The Herd with Colin Cowherd – FantasyPros: Fantasy Football Takeaways: Fact or Fiction + Week 4 Waiver Wire & Trade Advice | Out of Bounds (Ep. 1726)

Date: September 24, 2025
Hosts: Joe Pisapia ("Joey P"), Scott Bogman, Chris Welsh ("Welsh")
Podcast Context: The FantasyPros crew delivers spirited reactions to Week 3's fantasy football chaos, featuring special teams flukes and injury mayhem. The hosts dive deep on running back shake-ups, breakouts, waiver wire targets, and answer blistering audience questions with their trademark wit and analysis.

Episode Overview

This episode features the FantasyPros crew breaking down the wild events of NFL Week 3 and looking ahead to Week 4 fantasy football advice. Key themes include special teams madness, running back injury fallout, top waiver priorities, trade advice, "Fact or Fiction" lightning rounds, and live Q&A from listeners. The hosts consistently balance hardcore stats with entertainment, inside jokes, and plenty of playful banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Special Teams Surprises and Defensive Scoring (00:00–05:45)

• Observations: Week 3 featured an abnormal amount of blocked field goals and scoop-and-score defensive plays.
  • Stat: Five blocked field goals in one week was the most since the late ‘80s/early ‘90s.
  • Notable Moment: Eagles DT Jordan Davis’s scoop and score, clocked at 18mph (!) after shedding weight in the off-season.
    • Quote (Joey P, 03:26): "You are both under... He was running at 18 miles an hour. What! The next gen stats..."
• Impact: Defensive and special teams scoring overshadowed many offensive injuries and underperformances, with DSTs outscoring some RBs/TEs.

2. RB Injury Fallout & Waiver Priorities (05:45–09:23)

• Key injuries: Najee Harris (Achilles, out for the season), among others, upending backfields and creating new waiver gold.
• Amarion Hampton: Rockets to lead RB status for the Chargers.
  • Insight (Bogman, 06:58): "Doesn't matter if he is or isn't, does it? He's going to get the touches. He's going to get about 25 a game."
  • Workhorse concern: Discussion of rookie RBs’ ability to sustain a heavy workload, with consensus optimism on Hampton’s college durability translating.
  • Quote (Welsh, 08:35): "He ended up getting almost 70% of all the rush attempts from Week 3... this is a huge win for Amarion Hampton."

3. Cam Skattebo and Waiver Running Backs Debate (09:33–11:19)

• Compared rest-of-season values of Skattebo, JCM (Bill Croskey Merritt), and others.
  • Consensus: Skattebo’s locked-in role and Washington’s RB usage suggest he’s slightly ahead.
  • Quote (Bogman, 10:02): "I would rank Skattebo higher than JCM... this is pretty much Cam with Singletary as a sidecar."

4. Hot Takes & Player Trade/Start/Sit Q&A (11:19–14:13)

• Live audience questions:
  • Josh Jacobs: Not a sell, despite tough week.
  • Falcons' QB Situation: No panic/major switch expected after Penix was benched late.
  • Vikings QB: No scenario for long-term Carson Wentz starts over J.J. McCarthy, barring prolonged poor play.
  • Judkins: Surges up ranks after a dominant Week 3.
    • Welsh’s Take: "Judkins is an easy top 20 back, maybe top 15... I think he might end up being the best rookie of all these guys.” (16:28)

5. Deep Week 3 Takeaways & Breakout Players (18:06–26:23)

• Breakout picks:
  • Jordan Mason (49ers): Projected as a possible league-winning add.
  • Defensive studs: Isaiah Rodgers’s IDP monster game ("...the pure glory... a perfect 99.9 PFF defensive grade." – Welsh, 22:26).
  • Cam Skattebo’s endzone celebration: “Backflip into his Hawaiian celebration. That was a lot of fun.” – Bogman, 23:18
• Player breakups: Bogman calls it quits on Marvin Harrison Jr. and Isaiah Pacheco after disappointing output.
  • Quote (Bogman, 19:22): "I'm ready to break up with some people... Isaiah Pacheco, I'm breaking up with you."

6. Waiver Wire, Trade, and Rest-of-Season Debate (26:12–28:48)

• Chase Brown: The crew advises patience, pinning blame on the Bengals’ struggling O-line and QB issues.
  • Welsh’s Hot Take: "I think I'm going to take Judkins over Chase Brown rest of season." (27:07)
• Trey Benson or Chase Brown? Slight lean towards Brown, but close.

7. Lightning "Fact or Fiction" Round (30:38–36:00)

• Waiver WRs: Luther Burden, Trey Tucker, Tyquan Thornton mostly viewed as "fool's gold” due to snap counts and future competition.
• Texans (0–3): Deemed “done” in the AFC South ("Fact” from both hosts).
• Ricky Pearsall: Projected as top-15 but not WR1 by season's end.
• Buccaneers: Offense likely to remain functional even without Mike Evans.

8. Russell Wilson/Giants, Quarterback Questions & the 3-1-1 Contest (36:00–41:50)

• Russell Wilson: Not quite "cooked" but on the verge of being benched for Giants rookie QB Jackson Dart.
  • Forecast: Dart likely to start soon; Wilson’s last hurrah could come vs. Chargers.
• 3-1-1 Contest: Each host picks a 300-yard passer, 100-yard rusher, 100-yard receiver for Week 4. Selections include Jared Goff & Amon-Ra St. Brown, Christian McCaffrey, JSN, Amarion Hampton, Bo Nix, and others.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NFL weirdness:
  "[Week 3]...just a wild, weird week. And special teams was at the forefront of it for whatever reason." (Welsh, 04:48)
• On Eagles DT Jordan Davis’s run:
  "He was running at 18 miles an hour. What! The next gen stats...He had shed some weight and he is an athletic beast." (Joey P, 03:26–03:36)
• On Cam Skattebo’s scoring efforts:
  "Cam Skattebo is breaking through. That's what I'm excited about." (Joey P, 01:51)
• On patience with Chase Brown:
  "I'm just holding right now. There's not much else we can do." (Joey P, 26:23)
• On Quinchon Judkins:
  "Judkins is an easy top 20 back, maybe top 15... He might end up being the best rookie of all these guys." (Welsh, 16:50)
• On breaking up with fantasy disappointments:
  "I want to break up with the entire Chiefs offense right now. It is pathetic." (Bogman, 19:24)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Key Segment / Topic | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–05:45 | Special teams mania, defensive scores, Jordan Davis | | 05:45–09:23 | Najee Harris injury, Amarion Hampton waiver priority | | 09:33–11:19 | Value of Cam Skattebo vs. JCM rest of season | | 11:19–14:13 | Hot Pocket banter, trade/start/sit live Q&A | | 14:13–18:04 | Quinchon Judkins RB1 debate, Browns philosophy | | 18:06–23:18 | Takeaways: Jordan Mason, Isaiah Rodgers, Cam Skattebo| | 23:18–26:23 | Week 3 moments, defense/IDP, upcoming London game | | 26:12–28:48 | Chase Brown patience, Trey Benson comparison | | 30:38–36:00 | Fact or Fiction Lightning Round (waiver WRs, Texans, Bucs) | | 36:00–41:50 | Russell Wilson’s fate, Giants QBs, 3-1-1 contest |

Bonus: Host Banter and Community Interaction

• Purple Shirt Jokes: Running gag about Joey P and Bogman wearing purple, Welsh stuck with a purple Twitch background. (03:46–04:13)
• Audience Integration: Numerous live questions from listeners, Twitch subscribers get special shoutouts and odds boosts for giveaways.
• Melodic Moments: Spontaneous singing and playful jokes about Hot Pockets and one-liner contests (12:25–12:59).

Week 4 Lookahead – Recommended Adds & Trade Targets

• Running Backs: Amarion Hampton ("workhorse workload incoming"), Cam Skattebo ("locked-in"), Quinchon Judkins ("top-20 upside"), Jordan Mason.
• Wide Receivers: Cautious on Luther Burden, Trey Tucker, Taekwon Thornton; preference for Tori Horton.
• Trade advice: Don’t panic sell on Josh Jacobs, hold on Chase Brown for at least another week.

Overall Tone and Takeaways

High energy, irreverent but insightful, the crew delivers actionable advice wrapped in constant banter and audience engagement. Injury news and RB shakeups drive much of the urgency, but holistic takeaways (“defense dominates bad offense,” “rookie RB opportunity is king,” “buy low/sell high urgency”) permeate throughout.
If you missed the episode, this recap covers the fun and the fundamentals—so you’re ready to hit waivers, manage panic, and keep your fantasy squad in contention!