Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd — FantasyPros | The Biggest Fantasy Football Questions For Each Team in Week 10 (Ep. 1829)
Date: November 9, 2025
Host: Ryan Wormley
Guests/Analysts: Derek Brown (Debro), Pat Fitzmaurice (Fitzy)

Overview

This episode of the FantasyPros Football Podcast dives into the most pressing fantasy football questions and storylines for every NFL team heading into Week 10. With the playoffs rapidly approaching, Ryan Wormley, Derek Brown, and Pat Fitzmaurice dissect each matchup, debate start/sit decisions, and highlight pivotal players, including insight into bye weeks and injury updates. The tone is energetic, deeply analytical, and full of sharp banter—offering actionable advice and big-picture context for contenders and rebuilders alike.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Week 10 Context & Byes [00:35]

• Four teams on bye: Bengals, Cowboys, Chiefs, Titans. Lots of impact players and fantasy-relevant defenses off the slate.
• Playoff push timing: Only 4–5 weeks left before fantasy playoffs lock; every lineup decision is crucial.

2. Falcons vs. Colts (Germany Game): Bijan Robinson vs. Jonathan Taylor [01:45]

Main Question: Which RB is more likely to bounce back this week?

• Taylor's Edge:
  • Colts are "favored by 6.5" so better game script (Derek Brown, 02:22)
  • Colts offer better matchup: Falcons allow 100.5 rushing yards/game to RBs; Colts allow just 70.1.
  • Taylor's workload superior: 17.4 carries/game vs. Bijan's 14.8 (Derek Brown, 02:22)
• Bijan’s Saving Grace:
  • More passing game work, which can offset rushing volume (Ryan Wormley, 03:02)
• Consensus:
  • Both analysts lean toward Jonathan Taylor as the better Week 10 bounce-back candidate.
• Alec Pierce:
  • "Alec Pierce feeding families versus single high coverage..." (Pat Fitzmaurice, 04:05)
  • Elite metrics against single high coverage: 27% target share, 3.69 yards per route run, "Jamar Chase level numbers" (Pat Fitzmaurice, 04:05)
  • Both Fitz and Debro have Pierce ranked much higher than consensus (WR27/28 vs. ECR WR34) and say he’s a legitimate top-30 play this week.
  • Memorable banter on the disastrous prior night’s game and fantasy volatility with young QBs (06:41-07:49)

3. Saints at Panthers: The Tet McMillan Dilemma [08:08]

Main Question: At what point is Tetaroa McMillan no longer a must-start?

• Debro:
  • "We're already there, man." (Pat Fitzmaurice, 09:01)
  • Despite great per-route metrics, Panthers’ offense is too run-heavy and QB play too poor — “strangling the life out of him.”
  • Only real fantasy option but suffering from low volume; Panthers have had the second-highest neutral rushing rate since Week 6.
• Fitz:
  • Must-start depends on league context: Deeper leagues yes, shallow leagues no.
  • Head coach “is trying to hide his quarterback right now and with good reason” (Derek Brown, 10:31)
  • Points out positive Dynasty outlook amidst redraft frustration ("Go out and trade for him in Dynasty. ... Better days are ahead." (Pat Fitzmaurice, 12:22))
• Trade Value:
  • “I don't think anybody's giving you more than a bag of peanuts for Ted... It has nothing to do with his talent.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 13:00)
  • Recent rest-of-season ranks put him in low-WR2/high-WR3 range, but difficult to get much in redraft trades.

4. Giants at Bears: Volatile Caleb Williams & The Colston Loveland Question [14:35]

• Caleb Williams' Volatility:
  • “He's either had a great QB1 week, or totally unplayable.” (Ryan Wormley, 14:33)
  • Analogy: "He's 2024 Kyler Murray" (Pat Fitzmaurice, 15:46)
  • Split stats: Four top-10 finishes, four QB20-or-worse—never in between.
  • This week: Leaning "good" side due to Giants' struggling pass D, but caveats for weather and Bears’ successful run game.
• Colston Loveland (TE) Breakout?
  • Both cautiously optimistic, but warn: "If Cole Kmet plays, it impacts Loveland's route share" (Pat Fitzmaurice, 20:19)
  • Both prioritize Kyle Pitts above Loveland if Kmet is active.

5. Jaguars at Texans: The Target Mess & Jacoby Myers Outlook [25:15]

• Jaguars WRs (Parker Washington, Jacoby Myers) see messy, unpredictable target splits.
• “Don’t want to start any of them. … Parker Washington ranked WR41 and even that feels too high.” (Derek Brown, 25:29)
• Jacoby Myers ROS: “Low wide receiver 4, high WR5 territory. Myers…is this third piece in a not-great passing attack.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 27:52)

6. Bills at Dolphins: Fading James Cook Slightly, Bill’s Receivers Frustration [28:56]

• James Cook:
  • Slight fade due to "ankle issue" and low recent receiving work—still RB6 on the week, but ECR is RB4 (Derek Brown, 29:04).
• Keon Coleman:
  • “Why in the ever loving heck are we ranking Keon Coleman as WR43 in ECR?...He’s not playable.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 30:39)
• Buffalo WRs:
  • Shakir a “stable WR3” whose value is highly touchdown-dependent.
  • “The Bills have no pass catcher you want to use in this offense.” (Derek Brown, 33:13)
• MVP Race:
  • Fun debate on MVP candidates between Allen, May, Stafford, and Lamar, underscoring an underwhelming field and wide open projections. (34:13–36:25)

7. Ravens at Vikings: Most Fascinating Matchup of the Week? [36:54]

• Lamar vs. Brian Flores’ Blitz:
  • Referencing Lamar’s historically bad performance vs. a Flores-led defense—it’s the key storyline.
• JJ McCarthy Watch:
  • “JJ’s gotta keep improving, man… Good or solid for fantasy in his two healthy starts, QB11 and QB13.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 39:10)
  • Debro spotlights McCarthy’s “drive-killing” mistakes—14 sacks in 3 starts, 4 INTs, 4 fumbles. “He has not played well in his three starts.” (Derek Brown, 39:31)
• Vikings Defense:
  • Getting Van Ginkel back is key; defense looks much stronger. Curious to see how tough they are on Lamar.
• Derrick Henry Sneaky Play:
  • Could be a “Derrick Henry game” if Lamar’s mobility opens up more lanes.
  • “Lamar’s health will play a huge factor in this…if he’s mobile, it opens up more run-game concepts for Henry.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 41:55)
• Betting Angle:
  • All three prefer to avoid the spread (-4 for Ravens); like the under (49) instead.

8. Browns at Jets & Judkins’ Opportunity [45:06]

• Quinshon Judkins:
  • Both agree he’s a strong play, ranked RB11–12, but not as high as RB7–8 due to “just not loving the offensive ecosystem” and poor recent efficiency (three YPC over last three).
  • “Start all your fantasy options vs. the Jets after that trade deadline.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 45:07)
• Breece Hall:
  • Fitz (Pat) adds: “Quietly a good matchup for Breece Hall…Browns run D not as stout as perception.”

9. Patriots at Buccaneers: Tez Johnson vs. Demario Douglas for Week 10 Help [47:13]

• Tez Johnson over Demario Douglas:
  • “Douglas has played less than 30% of snaps in seven of the nine games…That’s just not enough.” (Derek Brown, 47:27)
  • Douglas’ Week 9 metrics are “not replicable.” Tampa also defends the slot well. Tez is the clear preference for both analysts (Pat Fitzmaurice, 49:57).

10. Cardinals at Seahawks: Marvin Harrison Jr. ROS Value With QB Change [50:08]

• With Jacoby Brissett in at QB:
  • Dbro: “WR29 this week, WR28 rest of season…He’s still a WR3. …Tough matchup this week.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 50:32)
  • Fitz puts him at WR20 for the week due to all the teams on bye—calls him a high upside WR3/low WR2 in good matchups.

11. Rams at 49ers: Matthew Stafford's Fantasy Resurgence [53:26]

• Start Stafford over Caleb Williams:
  • “Floor and ceiling are definitively higher.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 54:37)
  • Also consider starting him over Baker Mayfield and Goff for the upside.

12. Lions at Commanders: The Non-Startable Commanders [56:09]

• Neither analyst trusts Washington commanders skill players this week.
• Best-case scenario is a “glass half full” for Debo Samuel (target volume from trailing), but no faith in any option, Ertz as a dart throw for TE scoring.

13. Steelers at Chargers (Sunday Night): Keenan Allen Flags & Quentin Johnston Debate [58:23]

• Fading Keenan Allen:

  • ECR WR33, but "route share has dropped to 50%" last two weeks, splitting snaps, target share only 18%. Floor and ceiling both down. (Pat Fitzmaurice, 58:23)

• Herbert & Others:

  • Fitz is a bit below consensus (QB15) due to OL injuries.

• Quentin Johnston:

  • “I’m way higher on QJ this week…If Herbert has time, this is a fantastic coverage matchup.” (Pat Fitzmaurice, 61:08)
  • Wormley notes heavy Start/Sit questions for Johnston, agrees the matchup and potential volume boost make him viable.

• Sunday Night Prop Bets:

  • Gainwell "Over 15.5 rushing yards" (Derek Brown, 62:27)
  • Kamani Vidal "Under 53.5 rushing yards" (Pat Fitzmaurice, 62:55)

14. Eagles at Packers (Monday Night): Who Steps Up With Tucker Kraft Out? [65:39]

• Luke Musgrave (TE):
  • Cautious optimism: "He's toolsy…but the matchup is rough for him" (Derek Brown, 65:39)
• WR Bump:
  • “Romeo Dobbs is pretty close to a must-start this week…hasn’t gotten enough love.” (Derek Brown, 67:08)
  • Watson moves up as a flex.
• Jordan Love:
  • “No significant downgrade” without Kraft, but volume concerns keep him at QB15 (Derek Brown, 68:35).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jacksonville’s WR Depth:

  • “Don’t want to start any of them. … Parker Washington ranked WR41 and even that feels too high.” — Derek Brown [25:29]

• On Tetaroa McMillan’s Situation:

  • “Carolina’s offense is strangling the life out of him. ...The passing volume...is just not there. Unfortunately.” — Pat Fitzmaurice [09:01]

• On Keon Coleman:

  • "Why in the ever loving heck are we ranking Keon Coleman as WR43 in ECR? ... He’s not playable." — Pat Fitzmaurice [30:39]

• On Alec Pierce’s Rise:

  • “He has put up elite per route WR1 numbers against single high coverage. … Those are Jamar Chase level numbers.” — Pat Fitzmaurice [04:05]

• About JJ McCarthy’s Mistakes:

  • “Sacks are drive killers. He's thrown four interceptions. He's fumbled four times. Like there are a lot of mistakes.” — Derek Brown [39:31]

• Fun MVP Race Banter:

  • “I got your MVP candidate right here, Worm. It’s Matthew Stafford, baby.” — Pat Fitzmaurice [34:45]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:35] Overview & byes
• [01:45] Falcons/Colts RBs – Taylor vs. Bijan, Alec Pierce
• [08:08] Saints/Panthers – Tetaroa McMillan
• [14:35] Giants/Bears – Caleb Williams, Colston Loveland
• [25:15] Jaguars/Texans – WR headaches, Myers
• [28:56] Bills/Dolphins – James Cook, Coleman, Buffalo WRs, MVP odds
• [36:54] Ravens/Vikings – Lamar, JJ McCarthy, Henry, betting angles
• [45:06] Browns/Jets – Judkins, Breece Hall
• [47:13] Patriots/Bucs – Tez Johnson vs. Douglas
• [50:08] Cardinals/Seahawks – Marvin Harrison Jr.
• [53:26] Rams/49ers – Stafford’s upside
• [56:09] Lions/Commanders – Fading all Commanders
• [58:23] Steelers/Chargers – Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, SNF Props
• [65:39] Eagles/Packers – Life without Tucker Kraft

Quick Reference: Notable Rankings and Start/Sit Preferences

RBs:

• Jonathan Taylor > Bijan Robinson (Week 10)
• Judkins: RB11–12 this week (strong but not elite)
• Fading James Cook slightly (still top-8)

WRs:

• Alec Pierce: Ahead of consensus, top-30 play
• Tetaroa McMillan: Must-start only in deep leagues
• Marvin Harrison Jr.: WR20 this week (bye-inflated), WR28 ROS
• Fading Keon Coleman (not top-50, droppable)
• Quentin Johnston: WR23 for Debro

TEs:

• Loveland only viable if Kmet is out; otherwise, fade
• Luke Musgrave: Intriguing, but lower expectations week 10

QBs:

• Stafford over Caleb Williams
• JJ McCarthy sneaky upside but volatile
• Slight fade to Justin Herbert due to OL injuries

Overall Tone

Fast-paced, dense with actionable information, but approachable and full of humor. The hosts balance advanced stats and matchups with relatable analogies and clear start/sit advice, making it highly valuable for fantasy managers.

End of summary.