two touchdown week, Edelman's going to be back. Yes. Gordon may not play this week or he may be very limited. And it's going to take time for Gordon to get involved from a target and snap count percentage standpoint. But he's still going to be there and he's still going to be involved. So when you talk about all the different pieces, now is the time that I'd try to get rid of Chris Hogan. What do you guys think?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I get your argument for the arrow trending down on Chris Hogan as the season progresses with Gordon and Edelman coming back. I am not worried about, you know, I've got him as my wide receiver 15 this week, so I expect a big week from Hogan. So if you're not able to capitalize on his five target, three reception, multi touchdown game this past week. I think you might have a great opportunity next week. If he, if he puts up another good game in Detroit, which I think he will, you'll be able to get more and have more people interested in. In Chris Hogan. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Hogan is a bit baffling, similar to Burkhead because we're only two games in very small sample, and it's hard to make any conclusions from that Jacksonville game. No one on the Patriots offense was lighting things up. Rob Gronkowski got completely shut down. James White led the team in targets, and it's, it's hard to really gleam anything from that data.

[Jason Moore]

No, that makes a lot of sense. And it normally takes New England a little bit of time on both sides of the ball.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

To figure out their rhythm and what.

[Mike Wright]

Wow, they're so old.

[Jason Moore]

It's just. They have to ease into it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It takes plants a really long time to grow.

[Jason Moore]

Is this true?

[Mike Wright]

I was speaking about the plant, man. He's got to get the leaves out. Got to get those beams of light. Photosynthesis.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, Mike. More Bill Nye. Twitter Heffballers. You can follow Mike. Science takes over there. They're hot. Yeah. Very, very impressive. TheFantasyFootballers.com is the website I mentioned it earlier and we want to invite you to join TheFoot.com, our fantasy football community. This is look, we're an independent podcast. We always have been. 600 plus episodes. We plan to stay that way. It gives us the unique opportunity to iterate and improve and build this show around you. Right. It's built around the foot clan. It's built around. Around helping you win your league, enjoy your league more. At the end of the day, we want you to make us part of your fantasy football experience. And we hope to add value every single day so that you enjoy fantasy football more. And that means part of that's winning, part of that's how you play, part of that's just thinking and talking about it. We this show, a lot of people don't know this. If you're new, this show was born out of the three of us at our previous job almost, you know, 10 plus years ago. Every day at lunch, we would go out and torture the programmers by talking fantasy football all lunch long.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I felt so bad, but I couldn't stop because I love fantasy football so much.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So, I mean, it was born out of that passion of loving the game and that's where this show came from. So we invite you to join our community filled with thousands of people that are just like us. Sit down at the table with us every day. We really appreciate all the support from.

[Andy Holloway]

Everybody else and that's why we build special tools for the foot clan. We've got, you know, the premium projections, the flex rankings, the consistency charts, all of those tools available and an extra.

[Jason Moore]

Episode where we just answer your questions, any question that you have. So let's get into the news.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Jason Moore]

And that was jointhefoot.com that's how you can come and join the community. All right. Steve Wilkes, Cardinals head coach, said Larry Fitzgerald is going to play in Week 3 against Chicago. He's at home. Jason, I read some of your advice on Larry Fitzgerald yesterday and it was all based around if he's at home, you're okay starting him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

You feel that way this week against the good Chicago defense?

[Andy Holloway]

I do. I think that the Chicago defense is good. The pass rush is going to be good. But Larry is. He is. Last year he went to the Los Angeles Rams and put up three for 30. Okay. Last year, last season when he had 100 receptions and 1,000 yards, he still had a bad game in Los Angeles. I realize this offense looks worse, but I think you can play Larry Fitzgerald at home in front of this crowd against the Bears. I mean, for sure if you're now, if you're in a standard league, I'm less excited about it because touchdowns seem like they will be lower than the last several years for Larry Gerald or non existent. But if you're in a PPR league, half ppr, Larry's fine.

[Jason Moore]

Melvin Gordon's practicing in full case Keenum was not practicing Wednesday, precautionary do not practice and he's expected to practice Thursday and play Sunday in Baltimore. A reminder on Fridays we do in and out and we give you our judgment call on who's going to play and who's not going to play. Evan Ingram was limited by an ankle injury on Wednesday. We'll cover that tomorrow. Geo limited in Wednesday's practice. That's interesting because just saving him up the workload for Geo and Walton. I'm telling you, it's going to be more split than you think. I do not think that Geo Bernard is going to carry the bona fide load in this game.

[Mike Wright]

I do. Yeah, I do as well.

[Jason Moore]

I get it, I get it. That's fine. But I'm just giving you my take that. Mike McCarthy said Aaron Jones is going to play. He's active. He's going to play behind Jamal Williams and Ty Montgomery. That was McCarthy's quote, he said, jamal and Ty have played good football. I know what Aaron gives us, but his role will be secondary. Let's debate this because I am of.

[Mike Wright]

The conviction he's taking victory laps already.

[Jason Moore]

He needs to do it.

[Mike Wright]

He hasn't taken a single snap.

[Jason Moore]

He needs to do it now. Jason needs to take any pre victory lap he can because he's going to end up wrong here.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to end up wrong. Right. I'm without a doubt going to end up right this week and next week. If you want to talk long term.

[Mike Wright]

And say that's how we've talked about Aaron Jones is long term.

[Andy Holloway]

No, we were talking yesterday on the show about Aaron Jones is coming back. And I said, look, Aaron Jones is probably their best running back as far as just talent.

[Mike Wright]

You can remove the word probably from that sentence.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, he's the best running back. Thank you. But Mike McCarthy is not good. It doesn't matter because Jamal Williams is going to be the one that Mike McCarthy has on the field, especially right now while Aaron Rodgers is still dealing with the knee injury. And you need your best pass blocker there and then to have him come out and say that Aaron Jones, who's a good player and he likes, will be secondary. Why would we not believe that?

[Jason Moore]

Well, it's not about believing it or not believing it. It's just common sense. You don't need to say it. Guys coming off a suspension, two guys have played two games. The coach is not going to say, well, Aaron Jones is going to walk into a starting role. He never even said that in the preseason about Aaron Jones. I think what Mike and I believe is what happens in football is the best player plays. And when the poop hits the fan, you just put your best players out there to score points. That's all you do.

[Andy Holloway]

If only that were always true. But it. But it's not. Kenyan Drake would be a workhorse.

[Mike Wright]

It's not always. It's. Yeah, there's certainly instances where it is not always true, but there's. I believe for the. For the packers, there will be only so much time. They can watch Jamal Williams and then watch Aaron Jones get sprinkled in and make an impact. He average chunk plays.

[Jason Moore]

He averaged 5.5 yards, unbelievable carry last year. Jamal Williams, his goal list is 3.9. I mean, that's. Every morning he wakes up, he says, I hope I can get to 3.9. That's a big difference.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe he can do it, though.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, well, that's. You're in his Corner and I get it. I think it'll take two weeks. So that leaves you three quarters of a season. 2. I'm buying Aaron Jones. I made trade offers for Aaron Jones.

[Mike Wright]

I like it.

[Jason Moore]

That's where I'm at. Long term.

[Mike Wright]

Long term certainly has the highest season.

[Jason Moore]

Not this week.

[Andy Holloway]

If he gets the role, I mean, I like Aaron Jones. I just believe he will get that role that you guys believe.

[Jason Moore]

I believe it's a 50. 50 shot. He has more fantasy points than the other two this week on one play, man. Because that's all tape.

[Andy Holloway]

I know you won't water bet on a 50 50, but.

[Jason Moore]

No, I won't. But I'm just throwing it out there. Well, Jarvis Landry listed questionable for tonight's game. He's expected to play. If you watched Hard Knocks and you listen to him talk about playing contagious injured, I don't think he's going to miss.

[Mike Wright]

He better not.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he.

[Jason Moore]

He doesn't have a choice.

[Andy Holloway]

If he misses, everyone else is going to start missing games because it's contagious.

[Jason Moore]

It's contagious. Anything else you guys want to cover?

[Mike Wright]

That is rough. That is rough. To now be publicly known for that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

For that speech, which you better not miss a game.

[Mike Wright]

It's just it when you take that.

[Jason Moore]

Stance, if you're marked as a Q, if you're marked as a Q, you better.

[Mike Wright]

Right? Yep.

[Jason Moore]

That's good for fantasy owners, right? You're starting him tonight.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. All right, let's move on.

[Andy Holloway]

Fantasy forecast.

[Mike Wright]

We have. We've got your Thursday night reminder. If you are playing Jarvis Landry tonight, take him out of your flex position, slot him right into that wide receiver position. Don't find yourself backed into a corner on Sunday with some sort of free absolute injury.

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely. And in today's game is the type of game that has flex players. Carlos Hyde, Blau Powell, Isaiah Crowell. Those are players that you probably have in your flex. Get them out, put them in your running back or wide receiver if it's a wider.

[Mike Wright]

Someone asked me on Twitter when I was talking about, I don't remember which player Hyde or someone as. Yeah, he's flex worthy this week and they're saying, mike, why are you telling people to put him in your flex? And I'm saying no, I'm speaking of him as a flex play. As in he is the third option for your team. So if you're starting him, though, he needs to go into the running back position. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

All right. The Saints, they travel to Atlanta to take on The Falcons. Falcons are three point favorites. Both teams are one and one and this game has a 53 point over under. Now the interesting thing is is last year when both of these teams played both the games hit the under, they were not the fantasy explosions you expected. They were defensive battles. Atlanta won 20 to 17, New Orleans won 23 13. Doesn't mean that's going to take place this year. Obviously Vegas has it as a high scoring affair, but it's been interesting this season. The Saints have not found it yet.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

They've not been the team you expected them to be. Now they came back to win against the Browns, but they were being dominated most of that game. And one of the more interesting facts so far in this season, Saints are dead last in the league in rushing yards per game. They're normally the league leader by a lot. Now no Mark Ingram, they've been playing from behind. I mean, so maybe that's why. But right now I don't think the Saints are going to win this game.

[Andy Holloway]

I was going to ask you because I know Andy to give you a little toot toot. You are usually very above average when it comes to calling the game lines. And so I was curious your take because I had a hard time here, you know, deciding you've got the Falcons at home but the Saints have to get, I mean both these games, both these teams really need the victory in conference. One thing that's interesting about, you know, you look at last year, these were hopeful barn burners and it didn't work out. But if you think about it, last year, both of these defenses were far better than the expectation going into the season. The Saints defense was great. The Falcons defense was very good. And now you have the Falcons who have lost two key pieces from their defense and the Saints, like you just said, don't have it together. So I'm still believing that this will be a high scoring. I took the over on this game and I want all the pieces on both sides of the ball.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Since week 12 of last year, the Saints have allowed an average of 29.8 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. That's dead last in the NFL. And Julio averages 90 yards a game against the Saints. You're not doubting the Julio star, but can you flex a guy like Mohamed Sanu? Can you play a guy like Austin Hooper?

[Andy Holloway]

Man, I mean, I would rather not. I guess when I say fire up all the pieces, I'm speaking of, you know, all the normal Tevin Coleman. I'm totally fine with Matt Ryan Breeze Camara, Michael Thomas, you know, all of the main guys. If there was one player I was going to try to take a shot on, it would probably be Calvin Ridley.

[Mike Wright]

Interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

Calvin over Sanu. What do you guys think about that?

[Jason Moore]

I wouldn't myself, but I, I get it.

[Mike Wright]

More explosive, more exciting.464 with a touchdown this past weekend.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, was. It was a good performance for the rookie.

[Mike Wright]

He did play on 55% of the snaps, which was actually down from week one. Man.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Sanu hasn't had 20 yards. I mean, I know it's only two games, but you know, sure, 18 yards, 19 yards. I don't think I can take that leap to make him a starter.

[Mike Wright]

Ted Ginn or Ted Ginn. Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I really like Ted Ginn in this matchup.

[Mike Wright]

So.

[Jason Moore]

Tevin Coleman, this is interesting. Graham Barfield on Twitter tweeted this out. He's played five career games now where Devonta Freeman has missed or played less than 5% of the snaps. Here's his averages in those games. Good, good averages.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. 70% snap rate. 19.8 touches per game.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

95 yards from scrimmage. Almost 16 fantasy points. You are locked and loaded. Starting Tevin Coleman 100. The real question is whether as a fantasy owner you'd go try to grab him. Would you trade a season long piece to get to Evan Coleman because you worry about Devonta Freeman's availability season long? Like because let's say Freeman, look, he's not going to play this week. Most likely he could miss more time. But even if he comes back, this is a residual injury. So just Tevin Coleman snap counts, are they consistent to the point where you're like, man, this guy's fine to play every week even with Freeman?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I would not doubt it. I have tried to make some offers for Freeman. It's really. Or for Tevin Coleman, it's very difficult because there's a real tear break between the guys that truly are season long starters and then the guys that maybe take Carlos Hyde. Right. You try to take trade Carlos Hyde for Tevin Coleman. Most people still don't really fully believe that Carlos Hyde will be a season long story.

[Jason Moore]

That's an interesting trade right there. But I would be very interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

I would absolutely trade away Carlos Hyde to receive Tevin.

[Jason Moore]

Would you trade away Marshawn lynch to get Tevin Coleman?

[Andy Holloway]

I think so. I think that, I think that Marshawn's average games compared to Tevin Coleman's games once Freeman is back won't be that far off. So if I can capitalize on two or three or maybe four huge games in the meantime. I would. I would do it.

[Jason Moore]

Mike, would you rather have Chris Thompson or Tevin Coleman?

[Mike Wright]

That's a really good question.

[Jason Moore]

I would rather have Chris Thompson.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Eileen Thompson.

[Jason Moore]

All right, before we get to the rest. Oh, yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Just.

[Mike Wright]

Are you guys wanting to. Let's say you're in a. In a league, 12 team, six bench spots, so a little bit deeper. Are you stashing Ido Smith, Falcons running back?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. I mean, he was nine for 46.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. No. Look, if.

[Jason Moore]

Give me more news about Freeman.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah. If Freeman ends up. Well, that.

[Mike Wright]

That's the thing, is you would have to grab before the news breaks.

[Jason Moore]

I don't think it's worth it.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

I'd rather have Eckler, for example.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Someone like that.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Before we get into the rest of the matchups, we got starts of the week coming up. I'm excited about that. Let's thank SeatGeek for sponsoring today's show. We all know this reality. Getting tickets online can be far too complicated sometimes. The process making sure that they're, you know, verifiable tickets that you're not getting scammed. Look, there are hundreds of different sites out there, but you can trust SeatGeek, and that's the message here. By searching multiple ticket sites and grading every ticket based on value, they help you immediately identify the best seats that fit your budget, and everything's fully guaranteed. So you can, you know, be confident that you're getting tickets to the event you want to go to at the best possible price. They've got you covered. I use SeatGeek multiple times per year. Concerts. I'm taking the boy to a baseball game next week that the Diamondbacks. As the season's coming to a close, we're going to get in one more game. I got it on my phone. It is super easy. Best of all, our listeners get $20 off their first SeatGeek purchase. You download the SeatGeek app, you enter the promo code footballers, and that is the promo code, footballers to get $20 off your first SeatGeek purchase. SeatGeek Life is an event. We have the tickets.

[Mike Wright]

We want to thank FanDuel for sponsoring today's show. If you're listening to this show, you know something. Fantasy football is happening.

[Jason Moore]

And fun, very fun.

[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

Andy yeah, I took the Texans last week. I'm out.

[Mike Wright]

I'm still running.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So hopefully you are still alive as well. And for FanDuel, new users are going to get a $20 bonus when they make their first deposit. Come play with [e-mail] fantasy footballers that's fanduel.com fantasy footballers the two and O.

[Jason Moore]

Broncos travel to Baltimore to take on the one on one Ravens. The Ravens are a difficult team to rank as well. They played Buffalo. You're distorting all of the statistics when you play Buffalo this year if you've only played two games. Now the Ravens are five and a half point home favorites, 44 point over under and lots of question marks through both of these lineups. Confidence levels, look, we're going to talk through Philip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, John Brown, Alex Collins, like there are a lot of, there aren't a lot of must start players on either of these teams. There's a lot of maybe starts. So what do you think the biggest storyline is? Because both of these teams have defenses that are historically known as great defenses and both seem like they're more maybe they're good, maybe they're not great. So maybe there's some value there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think the biggest question for most people out there is Alex Collins. He's been a disappointment so far. You've got the vulture of Javorius, Buck Allen taking the touchdown, you know, away last week. I am okay starting Alex Collins in this matchup. I've got him as an RB2 in the, in the 20s. So he's not, he's certainly not a guy that I think you like you said he's not a have to start but I would probably he is at home in a favored matchup. That's usually good. Alex Collins has, has played well at home. You know, I think I would give my recommendation to start him against most other players. You know, I would start Alex Collins over Dion Lewis. This week I would start Alex Collins over James White this week I would start Alex Collins over Philip Lindsay in this same game. But it's not a vote of Alex Collins is a must start. And you know, you get, you know, I would start Giovanni Bernard over Alex Collins. So that's kind of where I see him slotting in.

[Jason Moore]

They're at home, they're favorites. So there is an opportunity there for them to need to be running the ball, at least according to what Vegas thinks is going to happen. Now the Broncos go on the road. Case Keena, 14 completions of 20 plus yards this season. He has weapons, right? Demarius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Cortland Sutton. Only one reception last week last year from Sutton or last week from Sutton. But again, so close, kind of, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe that that was a touchdown taken away from Sutton last week.

[Jason Moore]

So what do we do with Case Keenum on the road here? Is this just hands off? I mean, you don't want to go into Baltimore and worry about Case Keenum, correct?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he certainly could come through. This is not a doubt. It's playing the probability of Keenum on the road. We saw the Red rifle just explode. Andy Dalton crushed the Ravens, was dominant for fantasy purposes. I'm just not sure. I don't have that level of confidence.

[Jason Moore]

Does that translate to Thomas and Sanders? Jason?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, it does. I moved Emmanuel Sanders significantly down my rankings. You saw him hobbled a little bit last week. You saw Demarius Thomas hobbled a little bit last week. If those guys are banged up against the Ravens in Baltimore, that does not bode well. So far this season, the Ravens have been all right. They didn't really show up last week. I think they thought they were way better than they were based on week one at Baltimore. But you can't. We've been saying this can't. Just look at this season. If you look at last year, the Ravens, they were the second most difficult team to play for. Quarterbacks and wide receivers. They locked down. I mean, that. That is kind of what they do. So I'm not high on the Denver passing attack.

[Jason Moore]

Let's talk for a minute about a player that I think is going to be at the top of our start sit tool. Most asked questions this week, which is Philip Lindsey. People want to know, can they play him? Philip Lindsay has rushed for 99 yards up the middle this season. That is the most in the NFL. So for those of you that are looking at Philip Lindsey, that stature, what he's built like, you need to you need to compare more to Dion Lewis than you do a guy like Chris Thompson. He is not all on the outside. He is not all about receptions. They're using him as a running back.

[Andy Holloway]

As a power back. I mean, they get down to the five and they're like, bring in the little guy.

[Jason Moore]

Well, I mean, there are players like that. Dion Lewis is the easiest comp, but I mean, Darren Sprols gets. He's had opportunities through his career to run up the middle.

[Mike Wright]

Danny Woodhead was used a lot on.

[Jason Moore]

The goal line, you know, 15 for 71 in week one, 14 for 107 in week two. Only three receptions on the year. So you're treating him like a regular running back. Do you play him over a guy like Dion Lewis this week who has to face Jacksonville? Who would you start in that situation?

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

I've got Dion Lewis a little bit ahead of Philip Lindsey. Phillip Lindsay was my pump the brakes this week. And that's not to say you cannot play him. Philip Lindsay, you know, he's in the 20s for my ranking. I worry being in Baltimore. I worry about him being on the road for the first time in his NFL career. You know, I went back, I watched the film and I'm a Philip Lindsay believer. He's a good player. He's not, you know, he's not just running through wide open holes and anybody could do it. He's breaking tackles, he's shifty. So I'm not, I'm not saying you have to bench him, but I'm not excited about this matchup. I'm, you know, the only guy that I think, you know, I look at in this game and I would say, you know, I would really like to take a shot if I'm. Because everybody here in both sides of this game is just a. I feel like is a one eye closed dart throw. Like you could see the board. But your depth perception's a little off.

[Mike Wright]

Who's playing darts closing one of their eyes? I'm too good at darts.

[Andy Holloway]

Isn't that how you aim, John Brown?

[Jason Moore]

Don't people aim a lot with one eye?

[Mike Wright]

Not when you're playing darts.

[Jason Moore]

Really?

[Mike Wright]

When you have a sight or a scope? Yes, you go.

[Jason Moore]

You don't use a scope when you play darts?

[Andy Holloway]

I always use a scope. All I see is the bullseye. I just, I put the scope and then it's just all red.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe. Maybe they do.

[Jason Moore]

I use a monocle, but it's all. It's painted black.

[Mike Wright]

I believe that's called an eye patch.

[Jason Moore]

That's What I do, I use an eye patch.

[Mike Wright]

I go buy a real expensive monocle, then I spray. Spray paint it black.

[Jason Moore]

Well, because you want to look. I want to be sophisticated. A regular eye patch. That's more pirate.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean.

[Mike Wright]

Gotcha.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Put it this way. I took the never seen a pirate.

[Jason Moore]

With a monocle, have you? And you never want to be mistaken as a pirate. That. Just speaking from experience, this is a.

[Andy Holloway]

Game in general with a little bit of light rain, two good defenses, two mediocre offenses. I'm taking the under. And if I can look elsewhere for most of these players, that's.

[Jason Moore]

That's Crabtree or John Brown.

[Mike Wright]

That's. I feel like we've been on this matchup for long enough. But John. John Brown has to be talked about.

[Jason Moore]

That's why I asked the question, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

19.1 yards per. That's his average depth of target. The man is just bathing in air yards and he's getting target volume.

[Andy Holloway]

Now.

[Mike Wright]

Last week it was a little bit different when he had the 10 targets because they had to come back. The Ravens were scrambling, but week one had four targets, has a touchdown both weeks. Is John Brown a locked and loaded wide receiver? Three.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I agree. I agree.

[Jason Moore]

The Giants take on the Texans in the battle of the winless, terrified fan bases. The Giants. Look, it's been a struggle keeping Eli Manning upright. So far this year, the Texans have not picked up where they left off with deshaun Watson. He's. He had a good fantasy week last week, and I actually really like desean Watson this week because the Giants are just a sieve on defense or I expect them to be this week on the road. So what are the big storylines in this game? What are you guys looking for? I mean, you're not. Are you afraid of Beckham at all?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Not just in this game, but year long on the basis that, look, this team may struggle on offense.

[Andy Holloway]

He's my number one target. I mean, people. One of the more common.

[Jason Moore]

Number one Trade target.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. One of the more common questions we get every week is like, you know, who would you try to trade for right now? And my answer this week is Odell Beckham. He hasn't popped. People are worried about the offense, but he's a guy that doesn't. He doesn't need some great offense like he can. Maybe he is the great offense himself. He needs a slant route that he takes to the house. So, yeah, I'm not worried about Odell. Nobody should be sitting him in any matchup.

[Jason Moore]

Evan Ingram.

[Andy Holloway]

Evan Ingram is I mean he's a must start. Yeah. What. How many tight ends are you starting over Evan Ingram?

[Jason Moore]

Four.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, maybe four or five.

[Jason Moore]

You're obviously playing Saquon and you're not thinking about anybody else on New York. So on the Houston side, look, last year the Giants gave up the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the league. Love desean Watson.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It should be an excellent bounce back.

[Jason Moore]

Desean Watson with Will Fuller is different than desean Watson without him.

[Mike Wright]

That is correct.

[Jason Moore]

So I really like the opportunity there. Lamar Miller has been solid if not spectacular.

[Mike Wright]

He's been.

[Jason Moore]

He's just been Lamar.

[Mike Wright]

He's giving you Lamar.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, I think this is a really good week. We'll talk about him in a little bit. But the matchup last year and so far what we've seen from the Giants this year, they're not able to stop the run or anything. I took the over in this game. It's a tech. Vegas does not expect a lot of points scored here. But I actually think that this game could be a surprising fantasy relevant game. Two teams that desperately need a victory with, you know, one of the defenses does not look good and the other is not looked up to the expectation. Right. Everyone's waiting for the Texans to figure it out and so far they haven't done so to the point where their head coach is Vegas's odds on favorite to be the first coach fired this year, Bill Bryant.

[Jason Moore]

That's the interesting thing. We figured it'd be Hugh, but it wasn't.

[Andy Holloway]

No, not after that tie.

[Jason Moore]

That's right. Best start.

[Andy Holloway]

Best start in years for the.

[Jason Moore]

Let's talk Titans and Jags. The Titans got the win last week over the aforementioned Texans. Now they travel to Jacksonville. Good luck taking on the two and oh Jaguars. They don't know if they're going to have Mariota or not.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's weird.

[Jason Moore]

That's weird.

[Mike Wright]

It's just weird. Like what is happening? What is going on?

[Jason Moore]

What I understand with his elbow is there are. He had an injury that caused there to be problems with the nerve endings. So getting feeling back, making every throw has been a struggle for him. And that's when he got out on the field before the game this past week. He couldn't make every throw. They made the determination to go with Gabbard and as a result, look, they still pulled out the win over Houston.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you think his elbow is fine? But they're actually watching his throws now and going, no, he can't, he can't make these throws.

[Mike Wright]

There's got to be something wrong with the elbow.

[Andy Holloway]

Clearly though. But no, my elbow's fine. No, look. Look at these throws. I mean, I was all on Marcus Mariota this off season, looking at his rushing ability, the new offense, everything. But even starting in preseason, he just hasn't been that great. So this is.

[Jason Moore]

But it hurts our expectations for Corey Davis. It hurts the ability for Jonas Smith to break out. If you are. You're not running your offense and building it around Blaine Gabbard the way you do Marcus Mariota. So do you have. I mean, you mentioned several guys you'd play over Deon Lewis were not bullish about Derek Henry and then Corey Davis. Look, I'm playing a lot of players over Corey Davis this week. He's a bench in both of my leagues because I have no confidence in Corey Davis going up against Jalen Ramsey & Co. In Jacksonville.

[Andy Holloway]

There is not a.

[Jason Moore]

It's like a must. Bench everybody.

[Andy Holloway]

There is not a single pass catcher that you can play. You should bench. I don't care who else you have. Find someone on waivers. I'm not playing a single receiving option at all from. From Tennessee. Derek Henry, Dion Lewis, you might need to start him. It's not a great matchup. It's not the worst. I would prefer to play others you might need to because they're a running back and the depth is not there this season. So it's pretty simple. Bench your Titans if you can and if it's a receiver, you can because you could find someone on waivers that are better than this matchup.

[Mike Wright]

Dion Lewis is the only Titan I'm playing this week.

[Jason Moore]

On the Jacksonville side, Blake Bortles has averaged over 20 fantasy points per game at home in his career. He's at home against the Tennessee Titans this week after a four touchdown week last week. You got to feel good about Bortles this week. Yeah, but how good I feel about.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

I feel pretty confident about him. I believe that he will come through with a solid fantasy day. The biggest question to me is Leonard Fournette. What's going on with his health, the team, they play different.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't.

[Mike Wright]

I don't know why they. If it seems like when you. They restrict Bortles far more when Fournette.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I get it. But you just.

[Mike Wright]

You've seen what happens when you unleash Bortles.

[Jason Moore]

Good things happen sometimes.

[Andy Holloway]

You've seen both sides of unleashing portals and they would prefer to have complete control, slow the game down, run out the clock, win with their unbelievable defense and run the ball that's their preference. If I was their head coach and I'm all about throwing the ball, the efficiency of passing, I would still choose that method because I think it gives me a higher probability to win with that defense than unleashing Bortles. But I agree with you. The health of Leonard Fournette is the difference in Bortles. Because if Fournette plays this week, then I don't think Bortles is a guy you want a piece of. You can probably find a quarterback that's going to be higher. They're going to slow the game down and take the passing out of his hands.

[Jason Moore]

I, I tend to, I tend to think that's true. And you probably, you probably got 12 guys, you know, 12 to 15 guys. You can start over Bortles with more assurance of the game script. I don't know how Tennessee scores in this game and that, that's the real problem there. Where last week you had even, even with Jacksonville out to a lead, you had the threat of Tom Brady coming back in that game. That threat is probably gone. And this defense could score against Blaine Gabbard if he happens to be out there. True. And all of a sudden you end up, you know, you run a touchdown in and you get a defensive score and then what is it over under 10 passing attempts for Bortles the rest of the game. Maybe that's the concern.

[Mike Wright]

So how do you feel about the Jacksonville wide receivers of Keelan Cole?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, that's based on your options. I mean, in my dynasty league, I'm choosing to play Marvin Jones, Matt Breida, Corey Clement, all over Keelan Cole. Like he's on my bench this week. Not because I don't think you can start him like there's an opportunity there. And if you have to pick a player to be that passing touchdown guy, I mean, Cole's got as good a chance as anybody. But it's not going to be a ceiling game. It's going to be a floor game for Jacksonville.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree, but. But again, if Fournette does hold out another week, then I feel much more confident in. I mean, Bortles was my streamer. I think you can play him off of waivers and that would help Keelan Cole if Fournette is out of the game.

[Jason Moore]

Update from earlier. GEO is practicing now and we're heading into that Bengals Panthers matchup. So let's talk about the two and oh Cincinnati Bengals taking on the one and one Carolina Panthers. In Carolina, 44 point over under. Panthers are three point favorites. Impressive week For Andy Dalton last week. I don't think people expected that.

[Mike Wright]

No, no. We. No, no. If he did, congratulations on being Andy Dalton's number one fan.

[Jason Moore]

Andy Dalton and Blake Bortles are very similar in respect to their perception. Right. You get fantasy production from them from time to time, maybe more often than not. But.

[Mike Wright]

But it's always shocking.

[Jason Moore]

It's always. You're always surprised, never expected. But what do you expect in this matchup? Look, the Panthers, you know, they pulled out a win in week one. They lost last week to Atlanta. It's been a wild ride there. But they did get DJ Moore involved last week with one reception, big touchdown. And they talked about involving him more in the offense. How do we feel about this game? What are the big storylines? Gio Bernard obviously is going to get an opportunity here and you guys are all starting.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Gio Bernard, last year there were five games he had 15 or more touches in those contests. He averaged over 16 PPR points a game. And I believe that he will get the bulk of the. Of the work.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Mark Walton has been very disappointing for. I would say there's a lot of redraft players who are listening to the show who don't even know who Mark Walton is because he's more of a dynasty name. You know who he is. But he's been incredibly disappointing. And just historically speaking, I believe they would. They'll go with Geo.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we've. That. That's why I believe GEO will have vast opportunity this game is because we've kind of seen what happens when someone goes down and they're fine riding Geo for a week or two. And he's always proven successful.

[Jason Moore]

What it's worth, Lewis did talk to Ross Tucker on series six. Him said that it will be Geo and Mark Walton shouldering the load. And we have not seen Walton in a regular season game yet. He is a rookie. He's highly acclaimed and had a bad preseason. That's where we're at with Walton.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And certainly Gio's not going to get 100%. No, nobody does on any roster. Not Todd Gurley or David Johnson or Zeke. But I still think his opportunity makes him a must start. Obviously you have to start Christian McCaffrey and you have to stay in the flames with Cam Newton. He's on pace for his most rushing attempts of his career. He's out over 100 yards both games. I mean, he's just been awesome and needed his offensive line.

[Jason Moore]

100 total, by the way. Not in each game.

[Andy Holloway]

Sorry. And his offensive line has Been so wrecked that it's kind of for fantasy, not his. Certainly not good news for the Panthers if you're a Panthers fan. But for fantasy it's making Christian McCaffrey become the clear cut number one target in the offense without Greg Olson and it's making Cam Newton run and run and run. So this is great news. You have to have those guys locked and loaded. But I'm not really digging funches or DJ Moore. You don't know where, you don't know even know who.

[Mike Wright]

What about you probably don't want to start him this week, but are you considering picking up and holding on to Ian Thomas, tight end for the Panthers, seeing what, what goes on? I know he came through with, with really nothing for fantasy to speak of, but he did have two targets inside the red zone last week. He played on 94% of Carolina's snaps.

[Andy Holloway]

And the Bengals have been torched so far on this season at tight end. So I pass, I get the thing. But I agree with Andy pass. I'm not, I'm not playing that game.

[Jason Moore]

He's one of those show me first, then I'll sign you. Not the other way around. Not with all the other opportunities to get guys on the waiver wire. McCaffrey had the 14 receptions last week, but he was in the single digit carry count, which is kind of unfortunate. But it's nice that he's game script proof. Obviously with the reception totals, you know you're starting AJ Green, what do you think about Tyler Boyd? He had a very impressive game last week. He looked like, I don't know, the Quincy and Noonwa to A.J. green's Robbie Anderson. You know, he was the target leader on the team possession type of player. I thought Andy Dalton showed a lot of confidence in Tyler Boyd in that game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's the number two receiver and if you're in a full ppr, I think he is, you know, a flex worthy option.

[Jason Moore]

18 fantasy points, 6 for 91 and a touchdown. John Ross has not emerged.

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Is the other way of saying that no.

[Mike Wright]

I'm. I'm interested to have Boyd on my bench, but I don't know that I'm ready to throw him in yet.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

I mean the, yeah, the Panthers, they've been stout so far against fantasy wide receivers. So I think there's, there's other options that I'm looking at.

[Jason Moore]

One more matchup then starts of the week and we'll get the rest of the matchups. In Tomorrow's show the 49ers one on one take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead. The Chiefs are six and a half point favorites, 56 point over under. I tried to find a way, I tried to find a way to make this my almost upset. It's impossible and I couldn't. So I'm not. The Chiefs are going to win. They. I'll look up this tweet. You guys start talking about the matchup. There was a tweet by Evan Silva yesterday talking about the fact that the Chiefs still have meat on the bone. And speaking of the offense and I'll find that tweet but this is going to be another opportunity for you to roll out Patrick Mahomes with great confidence. What are the big storylines from this game? I mean are you starting Sammy Watkins after the impressive performance last week?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Yeah. In a game with a 56 point over under where Jimmy Garoppolo should be able to come down that and score on the Chiefs. This is, this is the type of game where you, anybody that could be involved, you want them in your lineup.

[Jason Moore]

Here, here's what Evan Silva tweeted yesterday. Mahomes missed Watkins on a long TD bomb in week two. Ms. Kelsey for a 27 yard touchdown on a wheel route. Kareem Hunt has one target through two games.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Pat Mahomes has three starts so far. They're all on the road. Now he's at home and Kansas City has yet to play from behind in a game at all. That's interesting when you talk about a baseline for an offense right now. Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

See this is the one thing I will say we, you know, we Andy Reid, when you've got a coach that's coached this long, you can get an idea for his, how he utilizes his personnel and his players in certain ways. One thing we've seen is that Tyreek Hill surprisingly has more success on the road than at home. Part of that is not, oh, he's just, he's great in front of all their crowds. It's, it's game design. Right. There's four more rushing attempts per game so far in Kareem Hunt's early career at home than on the road. So I think this is a great Kareem Hunt game. I mean nobody's benching Tyreek Hill, but I don't expect him to have one of his insane blow up games. Partly because this is the first freaking week of the season that in one of my main leagues I'm not playing against the Pat Mahomes Tyree Kill stack.

[Mike Wright]

That you know of.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I know you guys are going to make Moves.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to make a way get somebody on your opposition quick. But look, the Chiefs defense is atrocious metric wise this year. 32nd against quarterbacks, 29th against running backs, 29th against wide receivers, 31st against tight ends. Now they're scorching people, but I like 49ers in this game. I like them a lot. We're going to talk about them in a minute.

[Mike Wright]

So Marquis Goodwin returned to limited action on Wednesday.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. How do you feel about him? There's so much excitement before the year. We haven't got to see him. He goosed you in week one because of the injury. Now, you know, if he plays, I.

[Mike Wright]

Will, I will put him right back in.

[Andy Holloway]

100%. I'm fine starting Goodwin. I'm 100% fine starting Garcon Kittle. Kittle.

[Mike Wright]

Kittle's a must start until otherwise noted if Goodwin can't play. What's your Dante Pettis level of excitement, Jason?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still there. I mean, I realize he had a down week last week, but in this type of a matchup against a really bad defense with a high over under, you know, you're always playing probabilities and so that doesn't mean you're always going to hit. So last week's advice was, you know, that he was. If Goodwin was out, that he was a startable asset. I don't think was inherently wrong just because it did not come to fruition. I mean, this is, this is the NFL. If people could predict everything that's going to happen.

[Jason Moore]

It's very difficult with Pettis because he only had two targets last week, but he played on more snaps than any other wide receiver on the 49er offense. So I think it was a bit of just the wrong, you know, a perfect storm of suck.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

For Pettis. But there is opportunity this week. I think he's a dart throw play though, right. Like, I'd much rather play Kenny Golladay than Dante Pettis. Even with Goodwin out.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I can agree with that. Oh, wait, even with Goodwin out?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah, I'd rather play. I'd rather play the, the Galladay side.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, you guys gotta.

[Jason Moore]

You.

[Mike Wright]

Galladay is a must start. Kenny G is. It's so spooky.

[Jason Moore]

G is Edis do this? No, no, he's.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he's not classically trained.

[Jason Moore]

Certainly not smooth.

[Mike Wright]

I've heard him. He's on the recorder like.

[Andy Holloway]

Hot cross buns.

[Jason Moore]

That's Pettis.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. All right, show me something.

[Andy Holloway]

Everyone starts there though, Mike True on hot crossbones. Yes.

[Mike Wright]

That's where Beethoven.

[Jason Moore]

That's right. That's where I ended. That was the end of my musical training. My goodness. We talked about on the Spitballers podcast in Inanimate Object you could get rid of from the world. I did not think about recording.

[Andy Holloway]

The recorder should have been.

[Jason Moore]

Recorder would have been. I mean, Mike, you said you'd get rid of corners, which I still can't quite comprehend. Mentally.

[Mike Wright]

I stand by.

[Jason Moore]

That's a Neil DeGrasse Tyson type of situation.

[Andy Holloway]

Would that have included cornerbacks then? Are they gone? No, they're animate. Moving along. Starts of the week.

[Jason Moore]

All right, my start of the week at the quarterback position is DeSean Watson. I want to give you that little pat on the butt to start desean Watson this week.

[Andy Holloway]

A lot of people worried.

[Jason Moore]

Great opportunity against New York. Desean Watson is chucking it. He's chucking it deep. He's gained 73.3% of his total passing yards through the air. That is the highest of all qualified quarterbacks in the league. I'm calling him Launchpad. I mean, he's just, he's launching it. And when you have Will Fuller and Deandre Hopkins as part of that deep threat offense, I love it. And he's still third in the league in rushing yardage at the quarterback position. He put up a great fantasy game last week, albeit it took him a while. I think this is a, you know, just start him, just start him. You're fine.

[Andy Holloway]

My start of the week this week is Matt Ryan. I, you know, he's one of those guys that you're not always sure whether you want to start him and you're not, this is not chasing last week's points. He had a phenomenal game last week. But this is more about the matchup that I think the New Orleans Saints and the Falcons, I believe that they will take the over. I think they're going to score a lot of points back and forth in this game. And it's the weapons when you're at home and you have Calvin Ridley, new first round pick, you have Mohamed Sanu, you've got, you know, Coleman who could catch the ball and of course Julio, who usually torches the Saints is saying, I think you're going to be making a mistake if you, if you're, you know, most of the people with Matt Ryan, they drafted him late. So they are usually debating between two later round quarterbacks. And I'm taking Matt Ryan in that situation.

[Mike Wright]

I'm taking the handsome one, Jimmy G. Jimmy Garoppolo. The matchup is fantastic. The San Francisco defense has given up 27 points, 24 points, and now they are playing Kansas City with an absolutely obscene over under. And I believe that Jimmy Grant or Jimmy Garoppolo can keep pace against this Kansas City Chiefs defense. So I love him this week.

[Jason Moore]

I love him as well. On my tight end start of the week. We'll go into the tight ends now. It's George Kittle against Kansas City for all the reason, all the reasons that Mike just brought up. And look, Jesse James is the number one tight end. Fantasy football. He just dropped 138 in a touchdown. Who did he do it against? Kansas City. He's been targeted 13 times this season. That's six most among tight ends. I don't read much into last week's performance in terms of any type of lack of excitement for George Kittle. They're going to need to throw the ball and Kittle's going to do work this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm sticking with the rules around here. Rule 86. Jordan Reed has been on the field, he's been healthy, and you must start him. There are very few tight ends with the ability that he has. There are very few tight ends so far on this season that have, you know, that have even proven that they can be relied on at all. But he is Alex Smith's number one target.

[Mike Wright]

My number one guy.

[Andy Holloway]

He's playing at home against Green Bay. I think, you know, there's. There's three guys, there are three players that I'm willing to start over. Jordan Reed this, this week. And that's the three obvious. Gronk, Ertz and Kelsey. Wow.

[Mike Wright]

So you got read up at number four, huh?

[Andy Holloway]

Sure do.

[Jason Moore]

You'd play him over Jimmy?

[Andy Holloway]

I would play him over Jimmy.

[Jason Moore]

Same game. Oh, wow.

[Andy Holloway]

I like it spicy.

[Mike Wright]

All right. I'm. I'm taking a risk here at the tight end position. I'm staying in the Flames.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

With the outlaw Jesse James. This is, this, this has some absolute risk to it. But Andy brought it up. He is the number one tight end right now in fantasy. And that's with cause now the 3.

[Jason Moore]

For 60 in week one against Cleveland, 5 for 138 and a touchdown against Kansas City.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not expecting 5 for 138 and a touchdown ever again in his career. But I'm buying into the matchup. It's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They're. The beard is magical. The beard dust is just dropping points. And I'm talking, of course, about Ryan Fitzpatrick. And I strongly believe that Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to continue his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense and so facto Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have to have to put up points. And I think that Jesse James is a part of the attack right now.

[Jason Moore]

It's interesting because I feel like maybe I've discovered something about you, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

What's that?

[Jason Moore]

You love platoon tight ends. You love them when they're sharing. I mean, my biggest concern with Jesse James moving forward is just that Vance McDonald ran the same amount of snapshot.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm trying to give you could.

[Andy Holloway]

End up with your Vance around your ankles here.

[Mike Wright]

It's certainly possible. But I'm trying to help people find a tight end from the waiver wire that they can pick up and play.

[Jason Moore]

He's still on the waiver wire in our league.

[Andy Holloway]

So the number one tight end.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah. What? Number two is probably Disney, right?

[Mike Wright]

I think so.

[Jason Moore]

Jesse James and Will Disley?

[Andy Holloway]

I believe so.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's jump into the wide receiver position. I'm going with Brandon Cooks. Must start start of the week. Blow it up. Top five guy Brandon Cooks, fourth most receiving yards in the NFL right now, just trailing DeSean Jackson, Michael Thomas and Tyree Kill. Brandon Cooks is everything that Sean McVeigh, offensive genius and mastermind, has wanted from that position. It's almost an indictment on Sammy Watkins to see how involved Brandon Cooks has been so soon in that offense. And look, I think it's going to be wheels up. Let's go. Brandon Cooks start.

[Andy Holloway]

And I'm sticking with what got me here, the guy that I love. And yes, he's obvious because he's like the seventh wide receiver so far on the season. But if I had him last year, I can't delete his name out of my starts of the week. Juju Smith Schuster, you've been grandfathered in. I'm grandfathered in. He's my start of the year next week.

[Jason Moore]

Start of the year.

[Andy Holloway]

He'll be my start of the week. And then I'll have to give you another wide receiver because he's just never getting out of this spot. My goodness, he is great. He's on pace for 1,920 yards and 144 receptions. This is like.

[Jason Moore]

That makes me wonder what the pace of Cooks, DJ Thomas and Hill is because juju wasn't one of those four.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I know. It's one of those things where like you said, Mike and what I brought up at the very beginning of the show, Fitz Magic appears to be legit right now. The Steelers defense is not great so far. This season like we saw the second half of last season, they're going to have to put points up and yes, the squeaky wheel. Antonio Brown will have a better game, but you just stay in the fire that juju has created.

[Mike Wright]

Mike, I'm going with Will Fuller. I love desean Watson this week. So I want to, you know, I'm going to grab an arm, I'm going.

[Andy Holloway]

To grab a leg.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just going to get an extension.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

From Deshaun Watson. And this week I'm going to go with Will Fuller. He was my rising star. It's time to accept the fact that Will Fuller, who was a first round pick, he still has the taste, the taste of his first year where he was really letting people down. And because of that, we have not accepted that Will Fuller is just a good wide receiver and is a perfect match.

[Jason Moore]

8 for 113 and a touchdown last week.

[Mike Wright]

Very involved in games with deshaun Watson. Off the top of my head, I think it was his lowest finish was wide receiver 17. He gets it done. The big play is a huge threat and if you're going to get target volume on top of being a big play threat. I love Will Fuller this week and I love him moving forward throughout the season.

[Jason Moore]

He's addicted to the end zone.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

That's what he is. Now you do need to monitor. He is, I think technically marked as a limited participant with the hamstring injury.

[Mike Wright]

He's always banged up.

[Jason Moore]

Easing into this week, I'm going to go with my running backs are the week now Matt Breida against Kansas City. I'm going to give him credit, that leading rusher in the NFL. But look, to me this is a snap count percentage decision. Kansas City is lighting the world on fire. I believe that Jimmy Handsome and company are on the way back in this game. They're going to be fighting with garbage time availability. You've seen what happens at the end of these games too. If they're down, you know, these running backs are getting targets and Matt Breed has been a really good player so far this year, albeit limited total carries. But I think this is a good game to start Matt Breed. I want to give people confidence to put him in their flex, to put him in that position where you look, you got him late, you got him off a waiver wire. You're making a decision between him and Keelan Cole or him and, you know, Marvin Jones or something like that. I would play Breida.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And my start of the week is Lamar Miller. I want to Give, basically.

[Jason Moore]

How'd that feel coming out of your mouth?

[Andy Holloway]

It felt great because I.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome back, old friend.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. I missed you, Lamar. Look, I looked at a lot of trades this last week, trades that have gone down, trade requests. I've been offered this or I'm thinking about offering that. And the one thing that has really stood out to me is how nobody wants Lamar Miller. The people that have him are fine. To get rid of him, he would be another trade target because he's been fine. He's on the field. He's on the field 75% of snaps, which is fantastic for a running back. He's the clear lead guy there. I think this offense is going to start clicking, especially now with Will Fuller back the New York Giants.

[Jason Moore]

He's Miller fine.

[Andy Holloway]

The New York Giants are not a good defense and Miller's going to be okay. So I'm saying, you know, start him. He's probably been on your bench or near it or been in consideration of being benched. He's a top 15 running back this week against the Giants.

[Mike Wright]

Mike, my running back start. I'm calling the shot of buying into the news that Jai is going to miss this weekend. So Corey Clement against the Indianapolis Colts. Oh, the matchup is delightful. Corey Clement is a more than capable running back. You get the return of Carson Wentz, a huge upgrade for that offense as a whole. I'm very excited to pick to play Clement this week.

[Jason Moore]

All right, those were the start of the week, the starts of the week. And it's time for the main event.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason Moore's ironclad locked and loaded. 100% guaranteed. Boom, boom. Kicker of the week. Usher in a new year like you were. Carson Daly with the Vikings newest player, kicker Dan Bailey.

[Jason Moore]

On mtv going NBC.

[Andy Holloway]

Carson Daly's mainstream now on the New Year's.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that. He goes into it. It's like a vampire, right? Just goes away for 364 days.

[Jason Moore]

Have you thought about releasing?

[Andy Holloway]

Just like vampires do.

[Jason Moore]

They go away for 30 days.

[Andy Holloway]

Why not? Like a bear that hibernates, vampires just disappear in the day.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, it's true.

[Andy Holloway]

Anyway, sorry. Had to correct him on his entire knowledge.

[Jason Moore]

Burrows himself underground until the next new year. Is that what we're getting at? Yeah, but Dan Bailey is the pick here.

[Andy Holloway]

Dan Bailey is. I would not use Carson Daly as a kicker. But look Dan Bailey, his groin is healed. He's literally the second most accurate kicker in NFL history. He was cut from the Cowboys for money reasons and he signed. Brooks is shaking his head. So sad because He's a Cowboys fan. And you got rid of Dan Bailey, who I'm pretty sure the Cowboys could have used him those first two weeks. And the Vikings have a great offense. Pick him up.

[Mike Wright]

Want to remind you football season is underway and we encourage you to check out FanDuel. Playing on FanDuel has never been more fun or easy. It's the place to play if you're not a fantasy expert. Check out the Griniron Pick'em game. It's. It's easy. Everyone can get in on this and new users are Gonna get a $20 bonus when they make their first deposit on FanDuel. Come play with us at FanDuel.com fantasy footballers that's FanDuel.com fantasy footballters that is.

[Jason Moore]

It for today's episode of the show. Tomorrow we'll do in and out more of the matchups. Excited for week three, guys?

[Mike Wright]

You want to play some daily? Check out draft.comballers.

[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.