Week 12 Waivers + Old Man Strength, Difference Makers - Fantasy Football Podcast for 11/19

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast - Episode: Week 12 Waivers + Old Man Strength, Difference Makers (Released November 19, 2024)

In this insightful episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright tackle crucial fantasy football topics, including waiver wire strategies, the phenomenon of "Old Man Strength" among veteran running backs, and identifying key "Difference Makers" that can significantly impact fantasy league outcomes. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of their discussions, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps for easy reference.

---

1. Old Man Strength: The Veteran Running Back Advantage

The episode begins with an exploration of the "Old Man Strength" phenomenon, where veteran running backs exhibit remarkable durability and consistent performance despite advancing ages. The hosts discuss how seasoned players like Joe Mixon have ascended to the top of the rankings by leveraging their experience, rigorous training, and disciplined nutrition.

• Notable Quote:

  Mike Wright [09:02]:
  "It's mixing. Saquon and Henry are the top three, and Camara like Bijan."

Andy Holloway emphasizes Mixon's exceptional performance metrics:

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [08:09]:
  "Joe Mixon is the number one running back in football. Three touchdowns, 20 for 109. Looked amazing."

The discussion also highlights younger running backs such as Bijan Robinson and Tony Pollard, noting their potential to challenge veterans as they develop.

---

2. Difference Makers: Chargers' Offensive Resurgence

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to identifying "Difference Makers," focusing primarily on the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive players. The trio examines Justin Herbert's improved form and the emergence of wide receivers Lad McConkey and Quentin Johnson as pivotal contributors to the Chargers' success.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [11:38]:
  "They've been good at utilizing Herbert, and Lad McConkey and Quentin Johnson are top wide receivers now."

Mike Wright provides statistical insights into Lad McConkey's performance:

• Notable Quote:

  Mike Wright [12:59]:
  "LAD is at 14.1 a game. That's the wide receiver 11Q just 13.8."

The hosts delve into the Chargers' upcoming favorable matchups against defenses ranked 30th, 27th, and 31st in passing defense, which enhances the fantasy potential of their offensive stars.

• Notable Quote:

  Mike Wright [13:00]:
  "When you look at what defines the difference makers and they're facing the 30th ranked passing defense in Baltimore..."

---

3. News and Notes: Injuries and Roster Changes

Transitioning to the latest NFL news, the hosts discuss significant injuries and roster updates affecting fantasy lineups. Key highlights include Gabe Davis' knee injury, Adam Thielen's expected return to the Minnesota Vikings, and Jonathan Brooks' debut for the Carolina Panthers.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [15:59]:
  "It'll be exciting to see Jonathan Brooks how he performs in the receiving role. If he gets utilized, he can be a flex option."

Concerns about Chuba Hubbard's decreased involvement due to Brooks' rising role are addressed, underscoring the dynamic nature of running back usage.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [16:34]:
  "I expect Chuba's involvement to go down a little bit as Jonathan Brooks becomes more integral."

---

4. Waiver Wire Strategies: Running Back Priorities

In the waiver wire segment, Mike Wright and Andy Holloway present a prioritized list of available running backs ideal for pickup, especially during a week rife with bye weeks. Top recommendations include Jonathan Brooks and Jalen Warren, who offer substantial value as insurance backs.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [23:48]:
  "Jalen Warren and Jonathan Brooks are key pickups this week as insurance running backs."

The hosts analyze performance trends and opportunity metrics, reinforcing the potential of these players to become difference-makers in upcoming matchups.

• Notable Quote:

  Mike Wright [29:23]:
  "Jonathan Brooks is likely to take your leagues by storm if available, and Roshan Johnson’s involvement makes him a valuable pickup."

---

5. Quarterback and Tight End Streaming During Bye Weeks

Addressing the challenges of streaming quarterbacks and tight ends during bye weeks, the hosts evaluate available options and provide strategic recommendations. With several quarterbacks on bye, options like Bo Nix are discussed as viable spot starters due to their favorable matchups and involvement in the offense.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [53:11]:
  "Bo Nix is top in five of his last seven games and is a reliable streaming option against the Raiders."

The discussion extends to tight ends, where Taysom Hill is scrutinized for his high-risk, high-reward nature. Alternatives like Luke Schoonmaker are suggested for more stable performances.

• Notable Quote:

  Mike Wright [46:36]:
  "Hunter Henry has run the most routes among all tight ends this year, making him a more stable option over Taysom Hill."

---

6. Defense Recommendations for Playoff Preparation

As teams approach the fantasy playoffs, the hosts recommend defensive pickups that can capitalize on advantageous matchups. Defenses like the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals are highlighted for their consistent performance against weaker offenses in the remaining weeks.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [52:10]:
  "The Broncos' defense is elite and playing the Raiders, which makes them a great pickup for fantasy points."

The hosts emphasize selecting defenses that not only yield sacks and turnovers but also have favorable schedules leading into the fantasy playoffs.

---

Conclusion

The Fantasy Footballers wrap up the episode by reiterating the importance of strategic waiver wire pickups, leveraging veteran "Old Man Strength," and identifying key "Difference Makers" to bolster fantasy teams heading into the playoff push. Their expert analysis and actionable insights equip fantasy managers with the tools needed to navigate the complexities of Week 12 effectively.

• Notable Quote:

  Andy Holloway [38:02]:
  "If you have the roster spots to do it, pick up Luke Schoonmaker and use Taysom Hill as a flex option."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast offers a wealth of information and strategic advice for fantasy football enthusiasts. From optimizing waiver wire moves and understanding the enduring value of veteran running backs to identifying pivotal players who can sway weekly matchups, the hosts provide a comprehensive guide to enhancing fantasy team performance. Whether you're a seasoned manager or new to the game, the insights shared in this episode are invaluable for securing victories in your fantasy leagues.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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 three and a half 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 it Indeed.

[Walmart Ad]

Want to shop walmart Black Friday deals first. Walmart plus members get early access to our hottest deals. Join now and get 50 off a one year annual membership. Shop Black Friday deals first with Walmart plus see [e-mail].

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in Tuesday, November 19th, the fantasy footballers. Back with you, Mike the Fantasy Hitman, Jason Moore. I'm Andy Holloway. Deucers Alley is deuce in producing this show right now.

[Andy Holloway]

It's hard to see in the shadows there. But I believe we do have a new little trophy for one of our deucers. What that should actually. It is a toilet trophy and it should go to Papa Josh because that.

[Guest/Producer]

He is the reigning champion.

[Andy Holloway]

He is the reigning. Had to leave the show to dump.

[Mike Wright]

That's the most recent.

[Andy Holloway]

The most recent.

[Guest/Producer]

Get that in the camera show.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Get that in the camera.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah. All right.

[Mike Wright]

Let's see.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, we need to.

[Andy Holloway]

Where did that go?

[Mike Wright]

Can we spotlight that?

[Andy Holloway]

The Internet.

[Mike Wright]

I may have.

[Guest/Producer]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

May have looked into.

[Guest/Producer]

Well, we like to reward the staff.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Whoever most recently reneged on their obligations to the production of the show due to bowel, you know, bowel planning issues. Is that like the most formal way to put it?

[Andy Holloway]

I think that is. It's accurate because you can plan a little better. We know when the show's going to record.

[Guest/Producer]

That's true.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. It's the same time every day.

[Guest/Producer]

And Falcons bowels also know when the show is.

[Andy Holloway]

They get itchy. They start. They start going, ooh, that sounds good. Itchy. Yeah. You know, they got that itch. They got that itch to take that squat.

[Mike Wright]

Well, emotions have been high.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

We had our trade deadline in league of record. Many of you had trade deadlines this week. There are. There are a thousand thoughts and emotions and opinions and trades and attitudes and consensuses and conclusions.

[Andy Holloway]

You know what's fun in our league? Our trade deadline. And I don't know what the platform allows or doesn't or what time, but what we do is it's basically whatever week it was for us, it was week 11 that just concluded. Our trade deadline goes right up until the end of the Monday Night Football game.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Triple zeros on the clock.

[Andy Holloway]

But it means that during the Monday Night Football game, while weeks have pretty much already been established, everyone is feverishly trying to, like, figure out the last maneuvers. I got to get a pick. I got to sell this guy. I got to buy and go all in. It's. It's. It makes for a wild and crazy time.

[Mike Wright]

And that Monday Night Football game was the 34 to 10 thrashing by the Houston Texans over the now 3 and 7 Dallas Cowboys. I didn't see until this morning that Mike had attempted to channel some sort of fantasy favorite.

[Guest/Producer]

I tried. I tried everybody.

[Mike Wright]

He committed five bucks a touch.

[Guest/Producer]

Five bucks a touch? Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

For Rico Dowdle donating to Fantasy Cares. Every touch Rico Dowdle received, you missed it.

[Andy Holloway]

I missed that. So you didn't have to donate very much, huh?

[Guest/Producer]

I went over. I broke my promise.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, he did.

[Mike Wright]

He went targets.

[Guest/Producer]

It was like I went touches, but Rico's like, I don't know how to catch anymore. This thing that I've been doing great all year long is no longer part of my game plan. So, like, if it touched his hands, which I think all five did. Oh, yeah. I just. I counted them all.

[Mike Wright]

Well, he was 10 for 28 on the ground, 2 for 5 targets. Dallas is and, like, benched. Yes. Well, I mean, look, the. Yeah. Deuce Vaughn got four carries.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah. Like, the second half was very little. I don't know what the actual snaps were in the second half, but it was like, oh, Rico Dowdle is gone.

[Mike Wright]

Did you see the past attempts for Cooper Rush?

[Guest/Producer]

They were.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

And that led to 8 for 93 for CD Lamb. If you don't have a running game, I Guess you'll just keep chucking it. You also had. Go ahead.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooper threw for 354 yards and honestly I don't think he looked that bad.

[Mike Wright]

Neither did I.

[Andy Holloway]

He was throwing some tight ropes and using the tight ends. We'll talk about the scoon man here in a bit because Ferguson went down to a concussion. It's going to be a short week for him. Doubt he plays this week. But Cooper rush looked obviously better this week than he did last week, which is great news for CD Lamb.

[Mike Wright]

So Dallas couldn't really get it done. Couldn't finish drives.

[Guest/Producer]

And it was wild because they did. They looked inept. And yeah, the game's 34 to 10 ends up as a blowout. The game in the third quarter was very close. Yeah, I think it was.

[Mike Wright]

There was a chance to go to halftime. 2013.

[Guest/Producer]

Halftime was 17. Yeah, well, yeah, Aubrey slipped on a kick. I mean they had. The unfortunate mistakes of the Cowboys were plentiful, but it was 17 to 10 at halftime. And then at the end of the third quarter it would have been what, 20 to 10. So I mean this was. For most of the game it was very tight. But then the Texans kicked the. Kicked the doors down.

[Andy Holloway]

How do you feel about seven targets, four receptions and 54 yards?

[Guest/Producer]

What is the.

[Mike Wright]

We're in on that.

[Andy Holloway]

You're in on that?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean last night we're in on that for two players.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, because both Nico Collins and Take Dell. I don't think I've ever seen identical stat lines like that across the board from two wide receivers.

[Guest/Producer]

Because we got host again by big ref.

[Mike Wright]

First play of the game.

[Guest/Producer]

It was a legit penalty. But it's also dumb.

[Mike Wright]

Nico Collins had a 77 yard touchdown in the first play of the game that ended up.

[Andy Holloway]

He looks so fast.

[Mike Wright]

He was so fast. It was like the nightmare though for the hamstring. It's like the last thing you want to do is say go sprint. 77 straight yards. He played limited snaps last night. Yeah, he was the leader because he.

[Guest/Producer]

Was tired from his 70 yard touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

Well, they did need to be careful. They also didn't need him. I mean, do you realize the number one running back in football is now Joe Mixon?

[Andy Holloway]

Has to be.

[Mike Wright]

Joe Mixon is the number one running back in football. Three touchdowns, 20 for 109. Looked amazing. Looked great through the passing game. Had big plays, called back on penalties during the game. And now is above Saquon, Henry Camara and Gibbs in points per game on the year 23.6. The running back one over 100 yards.

[Andy Holloway]

Three touchdowns and involved in the receiving game, 44 receiving yards. He's. He's the engine that's moving this offense, which is a real problem for CJ Stroud. CJ Stroud.

[Guest/Producer]

It is legitimately.

[Andy Holloway]

It's great for the Texans. Great for CJ Stroud the man, bad for CJ Stroud, the fantasy quarterback of your roster.

[Mike Wright]

More Nico will lead to more positive Stroud production. You will not have all rushing touchdowns.

[Guest/Producer]

But old man strength at the running back position this year.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, it's mixing. Saquon and Henry are the top three.

[Guest/Producer]

And Camara like Bijan.

[Andy Holloway]

Bijan's too young man.

[Guest/Producer]

Bijan and Gibbs are like the young bucks trying to crack into the top three.

[Andy Holloway]

They just got to wait six, seven years. When they get. When they get their main.

[Mike Wright]

You want to know why is because the opportunities per game, it's, you know, 25 opportunities a game Mix is getting more than Henry, more than Barkley, more than Camara, more than Gibbs. Then like the old man strength is the right way to put it. These are just like put the team on their back. You get every snap and you hold up lately. So it's.

[Guest/Producer]

It's wild.

[Andy Holloway]

Running backs have got whatever the year of 2024.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

The diet that they have undergone, whatever nutritional supplements they are taking is working because running star running backs don't get injured anymore. And it's. It's great.

[Mike Wright]

You, I mean, you have other old men, by the way, in the top table here in the top 20, you know, the James Connor and you know what? Kareem Hunt per game has been good. It's. It's kind of wild. So let's go ahead and we've got waivers on the show. But first, some difference makers.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to Difference Makers, presented by IMES Pet Food.

[Mike Wright]

Well, today's difference makers, you know, we have three names. It's really one.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. It's one thing.

[Mike Wright]

It's one thing. And it is the Chargers offensive weapons.

[Andy Holloway]

Specifically the Chargers passing offensive weapons.

[Mike Wright]

Big Herb.

[Andy Holloway]

Big herb baby.

[Mike Wright]

Ledi McConque.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Oh, my little lad.

[Mike Wright]

Lad McConkey. And then Huge. Who. I didn't realize we had three dumb nicknames.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, three horrible names.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they're not our best nicknames. But what is funny is there were so many worries coming into the year about G Row and Hard Dogs Run Scheme.

[Mike Wright]

There's two more nicknames. Does anybody know what we're talking about at this point?

[Andy Holloway]

We didn't do G. Roman, Greg Roman.

[Guest/Producer]

G rows on them.

[Mike Wright]

Lad McConkey Quentin Johnson, Justin Herbert.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, those are the people we're talking about. Also we're going into week 12 here. The people listening to this podcast right now, they've been with us. They know these people. There was so much hullabaloo and worry about the run game and the defense that the Chargers wanted to do and.

[Guest/Producer]

To start the season was founded.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, it was completely, you know, if you avoided them in the draft process, you know, if you drafted Herbert, Giant L. However, they have really opened things up for I think a multitude of reasons. One, they've been good at it and they're like, oh wow, Justin Herbert is a great quarterback. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Let's utilize him like that. And two, the running game has faltered. J.K. dobbins early season explosive nature and big runs that he was chunking off every single game that's kind of gone away. His efficiency has not been there. The touchdowns still get there when they get around the goal line. But now you combine those two trues with the next month of matchups where you want to talk about a difference maker. I think that this passing game is going to be really important for the stretch run leading up to the fantasy playoffs.

[Mike Wright]

I want to give you some numbers just so you understand where the trajectory is because you don't at this point in the year. And this is what we do with a lot of our tools on the website. The join the foot tools. You can sort by last three, last five, last eight. You're no longer looking at just the full sample of the season. When you want to look at trends over the last five weeks, I want you to know Lad McConkie and Quentin Johnson are top. They're wide receiver ones.

[Andy Holloway]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

LAD is at 14.1 a game. That's the wide receiver 11Q just 13.8. That's why the receiver.

[Guest/Producer]

How many?

[Mike Wright]

Five, five weeks. And then Justin Herbert's the QB seven in the last five weeks. So you have three guys that are making that move and yet this is a juncture where you say well do you believe it? Does it make sense? And we're saying when you look at the schedule for these guys, when you look at what defines the difference maker and you're facing the 30th ranked passing defense in Baltimore and then you face the 27th in Atlanta and then you week 14 is going to be tough against Kansas City, but it's a divisional matchup and then you have the 31st ranked defense against Tampa Bay as the playoffs start. So your Playoff matchup is great. These are players like McConkey who rookie, more established, begins to ascend and matchups. And then your quarterback with the trust, the yards per attempt, everything is changing in the direction of the passing game. And then they're winning ball games on top of it. And they're incentivized to try to make the playoffs at 7 and 3.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, to try to make the playoffs. But they've won four games in a row and now this is. This is the harbor. We got. We got Harbaugh against Harbaugh. The Baltimore Ravens are coming into la. So this is a home game for the Chargers and sort of. Well, sure, yeah, I know it's Baltimore.

[Guest/Producer]

Those don't really exist.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, especially being Baltimore. We've called them Baltimore west since the whole off season. They took, you know, revenge game. For who? Everyone. For literally. J.K. dobbins and Gus Edwards and Giro. So it'll be great. But Baltimore, Atlanta and Tampa Bay are three of the next four weeks. They should make a huge difference.

[Mike Wright]

You did in your efforts to capitalize on trade deadline. Jason. You did let go of ledi me conquer and bigger.

[Andy Holloway]

But I traded them as a package.

[Mike Wright]

Deal and you know, it was one of those things where I was looking. I mean, I didn't have many assets, but I was looking at lad as a. You know, there's tons of bye weeks, by the way, this week. Next week is the bipocalypse. Like teams are being, you know, thinned out and having these players with these matchups, it's a big deal. They could be huge difference makers. All right, that was difference makers presented by Imes Pet Food. When you choose iams, you can see a difference in your pet with your own eyes. Health and energy in 5 days, healthy digestion in 10 days and healthy skin and coat in just 25 days. Feed Iams and see a visible difference.

[Jason Moore]

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

[Mike Wright]

Did you. Did you find the I'ms for people yet? No. For your healthy digestion in 10 days?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Guest/Producer]

Is it out?

[Mike Wright]

It's not.

[Guest/Producer]

I asked if it's out there.

[Mike Wright]

I don't think it's out yet. Gabe Davis, knee injury news out for the season?

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Dave Canales said Adam Thielen expected to play this week. Thielen will be back. Jonathan Brooks will also make his debut for the Carolina Panthers.

[Andy Holloway]

It'll be. It'll be exciting to see. I mean, I don't think the expectation is that Jonathan Brooks is a lead back here. They paid Chuba A lot of money and they have taken it beyond slow with Jonathan Brooks, so. But all eyes, all eyes in the fantasy world I think will be on Jonathan Brooks to see how he performs in my hope and again, my expectation is that he will be used significantly in the past catching role. If that happens, then he can be, you know, a flex option even while Chuba's there.

[Mike Wright]

Isn't there a trickle down effect then to Chuba? If you think his involvement is going to ramp up as we head into the fantasy playoffs, would you be concerned or not?

[Andy Holloway]

Really, I would be a little bit concerned. I expect Chuba's involvement to go down a little bit. We has, we saw them try to do this split with Miles Sanders. They wanted. They had the package for a couple of weeks where it was like they did. They were using him as that kind of third down role and he just wasn't, he just was so bad at it. They couldn't, they couldn't stick with it. So if Jonathan Brooks is good, which he should be as the first drafted running back in this year's draft class, you know, he'll impact Chuba a little bit.

[Mike Wright]

Concussion protocol for Taj Spears and Jake Ferguson this week Gardner Minshew will start again because the Raiders have no choice. They have given themselves the ultimate Minshew only choice when Desmond Ritter is your only other option.

[Guest/Producer]

Coach Pierce. Yeah, it was not a ringing endorsement.

[Mike Wright]

No, it wasn't. Yeah, he's the quarterback this week. Yeah, for now and then Sean Payton. Mike, this is, you know, this is for you. When asked about the Broncos usage of running backs, he said we'll figure it out each week though, and kind of plan accordingly.

[Guest/Producer]

It is hot hand. It is hot hand and Javante Williams is the starter, which like Javante looked okay this week. I know it's a very ebbs and flows of is Javante going to look good on any particular week. But this just, it makes it pretty impossible to start Javante or Audric estimate hoping that one of them is the hot hand.

[Andy Holloway]

If there was a coach that wanted to galaxy brain giving one running back two weeks of rest every single game, it would be Sean Payton. Just like every other week strategy you.

[Mike Wright]

Like just give him the week off.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I'm just saying like this week you're the starter, he's the backup. Next week you flip so that your legs are fresher for the, you know, every single game the rest of the season.

[Mike Wright]

Brock Purdy dealing with right shoulder soreness. He is day to day. George Kittle expected to practice after missing last week. I think that is all the news that we have got to monitor the Purdy situation. But anything else that we got.

[Guest/Producer]

Oh, I mean, speaking of Broncos, the eligible to return from the ir, Tyler Bidet.

[Andy Holloway]

The bidet is back.

[Mike Wright]

The bidet is back clean for the playoffs.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah. See if he can leave his mark on the Broncos.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, Isaiah Pacheco expected to be healthy enough to play in week 12, but it's a coach's decision. They may table that for another week. But you're talking about he fractured his fibula.

[Guest/Producer]

Man, how's.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, this is wild. Yeah. I mean, there you go. All right. That was today's news and notes presented as always by USAA Insurance. Learn [e-mail] insurance we'll take a break. We'll hit the waiver.

[Walmart Ad]

Want to shop Walmart Black Friday deals first? Walmart plus members get early access to our hottest deals. Join now and get 50% off a one year annual membership. Shop Black Friday deals first with Walmart Plus. See [e-mail].

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's jump in. Lot of bye weeks.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the Waiver Wire presented by NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.

[Mike Wright]

Just three weeks left in the fantasy football regular season before we head into the playoffs. This week the Buccaneers come back, hopefully with not just Baker Mayfield, but maybe Mike Evans on the outside. Giants, Cardinals, Panthers also returning from the buy. And this week, proof this week we lose the Bengals, Bills, Falcons, Jags, jets and Saints.

[Guest/Producer]

Goodness.

[Mike Wright]

And if you want to know how that impacts your team, just load up this week and you'll see how many guys you have to juggle. And we've been talking about like guys to put on your bench, insurance backs, defenses to double roster to play it up for the playoffs. The jigsaw puzzle is it's a tough one this week because if you've got a binge full of bye weeks, it.

[Andy Holloway]

Doesn'T always work out. You might be dropping some of those stash plays and hoping you can pick them back up.

[Mike Wright]

Try to drop them at the time when someone else doesn't notice. What's the ideal time to go?

[Andy Holloway]

So there's a couple different ideal times. One is a couple minutes before waivers run.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah. So it gets washed out by the whole waiver running.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. I think that's the best time. And then a couple minutes, you know, before kickoff.

[Mike Wright]

I was gonna say on the weekend. Yeah, that makes sense. But then don't worry. No bye weeks for week 13.

[Guest/Producer]

Oh, we. Are we done?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we're done. With bye weeks until the week 14. By which, by itself, a week 14 by that is way too late in the NFL. You shouldn't have any.

[Mike Wright]

Well, you, you know, you won't have Lamar and you won't have Jaden, and you won't have Henry, and you won't have Mixing, and you won't have Nico because the Broncos, Colts, Commanders, Ravens, Patriots and Texans all going by in week 14.

[Andy Holloway]

That is insane.

[Guest/Producer]

Someone. Someone in scheduling is not a fan of fancy football.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. You know, we really need priorities, Mike.

[Guest/Producer]

We're building the NFL.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's really true. And they know it.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, most of them know it.

[Mike Wright]

Do you mean us? Like us, our show, the three of us?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's what he's talking about. You did.

[Guest/Producer]

Andy, you tweeted out a graph today about showing like sports because you were saying a little piece about MLB and their lack of parity and salary cap and how stupid of a stupid sport it is.

[Andy Holloway]

It is such a stupid thing.

[Guest/Producer]

But there was the graph of the NFL revenue, which was steadily climbing. But then I don't know if you guys saw.

[Andy Holloway]

There's a year.

[Guest/Producer]

There is a year.

[Mike Wright]

There's a correlation.

[Guest/Producer]

There is a year in there. It just explodes where the fantasy football podcast started. And all of a sudden the NFL just is a rocket ship.

[Andy Holloway]

Coincidence. I don't. You know, we'll leave it to you.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Correlation is not necessarily causation, but based.

[Mike Wright]

On this graph, we doubled their billions of revenue.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Huh.

[Andy Holloway]

Good job, fellas. All right.

[Mike Wright]

We've, you know, doing our best. Does that mean that you would work for the MLB to help their revenues?

[Andy Holloway]

Jason, I would never do anything for the mlb. That's not true. I was going to throw out a first pitch. I would do that. Other than that, I would never do anything for the mlb.

[Mike Wright]

Boring. How does that first pitch broken. How does your first pitch end up like were you.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, it's. It's a.

[Mike Wright]

Are you sailing into the crowd?

[Andy Holloway]

No way. Right into the glove. But it's like a football pass. It's going. I'm throwing a moon ball.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're going up.

[Andy Holloway]

You're going up.

[Mike Wright]

Russell Wilson.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yes, sir. But landing right now.

[Mike Wright]

Up and down, but in the glove still.

[Guest/Producer]

Are you going to rookie of the year this or are you going over?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I'm over handing. I'm over. I'm going to do a drop. A three step drop back.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah, actually that'd be funny.

[Andy Holloway]

Take the snap. Taking the snap. Drop him back onto that mound. Let her rip.

[Mike Wright]

That's pretty good. All right. Running back waiver pickups heavily rostered at the top of our list, Jonathan Brooks with the opportunity as a rookie towards the end of the season. And then Jalen Warren, the forever. Who's a forever waiver wire guy.

[Guest/Producer]

Nine point man.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. If you. If you need to. If you need to lose your matchup by less. Jalen Warren.

[Guest/Producer]

If you need nine points at running back. A lot of people do this way. Hey, Jay, is your dynasty. Do you wish you had Jalen Warren?

[Andy Holloway]

I certainly do.

[Mike Wright]

No breeze, no etn.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Guest/Producer]

No Bijan.

[Mike Wright]

Bijan.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And no backups. They're all on buy or injured. So I will be dynasty waiver wire starting someone.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. A lot of running backs available for Darryl Patterson. I mean, that's wild. The. There's a lot of leagues like this. Like there's a league that I'm looking at right now and it's like, man, the next guy on this list, he's my target. Roshan Johnson.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Got the goal line opportunity, scored a touchdown, had 11 touches.

[Andy Holloway]

He was.

[Mike Wright]

Beggars can't be choosers on by weeks.

[Andy Holloway]

So Roshan is probably the most important name this week because Jalen Warren, Jonathan Brooks most likely taking your leagues. I agree that they would be the clear pickups if they're available and really everyone should go check for Jonathan Brooks should be roster. But if you're in a league that doesn't have an iron, he very well might be on waivers. But Roshan was really heavily involved in this game. And you have to remember Shane Waldron, their offensive coordinator, was gone. Their entire offense looked better. The way that they were using DJ Moore, the way that Cole Comet was out there running like 95% of routes and Roshan's involvement. And like I know DeAndre Swift ended up with an okay game because he had that big long run. But it looked like, oh man, they're kind of moving a little bit away from Swift and going to Roshan after they got rid of Khalil Herbert. Roshan is. I think Roshan has a higher odds of getting 10 points than Jalen Warren does because around the goal line they might just use him.

[Guest/Producer]

That's fair. DeAndre Swift had 16 opportunities. That is his lowest of the season since week one. So 16 opportunities for Swift, 11 for Rose.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. With the brand new offensive coordinator, like.

[Guest/Producer]

You said, this was far more rbbc.

[Mike Wright]

One thing that was happening before the bye week was you were seeing Trey Benson in Arizona get more opportunity. 28 and 27% of snaps, 9 opportunities, 12 opportunities and doing a lot with him with those opportunities. 6.2 a carry on 10 carries. He actually could be an emergency start at the running back position as the Cardinals have the single easiest running back schedule rest of season. There's a world where Trey Benson could be an emergency flex during these bye weeks and is sitting out there representing this insurance back that might not be just an insurance back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Last two games averaged ten and a half fantasy points.

[Guest/Producer]

And you know, with it being after the bye week and Connor being an older bat, James Conner being so important to the Cardinals are in the playoffs right now and if the Cardinals are going to make a playoff run, they have to have a healthy James Conner. It would not surprise me to see more Trey Benson here over the stretch run as they, as they try and get in with a healthy Connor.

[Andy Holloway]

The scientific issue here.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Is a conundrum because James Connor.

[Mike Wright]

Get to the periodic table, Jay. Let's go.

[Andy Holloway]

We know that James Connor can't play 17 games in a season or 16 if the, if the season is 16 long. He has not done it once and we're getting near the end of the season. So it seems like a scientific fact that he will have to miss a couple.

[Mike Wright]

Interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

So yeah, Trey Benson, of all the, like most of the waiver wire pickups this week, I mean, you can go through the Giant list of Benson, Braylon Allen, Cam Akers, Blake Corum, Ray Davis, all the insurance backs, but Trey Benson is the number one. Not just because you might be able to start him, but because the guy ahead of him just has never played a full season.

[Mike Wright]

It's going to be interesting because we started this show talking about the old man's strength and their diets and how, you know these guys, Derek Henry, like they got Mitchell back and Justice Hill gets involved. Right. There was a part of this game against Pittsburgh. Henry's just standing on the sideline without a helmet.

[Guest/Producer]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Staring out onto the field. When you talk about older backs and playoff bound teams, like Mike just said, with the Cardinals and with Baltimore, you might see the workloads go down. So Justice Hill, you could get an emergency start there, especially with the targets, you could have opportunities. Whereas some of these other guys like Braylon Allen, Blake Horam, I don't know if the Rams are going to be in the mix. You know, those are not necessarily situations where they have to be worked in.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, I would put Braylon seconds behind Trey Benson in terms of like a guy who you might throw in there and he ends up with 12 opportunities on a given week where it's like, I mean is Corum doing anything?

[Andy Holloway]

Not really.

[Mike Wright]

19% of snaps which was a season.

[Guest/Producer]

High last week, five carries.

[Mike Wright]

So this is insurance running back order which we have put on the website. At running back we have all of our waiver wire rankings. If you are a member at Join the Foot you get the custom waiver wire rankings as part of the suite of premium tools and the ultimate dashboard. Check those out and see how we are prioritizing these backup insurance backs. But that's the rest of this list. For better or worse, I'm going to go better. They're staying healthy. The main backs are staying healthy. So we're talking about the Jalen Warrens and the Trey Benson's and the Gus Bus every week because there aren't frontline high fab spend opportunities to go get guys.

[Andy Holloway]

I would agree with that one. That I will, I will say could play his way into more of a starting role and does not require the injury. Ahead of him is Jalen Wright. Him being a rookie. This is the rookie running back for the Miami Dolphins. He was up. If you look at his snaps, they're not a ton but it's not percentage. Since the bye week he was at 9%, 5%, 15%, 17, 26%. He's getting more and more involved and that is coinciding with Raheem Mostert looking done and being underutilized and just kind of going away like toast. If you remember the beginning half of Achan's rookie season, he was not very involved as well. They brought him along a little bit slower and so hn being a smaller back, being someone that they have, they run a lot of two back systems and move hn into the slot. I think Jalen Wright could end the year in one of those. Like you could put them in your lineup as a flex option.

[Mike Wright]

Do you drop most are for right?

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, I would absolutely rather have to do that one. Another running back name we don't know because it's just, it's the situation is so up in the air but for the Vegas Raiders.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh yeah.

[Guest/Producer]

Alexander Madison and the name is escaping me. Zameer White. They both got hurt in that game. So like it's Dylan Loubi who was inactive that week but like if one of those guys is hurt, Amir Abdullah will see a little bit more work especially I mean he's been a receiving back for them in the past and then if they're both hurt, Amir Abdullah could be like a like an actual starting running back fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

It's really Important to bring that up. This was an. This was an ankle injury to Alexander Madison and he was unable to return to the game. It's very common for ankle injuries to be like. Even when you can return to the game it gets worse after the game and you're not able to go. This could be. This could be a multi week absence and so if that's the case Alexander Madison or I'm sorry Amir Abdullah is, you know he's involved in the passing game. You could end up with four or five receptions. This is a terrible matchup this week but he is the guy. I'll bet he's even on Dynasty waivers.

[Mike Wright]

Why?

[Andy Holloway]

What's for me leave him there.

[Mike Wright]

What's the mere White's Zemir White should be the headline there.

[Guest/Producer]

No, but White got hurt. Right?

[Mike Wright]

But like if he's not.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just saying don't miss the fact that it goes Madison then Zameer White then Amir Abdullah. Zemir White's only 24% roster, 100% and if his injury is minor.

[Andy Holloway]

Do we have an update on that?

[Mike Wright]

I do not. I don't see any injury update at all.

[Guest/Producer]

It was a quad injury. We'll see if we can find anything.

[Mike Wright]

So just keep that in mind that like we. I don't want to go out.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

And spend on Abdullah when Zameer sitting there at wide receiver. The heavily rostered check just in case. Guys it's going to be Quentin Johnston. We just talked about indifference makers. It's going to be Jerry Judy who had a big time week the sleeper. Every Tuesday on Sleeper they do the like report and like in so many of my leagues the bench warmer of the week was Jerry Judy because people just didn't play him. And then the bigger name at 50% roster to bring up, you know chasing his high performance games have never been a great prescription but he did set a. I'm going to give him credit for setting his career high in yardage. Christian Watson.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Of the Green Bay packers. If you see Don Tavion Wicks had zero catches not involved and Watson was 4 for 150 and had all four of his like catches were like bombs to the 2 to 15 yard line. They just. He couldn't get into the end zone. If he did he would be the headline of the week. I just don't want him to get lost. Even though he can disappear.

[Guest/Producer]

Absolutely not. The past three weeks the Watson season has been very strange but three weeks in a row 22%, 19%, 24% target share here and these are like. So that's, that's not like elite or anything but if you're telling me I'm getting a 20% target share from Jordan Love and these are more often than not high value targets because they're going down the field. He's back to being an interesting player.

[Andy Holloway]

Remember or if you were not listening for the playoff primer. The Green Bay packers passing game down the stretch is. And in the fantasy playoffs is one of those like league winning matchups.

[Guest/Producer]

Seattle Saints, Minnesota.

[Andy Holloway]

If you're telling me that I get a 208 pound guy running 4 3, 6 for Jordan Love with great schedule down the stretch, that's, that's a, that's someone that really can win you weeks. Obviously it's a little bit risky. He's, he's boom, bust. But we, you know we've seen that in a stretch before where I think he had a month long stretch where he was like the wide receiver one in fantasy which is what he's been living off since then.

[Mike Wright]

One name I want to bring up that I didn't see us talk. We didn't talk about it but Curtis Samuel for the Buffalo Bills was very involved this past week. He looked really good to me. He finally looked healthy. This is a team where they're not getting the ball to Amari Cooper. A ton K. Coleman's been hurt. He was on the field, had six targets, five for 58 had a touchdown. Don't forget that he exists in this offense. I'm not saying he's, it's. He's a flex worthy.

[Andy Holloway]

Not this week.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, it's tougher because they're going on to the bi week.

[Mike Wright]

Correct.

[Guest/Producer]

So then that's just a whole other week for Coleman and Cooper to get healthy. He should be on your radar like if you're in a deeper league. I don't mind that going.

[Mike Wright]

Just survey whether Dalton Kincaid comes back, whether Keon Coleman comes back because if neither of those guys are there, just worth knowing. But yes, going into the bye week.

[Andy Holloway]

Another couple names to bring up. I think that the Carolina situation you could call your shot on whether it's Adam Thielen because just the PPR machine that he was to start last year, he's, you know, he should be healthy now they're coming off their by and Deontay Johnson's not there anymore. So we saw this team with Adam Thielen being the one and it was really valuable for fantasy. They didn't have Xavier Leggett though and so you could take the Shot there. I actually looking further, I would rather have Leggette than Thielen, but I think.

[Mike Wright]

You can take Thielen dropped off the face of the planet last year from weeks basically the bi week on he was irrelevant. So. And that was with no Deontay Johnson.

[Guest/Producer]

He was tired.

[Mike Wright]

You're saying he rested by being hurt.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, he's got fresh legs for the second half, guys.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. The final 11 games last year, it wasn't great. No touchdowns, four catches. But worth knowing that one of these guys is going to have the opportunity to be more of a PPR monster.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Two more names that I think are good. Wandale Robinson probably rostered and obviously you're going to Tommy Cutlets here at quarterback. But Tommy Cutlets, he started a bunch of games last year. I believe Wandale had an 18% target share. So he's utilized during that time. And the matchup is great against Tampa Bay on the other side of the ball in the same matchup, Jalen McMillan coming off of the injury. Chris Godwin obviously not going to return this this year. Coming off the buy, I think he is. He's widely available and I know he had a very, very bad performance. But to me he's a pretty valuable. The way Baker's been playing and the need that they have for him as a rookie wide receiver. I would certainly pick up McMillan.

[Mike Wright]

I was trying to remember the name of the other Carolina whiteout, Al what's his name?

[Guest/Producer]

Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were setting the thing up, man. I was trying to help my podcast host here get an A. I was.

[Mike Wright]

Just setting him up. Lucky guy.

[Guest/Producer]

The sheer disrespect from Jason Moore and this podcast of saying Wandale Robinson's name before Elijah Moore. Get it out of here. Elijah Moore would be. I would pick him up every single time over Wondale Robinson.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree with that.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

That wasn't me saying I would take him over.

[Guest/Producer]

Elijah Moore is. He's 19% rostered. He is of a guy who is widely available. He is at near the top of my list.

[Andy Holloway]

If you didn't listen yesterday. Jameis Winston is on pace for 70,000 passing attempts the month long. This is going to be so fascinating. The month long stretch is the worst for quarterbacks and wide receivers. Schedule adjusted. It is the worst for the Browns for the next month. It's a. It is as bad as it can possibly get. But I don't know if that matters. I genuinely am like, okay, he's. All of these are the worst for quarterbacks or wide Receivers to play against. Which means those quarterback, those defenses are going to pick six James to start every game. And Das is great because James don't care and he will just keep slinging it. So I'm. This is like one of those, you know, between a rock and a hard place like or you know, which, which thing is going to break is the unstoppable force. That's what I'm movable options.

[Mike Wright]

We know James will lose.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

So there is the slight fear that they make a quarterback change at some point because it happened. You know, we all hope for Flacco to provide the Winston like volume. Here's the headline to me is that if you're going to take a spot start opportunity, do it in an offense that's throwing the football and an opportunity to lock into those targets. Tillman, Judy and Elijah Moore, two thirds of those guys probably on a weekly basis will do enough to make you happy.

[Guest/Producer]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

And don't go with a low passing volume, you know, option. Like you saw Jason, you had expectations for Jacoby Myers. He may have some games but it's also frustrating. Right. Because his Gardner Minshew slash Ritter at some point this season just play the odds for those spot starts the best you can with higher volume situations.

[Andy Holloway]

That's why I like McMillan a lot because Baker's been on fire. They're throwing the ball a lot. The schedule coming out of the buy is the Giants, Carolina Raiders, Dallas Carolina. It's like yes, please.

[Mike Wright]

These top three drop candidates being brought up and don't forget to see the entire wide receiver list. MVS would be another dart throw but he's going into the buy and then credit to Westbrook Aquinas out there every week for Tennessee Devon Vaillife for Bo Nixon company had a nice four for 66. But these top three drop candidates, I'm dropping all of them. Waddle, Deontay, Pittman, I think you're probably.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And then Ricky Pierce all Tank Dell were the other two mentions.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I would not.

[Mike Wright]

I would drop Pierce all over Dell, Dell, I wouldn't drop man. But you know, again your lower tier tank down the season. Right now, wide receiver 43 who's got.

[Andy Holloway]

Three games feels like 143.

[Guest/Producer]

Three games over the 10 point Jason Moore line.

[Mike Wright]

It is definitely his fault too.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no, it's worth saying. I mean we excused a lot of it early in the season.

[Mike Wright]

Did you think I meant Jason?

[Guest/Producer]

No. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

No. It's so fun.

[Guest/Producer]

We don't phrase things like that. It's usually like okay here's what happened. Calvin Ridley had a 51 yard touchdown. He was called back. No. You're like, it is definitely a Tank Dell pro.

[Mike Wright]

He's not playing that well.

[Andy Holloway]

Too many games with too many important drops or miscues to start the season. It was like, oh, man, you would have been happy if you just threw a touchdown. But at some point, at some point, it's on the player.

[Mike Wright]

Tank down, out.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, you got to. Yeah, you got to do it, man. You got to do better.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And it happened last night. There were some. Some good plays, and then there were plays. He just didn't make the tough catch. And that's. That's been frustrating. And the difference, I mean, I'll take. I'll take this. As you know, Mike brought up Nico in the off season as the preeminent receiver on that. In that room, we love Tank Dell. Diggs was arriving. Nico's there. Looked messy, not messy and not messy on film. Nico Collins on film. Next level. Just like. I mean, he really looks like in that category with CD Lamb. Yeah, he looks those special players. Mike Evans, he looks completely like he outmatches the defense where Tank Dell looks like things have to go a little more right for Tank.

[Andy Holloway]

Down a CD Lamb and AJ Brown.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Type of human that's just like, you know, if I got to, you know, I'm overweight, I'm old, but I promise you, if I got to go play football with middle schoolers, I'm going school. What are they going to do against me? Nothing. And that's how it feels with some of those guys in the NFL that are just. They're just bigger and better than you as a human.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's humongous. Okay, let's try to control the tight end reactions. Okay. Because the weeks that we got from Johnny Smith and Taysom Hill are. We're outrageous. Johnny Smith started the week on this show thankful for that because hopefully it helps some people. 6 for 101 and 2 integral to the offense, even with the ghost of Waddle and Tyree Kill there. And then the bigger question, Taysom Hill. Because when you look at Taysom Hill's, the totality of his performance, I know he's going into the buy 10 targets. So he caught eight passes for 50 yards. Then he ran it seven times for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Then he threw it one time, right. And had a passing touchdown. So, you know, what is the. What is the proper reaction on Taysom Hill? Because there's no Olave, there's no Rashid Shahid. It doesn't seem like any of these tight ends, you know, Juwan Johnson or Monroe can make a difference. Camara can only do like, is this the taste? We're going to ride Taysom Hill to victory or die trying. And how much fab does that equate to? Is this an all in type of thing?

[Guest/Producer]

If I don't have a stable tight end, I'm going to go, I'm going to push my chips as far in as I can.

[Mike Wright]

What's a stable? Is Ingram a stable tight end?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Is Kate Otten a stable tight end?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, that's the line right there. If you had Ferguson and he's Kyle.

[Mike Wright]

Pitts, I think Pitts has been real bad.

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like if I have Pitts, I don't have to go all in. I'm not saying that I wouldn't take a shot at Taysom or rather have Taysom.

[Guest/Producer]

What are Pittsburgh his last three weeks.

[Mike Wright]

One catch for nine yards, four for 55, one for 11. So two, what, 55. After his little breakout performance, he's been two weeks with one catch the last.

[Guest/Producer]

Month for Taysom, five points 14, six. And then the huge 37 and a half. And it's, you know, the way that I'm seeing beat reporters talk of new head coach the Rizzler, his love for like this. We had talked about that of like, okay, well, Dennis Allen is out. Does this coaching, the new regime, do they love Taysom Hill just as much as Peyton and more. And the answer is possibly more so more rushing attempts. And it's not just the love of the player. It's. They have no, they don't have bodies left like the guys that they're going to roll out there at the wide receiver position.

[Mike Wright]

And it's working.

[Guest/Producer]

Never heard of.

[Mike Wright]

They're winning with it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And I want to give even more credit to Taysom because, you know, in week four, he was the, he was the tight end. One got injured and was gone. Came back to a bad game. Then he was the tight end five with a monster performance. Then you look at his box score and you say it was a down week, you know, tight end 16. He had six fantasy points in that game. He had a 70 something yard reception for a touchdown. That was so weak. Just the weakest, most unaffecting holding call called back. And then the next week another one like he is on.

[Mike Wright]

That's why I want to know if he could be a league winner.

[Andy Holloway]

He could be a league winner. But it's tough because he's Going on to buy. So right now, while people are.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, they're desperate already.

[Andy Holloway]

Desperate for a start right now to go all in on someone that can't help you this week and you still got to find someone else and roster a bi week player. It's hard. So there's a lot of context needed. But I do think Taysom could be a true separator at the position to bring people.

[Mike Wright]

He's going to run, he's going to receive and he's going to throw probably on a weekly basis, which is unique. Hunter Henry has run the most routes among all tight ends this year.

[Guest/Producer]

He's so fit.

[Mike Wright]

6 for 63 this last week. He is a stabilizer for the position. The Schoon Man. Why would we bring up Luke Skoon Maker? Because Jake Ferguson might not be back with the concussion and schoon man had 10 targets on 55 pass attempts from Cooper Rush.

[Guest/Producer]

We're going again.

[Andy Holloway]

That one Already got one. So we're okay. Yeah. I mean, Zach Ertz, Will Disley, Zach Ertz for.

[Guest/Producer]

I think he's been on this show every single week. Like the reason. Part of the reason of like Taysom Hill, I think you can go all in despite him being out is these other names like Schoonmaker, Will Disley against the Baltimore Ravens. Yeah, absolutely. Like there are, there's options that I think you can get for very, very cheap while you're overpaying for a player who's not going to play for you this week. But that's, that's how I would handle it.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think that our league would let me, due to bi week problems, play Will Disley as a running back?

[Andy Holloway]

No. But Taysom, you've got an argument.

[Mike Wright]

So no Dizzler.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no Dizzler at running back. If you've got the, if you've got the roster spots to do it, you might be able to pick up like Taysom Hill and Schoon man together to get. That's what I'm saying.

[Guest/Producer]

I would.

[Andy Holloway]

Because school man is 100% available. Won't cost you hardly anything. You can put most of your money on Taysom Hill. Get a spot start from Luke Skoonmaker and then cut him. Also Theo Johnson.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Jatavian Sanders. Two rookie tight ends looking better for New York and Carolina. They're okay. And Cole comment? I mentioned it. He ran 95% of routes in the first new offensive coordinator with Caleb Williams looking better.

[Guest/Producer]

So he's worth monitoring right at the camera.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Could you give me the camera for two Seconds.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It's about time. Why won't they use Cole Comet?

[Andy Holloway]

Cole Comet?

[Guest/Producer]

Because of Shane Waldron?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Shane Waldron is not. Shane Waldron was like, Shane Walden's a great guy. Okay.

[Guest/Producer]

That's what we hear.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I understand about. Shane Waldron is really nice guy.

[Mike Wright]

Waldron's down a well. He.

[Guest/Producer]

Shane Waldron, you Brick, you banked it.

[Andy Holloway]

Bank shot.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah. Shane Waldron.

[Andy Holloway]

You made it. But it was not a season.

[Mike Wright]

I didn't call bank either.

[Guest/Producer]

The season started and it was like, Gerald Everett's my dude. I'm putting him on the field over Cole Comet. I know we gave him that extension, but we're going with Gerald Everett.

[Andy Holloway]

He knows the system.

[Guest/Producer]

And then you're like, this is not working. Well, fine, we'll put cold out there, but I'm not going to draw targets up for him. And now Waldron's gone and. Oh, look, Colmet. Pretty good player.

[Mike Wright]

You know, the best coaches are the ones that play the best players. I know I would, you know, and then. And then build the offense targeting the best players. And you look like a genius then. So defenses, guys, but drop candidates. At tight end is Tucker Kraft. Is it over? Because it seems like it's over.

[Guest/Producer]

I'm still. Look, I'm the goose. That felt really, really bad.

[Mike Wright]

But it wasn't just that, was it?

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you mean?

[Mike Wright]

The week before, four for 34. I guess it. Because it feels like a long time since he was great because he had an underwhelming game, then he had a bye week and then he had a goose. He.

[Guest/Producer]

I mean, the run was what, five touchdowns in four weeks or. No, five and five weeks. I'm sorry, but it. The offense that he's. He's not a high volume guy, but of the tight ends where you're hoping for a touchdown, he's just. He's higher on the probability scale.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we'll take a quick break and talk about some defensive options as we move towards the playoffs. All right, give me some names that you like at tight end or. Sorry. At defense this week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, there's a handful this week. A lot of great options. You've got the commanders taking on Cooper Rush. Their defense has looked much better. They're coming off a buy. I like the Buccaneers.

[Guest/Producer]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

This week, widely available against the Giants and following that is Tommy Bucks because.

[Guest/Producer]

They'Re playing Tommy Cudlitz.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, Tommy Cudlitz.

[Mike Wright]

Five sacks per game is the average when he started.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And then Carolina the next week. The Raiders the next week, the Buccaneers, they don't have a great secondary you can throw on them. But if you're playing against quarterbacks that will turn the ball, you have touchdown opportunities, you have sacks, you have the things that score fantasy points. So they're, they're one of my favorite pickups also, the Broncos. The Broncos are available in half the leagues. Their defense is elite and they're playing the Raiders.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, for sure. I also think Arizona, you need to look at Arizona now and on into the fantasy playoffs because even in bad matchups they've performed well in terms of the counting stats at run at on the defensive side and their performances lately. Chicago, New York were top five. So.

[Andy Holloway]

And they're getting their first round.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Tackle, dt, baby.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Have they Darius, have they had him.

[Andy Holloway]

At all this year? No, this will be the first. His next game will be first round. First rounder.

[Mike Wright]

Darius Robinson, interior lineman, shut down the run even more. The Cardinals have, you know, they got Seattle a couple times. They got New England, they got Carolina. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a pretty easy schedule.

[Mike Wright]

Wrestling, it's not too bad. We're going to talk some quarterbacks here in a minute. Today's waiver wire was brought to you by NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. We're racing to the playoffs and right now you can get NFL Sunday Ticket for the rest of the NFL season for just $89. $89. Sign up [e-mail] fantasy footballers. Offer ends December 2nd. Terms and embargoes apply. No cancellations.

[Jason Moore]

Full stream ahead.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll, I'll kick us off here because I love it and I think he's the stream of the week. I now I like Andy's better but.

[Guest/Producer]

It'S very this is a very difficult week for just stream streaming quarterbacks in general. The because of the teams that are on by and the way that the matchups have laid out these like Tommy DeVito is about the only wild, widely available quarterback that you could pick up and play. I'm not doing that. So I mean we're looking at guys who are available in about half of leagues.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And for me it's Bonix time. Bo Nix. Bo Nix. Bo Namath is going to Bonix is.

[Guest/Producer]

His roster percentage says you could probably stream but this dude's not a streamer anymore.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no, he's just a starter. I mean you're talking about a quarterback who's top 12 in five of his last seven games. He's the quarterback. Nine already against the Raiders in week five with three total touchdowns. Denver steamrolled them 34 to 18. I expect them to steamroll him again. Since week three, the Raiders ranked 28th and schedule adjusted fantasy points to quarterbacks. And one of the things I really like about Bo Nicks, we've brought up his rushing floor. That's great but it's the lack of rushing success as a team that I also really, really love. You know some of these quarterbacks, when you go out and you make the start, you go, well Jared Goff could be awesome but if all the, you know, Kirk Cousins could be awesome but if the touchdowns just go through the ground, you know they have three rushing.

[Mike Wright]

Touchdowns like under the ground.

[Andy Holloway]

If they, if they got all rushing touchdowns then you, you just end up with a bad performance and it's like you think Javante Williams gonna in the game with three Russia touchdowns. I don't.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's you know Bo Nicks for sure. Las Vegas I'm going with. If Justin Herbert's out there and you need a victory, you better spend up on the fab and make sure you get him brought him up in Difference makers plays Baltimore the Harbol 50 point over under Mike. You've got Russell.

[Guest/Producer]

Yeah, like I said, it is really tough to find a streaming limited. It was unlimited diarrhea this past week. It's like honestly, here's the options. It's like do you trust in what Anthony Richardson had just did last week against Detroit? He plays the Lions now. Geno Smith, Arizona. I get it. I still think of Arizona as a bad team and then oh well actually no, they're not. Their defense has been playing quite well. Stafford has been absolutely back on a full heater where Kyren Williams is not scoring any touchdowns. It's all Matthew Stafford in the passing attack. He plays the Philadelphia Eagles. So I'm taking Russ. Despite the big letdown, he plays against the Cleveland Browns. And the reason I'm trusting in that is Pittsburgh's offenses had been playing really really well until that one game and the Browns just got annihilated by the Saints who have nobody. Nobody. MVS scored another long touchdown on this team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you'd love to be able to say Jameis but he has to play Thursday against a team that just made Lamar Jackson look pretty bad and score sub 20 points.

[Guest/Producer]

It's a very tough week if you don't have a locked in starter.

[Mike Wright]

So those are some names and again you can see our entire waiver list, every position custom for your league, your scoring system and you can check that [e-mail]. we're going to wrap it up. By the way, we're like one week and a day from the. Yeah. Oh yeah. The Megalodon episode next Wednesday. The Megalodon episode. We'll have a super sized episode of this podcast heading into Thanksgiving weekend and we'll also have some giveaways, some fun stuff we'll be doing for the Megalodon next Wednesday here, here. So we'll be back tomorrow with what do we got? We got Hungry for more. We got the TNF preview, some mailbag. Tomorrow we'll get into starts of the week, matchups, Wheel of Shame and whatever else happens in the National Football League. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for subscribing to the podcast. It helps us out a lot. We'll catch you tomorrow. Goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on TwitterFFballers.