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FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast
Week 5 Lineup Advice: Starts, Sleepers, Sits, Player Debates, and TD Calls (Ep. 1748)
00:58:52
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- [00:00]
Ryan Warmley
This is an iHeart podcast. If you're a smoker or dipper ready.
- [00:07]
Jake Seeley
To make a change, you really only.
- [00:08]
Ryan Warmley
Need one good reason. But with Zynn Nicotine Pouches, you'll discover many good reasons. Zynn is America's number one nicotine pouch brand. Plus, Zynn offers a robust rewards program. There are lots of options when it.
- [00:21]
Jake Seeley
Comes to nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zyn. Check out zyn.com find to find Zyn.
- [00:28]
Ryan Warmley
At a store near you.
- [00:30]
Jake Seeley
Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
- [00:35]
Ryan Warmley
Hello, everybody. Welcome into the Fantasy Pros Football Podcast. I'm Ryan, warmly joined, as I am every Thursday morning, by Jake Seeley from the Athletic and by our colleague Pat Fitz Morris. Guys, we are into week five. We are a full month into the season already here. You know, I say it's every year, but it does feel like it goes fast every year. And once again, it feels like it's going quite fast. Hard to believe we're into week five already. Quick reminder for everybody. All of our 2025 consensus for rankings and tiers can be found at fantasypros.com rankings. We've got a very full show for everybody, so let's go ahead and dive right in. We're going to start where we always do with the popular waiver ads of the week and kind of ask the question, are we starting and sitting these guys right now, you know, or starting them right now, or were they more of a pickup and hold stash for the future? The biggest name and wasn't available everywhere but was available, you know, maybe in what I would consider a surprising number of leagues. Um, considering that there were people who liked him before the season. Woody Marks, the opportunity, clearly had the chance to be there in Houston and it sure presented itself here in week four as Marks had his real breakout. It was a lot of rookies had their breakouts really. It felt like in week four and Marks was certainly on that list. He does get a very enticing matchup now this week against, you know, arguably the worst defense in football in terms of the injured Ravens. So, Jake, I'll start with you. Are you starting or sitting what he marks the this week?
- [01:56]
Jake Seeley
So I think you have to. But it also comes down to the fact that we are now four teams on a buy. I mean, we're missing some decent running backs as options this week, including Bijan and Jacob. So that's part of the factor. He's a backend RBT for me. I think you can make the toss up of whether you want to go with Stevenson and the fact that Mike Froebel just loves the guy versus a Woody Marks because, yeah, I do think he took the lead, but I don't think this is going to be a lead where it's, oh my God. All of a sudden Woody Marks is out there 70, 80% of the workload, mostly because that's also not really who he is as a running. I brought this up before and I know some people push back on this, but I'll push back on the pushback. And I do think there's a lot of similarities to Tajie Spears because of their style, but also their size and the size being like he is actually slightly bigger than Daje Spears bulk wise, but I don't think he's built for 20 touches. I don't think he's built to be a workhorse. He can do it some games, but I don't think that's what they're going to do when you still have Nick Chubb. And it's not like Nick Chubb is like, oh my God, he's so amazing. But we've seen some runs where it's like, hey, you know what? That's 85% the prime nick Chubb that we used to remember. So maybe let's not get Woody Marks killed. And that late garbage time touchdown last week, which still counts. Let's be clear, it could have gone to Nick Chubb, just depending on like what formation was on the field at the time. And I'm not saying that to say, like, it's going to be Nick Chubb going forward. I just don't want people to go too crazy over what happened last week. Yes, we deserve to be excited. Yes, he deserves to be an RB2, but he's still probably back into the conversation with, like I said, like a Stevenson in if we knew Chuba Hubbard was 100%, which he's not right now, but like those kind of running backs, in my opinion.
- [03:29]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz, I'm curious, not just, you know, where you're ranking him for this week, is he somebody who's a start for you? But the, the roster percentage, you know, Yon Yahoo, it's 74%. On ESPN, it's 28%. This is after, you know, waivers have gone through and, and he's been picked up or not. He's, it's, it's about 60% overall roster percentage. You can see that information on fantasyprose.com that feels really low to me. Like, even if you want to come out here and say, hey, let's not get over our skis. It was one good game. Let's see what happens. You know, in a pattern here, Nick Chubb's not going away. All that stuff. Like he should be rostered in way more leagues, right?
- [04:02]
Pat Fitz Morris
Oh, absolutely. You know, he could be the number one back for Houston right now. Although I kind of agree with Jake's very measured, rational take on Woody Marks that it is going to be some Nick job too. And for all we know like there is a non zero chance that there was just maybe something we don't know like Nick Chubb had the flu or something last week and they were trying to intentionally limit his snaps and maybe it goes back to being a 65, 35, 60, 40 in Chubb's favor, which would be really dismaying to all the people who went out and had big fab spends on Woody Marks. I don't think that's the case though. And you know, I also think there's a non zero chance that Woody Marks just leaves Nick Chubb in the dust. But the one thing that's concerning is like the terrible Houston offensive line. That's going to be a problem no matter what, no matter who it is. And I Woody Marks can at least offset some of that with his pass catching ability. But you know, I just, that is a headwind for whoever the Houston running back is going to be and that's going to be hard to shake because this offensive line is like we were talking about this on the ranking show the other day. I don't know if I have seen a Houston offensive lineman get to the second level and block a linebacker or safety on a running play all year and I've watched like way too much of the Texans offense for anyone's well being. Like it's just so gross to watch. Like that's a problem. So it's great that Woody Marks gets the dual run catch usage, but anyone expecting him to come in and be Ladanian Tomlinson I think is going to be in for a big disappointment.
- [05:46]
Ryan Warmley
Sorry Fitz, did you say. Where do you have him ranked for this week?
- [05:49]
Pat Fitz Morris
Running back 25. So I do think you know, to answer the original question, you probably are starting him in a four team bye week with some of the injury problems we're seeing.
- [05:59]
Ryan Warmley
That's actually a couple spots below consensus. Surprisingly he is inside the top 24. He's at, he's at running back 22 in the half PPR consensus rank and.
- [06:07]
Jake Seeley
I do where I have him.
- [06:08]
Ryan Warmley
I do think that part of that is, hey, we saw this. Cool. Breakout. Rookies are fun. We want to be excited. And the other part of that is, like I said that I mean, the defensive matchup, again, like, with the injuries, I just. There. There aren't many defenses you'd rather be going against right now than the Ravens, and it's not a team that can rush the passer. So the offensive line, who knows how much that'll even bother them with. With the state of the Ravens defensive line. So I totally get why everybody is very, very excited about Marks in general. But also, specifically for this week, I want to ask about one of the Giants receivers. Technically, I could have asked about Wanda Robinson. He was also on, you know, these, these waiver lists, but less rostered was Darius Slayton. So I wanted to ask about him where maybe it's a little bit tougher of a conversation. Who knows? Maybe you guys don't see it that way. Fitz, I'll start with you on this one. Darius Slayton, are you starting or sitting him in the first week here without.
- [06:55]
Pat Fitz Morris
Malik Neighbors, he is really borderline. He's wide receiver 39. So I think it's kind of textural how many teams in the league, whether you start two or three wide receivers, I think in leagues where you have to start three receivers, he's probably playing it in two receivers, probably not. I kind of suspect that Wanda Robinson is going to be the more heavily targeted Giants receiver. My concern is that the Giants are probably going to be run heavy with Jackson Dart at quarterback. A lot of Cam Scatterbo, a lot of designed runs and scrambles by Dart, and the Saints might not be able to push the Giants into a negative game script where they have to throw. Like, I think the spread on that one is really tight. I think the Saints might even be favored in that game, believe it or not. So, yeah, it's just. And plus, Slayton, he has a longer average depth of target. I know Wandell's been running more vertical routes, but like, Slayton tends to be more of a vertical threat and that's kind of a hit or miss profile.
- [07:58]
Ryan Warmley
What do you think, Jake?
- [08:00]
Jake Seeley
I'm with Fitz on this one. I have him as a fringe wide receiver three, four, kind of right in that range. And if it wasn't for what we go back to, the four teams in a buy would rank lower. Mostly because the added part of this is Jackson Dart is essentially, you know, passing more like Justin Fields where, like, is he going to throw for more than 200 yards because he's going to keep Running, it's kind of like he's basically slightly lesser rushing version of Fields and slightly better passing version of Fields, which kind of gives you the idea of what to expect. So as Fitz said, you know, how much do they lean on the pass and even if they do, how much does Jackson Dart? Jackson Dart was actually one of the most that was. He was the highest design run quarterback in week four. So is that going to change their game plan going forward? Like, because he might get himself hurt if he keeps trying to stiff arm people with his passing arm, by the way, and trying to run through people. So do they try to force him to pass more or as Fitz said, do they even need to go down that route? Because it's the Saints. So I would lean Wandell first. And the interesting thing was that when Malik Neighbors left the field, it was actually mostly Wandell and Theo Johnson, not even Darius Slayton. So that's part of the equation as well.
- [09:10]
Ryan Warmley
We have one more receiver I want to talk about in this segment, Malik Washington, who obviously, you know, becomes available or. Or becomes an appealing fantasy option because of the injury to Tyree Kill in the same way Slayton is because of the injury to Neighbors. So, Jake, I'll start with you on this one. What do you think about Malik Washington and how does he compare to Slayton for you in terms of like, they're both kind of in a similar situation of being thrust into this opportunity because of a season ending injury to the guy ahead of him? Is Washington somebody that you maybe like more than Slayton?
- [09:39]
Jake Seeley
So I like Washington's ceiling more than Slayton mostly because even going forward, I mean, if you were looking on that roster already for who replaces Tyreek Hill, stylistically, it's Malik Washington, like, Waddle got hurt. Malik Washington doesn't 100% fit waddle. He fits Tyreek Hill. And I'm not calling Washington Tyreek Hill by any stretch of the imagination, but even if he was 80% Tyree kill, he'd be in the wide receiver three conversation as long as two is at quarterback. And I think Carolina is kind of a middle of road defense. Like people perception wise might say, oh, it's the Carolina Panthers, they stink. But at the same time, their secondary has been opportunistic at times and has some corners that you have to say, you know what, they're decent enough that you're not like, oh, smash everybody you can against that secondary. Like, it's the Cowboys. So I do say they like Malik Washington is right in the same range as Darius Slayton. I would actually call Darius Slayton the safer option. But if I'm just going to chase ceiling, I'm going to hope that Washington steps into that role and Westbrook Aquina is not a factor. Of course, that's part of the equation too is Tyreek Hill left the game and then they made adjustments in game. Sometimes teams change what they do with a full week of knowing somebody's out and all of a sudden Malik Washington might still be the number three and Westbrook Aquina actually steps in as the two. So there's that risk as well.
- [10:56]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz, do you. I mean, I'm curious what you think about Washington specifically. He's somebody that you and I had talked about last year on the Dynasty show as a player that I really liked and thought was like a nice sleeper. Gets this opportunity now. So I want to hear what you think about Washington fits. But also Washington versus Slayton Slayton because they're only two spots away in ECR right now.
- [11:15]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah, I've got Washington ranked three spots ahead of Slayton. Feel a little bit better about him. I actually think the floor might be a little safer with Washington 2. So maybe Jake and I don't quite agree on that just because like Slayton again with those vertical routes, I think he can be real hit or miss. Whereas Washington, like, I think the usage might be closer to like 2024. Wandale Robinson, a lot of targets, but at a very shallow average depth of target. So maybe Malik Washington is more valuable in full point PPR leagues than he is in standard leagues. And by the way, Malik Washington has eight carries for 60 yards this season. Like he brings a little bit of rushing value to the table also. But yeah, you would have to imagine he's going to be prominently involved with Tyreek Hill out. And maybe Jake is right about the like, we don't know. It could be that Nick Westbrook Akine is actually more involved here. But based on what we've seen so far, I think Washington has out snapped Westbrook Akine like 124 to 78 so far this season. So yeah. And man, like Malik Washington had 110 catches for 1426 yards in his final college season at Virginia. Like this, this dude is a baller. So I'm.
- [12:33]
Jake Seeley
So I think he's really jump back in. I wanted to clarify for everybody out there because yeah, I agree, the fantasy floor I'm with you. Is safer for Washington. I was, to be clear, I was specifying more the role like Darius. Like Darius Slayton 100% is there one or two option alongside Wandell Robinson. And I agree it should be Malik Washington. I was just saying there's that chance that, you know, they change things up with Westbrook Aquina. They shouldn't. I can't agree with you more that Malik Washington is a baller. I just. There's always that chance that these teams don't do things we want them to or think they should.
- [13:05]
Pat Fitz Morris
But you're right. I in two receiver sets, Slayton is going to be on the field. Malik Washington may or may not be.
- [13:12]
Ryan Warmley
I couldn't really fit Darren Waller into today's show, but I do want to ask this while we're on Washington, do you think like, because. Because it might not be a receiver, right. But it could be. If you, if you are a believer in Darren Waller, it could be that he sees a big uptick or it just could be that like Jaylen Waddle gets like all the targets and and kind of goes nuclear. Do you think that it's going to be one of Jake like Washington or Wester Kakina or somebody? Or do you think it's possible that it is like they just throw to hn way more? They throw to wad away more. Waller gets a bigger role than we anticipated.
- [13:44]
Jake Seeley
I think it'd just be everybody. Like it's not going to be Tyreek Hill replaced by X and that's it. It's going to be X, Y and Z. It's going to be everybody but for the Waller in his own right. I'm just going to say the exact same thing I said on the Athletic. He's Mark Andrews. Just put him out there every single week. It's going to be very much touchdown or bust. You're going to get 031-point but you're also going to get a week like last week and we've already seen it with Mark Andrews. So it goes back to the conversation we've already had about tight ends. Is that anybody in that tight end 9 to 20 range is essentially the same thing is you're going to have good. You're going to get 50, 50. You're not going to get 80% good games unless you have a top five tight end. You're going to get 50 good ones, 50% good ones and 50% bad. So I'm okay riding with Waller, but don't expect consistency would be my. My only cautionary point quickly fits.
- [14:33]
Ryan Warmley
Do you see it the same I.
- [14:34]
Pat Fitz Morris
Do and especially with Darren Waller only playing like 18 snaps, you know, he was playing his first game since 2023. And maybe the snap car snap counts start to tick up as he gets his wind.
- [14:49]
Jake Seeley
Well, he called it. Did you see that? He called that. He said he's going to see it. He called it himself. He said I'm going to see a big uptick this week in his.
- [14:57]
Pat Fitz Morris
Oh, good. All right. Yeah, so, but I mean even, even if like his snap count were to double, I think Jake is right that probably Waller is not going to move the needle too much with his receiving yardage. You're basically playing for a touchdown. And you know, that's never a bad play with a 6 foot 6 guy with a ridiculous wingspan.
- [15:18]
Ryan Warmley
All right, let's go to our plant your flag segment. Fitz, I'll stick with you. Which guy are you planting your flag on? This can be any position anywhere in the rankings. The guy that you are convicted in. Four for week five.
- [15:29]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah. Jacoby Myers. He is only wide receiver 37 in half point PPR fantasy scoring. But if you go beneath the surface stats, I think there's reason to be pretty optimistic for Myers this week. He's a nice beefy 26.8% target share. He's sixth among all wide receivers in yards after the catch. He's 25th in air yards, which, you know, that combined with the yards after the catch, pretty nice combination. And Jacoby Myers has a good matchup against the Colts, who've allowed the second most receptions and fifth most receiving yards to wide receivers.
- [16:04]
Ryan Warmley
Jake, do you think Jacoby Myers, who by the way is ranked in half PPR as wide receiver 21, do you think that's too high, too low or just right?
- [16:13]
Jake Seeley
Just about right. I have him at 23, but that's only because I have Juwan Jennings as possibly playing right now that with no Ricky Pierce. So what I would rank in front of him just because it's Juwan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne at this point. So basically it's a toss up between Harrison and Jacoby Myers. So I'm with, I mean he's locked inside the top 24. He's in a tier, by the way, with Keenan Allen, Juwan Jennings, Chris Godwin, Brian Thomas. So to put him in that kind of conversation just tells you that I'm with Fitz on this one. I think this is a really strong play.
- [16:42]
Ryan Warmley
I think Jennings is out officially, right?
- [16:45]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah, I believe he's officially out. Yes.
- [16:47]
Jake Seeley
Yeah, there he goes. That's what happens when he's done podcast and discord chats and everything the whole morning.
- [16:54]
Ryan Warmley
I, I, I only correct you just for our listeners in Case they hear it and think, oh, maybe I can start him. I want to make sure they know.
- [16:59]
Jake Seeley
Oh, no. Well, they're not going to listen till after Thursday Night Football anyway.
- [17:02]
Ryan Warmley
Probably sometimes depends on with when this drops. They hear obviously they should be keeping.
- [17:07]
Jake Seeley
So he's 22, so I'm 111 spot behind. Consensus. Yeah. There you go.
- [17:11]
Ryan Warmley
Nice. All right, Jake, who are you planting your flag on? Hopefully not Joanne Jennings.
- [17:16]
Jake Seeley
No, it's definitely not your one, James. It originally was going to be a J. I was going to originally say Jameson Williams, but that one kind of felt I was like, I went back and forth, I was like, is that easy because it' Jameson Williams going against the Bengals or is it not because everybody's ticked off at him? And I was like, hey, you know what? Last week if he doesn't drop that pass, nobody's talking about Jameson Williams as a concern. They're like, oh, fire him right back up with the Bangles. So that's originally where I was going with them, but I want to go a little bit deeper because we are in a four team bye week. We are missing some wide receivers to injury too. So I say like plant your flag on the upside of Rashid Shahid against the Giants. Shahid still being involved, obviously not to the level of Chris Olave and Juwan Jennings on the target shares, but he's third. And he's still getting those deep targets, of course from Rattler, who's been much more inconsistent, to the short intermediate game. But the one thing the Giants like to do is they like to give up the big plays to wide receivers. Their secondary has been better this year. I guess at the addition of Debo it's been better, but it's been better keeping things limited, short and intermediate, but still giving up those big plays. So I say if you're looking for a fill in and you're saying, I need some upside this week, I think Rasheed Shahid could have that week that we've been wanting for Shahid since last year.
- [18:21]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah, Fitz, I'm curious what you think about Shahid and also just in general, like the. The state of wide receiver is like for this week with some of the buys and obviously the injuries that have been taken on. You get to the mid-30s in ranking this position and it's Keon Coleman, Trey Tucker, Alec IO Manor, Jerry Judy, Troy Franklin, Rashid Shahid, Calvin Ridley, like sure, you can squint and like make the case for some of those guys as like good, you know, you know you're interested in starting them squint and pretend they're other names in the that those feels like the names that should be in like the late 40s, not the middle 30s.
- [18:53]
Pat Fitz Morris
No, it's gross. I mean 12 team leagues where you have to start three receivers this week. Like I can't wait. I'm gonna go look at some of my competitors lineups in the Kings Classic league where you have to start two running backs, three receivers and three flexes. There are going to be some gnarly starters this week in lineups like cover your eyes and you know, hope for five PPR points out of some of these guys. So yeah, I mean I like Shahid. I think he's had at least four four catches in every game so far. He's been surprisingly high volume and as Jake said like he his targets are at a slightly deeper average depth than Chris Olave, so a bit higher value targets for Shahid too. And you gotta like the matchup against the Giants.
- [19:42]
Ryan Warmley
Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. The Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app is clean, easy to use and also packed with trends, insights and odds you can check out any day of the week. Week five kicks off tonight with the California showdown between San Francisco and la. You can check out this streak from the Hard Rock Bet Stats hub right here in the app. Christian McCaffrey is RB3 in the fantasy Pros Expert Consensus rankings this week and he's hit pay dirt in six straight October games. We also give Devonte Adams an A grade on his matchup this week. He's recorded over 90 receiving yards in five straight games against San Francisco. His over is just 51 1/2 yards in the Hard Rock Bet app. You can find odds for streaks just like this right now in that Hard Rock Bet app. Still haven't placed your first bet on Hard Rock Bet? It's not too late. Place your first five dollar bet and if it wins, you'll score 150 in bonus bets on top of your payout. Plus tonight on hard Rock Bet, you can get a Thursday night parlay boost for the game. Boost your parlay so it pays extra winnings. There's new promos every day. If you're listening to this later, just open the app and check out what you've got. Any day of the week, download the Hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit payable and bonus bets.
- [20:52]
Jake Seeley
Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida offered.
- [20:54]
Pat Fitz Morris
By Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC and other states.
- [20:57]
Jake Seeley
Must be 21 and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. To play, terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida?
- [21:05]
Ryan Warmley
Call 1888.
- [21:06]
Jake Seeley
Admit it in Indiana. If you or somebody you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call.
- [21:10]
Ryan Warmley
1-800-9 with IT and gambling department.
- [21:12]
Jake Seeley
Call 1-800-GAMBLER in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois and New Jersey. Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia.
- [21:17]
Ryan Warmley
If you're a smoker or dipper ready.
- [21:18]
Jake Seeley
To make a change, you really only need one good reason.
- [21:22]
Ryan Warmley
But with Zyn Nicotine Pouches, you'll discover many good reasons. Zynn is America's number one nicotine pouch brand. Plus, Zynn offers a robust rewards program. There are lots of options when it.
- [21:33]
Jake Seeley
Comes to nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zyn.
- [21:37]
Ryan Warmley
Check out zyn.com find to find. Find Zen at a store near you.
- [21:42]
Jake Seeley
Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
- [21:47]
Pat Fitz Morris
Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm.
- [21:49]
Jake Seeley
Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week. That is exactly what you're going to get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.
- [22:05]
Pat Fitz Morris
Did you see the Colts pretzel?
- [22:06]
Jake Seeley
That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Looks like something that should not be sold.
- [22:10]
Pat Fitz Morris
Oh, my.
- [22:11]
Jake Seeley
So that was my other big Colts takeaway.
- [22:12]
Pat Fitz Morris
They sold that? Yes.
- [22:13]
Jake Seeley
Might want to go back to the.
- [22:14]
Pat Fitz Morris
Cold stadium at the Colts stadium.
- [22:15]
Jake Seeley
Yeah, I might want to go back.
- [22:16]
Pat Fitz Morris
To the drawing board on that.
- [22:17]
Jake Seeley
Yeah. I thought the shape we had with.
- [22:19]
Pat Fitz Morris
Pretzels was working pretty well.
- [22:20]
Jake Seeley
It's worked for generations. We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go. I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age.
- [22:29]
Pat Fitz Morris
He's a young 73. He is a young 73. He is spry.
- [22:33]
Jake Seeley
I wouldn't fight him. I would listen. NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [22:48]
Ryan Warmley
All right, guys, let's get into some of these. Start sit player debates. First one is A Running back 1. Javante Williams vs. Quin. Sean Judkins. I got off the page. I want to pull up where they're ranked in ECR. Javante Williams, RB11. Quinchon Judkins is RB14. Fitz, I'll start with you. Who do you like better for this week, Javante or Judkins?
- [23:08]
Pat Fitz Morris
I have Javante ranked higher. I'M just a little worried about the Browns offense with rookie quarterback Dylan Gabriel making his NFL debut against the Vikings in London. You just know Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is going to throw all sorts of exotic blitzes and stunts and twists at Gabriel. The kid's head is going to be spinning. Now I do think the Browns are going to run Judkins hard to try to take the pressure off Gabriel, but if the Browns can't pick up first downs, Judkins touch volume is going to be muted even if the Browns are force feeding him. So now I'm not going to lie. Like I'm kind of nervous about having Javante ranked RB12 when the Cowboys are down three starting offensive linemen. They were already without Cooper Beebe and first round draft pick Tyler Booker, and now Tyler Guyton has a concussion. Probably won't play against the jets this week, but the Browns have some offensive line injuries too. Dejuan Jones is out. Jack, Jack Conklin is, I think questionable. But the Javante thing is working out pretty splendidly for the people who drafted him so far. Four touchdowns, 5.0 yards per carry, 5.4 yards per carry since week two. And as kind of an unexpected bonus, Javante has been pretty heavily involved as a pass catcher. He has 16 receptions already. The only running backs in fact, with more receptions than Javante Williams right now, Christian McCaffrey, Jameer Gibbs, Devon Achan, Bucky Irving and Bijan Robinson. So Javante is right up there with the best dual purpose running backs in the league.
- [24:43]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah, I mean, I just don't know how anybody could complain about what we've gotten from Javante this year. Not that they are, but it's just, it's just been awesome. I mean his weekly finishes RB3, RB4, RB25, RB14. There's floor and ceiling there. You know, he's averaging a touchdown a game. I'll be surprised. The level of quality I expect from the offense in general, combined with the fact that Javante is getting all this opportunity, I'm going to be surprised in weeks where he doesn't get a touchdown. Honestly, I just feel like at some point in the course of the game that opportunity will present itself. Like you mentioned, the passing game work has been really nice too. Having said all that, like Judkins, I do think they're going to force feed him to try and mitigate some of that pass rush and take some of the pressure off of a rookie quarterback making his first career start. And I, I, I know Fitz, typically you are like a volume over Other stuff guy. When you're trying to evaluate a matchup, it sounds like in this case everything else is maybe enough to kind of outweigh the volume. Jake, I'm curious what you think about this one. Judkins or Javante Williams?
- [25:44]
Jake Seeley
Yeah, so two things. This first is my chuckle at the Javante Williams is just what this week is like. He's like I don't want to put him at 12, but that's what this week is. But the second point being is so I have a T and it's starting with Henry Genty, Kyron Williams blank Scatterboo blank etn. I actually go Judkins as the first blank and but that's how close it is and they're all in the same tier as those other names. So if you want to argue for Williams, I have no problem with it because I will say the main concern that Fitz brought up is the Dillian Gabriel factor. Here is the fact. But you know, it's funny like because the last time we went against each other by a decent amount. This isn't a decent amount, but he brought up the whole florist thing too. Well was the last time that happened was against the Bengals. Now that being the quarterback. But I did want to bring that up for one thing too is like when we look at defense as a whole not just for fantasy but just like for matchups too is sometimes we can like overreact to things that happen for one week. Like in the first week it was like, oh, you know, DeAndre Swift struggled to get anything going. DeAndre strips struggled to get anything going the entire year. So that you can kind of whatever they get blitzed by the freaking Falcons backfield, the entire backfield, over 200 yards, almost 250 yards. They get destroyed last week by Kenneth Gainwell. And then week three they obviously shut down the entire offense, including Chase Brown. So is it Flores versus the defense or versus the offenses? Or is it just the fact that like maybe the run defense isn't as good as their past defense and their past defense is really good and Flores is really good at getting after the quarterback, but maybe their run defense is just adequate. And that's where I lean slightly towards Judkins because there was only two running backs with a higher touch percentage than they were last week in what was a 34 to 10 blowout including four passes and four receptions going to Judkins. So all that being said, if you want to go Williams, I'm not, I'm not calling Fitz crazy. I'm not Calling anybody who disagrees with me, like Williams is in play in the same tier. I just give Judkins the slight edge just because I think he is now a top five bell cow, which of course can still go sideways. But the Browns just that usage again, that's what I keep going back to in my mind is they were losing. They lost 34 to 10 and they still gave him 90. Was it like 92% of the work?
- [27:58]
Ryan Warmley
I want to just hit on something quickly, which is some people might be listening to this or watching this and say, oh, Javante Williams is RB11 and Quintron judges RB14. Why are you asking about them? Those guys are obvious starts. It's because all the other names inside the top, like 18 or so running backs are guys that were drafted in ranges where you're just very clearly starting them and there's not really, like much of a debate. Whereas Javante and Judkins, you might. You might have other obvious starts. So. And you have to make this decision. And I think it's worth hitting on even when guys are ranked high. Clearly we all like both of these guys to varying degrees, but this still could be a decision you have to make.
- [28:32]
Pat Fitz Morris
Right. Judkins drafted as a fourth or fifth running back by a lot of people.
- [28:37]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah. And Javante was not drafted at all.
- [28:39]
Jake Seeley
Depending on when you drafted, because we didn't know if he was playing.
- [28:43]
Ryan Warmley
The other running back debate I wanted to do, and I usually don't include names that we did in the waiver wire segment, but I just thought it was such an important person to talk about this week, considering the week he came off of and again the matchup he has, which we already hit on a little. So Woody Marks and I wanted to throw him against somebody specifically. And the guy I went with is David Montgomery. They are very close. In ECR rankings in half PPR, David Montgomery is RB19, Woody Marks is RB22. Obviously, to the point. I was just making like, Marks is not somebody that you drafted to be a starter. Montgomery, depending on your league, likely, you know, possibly not either. So they're close in ECR here. Jake, I'll start with you on this one. Woody Marks or David Montgomery this week.
- [29:20]
Jake Seeley
I'm going Woody Marks and I got some pushback on this and everybody's like, oh, they're facing the Bengals and Dave Montgomery and the touchdown upside. And yeah, he always has touchdown upside. He always has potential for two touchdowns because it's the Lions offense. But look at last week. The Lions ran away with that game and Derek McGurney's barely used. And that's where it comes down to is like, just what are the Lions going to do any given week? If you could tell me you have the secret sauce to go talk to Morton and you're inside the brains of the two of them? Sure. Cool. Tell me that Montgomery is going to get even 12 touches. I'd probably actually lean him over Marks just because Mark Stoll actually might be in the teens range. And then Montgomery on the Lions. I know a lot more than I do know Woody Marks, even though I'm a fan of Woody Marks. So it just comes down to that, as I do think that Woody Marks is kind of. That he's going to get teen touches. Montgomery could get you five or he could get me 15. And of course, like I said, if he gets you 15 touches, he's probably an RB one. But you go back to last week's blowout when they didn't need them and they need them this week. The last week is just fresh in my mind of like, what are the lines going to do any given week, even when they do have a massive lead?
- [30:25]
Ryan Warmley
Okay, Fitz, we could go like a little quicker on this one just because we did kind of talk about Marks already in the waiver segment. But I'm curious, putting him against somebody like Montgomery, who, you know, also has a very appealing matchup. Like Jake just said, are you. Are you interested in the young guy, you know, up and comer and, you know, following up his breakout game or kind of the, you know, maybe theoretically higher floor veteran?
- [30:46]
Pat Fitz Morris
I want Monty. I. I know the scales have tipped a little towards Jameer Gibbs in this backfield. It's not the near 5050 split it used to be. And with good reason. I mean, you should be giving Jameer Gibbs more touches than David Montgomery. But I, I do lean into the matchup here. Like, the Lions are ten and a half point favorites, so game script should be pretty run friendly. And Bengals have given up the second most rushing yards and second most rushing attempts to running backs. And we talked about it with Woody Marks. There's still a little bit of ambu ambiguity about the workload and what it's going to be. There's no ambiguity about how bad the Houston offensive line is, so I prefer Monte here.
- [31:29]
Ryan Warmley
All right, let's go to some wide receiver debates. Now. How about Xavier Worthy coming off of a very impressive, you know, first full game of the season. Obviously he played a couple of snaps and we shocking. But first full game here again, coming against that terrible Ravens Defense, so you never know how much that weighs into it. Xavier Worthy or Jalen Waddle, who of course has this, you know, new opportunity with Tyree Kill out somebody who was already playable but now you would think would have, you know, just even more volume attached to what his workload is going to look like. Jalen waddle, wide receiver 18. Xavier Worthy up at wide receiver 14. Fitz, I'll start with you here.
- [32:06]
Pat Fitz Morris
I just want to say that ranking the wide receivers in the like 10 to 22 range this week was really hard and I don't have much confidence in how I've sorted these guys out. I have Waddle ranked higher. Part of it is the anticipated target spillover from the Tyreek Hill injury. You would have to imagine Waddle gets at least a little bit of a target boost. And we're talking about a player who was a former top 10 NFL draft pick and began his career with three straight 1000 yard seasons and probably would have gotten there last year too if Tua Tanga Vailoa hadn't got hurt. But I like Worthy too. Like he's really good. Had a big impact in his first game back from that shoulder injury. 5 for 83 on 9 targets plus a 35 yard run and managed to avoid any collisions with Travis Kelsey, which is a good thing. So I, I have moved Worthy up in my rankings and now have him just one spot behind Waddle. I think they're both high end wide receiver twos, but you know, honestly not at all sure I'm making the right call and Waddle over Worthy and man, like hopefully you can start both if you've got both guys on your team.
- [33:17]
Ryan Warmley
Jake, what do you think? Do you see this as like kind of a toss up? The same way Fitz does.
- [33:22]
Jake Seeley
So much so that I have him wide receiver 13 and 14. Okay, super toss up. So I go. Except I think in reverse. You said you have Waddle over Worthy, correct. So I have Worthy over Waddle. But apparently like we're both high on Waddle because I got a few questions saying why so high on Waddle this week and it really comes down to the volume. And I know that like Carolina I just mentioned earlier has been a little bit concerning in their past defense, but it's middle of the road, which is that's why it's surprising is because they're not just terrible. And that's the thing is the perception about the Panthers is they're terrible across the board. So I go back to back, I think, you know, I kind of chuckled when you brought it up that what happened last week with Worthy, the fact that he comes back from a separated shoulder in two weeks wearing a soft and stuff like a wrap brace, basically, and goes out there and goes, ham, like. And they did help him avoid contact, which I think is part of the concern, maybe if he aggravates it. But at this point, until Rasheed Rice comes back, they're both in play. They're both inside my top 15. This is how far I'm going. I'm going to put. I'm going to kick one that you didn't ask Worm. I'm going to ask it. Oh, no, wait. We have them later for flex. I'm doing it anyway. Fits. I have them both. One spot. It's 1, 1, 1. And Jamar Chase is at 15. I'm starting both over Jamar Chase.
- [34:31]
Ryan Warmley
Wow.
- [34:32]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah.
- [34:33]
Jake Seeley
I mean, are you doing it?
- [34:34]
Pat Fitz Morris
Who can argue with a no? I've got Chase a little higher.
- [34:37]
Jake Seeley
That's what I was. But that's as far as I could go with Chase. I can't push him below 15. I stopped one spot in front of AJ Brown is basically in the same boat as him at this point. We're talking about both later, by the way.
- [34:49]
Ryan Warmley
Well, we usually don't talk about the big names in that flex, you know, starts starts his decision range. But because of what's been going on with guys like Chase and Brown, I did include them this week. So that's a fun tease for when we get to that segment with Worthy and Waddle, two names that are ranked in between those two guys in ECR because I told you they're four spots apart. Two of the names between them are Michael Pittman Jr. And Zay Flowers. Would you guys start both of them over, both Zay and Pittman, or would either of you, you know, start one of those two ahead of either of those two?
- [35:20]
Jake Seeley
I have both of them behind both of them same.
- [35:22]
Pat Fitz Morris
So Waddle and Worthy ahead of the other two Flowers and.
- [35:25]
Jake Seeley
Yes, same.
- [35:26]
Ryan Warmley
Okay. I think that's the correct thing to have, but I want to ask since they're all kind of jumbled together.
- [35:31]
Pat Fitz Morris
They are in.
- [35:32]
Jake Seeley
Here's the answer.
- [35:33]
Pat Fitz Morris
Go ahead.
- [35:34]
Jake Seeley
Oh, I was gonna say. Sorry. Yeah. Thank you for the go ahead. The Zay Flowers one, he's now knew what old Carolina DJ Moore was. Just rank them 20 and you know that's going to be wrong. He's going to be either higher or lower. But just rank him around 20 because it's either going to be wide receiver 5 or wide receiver 45.
- [35:50]
Ryan Warmley
I think it's going to be like wide receiver 85 this week if Lamar is not.
- [35:55]
Jake Seeley
So he's Jamar Chase from last week.
- [35:58]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah, exactly. Another wide receiver debate here. How about Quentin Johnston or Cortland Sutton? These are also two guys that are in the same range in ECR that you were just talking about. Fitz is like kind of a jumbled like difficult area to to work through. I'll, I'll let Jake go first on this one actually. Cortland Sutton or Quentin Johnston, who do you like better?
- [36:18]
Jake Seeley
I can't believe this. And it has this is part to do with the week four, but it's not that much to do with week four. Quentin Johnson's inside of my top ten at this point. Like I've been pushing him up weekly. He's their number one. He is who they expected to draft in the first round. It just took him to year three. Kudos to the person who put it out. I wish I would have thought of it first, but this is the essentially happy learned how to putt. Quinton Johnston learned how to catch. He's still not a full route runner, but he doesn't need A.J. brown's not a full route runner. Like they don't always need to be for what they are. He's the der facto number one and it's all areas of the field, including the end zone and the red zone. I like Cortland Sutton a lot too. I think Cortland Sutton had a lot of disrespect for this season going into it, like oh, I can't do it again or you know, it's whatever and he's doing it again. He's been a wide receiver one. So when it comes down to it, what's the slight edge I'm going to go with? Well, I'm going to go with quarterback situation. I go Herbert over Knicks this year especially and I also go who has the higher potential for a shootout and I know that the Eagles can put up points, but they also went into halftime last week and said everybody can go home. That's my only explanation for happening in the second half when they didn't even score anything. But going against the Eagles tougher matchup and Quentin Johnson gets the Washington commanders who also has Jaden Daniels back. So a potential shootout there is why I'm going to give Quentin Johnston the slight edge. But I have them both as wide receiver ones this week, which is just, it's just I I feels bad I have Quinton Johnston like almost 10, not quite seven spots in front of Jamar Chase. Like, what the hell is 2025 happening?
- [37:48]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz, what do you think? Do you also, I'm curious, head to head, but do you also have those guys both ahead of Worthy and waddle the way Jake does, or do you have it more jumbled up between the group of them?
- [37:57]
Pat Fitz Morris
I think I've got Sutton ahead and Quentin Johnson below those guys. But this is another case where, you know that group of 13 or 14 receivers that are hard to sort out in low end, wide receiver one and wide receiver two range, like Sutton has given us at least 60 yards and a touchdown in three out of his four games this year. So he has showed up except for like one disappearance, three pretty strong games. I can't make a case against Quentin Johnston anymore. The dude's been awesome. And yeah, to Jake's point, like, if you would have told us a month ago, like, here, look at your Week 5 rankings and see that Quentin Johnston is ranked ahead of Jamar Chase. Be like, what? So, Yeah, I mean, QJ is wide receiver four and a half point PPR scoring third and receiving yardage tied for third and touchdowns tied for third and receptions of 20 yards or longer second in air yards. But every week with QJ, we have to wonder the same thing. Like, is this the week he takes a backseat to lad McConkey and Keenan Allen? Like, unless we all think that lad McConkey is just suddenly bad at football. And I personally don't think that's the case. And you know, the Chargers are up against the commander's defense that's been giving it up to slot receivers all year so far. So maybe it's more of a lad McConkey, Keenan Allen Week than a Quentin Johnston week. Or maybe Quentin Johnston just continues to be awesome and has another big day. Because like Jake said, I mean, this is the QJ the Chargers thought they were drafting. All drafting. Yeah, the guy who's just.
- [39:31]
Jake Seeley
Well, see, that's where. So that's where I go to. It is he's tied for like the targets too. Like, it's happening every single game. He's still getting targeted. So to bring up your Lad point, I actually think Lad's a great buy low. But I do think what Lad is now. I think unfortunately he's. I brought this comparison up. I'm wondering what you think about it. Fitz is he's now Tyler Boyd to win. Jamar Chase and T. Higgins were together. Isn't the fact that he's fallen to number three? And that being said, I just said he's A buy low. He's going to have good games and it might even be this week as you're bringing it up. The problem is now his good games are going to be much more sporadic because the biggest part that he's losing is not just the target share and it's not massively off last year but where it is massively off is he's not getting any red zone and end zone targets anymore because they're all going to Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen.
- [40:21]
Ryan Warmley
I want to ask you guys very quickly my brother in law texted me this question about a trade in one of his dynasty leagues and he was wondering what I thought. I'm wondering what you guys think. Giving away Puka Nkua again this dynasty league 12 team super flex start three receivers better be a hole. Giving away Puka Nukua, getting Drake London and Quentin Johnston. Do you believe enough in Quentin Johnston that you see him bridging the gap between you know two, two really high level receivers but obviously we like Puka better. Is Johnson. Do you believe in him enough in dynasty for him to bridge that gap? Jake?
- [40:55]
Jake Seeley
Yes and no. So I do believe but I don't think that's enough for Nua. No matter the fact that it's Quentin Johnson. You sub in like somebody else of that tier like you sub in Xavier Worthy. I'd still say no because Puka Nuku is on the Jamar Chase tier of me of like you. That's why I said I need a hole like I need probably a third piece throwing a draft pick or something like that. The value is not terrible because I do believe in Quentin Johnston especially because Keenan Allen what's the guarantee that he's even back next year? I mean we look at Quentin Johnson as a wide receiver one for the next five years. It's just the fact when you have a Nakua unless what happens to Chase happens to Nakua and he loses Stafford. That's the only downfall which I can understand wanting to get but I think people play that risk too many times.
- [41:38]
Ryan Warmley
In their head that, that, that what I said to him and Fitz. I'm curious what you think too. What I said to my brother in law was I I get this as like a some close to a fair offer for maybe not all the way there but if you're going to move off Puka to me the reason would wouldn't be because this offer is so great. It would be because he's been banged up. You know in college he was banged up last year Matthew Stafford, you don't know what the future looks like at that position.
- [42:05]
Jake Seeley
He is turning into new Julio Jones where it's like, oh, he left for three plays again.
- [42:09]
Ryan Warmley
I mean he, he plays recklessly, which is what part of what makes him great. But it part. It's part of what makes me nervous too. So, so the, the injury risk both to him and to his quarterback and you know, the long term outlook of the quarterback position there to me would be the reason if you were going to pull the trigger. But at the same time it's like you have the wide receiver one right now that's hard to get rid of. Fitz, what do you think about that deal?
- [42:28]
Pat Fitz Morris
It's fair. It's really close. I think I would rather just have Puka too. And when we just updated our dynasty rankings, Puka was my wide receiver one in dynasty.
- [42:40]
Ryan Warmley
Okay. All right, let's get. Excuse me. Let's get to our rapid fire start sit decisions here. We're going a little long so we will actually keep these to be pretty quick. We sometimes do take a little more time on these than we're supposed to, but they're called rapid fire for a reason. So we'll run through these first one is another running back one here. Jake Travion. Henderson or R.J. harvey. A couple rookie running backs here. Harvey coming off of his. His best game so far of his young season. Harvey or Henderson, who do you like better for this week?
- [43:06]
Jake Seeley
Well, doing in 15 seconds or left, RJ Harvey, even though I do think JK Dobbins is just fine because he had 100 yards and that game was out of hand before RJ Harvey came in. But he's still on a timeshare. So RJ Harvey over the question mark at Henderson. That might have been 17 seconds.
- [43:20]
Ryan Warmley
You could get like 30 seconds. We don't need to.
- [43:22]
Jake Seeley
No, no, I thought that was. That's everything I said.
- [43:24]
Ryan Warmley
I covered it all. Fitz, what do you think? Henderson or Harvey?
- [43:29]
Pat Fitz Morris
Henderson. I mean the uptick in usage for Harvey is pretty encouraging. But like I think the touch outlook is pretty similar. And Henderson plays in that potential shootout against the Bills. Like I think the Vegas totals like 48 and a half in that one. And the Buffalo run defense has been pretty terrible so far. Like The Bills are 30th in DVOA against the run and they're giving up 5.4 yards per carry to running backs.
- [43:54]
Ryan Warmley
Let's go to a wide receiver one here. T. Higgins or Jordan Addison. Fitz, I'll start with you on this one.
- [44:00]
Pat Fitz Morris
I'll go with Addison. Came back from Suspension last week. Immediately played 96% of the Vikings offensive snaps. I really wasn't expecting that. Got eight targets, four catches for 114 yards. Although the big 81 yard catch late was kind of the difference between a good fantasy day and a bad one. I'm just, I am terrified by what the Bengals passing game has looked like in Jake Browning's two starts. And whereas, you know, T. Higgins could pop off for a big player too. Like, I just think. I think the floor is a little sturdier with Addison.
- [44:36]
Ryan Warmley
Is. Is there a path, do you think fits to Addison having a good day without a big kind of game breaking play? Like he had to kind of save his fantasy day last week. I mean, particularly against this defense that we know is among the best in the NFL.
- [44:50]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah, I mean, three or four in the 15 to 25 yard range and it's a pretty good fantasy day.
- [44:57]
Ryan Warmley
You think that's like kind of on the table for Addison?
- [45:00]
Pat Fitz Morris
I. I do offense right now. I do.
- [45:02]
Ryan Warmley
Jake, what do you think? Addison or Higgins?
- [45:04]
Jake Seeley
I have Addison one spot in front of Higgins. Mostly because I said, you know, I agree with Fast. I'm worried about predict Browning. And that was coming for somebody who's like, hey, Jake Browning could do 2023 again. Well, apparently they had somewhat of. I mean, not apparently. We know that they had some semblance of an offensive line helping in 2023. They have all three of us trying to block for them this year. It's miserable. I will say, though, secretly hoping because I already used them in Survivor that the Bengals pull the upset on the Lions just because I want to see a ton of people knocked out. Sorry, everybody. Who's taking the lines?
- [45:35]
Ryan Warmley
I. I didn't realize when I was putting this together that I have back to back Bengal versus Viking. That was not intentional. But the first flex question I have is Jordan Mason of the Vikings against Jamar Chase of the Bengals. You alluded to this earlier, Jake, when you were talking about Chase. Not somebody I ever expected to include on this show and have to ask about are we starting him or not? But clearly we have gotten to that point. He's wide receiver 10, you know, in ECR, by the way, which you know, is far lower than anybody would have expected for a healthy Jamar Chase. But, you know, his finishes this season, wide receiver 77, wide receiver 3, wide receiver 43 and wide receiver, wide receiver 60, obviously does not have Joe Burrow. So Jake, Jamar Chase or Jordan Mason.
- [46:23]
Jake Seeley
So this goes back to my defense thing too. It's Talking about the fact that the. The defense for the Browns bottled up Chase Brown, who's looking miserable this year. They bottled up Derek Henry in a game where just everything went sideways. But, you know, then Jacobs had 70, 80 yards and Gibbs just went off against them offish. So I say, like, you know, yeah, it's worrisome. It's not a death knell. So I'm going to give Mason a slight edge for the volume here. Although I will say, if we are talking, this is one of those situations where examine your team and your matchup. Do you need the ceiling? The ceiling is still Jamar Chase. It's just that I know the guaranteed production is with Mason Fitz.
- [47:02]
Pat Fitz Morris
He's still Jamar freaking Chase. Man, I gotta go Chase here. Like, if Mason had an easier matchup, I'd say Mason. But like, the Browns are giving up 2.9 yards per carry to running backs, and Mason doesn't really have pass catching as a bailout for him if he has a tough day on the ground. Like, he's just not a very consequential pass catcher. So I'm. I gotta go with Jamar Chase here.
- [47:26]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz is going to be 1 in 10 in week 11 and just screaming, it's Jamar Chase, though. I have to keep playing him as he just drags your season.
- [47:34]
Pat Fitz Morris
Well, luckily long.
- [47:35]
Jake Seeley
It's just.
- [47:36]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah, I, I did not luck out and get the one on one in many drafts this year, so I kind of dodged a bullet there.
- [47:44]
Jake Seeley
The problem is they're freaking turning him into Wandell Robinson. Everything's five yards downfield, just trying to.
- [47:49]
Ryan Warmley
Get him the ball, which I get it. I mean, if you can't get him the ball further down the field, at least just get the ball in his hands. But it's brutal. Brutal to watch. All right. Actually, I have another bangle on this one. It's not a bangle.
- [48:00]
Jake Seeley
Speaking of brutal watch.
- [48:01]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah, it's brutal to watch versus a Bengal here. Actually, they're both brutal to watch. AJ Brown or Chase Brown. Fitz, who would you rather start this week? A couple of disappointing players who I. I had really high hopes for both of them this year.
- [48:15]
Pat Fitz Morris
Enough with the Bengals Worth. Good gracious.
- [48:18]
Ryan Warmley
That actually was not on purpose. It just kept working out.
- [48:20]
Pat Fitz Morris
Please, no Mike Kisicki questions at tight end. And yet I'm gonna pick. I'm picking the Bengal. Chase Brown. Like, obviously his numbers have been ugly. He's tied for RBT 32 in half point PPR fantasy scoring. But Chase Brown is averaging 17 touches a game. I think that at least gives Brown a safer floor than AJ Brown who hasn't really been producing and has to go up against Patrick Certain junior so.
- [48:49]
Jake Seeley
Chase Brown here Rock we differ on this one too. I'm actually going to A.J. brown here mostly because it's somewhat like for their style it's a favorable matchup. It's not favorable being certain and that defense but they run the third most man. The AJ Brown and devontae Smith have proven over their careers that they do much better against man coverage than they do zone and actually to this year it's only four weeks but they both have positive EPAs up close to two where they're both negative against zone so far. So a testament to how this offense has changed with the loss of Kellen Moore as well to boot. So it's a, it's a recipe where A.J. brown should be able to get right and that's why I'm going to lean this only just because Chase Brown's been so beyond miserable.
- [49:36]
Ryan Warmley
All right Andre Yoshi Vas or no, I'm just kidding. Stefan Diggs or Tony Pollard? Jake, who do you like here?
- [49:45]
Jake Seeley
Do if Tajie Spears is back it's. It's Stefon Dix. Like Tony Pollard wasn't even an RB2 through 4 weeks with all the volume he was outside of RB2 in points per game actually high end RB3 but still there to the argument what we had for him last year. So if Tasha Spears is back, forget about it but if he's not Tony Pollard's walking into 20 plus touches again. So I would go Tony Pollard slightly over Diggs but assuming Spears is back, I'll go with Diggs.
- [50:11]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz, what do you think? We haven't really talked about Diggs much on the show since the season started. He's coming off of his best game of the season. Doesn't have a touchdown yet this year but he had six catches for 101 yards in Week 4. Him going up against Buffalo this week looks a little bit different but Diggs.
- [50:25]
Pat Fitz Morris
Are Pollard so I'm going with Pollard like he's kind of like Chase Brown. Substantial workload in a trash offense. 18.5 touches a game for Tony Pollard. He's seventh in rushing attempts this season. So even if Spears comes back and I get what Jake is saying but I think it's there's probably going to be one week where Spears maybe gets you know, 12 snaps and then from week six on or whatever Spears second game is. Yeah then I'm probably going to have to devalue Pollard in my rankings. But Diggs looked really good last week. Six catches for 101 yards. And the Patriots are kind of starting to ramp up his usage a little bit. They've been managing his snaps pretty carefully coming off the torn ACL season high snapshare of 63% last week. So that's an encouraging trend. And hey, there's the the revenge game narrative against the Bills. And I kind of like this thing where Diggs is like, so in 2020, he came in when Josh Allen beginning of the 2020 season. At that point, people still thought Josh Allen was bad. And Diggs comes in from Minnesota, goes out and has 127 catches for over 1500 yards. Turns Josh Allen into a superstar. Obviously Josh Allen had something to do with that too, but. And now maybe Diggs is trying to do the same thing for Drake May. I kind of love that narrative where he is the he's the Crash Davis to Drake May and Drake May is Nuke Lelouch. So Bull Durham reference, if anyone doesn't get that which by the way, is the greatest baseball movie of all time. And I will brook no argument on that.
- [52:03]
Ryan Warmley
I'm not even sure I'm not sure what movie I would place place in that conversation and try to argue against you with Jake. What do you think?
- [52:13]
Jake Seeley
Baseball? Best baseball movie? Rookie of the Year.
- [52:21]
Ryan Warmley
I love baseball. But. And I love movies. I don't tend to watch a lot of baseball movies, weirdly enough.
- [52:27]
Jake Seeley
No.
- [52:28]
Ryan Warmley
So I don't Rookie of the Year.
- [52:29]
Jake Seeley
And Sandlot and then I would go Major League.
- [52:32]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah, there's a lot of Baseball is the best sport for making movies about it, in my opinion, compared to other sports.
- [52:38]
Jake Seeley
Why does it. Yeah, why does it work? So I was trying to like, there's a handful of good football ones.
- [52:43]
Ryan Warmley
Yeah. Yeah. I mean there's, there are of course, good other ones. But yeah, baseball I think lends itself.
- [52:47]
Jake Seeley
Well, to be fair, I've also never seen Bull Durham the whole way through.
- [52:52]
Pat Fitz Morris
I'm.
- [52:53]
Jake Seeley
I was. I'm. I'm slightly longer younger than you, Fitz, and just never kind of. So I'll put that on my bucket list. We'll come back for a review next year. I'll see if it bumps up to my number one.
- [53:03]
Ryan Warmley
Another flex here. Amari D. Mercado or Jerry Judy. I forget whose turn it is to go first. So.
- [53:11]
Pat Fitz Morris
D. Mercado, I just want no part of the Browns passing game with Dylan Gabriel. And like, even though I don't know how the workload split is going to shake up between D. Mercado and and Michael Carter. Like I'm kind of slightly leaning towards the school where they just keep Dmercado in the passing down role and sort of shift in Michael Carter to that early down back role. But then again it could be Dmercado promoted to number one and Carter comes in at number two. So that's a tough call but I think both guys are going to get work. And again, no thank you to Brown's passing game components.
- [53:48]
Jake Seeley
Jake yeah, I go demarcato. I have him slightly for the whole conversation with Michael Carter. I'm slightly in front of Michael Carter this week mostly because if Carter actually is the early down option then I want to sight lean to the pass catcher anyway. Similar to a way lesser version of Najah Harris and Jalen Warren is. We were always more excited for Jalen Warren and that's why I would give him the edge. Though I don't think I know Carter's already claimed that he's taken the lead role himself. I don't think there's a 0 chance that day. Mercado doesn't get like a 64 to the split. He's a big dude. Like it's not like he's undersized. He's 592-15-220. I think he can handle some of the early down. That being said, these are not Woody mark situations. I don't think either one of them are top 20 going forward.
- [54:34]
Ryan Warmley
Quarterback decision here, Bo Nix or CJ Stroud, who has been quite bad. But again I keep mentioning like I want to, I want to pick on this Ravens defense as much as I possibly can see decisions and if there's going to be a game where Stroud looks good, it'll be this matchup. So Stroud or Bo Nicks coming off of a good game himself.
- [54:51]
Jake Seeley
Jake Bonix. One of them runs, the other one doesn't. One of them has an offensive line, the other one doesn't. I'm going to take the one that can run and has an offensive line over the one that can't every single time, despite the fact that C.J. stroud just looked good. But C.J. stroud last week is a perfect testament to the NFL, which is what Daniel Jones is doing this year. Good quarterbacks. And I would actually take CJ Stroud the passer over Daniel Jones the passer. But good quarterbacks can become great behind good offensive lines. We're seeing how bad it can be for bad quarterbacks behind bad offensive lines and I only use Daniel Jones as the example going from the Giants to the Colts who have one of the best offensive lines in the league and that's part of the reason Daniel Jones is able to be Daniel Jones. So I bring all of the say is like yes, your Ravens have major questions on defense, especially with the injuries. I still don't trust that Texans offensive line as far as I can throw them, which is not far because they're 350 pounds and I can't toss a single one of them.
- [55:43]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz, what do you think?
- [55:44]
Pat Fitz Morris
Well said by Jake there, Worm. I know you want to use this as an opportunity to vent about how terrible the Ravens defense is, but I'm not going to give you the satisfaction because I think the Texans offensive line can out terrible the Ravens defense.
- [55:57]
Ryan Warmley
So Bo Nicks I don't know about that. I mean with Nomad A BK, if Travis Jones is out again it I think the Texas offensive line might win the battle in the trenches this week. That's how bad the Ravens defense and let alone they have nobody in the secondary who can cover Nico Collins now. So I am extraordinarily pessimistic about this one from the Raven, but you can say I'm extraordinarily optimistic about it from the C.J. stroud standpoint. All right, I got a tight end one here for you. Dallas Goddard or Juwan Johnson fits.
- [56:26]
Pat Fitz Morris
I know the target volume favors Juwan Johnson, but even so, it's not like Juwan Johnson is moving the needle that much with his yardage total. 76 yards in week one. Okay, nice. Since then, 49 yards, 51 yards, 28 yards. Who gives you the better odds of really moving the needle with a touchdown? The guy on the Eagles or the guy on the Saints? Well, the guy on the Eagles has three touchdowns in three games. The guy on the Saints has one touchdown in four games. So yeah, got her.
- [56:56]
Ryan Warmley
Jake.
- [56:57]
Jake Seeley
This is going to come down to whether I'm correct about the A.J. brown versus Chase Brown one, because if it's an A.J. brown type of Devontae Smith and they take advantage of the matchup, then Goddard kind of usually gets left by the wayside. So I have Dwayne Johnson slightly in front of Goddard despite the fact I completely agree with Fitz. If it's ceiling, I'm going to go with Goddard every single time. It's just we were talking pure rankings. I have Johnson slightly in front because he gets the Giants too.
- [57:21]
Ryan Warmley
Say goodbye to start sit dilemmas with fantasy pro start sit assistant. Within seconds you'll know exactly who to play for optimal results each and every week. Leveraging insights from numerous experts, the Start Sit Assistant aligns your lineup decisions with the top minds in fantasy football, giving you a competitive edge. Maximize your lineup's potential with just a few clicks. Head to fantasypros.com myplaybook or download the Fantasy Pros app and make winning decisions in no time. We are about to get to our Touchdown calls contest for the week, but first join our free Touchdown Calls contest in the Fantasy Pros discord. Each week, pick four players you think will score with a bonus flex worth double weekly. Winners get a 25 Fantasy Pros gift card and the season champ takes home a signed Bijan Robinson jersey. Play now by going to fantasypros.com chat and heading to the touchdown calls channel. I am on running back Jake is on receiver fits his turn on the tight end merry go around here. I'm going with Cab Scatter boot. Just like a fun good player who didn't get in the end zone last week but did the couple of weeks before, I'm going to guess that he gets back in there again against a very bad Saint team. So scatter boo for me at running back. Jake, who's your receiver?
- [58:29]
Jake Seeley
Yeah, I mean if I had a basketball can I do the layup here? Garrett Wilson against the Cowboys. Just take your wide receivers also take your wide receivers the score against the Cowboys because yeah I have Garrett Wilson who also by the way who would have thought of that number four this week @ wide receivers like I mean even the biggest fans of Garrett Wilson saying to be in the top five all the way. George Pickens on the other side of that right behind him. Like we thought we'd been doing this when week five. But I'll give a bonus because that one felt so super easy. So of course watch this. The one that breaks my streak by the way. I don't want to throw that out there. Except for the tight ends I've got the running backs and wide receivers correct so far. Ted McGillon is going to get off the schneide this week. There's your bonus one is he's finally going to find the end zone for the Dolphins secondary. That's one of the bottom five too. So there you go.
- [59:14]
Ryan Warmley
Fitz, can you solve tight end?
- [59:16]
Pat Fitz Morris
Yeah, we are oh for four on touchdown calls with tight ends. So how cool is it going to be when the streak is broken by Darren Waller? So Darren Waller played 16 snaps last week and scored two touchdowns and he is going to play more and be more involved in the Miami offense this week with Tyreek Hill done for the year. And what should Tua do when the dolphins are inside the 10 yard line? How about just throwing it up to the 6 foot 6 guy?
- [59:43]
Ryan Warmley
So our picks are Cam Scatter, Boo, Garrett Wilson and Darren Waller. Quite a group of players here. I told you at the beginning of the show I couldn't find a way to get Darren Waller in to today's show. And then Fitz finds a way to do it for me here, which I did anyway. Yeah, we squeeze it in. You can dominate your fantasy football league with Fantasy Pros Premium now available free for six months when you deposit and place your first wager on one of our partner sportsbooks. This is the easiest way to get full access to our top fantasy tools all season long. Go to fantasypros.com premium to get started. For Jake and Fitz, I'm Ryan Warmley. Thanks everybody for tuning in. We'll see you again next time. Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pro's Fantasy Football Podcast. If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on apple podcasts@fantasypros.com review or on Spotify. Follow us on X Instagram and TikTok Antasypros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube.com fantasypros.
- [60:59]
Jake Seeley
Look, if you smoke or dip, I'm going to give you a few good reasons to try Zyn Nicotine Pouches. First, Zyn is America's number one nicotine pouch brand, and Zyn offers an unbelievable rewards program. There's a lot of options for nicotine satisfaction, but there's only one Zyn. Visit zen.com find to find Zyn at a store near you. Again, that zyn.com find zyn spelled z y N this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Hey, this is Matt Jones, I'm Drew Franklin, and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to try to give.
- [61:41]
Pat Fitz Morris
You an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel?
- [61:45]
Jake Seeley
That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that?
- [61:48]
Pat Fitz Morris
Oh my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week that is exactly.
- [61:55]
Jake Seeley
What you're gonna get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [62:06]
Ryan Warmley
This is an iHeart podcast.