Start/Sit Courage + Hungry For More, TNF Preview - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/18

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Start/Sit Courage + Hungry For More, TNF Preview
Release Date: December 18, 2024
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
Platform: FantasyFootballers.com

---

1. Episode Introduction

The episode kicks off with Andy Holloway welcoming listeners on a lively note, highlighting the significance of the current playoff push in fantasy football. The hosts set the stage for discussing key start/sit decisions, player performances, and upcoming Thursday Night Football (TNF) matchups.

---

2. Start/Sit Decisions

Joe Mixon’s Dilemma ([10:19] - [15:18])

Andy expresses significant concern over Joe Mixon's status due to his recent injury from a hip drop tackle—a hard hit that was not penalized by officials. Jason delves into Mixon's performance outlook, noting:

"I think Joe Mixon has a very down game. I think that's kind of where you're at. And if he didn't play, you also would know early, right?" ([14:22])

Mixon is set to face the Kansas City Chiefs, a team boasting one of the best defenses against running backs. The hosts anticipate a challenging game for Mixon, projecting:

"I would play him over both of them, and if he's out..." ([14:31])

Kirk Cousins and the Falcons’ Quarterback Situation ([16:00] - [23:08])

The discussion shifts to Kirk Cousins being benched by the Atlanta Falcons in favor of Michael Pittman Jr., following Cousins' underwhelming performance. The implications for fantasy football are significant, with potential negative impacts on key receivers like Bijan Robinson. Jason highlights the uncertainty:

"I thought about this and there's only one thing to root for here, and that is for the Falcons to win the super bowl..." ([16:47])

Andy adds skepticism about Pittman Jr.'s immediate impact, emphasizing the risks of relying on a rookie quarterback in a playoff scenario.

Jerome Ford vs. Josh Jacobs ([20:35] - [22:05])

Andy and Jason debate whether to start Jerome Ford for the Browns against the Bengals. Despite Ford’s modest recent performances, his matchup against the Bengals—who are motivated for playoff positioning—makes him a viable start:

"Jerome Ford has played a committee back for role historically with the Browns. His numbers are better splits wise with DTR than they are with Winston..." ([20:35])

Jason concurs, recognizing Ford's potential in a game where the Bengals are likely to pass more.

---

3. Hungry For More Segment

Tajaya Spears ([05:19] - [10:04])

Jason introduces the "Hungry for More" segment, focusing on Tajaya Spears, the Tennessee Titans' running back recovering from an injury. Spears has seen limited opportunities but showed promise by scoring two touchdowns in his recent game. The discussion covers:

• Spears’ increased involvement due to Tony Pollard’s injury.
• The Titans’ favorable matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, who have struggled against running backs.

Jason remarks:

"Tajay Spears is a very, very talented... he looked good last week. He got two touchdowns." ([07:27])

Andy supports this outlook, noting Spears' rising involvement and potential for fantasy impact.

Jalen McMillan ([08:19] - [10:04])

The focus shifts to Jalen McMillan, a rookie wide receiver showing increased target share and touchdown potential. Despite initial underutilization, McMillan's current performance and upcoming matchup against Dallas make him an attractive fantasy option:

"I'm hungry for more. Jalen McMillan making an impact on fantasy teams." ([09:36])

Jason adds that McMillan has started to capitalize on opportunities, enhancing his value in fantasy lineups.

---

4. News and Notes

Player Injuries and Updates ([10:04] - [26:52])

Andy and Jason review the latest NFL news, focusing on key player injuries and their fantasy implications:

• George Pickens: Dealing with a hamstring issue, remaining a risky start.
• Cedric Tillman: Remains in concussion protocol, limiting his availability.
• Kyle Pitts vs. Jalen McMillan: Debating start options based on performance and matchup.

Jason discusses Joe Mixon’s injury:

"Joe Mixon has been injured... He’s finishing the game, so he’ll keep trying to attack recovery." ([12:13])

Andy highlights the slim chances of Houston Titans improving their playoff seed, adding context to Mixon’s motivation despite his injury.

---

5. Thursday Night Football (TNF) Preview

Denver Chargers Showdown ([28:21] - [33:00])

The hosts preview the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. Both teams are vying for playoff seeding, and defenses play a crucial role:

• Chargers Defense: Ranked high in points per game allowed but showed vulnerability in recent games.
• Denver’s Offensive Players: Concerns over quarterback health and wide receiver performance.

Jason analyzes the defensive strengths and potential fantasy outcomes:

"Chargers have been slipping... Their defense has been very good, but last week they were very bad." ([29:15])

Andy advises caution with Chargers’ wide receivers due to inconsistent performance:

"I’d play McConkey for sure. He is not the kind of player that gets followed all over the place." ([31:06])

---

6. Mailbag and Listener Questions

Quarterback Start/Sit ([37:31] - [43:50])

Listeners inquire about starting quarterbacks in tough matchups. For example, Tristan from Texas is torn between Kyler Murray and Bo Nix. The hosts recommend:

"I'll play Kyler in that matchup." ([37:59])

Amari Cooper Droppable Decision ([46:03] - [50:50])

A question arises whether to drop Amari Cooper for the Packers' defense. Jason advises:

"Any mid-level questionable starter... should be droppable if you need to." ([46:03])

They discuss the value of trading hype versus player performance, highlighting Cooper’s potential decline in production compared to his trade expectations.

Wide Receiver Choices ([43:04] - [49:56])

listener Logan asks whether to start Jaden Reed or Jameson Williams. The hosts favor Williams due to his higher probability of returning touchdown opportunities:

"I'm more confident in Jameson Williams than I am in Jaden Reed." ([43:23])

Andy concurs, citing Williams' potential targets and offensive dynamics without Zach Ertz.

---

7. Strategic Insights

Trading on Hype vs. Performance ([49:08] - [50:50])

Jason and Andy discuss the pitfalls of trading players based solely on hype. Using Amari Cooper as an example, they caution against overvaluing players based on potential rather than current performance:

"Amari Cooper has sucked. He has been irrelevant as a Bill... there was the what if." ([49:18])

Andy emphasizes the importance of evaluating trade value based on realistic outcomes rather than speculative potential.

Defense Matchups ([51:06] - [52:24])

The hosts compare the Packers' and Falcons' defenses, ultimately recommending the Packers due to potential quarterback pressures that could lead to defensive fantasy points:

"I would go with the Packers." ([51:25])

Jason adds that while the Bengals' defense isn't top-ranked, strategic playmaking can offer unexpected fantasy points.

---

8. Community Engagement and Final Thoughts

Andy and Jason engage with listeners through hypothetical scenarios and light-hearted banter, emphasizing the importance of community interaction and listener support. They wrap up by encouraging listeners to submit questions and participate in the fantasy football community.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Joe Mixon Injury Concern:

  "What is the status of Joe Mixon?... It's a hip drop tackle. They've come out again. This is the second time he's been injured." ([10:19])

• Hungry for More on Tajaya Spears:

  "Tajay Spears is a very, very talented... he looked good last week. He got two touchdowns." ([07:27])

• Trading on Hype vs. Performance:

  "Amari Cooper has sucked. He has been irrelevant as a Bill..." ([49:18])

• Quarterback Recommendations:

  "I'll play Kyler in that matchup." ([37:59])

• Wide Receiver Start Decision:

  "I'm more confident in Jameson Williams than I am in Jaden Reed." ([43:23])

---

Conclusion

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast provides in-depth analysis of critical start/sit decisions, player performances, and strategic insights for the fantasy playoffs. Hosts Andy Holloway and Jason Moore offer actionable advice backed by recent performances and upcoming matchups, ensuring listeners are well-equipped to make informed decisions for their fantasy teams. The episode also fosters community engagement through listener questions and interactive segments, solidifying its reputation as a go-to resource for fantasy football enthusiasts.

---

Join the Fantasy Footballers Community:
Visit jointhefoot.com to connect with fellow fantasy players, access exclusive content, and stay updated with the latest insights from the hosts.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

This episode is brought to you by Abbott. Let's talk about a small thing that can make a big difference if you have diabetes. The Freestyle Libre 3 sensor. It's amazing how the sensor gives you real time glucose readings so that you can see the impact of every meal and activity. To make better choices. The Freestyle Libre 3 sensor can help you live life with diabetes on your terms. This is progress. You can try it for free at Freestyle Libre Us. Offer available for people who qualify. Visit MyFreestyle US to see all terms and conditions. Certain exclusions apply for prescription only Safety info found @freestylelibre us. This episode is brought to you by Instagram. Though we can't all agree on our picks, we can all agree that we want social media to be a safe place for teens. So it's good to hear about Instagram teen accounts which provide automatic safety settings for teens built with parents top concerns in mind. Things like making their teens profiles private by default, having automatic contact limits so they can only be messaged by people they are connected to and content restrictions that place them in the most restrictive setting, limiting sensitive content they see in places like Explore and Reels. And all of these settings are built in so no extra work for parents. Instagram is automatically placing teens into teen accounts and teens under 16 will need a parent's permission to change any of these settings to be less strict. Basically, Instagram teen accounts will limit who can contact teens and the content they see and help ensure teens time on the app is well spent. And that's something everyone can agree on.

[Jason Moore]

The Fantasy Footballers Studio is brought to you by Amazon Prime. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Mr. Moore. Wednesday, December 18 the fantasy footballer's in the building. Hello.

[Jason Moore]

You just hit us with a Mr. Rogers.

[Andy Holloway]

Nothing wrong with that.

[Jason Moore]

Put on your cardigan.

[Andy Holloway]

It's the level of calm that we all need for the Fantasy semifinal. Oh, and not all of us, but I mean like Al myself, okay, there's.

[Jason Moore]

One league I'm in plenty of semifinals.

[Andy Holloway]

But not the one you want to be.

[Jason Moore]

Not the one I want to be. That's fair. That's fair. Also, no one needs calm.

[Andy Holloway]

Like you don't want peace in your decision making. I think that's the best kind of decision you can make. You don't want panic. I don't want to put your shoes on nights and slow.

[Jason Moore]

I want excitement.

[Andy Holloway]

I want your decision making.

[Jason Moore]

I want passion.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, well I got, I got that. I Also got Gibbs.

[Jason Moore]

That's not fair. You also got gifted to Jamar Chase, Lamar Jackson.

[Andy Holloway]

We also got anxiety from Al Borland in the back. Is it starting to percolate now that you have a matchup in your. In your platform? You can see the projections.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah. It's continuing. It's not starting.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, okay. I thought you said you were doing good a couple days ago.

[Jason Moore]

He was lying. That's what I was facing, Jason.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, we've got a great show for you today, Jason and I. We'll catch you up on the latest news. We got hungry for more. We've got a Thursday night preview, and we got Saturday games this week as well. So there will be a trickle of points available to all players to tilt about. You know what I mean? Like every.

[Jason Moore]

I like that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. You want the maximum amount of blood.

[Jason Moore]

Pressure medication taken this week and you get, you know. You know, we're like micro dosing the football this weekend where it's like, okay, you get a game on Thursday.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

All right. You know, a little bit of information, a little bit Saturday. Here's another game. Just more information, but you still don't know all the way through the weekend. It should be a fun experiment.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah, that'll be fun. Just got to take care of business this week. We're going to help you do it. That's what this show is all about. You can find the [e-mail] I also wanted to let people know we mentioned it late on the show. I was just reaching in. We got some mini helmets on shopballers.com now.

[Jason Moore]

We went with the white helmet on the set today.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, in the middle of the set. Yeah. We had some brand new helmets made for the set. And then we've got minis available [e-mail] and you can check those out.

[Jason Moore]

They are pretty cool.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah, We've been wanting those for a long time, so we finally got them up there. And we'll have, you know, the Foot Clan title T shirts coming up at the very end of the year, so we'll get the team working on those. It's championship season.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Two weeks away.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's move on to Hungry for More.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to Hungry for More, presented by Uber Eats.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, well, Hungry for More, Jason, I think I'm gonna let you start. I like the name.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I am hungry for more of a player who I think is very, very talented. And we have seen almost none of this year. It's Tajay Spears, second year running back for The Tennessee Titans. He got injured in the middle of the year, has really been relegated to a full blown backup. This is not like a timeshare where he's, you know, this is a guy who for the most part on the course of the season hasn't had many opportunities to touch the ball double digit times. And for fantasy purposes, you pretty much have to touch the ball at least 10 times at the running back position in order to be relevant. Tony Pollard is super banged up. Tony Pollard exited the last game. We're not sure his health. I expect that he will try to tough it out and play, but I also think that Tajay will be more involved. We have seen him in the past be kind of that one B to the starter. Last year, you know, he was out snapping Derek Henry when they had Derek Henry as a rookie. The head coaching staff really likes Tajie and now that he's back and healthy, he looked good last week. He got two touchdowns. I mean, he was the running back five last week. It was on the back of those two touchdowns. And it took Tony Pollard's injury, but the combination of him being healthy, Tony Pollard being unhealthy, and the matchup against the Colts, who, you know, the last five weeks they have just been, you know, a sieve to running backs. The only team, you know, you look at, the jets scored seven and a half points over their expectation. The Lions, over their average, which was already high, scored five extra points. The Patriots scored more points. The only team that hasn't really beat them down in the running game was the Denver Broncos.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they have running backs.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, exactly. It's like, okay, how, how can they.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and the other point to bring up is he had two five zone carries before Pollard's exit last week, which was something significant, surprising. Pollard had already scored. Then they got down on the goal line, Spears had the opportunity to score, got stood up. Yeah, they kept him out there, gave him a second carry. He rose into the heavens and scored like so. It makes sense.

[Jason Moore]

I imagine that was what it looked like when they, when they brought in, when they boated in the Statue of Liberty and it was just coming down the river with the arm raised high. That's. That's how it happened.

[Andy Holloway]

That's how it arrived.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I wondered if you really.

[Jason Moore]

I'm pretty sure that's down the river. Down the river. The Atlantic river, you know, the Ocean River.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Gotcha. No, yeah, but Taj spears, huh? Jalen McMillan is my name. We talked about him a lot yesterday, so I won't belabor the point, but.

[Jason Moore]

You won me over.

[Andy Holloway]

He has been targeted on 24% of his routes in the last two games. He scored three touchdowns. He's a third round pick. He's got Dallas on the schedule, and they need his explosive ability in the game. I mean, they just do. They need it at the wide receiver position there. You know, when you're talking about Sterling shepherd having involvement in the offense, it tells you everything you need to know about their need for Jalen McMillan. And he's a rookie, so acclimation route running.

[Jason Moore]

I'm curious.

[Andy Holloway]

Dealt with injury. It's a slow burn, but he's here.

[Jason Moore]

Kyle, can you look up, see if there was any change in the last couple weeks of his, his slot utilization? Because when Chris Godwin went down, we were very, very excited for, for Jalen McMillan because he's. I think he's a talented rookie who was the slot guy in college and seemed like he could really step into that role. When Chris Godwin went down, he didn't. He literally didn't move into that needed role. He was still playing on the outside, where I don't think his talents align. I'm just curious if the last couple weeks have coincided with them utilizing him in a, in a, in a better way or not.

[Andy Holloway]

It looks actually the opposite.

[Jason Moore]

So less slot the last two weeks. Interesting. Maybe he's just leveling up as a.

[Andy Holloway]

Rookie, then he's just capitalizing too, on opportunities where earlier in the year he had targets and did not have a high catch rate and didn't take advantage. But the matchups are good, so I'm hungry for more. Jalen McMillan making a impact on fantasy teams. I was hungry for more. Presented by Uber Eats, where you can get the best deals on game day food all season long. Uber Eats, the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL. Order now.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league, presented by USAA Insurance.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, well, look, everybody's paying a little bit of closer attention to the news relevant to them.

[Jason Moore]

And what's relevant to you, Andy?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I think it's more than just myself in this case, but I know.

[Jason Moore]

You'Re paying close attention to Joe Mixon.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Joe Mixon is the one I'm very, very concerned about. The matchup is not good. It's Kansas City. We looked extensively at the motivation factor for Houston yesterday. They have about a 1% chance of getting the two seeds. So moving from the four where they're pretty locked, to the two where buffalo is, because Buffalo would have to lose to three terrible teams, that's not going to happen. There is a higher chance to move to the three seed. That would be passing Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has Baltimore this week. Houston has the opportunity if they beat Kansas City. If for some reason my home sits, you know, if they take it easy, whatever, if Houston can get by, that would be the motivation you'd want at that point. Houston has a game with Baltimore down the stretch. There would be a realistic shot if, you know, if Baltimore wins this week and Houston wins this week, which means they want to win. If both of those things happen, their odds of getting that third seed go up tremendously. More within their control. And so all of this to say, like, what is the status of Joe Mixon? We. We've been looking into that. It was a hip drop tackle. They've come out again. This is the second time he's been injured due to a hip drop tackle on his ankle and a penalty was not called. So a lot of his discussion.

[Jason Moore]

I feel like I haven't seen hip drop penalty the whole season. I've seen plenty of hip drop plays.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no, there were, there were other ones last week, too. But we do have a clip of Joe Mixon yesterday chatting about the injury and where he stands.

[Jason Moore]

I think the best thing is I'm up walking, obviously finished the game, so, you know, just going to keep on trying to do whatever I can. Attack, recovery and get ready for Saturday.

[Andy Holloway]

You feel good for Saturday though, the way you're feeling right now? Do you feel like you're on that track?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, elite start a playoff football right now. Like, I mean, I, I got beater and I'm beater, you know what I'm saying? And I'm beer for my teammates and obviously for myself, man. So I just got to do whatever I can. Like I said, we're attack or to attack recovery today, tomorrow, Friday. And obviously.

[Andy Holloway]

What was your reaction to hearing that, Jason? Because I was very curious. You hadn't heard that clip yet? I had got it ready before the show and I knew you'd hear it fresh. And I wanted to know if you were more optimistic, pessimistic. What was your.

[Jason Moore]

I think the takeaway? There is a little bit more optimism in the sense that he is viewing it in the light of the playoffs have started. They care about the seating. I was looking it up because I knew that Baltimore plays on Saturday as well. And if Baltimore, you know, if that game goes the wrong way for the Texans, then their motivation is gone. However, the Texans play first. So when the Texans play, they are still Playing for an increase in their seating, you know, longer home field through the playoffs, very important. So the fact that he discussed it in the context of the playoffs starting, that it mattered because when you read the quote, I had read the quote, I had not heard it. And it's just like, I'm going to be there. It's like, well, I know you're going to be there, but will your helmet be on?

[Andy Holloway]

Like I did wonder, you know, after our discussion yesterday, his comment about being there for his teammates and then he said for myself. And then I'm thinking back to the contract incentives. He's at 910 rushing yards. He's got an 1100 rushing yard incentive. So there is a being there for yourself aspect to it. But the reality of the mixing situation is that if he's active, this is a Saturday game, you're not, you know, if you know he's active, how do you not play him? He's the horse that got you here on Saturday and just hope that you end up with the outcome you're happy with.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, you're going to play. There's no world where you don't play Joe Mixon. And he can easily. I think Joe Mixon has a very down game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, like what, 10 points?

[Jason Moore]

Eight points? I think 10 points. I think that's kind of what you should be expecting. I'll bet he gets a lot of volume. It's very inefficient. You're praying they get around the goal line. I mean, they are playing against Kansas City. They're number one in the fewest fantasy points given up to the running back position. So you. And I expect that he is banged up. I mean, also in that quote, all he's talking about is, you know, hitting, recovery.

[Andy Holloway]

No, and he said he's not. I mean, he didn't practice. I think at best you'll see a limited practice.

[Jason Moore]

So you'll have a hobbled mix and against a great rush defense, you know, in a bad environment, the game is in Kansas City. So. Yeah, I mean, you're hoping for 10 points, but I can't imagine you have someone better to start than Joe Mixon in the playoffs.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah. That's kind of where you're at. And if he didn't play, you also would know early, right? I mean, you would. You'd be getting that information quite a bit earlier. I'm looking at Kansas City and I'm curious how they've performed against running backs in recent history. We'll have to take a look at that. Too. I'm sure they've been shutting them down just like they have most of the year. Miami last week. Yeah, yeah, we'll see.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they have. Miami scored over their expectation last week and that was the first time on the entire season that a team has even hit their average. They have not. I mean, they.

[Andy Holloway]

Fifth against running backs in recent history. Yeah, yeah. Okay, we got news. Big news that, you know, Kirk Cousins is getting sat down.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, I can't believe that this is second in the news here.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, that's my fault. Remember the bias I told you about players you care about? I don't have a lot of dependency on Kirk Cousins, but the Falcons did financially. Holy one touchdown, nine interceptions in the last five games. They're sitting him down. Michael Pennix Jr. Taking over as starting quarterback. And here's what we know. We pointed and laughed at Kyle during draft day and now, now you're like, the mistake is either drafting Pinnocks or signing Cousins. It looks like the mistake was signing Cousins.

[Jason Moore]

I thought about this and there's only one thing to root for here, and that is for the Falcons to win the super bowl and everyone to just all the draft pundits and, you know, all the problems of why would you spin that draft capital on a player that can't help you win? Now if he comes in and is good, gets them to the playoffs, wins a playoff game or whatever, it will be incredible. Now for fantasy purposes, I'm terrified. You know, is this an upgrade for Drake London because of how bad Kirk Cousins was playing? It could be. Certainly Kirk Cousins threw one touchdown in the last like five games. So that's great. Historically speaking, rookie quarterbacks haven't been, you know, positive assets for wide receivers. But I mean, this is the new NFL. We had that be different last year with C.J. stroud. We've had that obviously be different this year with Bo Nix. Yeah, Bo Nix and Jane Daniels. So also Pinnocks has had time to sit behind the starter to learn the system. And so I guess we're going to. We're going to see what, what's your expectation? Like Darnell Mooney, a guy who just goosed.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the biggest negative impact to me because to me, Mooney was the one dissecting defenses, timing routes where Cousins. Cousins had picked him as a favorite. I don't know, it's all weird.

[Jason Moore]

But can you play Mooney this week? Can you? Nah, you're. So Mooney is a full bench.

[Andy Holloway]

No, the switch involves. I mean, he just came off a goose With Cousins, the variable here of a brand new quarterback going into semifinal week is too much for me. Mooney was not in a must start category. He was a flex guy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So to me I would be, I'd be trying to find somebody with more certainty and look, it could be the wrong call. You know, we just don't know what to expect from Michael Pennix. That's the reality of the situation. And that variable freaks me out. Some people, maybe not. Maybe you're more risk averse. Maybe you want to take the shot. I don't, I don't think it's good for Bijan. I don't think it's good for the offense.

[Jason Moore]

My initial predictability wise, yeah, my initial reaction was certainly that this is bad for Bijan, bad for the offense, bad for scoring opportunities. When you look a little bit deeper though, they just scored 15 points against the Raiders.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they're not scoring.

[Jason Moore]

The week before they scored 21. The week before they scored 13. The week before they scored 6. The week before they scored 17.

[Andy Holloway]

So can't get much worse.

[Jason Moore]

Pinnocks can score 20 points. Not that he will, but like they're.

[Andy Holloway]

Also heavy favorites this week against the Giants.

[Jason Moore]

Right. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So there's an opportunity.

[Jason Moore]

It's a great matchup.

[Andy Holloway]

We're all curious.

[Jason Moore]

So maybe you do need to throw in a, you know, a Mooney and hope if.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

You know, maybe Bijon gets more scoring opportunities.

[Andy Holloway]

You're just saying that. The baseline has been so low for Atlanta for five weeks. It can't get much worse.

[Jason Moore]

The usual refrain is rookie quarterback coming in equals bad right now for offense. But offense has already equaled bad right now, so nowhere to go but up.

[Andy Holloway]

This is really good math analysis. Yeah. Here's where you go down. Browns are starting Dorian Thompson. Robinson, that's Jameis Winston was benched. It seemed like it was going that direction. So we said yesterday that we kind of expected that, but.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I mean this is so. Oh my God.

[Andy Holloway]

He's never scored more than 13 points in a game as a starter.

[Jason Moore]

He is a terrible quarterback. Dorian Thompson. Robinson is one of those backups that shouldn't be a backup.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a third string.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's a third. I mean he was a third string, so that's fair. You are taking away our Jerry Judy, you are taking away our David Ajoku if he's active. You are taking away Cedric Tillman coming back from concussion protocol who was going to be right in the lineup. And now I don't know that you could start anyone outside of Jerome Ford.

[Andy Holloway]

It's not a great sample because Jerome Ford has played a committee back for role historically with the Browns. His numbers are better splits wise with DTR than they are Winston, but they're not good with either historically. I was trying to find some, you know, correlative like what do you expect? I mean, he caught more passes with DTR than he did with Winston. It's small stuff. It's not really predictive. He's a starter now. He's not a backup. He is playable in this game. I do believe that the Bengals matchup is going to be very good for Jerome Ford. Yeah, I think DTR might run a decent amount in this game and they. You got to hope they give you a goal line opportunity for Ford because it's probably going to be one one opportunity. 3 points, 13 points, 12 points in three starts for him last year. Bengals playing for playoff lives. Browns are done. They're toast. We got IR for Nick Chubb and Jerry Judy. Terrifying. You're probably playing him, man. I mean, I'd play him over Mooney.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Just because of how good he's been.

[Jason Moore]

And how good he's been in the matchup against the Bengals, you know that they're going to have to throw the ball a ton in this game. The Bengals. The Bengals are going to roll over the Browns this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Titans are also making a switch to a backup. Mason Rudolph taking over for the Titans. This is more of the can't get worse than it was situation. He actually, you know, Calvin really had piles and piles of targets for Mason Rudolph when he started this year. I think he averaged 12 a game. So could it be a little bit better for Calvin Ridley? I think so.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Because I've seen Will love his play.

[Jason Moore]

I don't view this as a downgrade. This is. I don't necessarily view it as an upgrade either, but it doesn't change my. I look like I'm hungry for more Taj Spears. The matchup, you know, is really good against the Colts and the quarterback change doesn't affect it at all to me.

[Andy Holloway]

Aiden O'Connell trending upwards to playing this week. I don't know if you saw. Did you see the comment? I think it was through barstool. I mean, this is just. Dave Portnoy had talked to Antonio Pearson in elevator the other day and he said he was competing because he's a New England fan. He's like, he's. He said we're competing for like the number one pick.

[Jason Moore]

That's Antonio Pierce said yeah, for first.

[Andy Holloway]

Place or something like that. It was some kind of, you know, comment regarding the fact that like the Patriots and the. And the Raiders are competing for the opportunity to have a higher draft pick. That's where they're at. So, I mean, if you're the Raiders.

[Jason Moore]

Aiden O'Connell should trend towards not playing well.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I don't think you win with either guy, but fair. But yeah, it was just one of those acknowledgments of the team's demise, which makes it hard. I mean, Aiden O'Connell is much better than Ritter. However, Brock Bowers confidence goes down with either guy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, all of them. I mean, you're still going to start Brock Bowers because, you know, he's a man. Jacoby Myers is the. Is the real. Is the real start or must bench guy. It's almost like must start and must bench Ifano.

[Andy Holloway]

Was there. Was he a better start to you than Adam Thielen with Bryce Young in Carolina?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, really, they're playing against Jacksonville this week, who is 32nd, you know, against quarterbacks, and they give it up against wide receivers. You saw last week Aaron Rodgers look like superman against Jacksonville. So, yeah, I would. I would certainly play Jacoby Myers if Aiden O'Connell is the starter.

[Andy Holloway]

Mahomes full participant in practice.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Andy Holloway]

He's going to play Hollywood Brown, full participant in practice for the Chiefs.

[Jason Moore]

That's really interesting. The reports that he could actually be on the field in Week 16 is surprising for a player who missed so much time and just got activated. You'd expect him to kind of pull the pacheco where they activate his window and then give him a couple weeks of practice before he's out there. But it seems like they really need him.

[Andy Holloway]

We also got news that Breeze hall did not practice estimated DMP today.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, don't worry about that. I'm telling you, Breeze hall gonna be awesome this week.

[Andy Holloway]

And why is that?

[Jason Moore]

Because I am out of the playoffs in the two leagues. I have him and that's what he did to me last year.

[Andy Holloway]

So you have two years of pain from one man.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, it feels like four years of pain because it's the two main leagues.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah. It's four knives over two years.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

George Pickens, DMP on Tuesday, still dealing with the hamstring, will monitor that. But that's a scary start as well. You know, if he's active, I'm sure you're playing him. But their offense has not been anywhere the same without him. That was today's. News and notes presented by USAA Insurance. Learn [e-mail] we'll take a break. We'll hit the preview. This episode is brought to you by Abbott let's talk about a small thing that can make a big difference if you have diabetes. The Freestyle Libre 3 sensor. It's amazing how the sensor gives you real time glucose readings so that you can see the impact of every meal and activity. To make better choices. The Freestyle Libre 3 sensor can help you live life with diabetes on your terms. This is progress. You can try it for free at FreestyleLibre US. Offer available for people who qualify. Visit MyFreestyle US to see all terms and conditions. Certain exclusions apply for prescription only Safety info found @freestylelibre us.

[Jason Moore]

This episode is brought to you by Indeed. Every good athlete has something in common. They're always constantly looking for ways to improve. But it's not just athletes that should be doing this. It's always a good idea to try and do better. Like when it comes to hiring, I know how much of a struggle the hiring process can be for everyone. So make it better with Indeed. It's a hiring platform that receives millions of visitors a month and its matching engine helps you find candidates fast. You can even use Indeed to schedule screen message and connect with candidates you like. I think the best part of Indeed though is the quality candidates it finds for you. According to a recent Indeed survey, 93% of employers agree that Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites. So join the more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide that use Indeed to hire great talent fast. Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs More visibility@ Indeed.com Footballers just go to Indeed.com Footballers right now to support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. That's indeed.com footballers terms and conditions apply. You need to hire. You need Indeed. Thursday night Breakdown.

[Andy Holloway]

Well semifinal week will begin on Thursday. Denver traveling to LA to take on the Chargers. Denver sitting at 9 and 5, Chargers 8 and 6 and slipping. They're slipping. The draft king sportsbook line chargers minus two and a half at home. However over under just 42. That's low. That's low. Right now they are both playoff teams. They are currently the 6 and 7 seed in the playoffs and with a decent lead in those spots. But very important game. Both defenses are tied for number one in points per game allowed. So you know, I don't know, maybe Kyle, you can dig up the health of Patrick Certain because he twisted his ankle. I think it was a minor injury, but it's a quick turnaround and that would be significant for the McConkey huge universe.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, this is a real interesting game. You saw that. So the Chargers defense, for the most part this year has been very, very good. Last week they were very, very bad. Baker tore them apart. I think the bucks put up 40 on them. This being a divisional matchup with two really good defenses scares me for fantasy points scored. Feel like they're going to be well prepared for each other. And this could be a, you know, it's a low over under that could not get there.

[Andy Holloway]

Sir Tan is healthy, by the way. The latest report. So Sir Tan will be out there. You know, Bo Nix, there's been a lot of trust there with Bo Nix and with Cortland Sutton. The matchup over the last six weeks has been much better. Like you said, the Chargers have given up some points. They've been slipping. Part of it is that, you know, their offense is missing pieces and success and running game and, you know, short fields and mistakes. And Stone smart has become a talking point in fantasy. That's not where you wanted to be if you were the Chargers.

[Jason Moore]

How bad is Joshua Palmer?

[Andy Holloway]

Real bad.

[Jason Moore]

I don't understand because he was always so fine. That's the compliment. He was so fine whenever Keenan or Mike Williams went down.

[Andy Holloway]

He had a 6 for 78 game two weeks ago. Good enough for 30th. He's had a wide receiver 23 week and a wide receiver 27 week. But no, not very many boom games. McConkey has been really the guy. He's averaging 88 yards a game since the injury or since week eight. So, you know, you can. You can play McConkey for sure. He is not the kind of player that gets, you know, followed all over the place. And he'll have his receptions. Quentin Johnson's healthy but scary. And I don't know if I'd really want to.

[Jason Moore]

I would not.

[Andy Holloway]

This is why I like McMillan more than him. And waivers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and I get it. I would start McMillan over him as well. Looking into the specificity of the matchup. A low over under Patrick, certain on the other side, a prime time game. You know, it's like, how's. How's Quentin Johnson going to do in primetime when that ball's in the air, drop into his hands. You know what I mean? Like, this scares because it's a mental extra.

[Andy Holloway]

Cameras can distract.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So I would be shocked. I mean, he's an athletic guy that could get a bomb touchdown from the most beautiful throne ball that there is in the NFL from Justin Herbert. But I. In the playoffs, I can't start Quentin Johnston in this matchup. I mean, the Broncos are number two against wide receivers, so lad, I'm okay with just. Because what he does is kind of. You can't really guard against it much. I mean, he's a more PPR guy. I would expect he's going to have at least, you know, 5 for 55. That's the baseline. And then you hope it ends up more like 8 for 100 and a touchdown. But I don't. He's not the type of player that I think could go out and goose Corlin.

[Andy Holloway]

Sutton's in your lineup, though, right? Because this is a situation where you trust the alpha on this offense. But beyond that, I mean, you don't have probably Jaleel McLaughlin anymore. So Javante and estimate just Sutton.

[Jason Moore]

It's just Sutton. You can't. I'm not going to start Javante or estimate. I'm not going to start Bo Nix either. You know, he. He has thrown quite a few interceptions recently. Looked a little bit worse than when he was on fire. This is a tough matchup. Cortland Sutton is fine, but that's it. It's basically just Cortland Sutton on that side of the ball and no one else.

[Andy Holloway]

I think we're due for a Deucer's Alley combo mailbag drop.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, well, that sounds delightful. Let's get the camera. I never took a dump on air.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I mean, it's just. But you.

[Jason Moore]

I got you.

[Andy Holloway]

You're in the alley, man. Here we go.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag. Mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jason Moore]

Holy car wreck. I. Do we allow him to fix that in post?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he can lower the volume for safety.

[Jason Moore]

I could just mute Matt and it'll be fine. Oh, my Lanta is that who screamed.

[Andy Holloway]

Into the mic like a freight train?

[Jason Moore]

Okay, so here's what the he's Turtle shit audience. You won't understand because we will do you a blessing and we will fix this so you will never hear what Andy and I just heard.

[Andy Holloway]

Right? We're pretty deaf, but I'm like, you.

[Jason Moore]

Know those smelling salts. Yeah, dude, we got something better. We got something better for. I am awake. I can see sound. This is incredible.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was. That's as close as I've been to being hit by a train. Yeah, I mean, honestly, really, really good work back there.

[Jason Moore]

You knocked the wind out of me. Good job.

[Andy Holloway]

Now, Papa Josh says he doesn't want to be lumped in with the other trash back there. That was terrible now. But. But I think Al doesn't want to be lumped in either.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I killed it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Okay.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, this, that's the, it signifies the mailbag, Jason. We are into the mailbag. And if you have a question and you want to subject us to that drop again, by the way, get back. Get, get well, Mike. Get well. We need you. Go to the website, the fantasy footballers.com. click that submit a question button. Dial the voicemail hotline 302-464-TFFB and we have a lot of questions about Jaden Daniels this week. There is a significant worry about Daniels. First, the Eagles. And the most asked question by far is what quarterbacks would you actually start over? Jaden Daniels, who was the quarterback 24 against the Eagles last time. The Eagles defense is very healthy. The offense for Washington is not healthy. Noah Brown is gone. Zach Ertz probably out. Zach Ertz is a very nice safety blanket underneath for Jaden Daniels moving the football. This one is a tough one. You've got a rookie quarterback in a difficult situation, but he's been so good. Jordan Love against New Orleans or Jaden.

[Jason Moore]

Daniels against Philly, that's a really, that's a difficult one. Obviously that could be a situation where you have those two players. Jaden Daniels wasn't a highly drafted guy, so maybe you held on to both. I'm not moving away from Jaden Daniels in this week. They played earlier in the year and Jaden had a down game. He had like 13 fantasy points and that could happen again. But Jaden got me there. Jaden Daniels is great. He is very, very good at football. We watched last week and this is an important game for them. Now. The Eagles defense is really, really good, but it's not like they don't, it's not like they, you know, Lamar just put up 25 fantasy points against them a couple of weeks ago. They, they aren't some defense that is impossible to score against. This is a divisional matchup. Those can always turn into a slug fest. But I, I want the Jalen Hertz versus Jaden Daniels. I'm not moving away from Jaden Daniels. I think he's going to run the ball a lot in this game. You know, not having the safety blanket of Zach Ertz might just mean you got to take off and run. And for fantasy, that's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

So over love, over golf.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Against Chicago, over two against San Francisco, definitely over Darnold against Seattle.

[Jason Moore]

They're back to back in my rankings and I've got Jaden Daniels ahead of.

[Andy Holloway]

Them over Baker against Dallas.

[Jason Moore]

That one. I might go Baker. Baker against Dallas is so right now my rankings. Go Baker. Jaden, Sam Darnold.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, let's jump into a voicemail question here.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, what's going on, fancy footballers? This is Tristan from Texas and I need some quarterback starting advice. I'm in between Tyler Murray or Bo Nicks.

[Andy Holloway]

So Tristan is between Kyler Murray and Bo Nix. Kyler has the Panthers. Panthers are a great matchup for quarterbacks. The Broncos, we just talked about it. Chargers Thursday night. Low over under. I would play Kyler.

[Jason Moore]

When the question started with should I play Kyler or. I was locked and loaded to say the or.

[Andy Holloway]

You were on the or.

[Jason Moore]

I was on the or. But I don't like the matchup for Bo Nix. Both of these players have the ability to dod. Both of these players have the ability to actually have good games. I mean, Kyler is as untrustworthy as it gets, but he still had a handful of really, really good fantasy games. And this matchup against Carolina, they're favored.

[Andy Holloway]

By four and a half.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Broncos are underdogs by two and a half.

[Jason Moore]

I'll play Kyler in that matchup.

[Andy Holloway]

Really big popular start sit questions around Jalen McMillan, Jaden Reed and JSN. So the J's okay. First question from Muno says, are you worried about jsn?

[Jason Moore]

This is a Geno Smith question, probably about his health, I mean. Yes, I'm not worried about JSN in general. If Geno is not playing, then JSN certainly takes, you know, a couple steps backwards. The matchup is very good against Minnesota. This is a team that's going to put up points. You can't run on them, so they're going to have to throw the ball. I would not say that JSN moves to like a must bench level. He's been too good. I, you know, they said that the knee is like structurally okay for Gino. Right. So Gino is also as. He's tough as nails. I think he'll be there. But I'm probably going to be playing JSN.

[Andy Holloway]

So that would be JSN over McMillan.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, I would play JSN over McMillan.

[Andy Holloway]

That would be Jalen McMillan or Keenan Allen for an underdog, I'm going to go from Ben Sharp.

[Jason Moore]

I'm still going to stick with JSN.

[Andy Holloway]

He wasn't an option. It was Jalen McMillan or Keenan Allen.

[Jason Moore]

On the other one. Oh, Jalen.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Or Keenan Allen. Oh, man, that one is really tough. How are you feeling about Keenan Allen?

[Andy Holloway]

Pretty okay.

[Jason Moore]

I still feel like I have a hard time trusting him. He plays against Detroit this week, which is wonderful right now with the way that Detroit has sadly lost its entire defense. Man, do I love Dan Campbell. Just listening to how he talked about all these injuries, and I guess it was even more on the offensive side of the ball. He's just a solid dude. I would want that to be my. If I was a player and I could pick my coach, Dan Campbell is who I would want to play football for. He might not even be the best coach, but, like, I feel like Dan Campbell would get in a fight for me, and so I'd want to play ball for him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. What other coach You've been a Tomlin fan?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I loved. I love Tomlin.

[Andy Holloway]

You'd rather play for Dan Campbell.

[Jason Moore]

But if I'm getting in a fight and my head coach has to come in, I want it to be Dan. I want it to be Guns Mahoney. Tomlin will just give him the dad stare and stop the fight that way. I want punches thrown.

[Andy Holloway]

You ever see the story about Andy Reid when he was an offensive coordinator?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And he had to pretend to be yelling in a player's face. And he was saying. He was basically saying calmly, like, I'm going to be really demonstrative here, and I'm going to. I'm going to say a bunch of stuff. I needed. You act like I'm yelling at you, but I just wanted to, like, tell you that you're doing fine and you're doing good with the cut. It was amazing.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it was. The old head coach for the Seahawks was an angry, ornery guy. And so the expectation was that the Holmgren was it. Yeah, I think it was Homegren. Yeah. And. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And it was just Hasselbeck. Yeah. And he's like, I'm going to come out and pretend I'm yelling at you. But you actually did that. You ran that play pretty well. And I like what you're doing.

[Jason Moore]

It turns out that, like, people respecting their coaches, it kind of matters. Human beings, I think we like to respect people we work for.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And the tough part about being, you know, the players, coach versus tough guy versus all that stuff is it's mostly about when you need to be. What?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's like, kind of emotional intelligence from a coach as opposed to pretending like, if you decide, as a head coach, I need to be tough right now, you've already lost the battle, you should know that. And if you're like, oh, I need to be a players coach right now, they will see through that fakeness too.

[Jason Moore]

Dan Campbell, Mike Tomlin, Andy Reid, they will lay down the law and they will hold you accountable. They will make sure that if you're doing something wrong, it is pointed out but they're not just going to be tough guys to be tough guys. Mike McDaniel, I'm not sure he has ever tough laid down some law. I think everything is always okay that you know what I mean?

[Andy Holloway]

I get it.

[Jason Moore]

He's a players coach. That's fun.

[Andy Holloway]

But yep, yep, I tend to agree. Jaden Reed or you like discipline? Jaden Reed or Jameson Williams? Logan writes in on Instagram, wants to know read where our confidence is. Williams where our confidence is.

[Jason Moore]

I'm more confident in Jameson Williams than I am in Jaden Reed. Jaden Reed can have, you know, obviously at the beginning of the year he had a ton of touchdowns, looked good. The emergence, the what's. What's. Is that, is that the word I'm looking for?

[Andy Holloway]

You're going to have to finish the emergence of Josh Jacobs ascension.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, I mean, does that work? Like, Josh Jacobs has just been a touchdown machine lately.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

So I think against the Saints, I worry that it's, you know, it should regress back to the mean. But right now it's working every game and that's hurting the receivers for the packers, the touchdown opportunities. So, you know, I'm going to go Jameson Williams.

[Andy Holloway]

I would try Jameson Williams out there. Higher probability of that. Big, big play, an unknown with no David Montgomery and how that offense is going to function. And that unknown can lend itself towards Williams targets. That's where I would go as well. So we'll take a quick break and jump back into some more mailbag questions. This episode is brought to you by Duluth Trading Company. Just like you won't settle for average with your draft selections, those picks, the same should go for your workwear. Duluth Trading, you can out think outsmart and outdo average with every piece of men's and women's gear that they build. It's why they fabricate fire hose pants to be epically tough, pack their bibs full of pockets and make sure buck naked underwear feels barely there. It's all about innovating ingenious gear that you won't find anywhere else. Shop online or in store today. Visit duluthtrading.com this episode is brought to.

[Jason Moore]

You by Mattress Firm. We've all been there agonizing over lineup Calls only to deal with that one person who changes the rules in mid season or the trash talker who somehow gloats even after a loss. Makes me wonder. How do they sleep at night? Probably on a mattress for Mattress Firm. They will help you find the right bed for your needs because when matched with the right mattress, anyone can sleep at night. Even the league's biggest villains. Mattress Firm offers quality mattresses at every price for your best rest. And with free and fast delivery, you could be snoozing in no time. No more restless nights worrying about your team. Get matched at Mattress Firm's semiannual sale and clearance and finally sleep at night. Text FOOTBALL to 766-693 for $100 off your next Mattress Firm purchase restrictions apply. See mattressfirm.com or visit a store for details.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, this next question comes in off of Instagram. Jason Is Amari Cooper droppable for the packers defense?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, of course. Any, any mid level questionable starter at this point, I think is droppable for someone that you need. I mean, unless your opponent has the most monstrous hole at that position.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, I would not be afraid of my opponent picking up Amari Cooper. Yeah, I might be excited, sure.

[Jason Moore]

Obviously Amari Cooper can get it done and have a big game. If I'm a huge underdog, he's the type of player I would throw in a lineup. But most people in the playoffs, especially in round two, you have good teams. You don't need that kind of uncertainty.

[Andy Holloway]

Amari Cooper's five games played. Actually, I'll include the game he came and scored a touchdown in week one. Just so you know, Amari Cooper, the bill.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

On Pace for 45 receptions, 654 yards.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

And 2.8 touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

2.8, you say? Yeah, that's about what Jamar Chase scores every game.

[Andy Holloway]

And it's only 2.8 because he scored one time in that first game. He has not scored since then.

[Jason Moore]

Jamar Chase is on pace for 1700 yards and 18 touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I. You got to make the moves now that don't feel like normal moves. If you've conditioned yourself for 13 weeks to think about your insurance back and having depth at this position and keeping this guy away from somebody else and you're sitting there and you could pick up the Green Bay packers against Spencer Rattler and no. 1 and no Camara at Lambeau, you have to make that move. What your potential loss of points is later is lower than your potential gain in points today. You have to live short term. Yes, There is no tomorrow. And I promise you, if you lose this week, you will find no solace staring at your bench of depth next week.

[Jason Moore]

Correct. And I also promise you if you drop your backup right. And your starter gets injured, but the move you made helped you win this week. It's a net win, I promise.

[Andy Holloway]

Because, yeah, you're fine.

[Jason Moore]

You're fine. Also, in case people were like, why is he bringing up Jamar Chase when you're talking about Amari Cooper? I wanted to bring. I just bring that up because you were gifted. I have a purpose here of bringing this up. You were gifted, Jamal Chase.

[Andy Holloway]

I made a great trade.

[Jason Moore]

You clicked accept. Yes. You clicked.

[Andy Holloway]

It wasn't all that went into it. I pursued Chase for weeks. You know who else pursued him and didn't have an accept button to click? Al Borland over there.

[Jason Moore]

I made a way stronger offer. You very much.

[Andy Holloway]

It wasn't just Amari Ku clowns.

[Jason Moore]

However, the reason I'm bringing this up is because I want. This is a case study on hype, on trading on hype. Amari Cooper has sucked. He has been irrelevant as a bill, he is worthless. But when that trade happened and he went to the Bills, there was.

[Andy Holloway]

He had no receivers.

[Jason Moore]

There was the what if. Oh, my gosh, he could be a top five. He could turn into Jamar Chase. You know, I made so you.

[Andy Holloway]

I had made an offer. I'll just lay it out there. It's not a defense. I had made an offer with Amari Cooper. It was Cooper, Najoku Mooney and two picks for Chase. No, I'm not doing it. He says, my good fortune was the trade happens. All of a sudden the sugar plums are dancing in the mind of this other manager.

[Jason Moore]

So you made the trade offer when Amari Cooper was a Brown.

[Andy Holloway]

A Brown. He says, no, I'm not doing that. It just so happened that within the next 24 hours, Cooper goes to Josh Allen and the Bills, the same offer comes back to me.

[Jason Moore]

And you couldn't claim quick enough.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, so fast. So fast.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, because you got Jamar Chase for nothing.

[Andy Holloway]

Because he's already trading Cooper as if he was great.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And there's a what if in the equation when these trades happen. Hopkins. Hopkins got traded for in a lot of leagues with Kansas City. Cooper. When a mid season trade happens, all you see is the greatest possible outcome. Not everybody.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, but you're trading it on the.

[Andy Holloway]

Value of the accomplishment.

[Jason Moore]

Whenever a player value is super high on hope. Trade at that level if you can. If you can get Something at that level, always do it.

[Andy Holloway]

We've said that for dynasty leagues a lot. We've said that for pre draft trading the value of the player. If, if you're getting the value of them performing to their maximum outcome.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. It's not just trade them.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Then you're winning no matter what.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Because you're getting the value back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. So. But it is a good point that I have Jamar Chase that you brought.

[Jason Moore]

Up that you shouldn't have Jamar Chase that I brought up. Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, you know, not everyone listens to the show, Jason. All right, we've got more questions. Packers defense or Falcons defense? Falcons playing well, sacking the quarterback. Playing Tim Boyle and the Giants. Packers against the Saints.

[Jason Moore]

Wow. That's. Both are on the road. Falcons are on the road. Right. I know, I know the packers are in New Orleans so I'm going to go. Oh, they're both at home.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they are.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. Then I'm going to go with the Packers.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Is the Bengals defense. This is from.

[Jason Moore]

I want you to answer that. Which one would you go with?

[Andy Holloway]

Packers.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

The. Because I am worried that Penix could put the defense in a bad situation. We saw that with, you know, the Cardinals and Kyler the other, the other week. Land Rover on X writes in, is the Bengals defense a Sneaky potential number one defense this week?

[Jason Moore]

100%.

[Andy Holloway]

I am thinking motive over skill because the Browns are starting dtr.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean I'm, I.

[Andy Holloway]

You did this last week with Will Levis and it worked out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I'm super happy to play the Bengals. The Bengals defense is bad in real life, but they, they do things that score in fantasy. You know, they, you know, they sacked the quarterback, they caused turnovers and with DTR at quarterback, I would be fine playing the bank.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you feel the same way? And this is a question coming from me as a follow up, do you feel that way about Jacksonville's defense? 30th in the league, but could be playing Desmond Ritter?

[Jason Moore]

If I knew it was Desmond Ritter. Yeah. If it's Aiden O'Connell. No.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. I agree with that. Cody writes in on X, do you go with a regular pepperoni pizza or pull out all the stops for your opponent during the playoffs? Okay, this is a question regarding a very successful common strategy. If you are a follower of the show.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

Which is you pre congratulate your opponent.

[Jason Moore]

You let them know how great they.

[Andy Holloway]

Are, buying them a pizza.

[Jason Moore]

Well, you take care of them. You are. It's the opposite of trash talk.

[Andy Holloway]

And you did not Buy all a pizza. Which might have led to you losing by.

[Jason Moore]

I just realized I didn't get all the pizza because I got Brooks a pizza last year and I beat him and I should have got. Ow. I'm sorry I didn't get you a pizza. I accept your apology, but no, pepperoni is fine.

[Andy Holloway]

You can buy him one now, Al.

[Jason Moore]

Sure. Pepperoni is absolutely fine. I think a lot of people would say that that is the goat of pizza. I mean, what is pulling out all the stops?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know. Is that stuffed crust? I don't know what's pulling out the stops. Is that getting them dipping sauce? I mean, I mean, sure, if you want. It's not quantity. Total quantity of toppings does not make a good. A better pizza, right? No.

[Jason Moore]

There's cheese pizzas that are better than supreme pizzas.

[Andy Holloway]

But like. Yeah. So, like, just adding more top. I mean, it's more expensive if you add toppings.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. This isn't about breaking the bank. Just get cheese.

[Andy Holloway]

If anything, I'd spell congrats. And black olives.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Or if you know, depending on the time of year. Obviously it can't happen now, but sometimes there's like the heart shaped pizza. That's just nice. That's just an act of love.

[Andy Holloway]

Good reminder. Jay, Al, when we meet next week, congrats. Your team is the best team I've ever seen.

[Jason Moore]

You too, buddy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. All right.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, he's already.

[Andy Holloway]

Pizza fight. All right. YouTube question. Travis Kelsey or Britain Strange this week? Sweat. Sweat. Sweat emoji. Kelsey against Houston, Strange against Las Vegas.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, we talked about this in the context of your Dynasty team because, you know, Strange might be on waivers in Dynasty. And you've got Kelsey. It's going to be Kelsey.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm starting to waver just a little bit.

[Jason Moore]

For real?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm starting to waver just a little.

[Jason Moore]

It's Kelsey.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, no, it would be Kelsey, but I'm wavering on my, like, Otten or somebody else situation.

[Jason Moore]

Otten has been awful.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's been, you know, but then I look in at Baker and Baker's got three touchdowns. Then he's got four touchdowns the last two weeks.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Who's going to score a touchdown? That Is it Mac Jones or is it Baker Mayfield?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's Baker.

[Andy Holloway]

So is it Britain Strange or Tucker Kraft? Where is the line? Because that question came in from Johnny.

[Jason Moore]

Between those two.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Are you going 12 target strange?

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to. I'm going to go with Kraft. I'm going to search for the touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Craft over.

[Jason Moore]

Craft over. Strange. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But I would take Kelsey over both of them. And for the record, that is either with Mahomes or with Win.

[Andy Holloway]

Got update that. Got an update that Cedric Tillman remains in concussion protocol.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. I mean, he should not come back. I'm just. I'm saying now that. Now that James Winston isn't there, why.

[Andy Holloway]

Bother the Falcon over there, who has a great attendance record lately, by the way. Falcon going out of town, though, soon. Is that right? Yeah. Okay. He would like pizza for lunch. He just let us know. He would just let us know that we've said pizza enough. Time. I'm in. All right. I mean, yeah, Jason, you paused.

[Jason Moore]

I'm trying. I'm eating healthier, but I'll eat a pizza. I mean, you don't have to twist my arm.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Lead me not into temptation. Aaron says, how do you decide what players to start or bench with a stacked roster?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you just get it wrong. I mean, that's the truth, is you're going to look at all the potential information, weather report, you know, are they home? Are they away? What's the over unders in Vegas? What is going on with your brain right now?

[Andy Holloway]

Andy, Waivers just went through.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, all right.

[Andy Holloway]

And I was almost hoping that I wouldn't get Brenton Strange, because I got him, and now I'm going to be staring down Strange Otten all week long, Man. Borland decided to play some defense. Grabbing Madison smart. And.

[Jason Moore]

And you got McMillan.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I got Jalen McMillan. You never know. I mean, if Mixon was out, would you be playing Damian Pierce against Kansas City, sharing the backfield with Goomba Walley? Or would you play McMillan in your Flex?

[Jason Moore]

I would play McMillan.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. That's what I. That's why I did.

[Jason Moore]

Interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

So we'll see. But now I have to decide. Stranger. Otten, do you know any good podcasts I could listen to that might have insight on that dilemma?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, the Dynasty episode that just came out today from the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty show. Go subscribe now.

[Andy Holloway]

Kyle, you're listening in, right? And your team and league of record with Mike is just. I mean, it's been out of the playoffs for a few months here. Do you have an unbiased opinion on Strange v. Otton? I have a super biased opinion. It's always Otten.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you are. I mean, if you don't know Kyle's. I don't know what it is with Kate Otten, but Kyle is.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, is he kind of in love?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man, he is an Otten Truther, which not true.

[Andy Holloway]

He's just on the field. I like that He's. See, I'm. I'm with you with that. I love the snap count. I looked again last week. 92%. He's almost always there, but, man, can we get him some targets.

[Jason Moore]

Kyle Strange played 82%. I know 12 targets. I knew 11 for 73. Well, I'll long of nine.

[Andy Holloway]

I know, I know. I will have to make that call. And you know what? Here's a final thing I'll say on today's show. Thursday game, Saturday games, depending on how those go, that might very well make my decision.

[Jason Moore]

If you are. If you are a healthy lead, if you look like you're the favorite, I assume that means you'll go Strange. Maybe.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

You don't know?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know. I don't know. I. I think that's probably true, but it's. It's. It's hard to not play a tight end like Kate Otten in the highest overrunner of the week with Baker Mayfield. I think that will probably stay with my. That'll probably stay there. But if I got through the week and Otten sucked again, I'd have Strange on my bench.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

You know what I mean? It's gonna be a stressful week. I just realized it's gonna be a stressful week. Thank you for joining us, everybody. Thank you for supporting the show [e-mail] we appreciate you. We'll be getting Mike back here soon, I'm sure. We got Christmas coming up and looking forward to that, I believe. What is our recording game plan for next week? I believe we're. Are we like. I know we're off Christmas.

[Jason Moore]

I know we're recording Christmas, but are.

[Andy Holloway]

We double trouble on Tuesday or just a Tuesday show?

[Jason Moore]

I think it's just a Tuesday show. I think we're taking off Christmas Eve.

[Andy Holloway]

Show, then we're getting out of here, getting with the families, I believe.

[Jason Moore]

Both weeks. Same on New Year's.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. All right, That'll do it for today's episode of the show. Thank you, deucers minus Falcon for that mailbag drop. And we will catch y'all tomorrow starts of the week.

[Jason Moore]

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