Podcast Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: FantasyPros - The Extra Point: Gearing Up For Playoffs, Tough Week 12 Decisions, and Chat Q&A (Ep. 1860)
Date: November 23, 2025
Hosts: "Welsh" and Andrew Erickson
Format: Live Q&A via Discord with FantasyPros community

Overview

This episode of "The Herd" features the FantasyPros "Extra Point" segment, where hosts Welsh and Andrew Erickson fielded live fantasy football questions from Discord audience members as the fantasy playoffs approach. Topics covered injury updates, playoff strategy, tough Week 12 start/sit calls, optimizing rosters, and waiver wire questions. The tone was friendly, energetic, and interactive, mixing analysis with banter, live listener stories, and plenty of actionable advice for keeping fantasy teams on track as the playoffs loom.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Playoff Preparation: Guidance on optimizing rosters and resisting last-minute overthinking as fantasy playoffs draw near.
• Start/Sit and Trade Decisions: Deep dives on difficult lineup and roster management choices for Week 12 and beyond.
• Community Q&A: Engaged audience Q&A with specific team/league scenarios and rapid-fire advice.
• Injury Updates & Team News: Analysis of player injuries and their fantasy ripple effects.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trusting the Process as Playoffs Near

• Playoffs are close—three weeks left in the regular season. Reminder not to overthink last-minute details like kicker matchups or waiver fliers if your process has worked so far.
  • “Don’t change the process now. Continue to do what you’re doing… You’re in a position to make the playoffs or have a number one seed because you’re doing the right things… Just continue to trust the process and you’ll be fine.” — Andrew Erickson (01:25)

2. Injury & Player Updates

• Joe Mixon out for season: Boost for Woody Marks.
• Other injury situations: Waiting on key updates for various backfields and wide receivers.

3. Listener Q&A Highlights

Wide Receiver Start/Sit Conundrums

• Juwan Jennings vs. Pearsall (49ers WRs):
  • Both in WR3 territory. Jennings is “the safety net,” Pearsall higher ceiling but “play the guy that's been the target leader over the last month” (04:34–05:35).
  • “If you need five points, just play Jennings, right?” — Erickson (04:49)
  • “I might be eating my words, but that's my thought.” — Welsh (03:47)

Managing Injured/Underperforming WRs

• Drake London in Keeper League:
  • Debate on holding vs. trading with a murky QB situation. Consensus: try to flip for a need (RB) or a younger, healthier WR (e.g., Tetaroa McMillan/TMac). Keeper value prioritized youth and upside (06:38–08:17).

Playoff Roster Optimization

• Flexible depth vs. consolidation:
  • Package depth assets (e.g., Sutton plus Judkins) to upgrade a starting spot, but “depth isn’t the worst thing in the world” with playoff injuries looming (43:21–44:11).

Superflex Start/Sit

• Baker Mayfield or skill players in Superflex?
  • Always start a healthy, viable QB in superflex, even in tough matchups.
  • “Process says you just play your quarterbacks [in] superflex… I think Baker’s gonna sling it, man.” — Erickson (10:27–10:54)
  • “It’s hard for position players even on mid-weeks to take over a quarterback.” — Welsh (09:43)

Desperation RB Situations

• Worst-case RB picks among Chuba, Corum, Michael Carter, and Chris Brooks:
  • Preferred: Chuba Hubbard or Michael Carter/Corum, with a clear desire to swap in any healthier “main guy” if possible (11:56–13:36).

Deep Sleeper WR Debate

• Yoshivas (Yoshi) vs. peers (e.g., Worthy, Wilson):
  • In desperate situations, swing for upside; Yoshi cited as a rare top-tier flex WR upside pick for the week (17:40–21:09).
  • “If Yoshi Voss is out there, we are likely going to say him...over a lot of other stuff you’re gonna put out there.” — Welsh (20:00)
  • “In the Wide Receiver 3 factory of sadness, you gotta shoot your shot. Yoshi’s kind of like the guy...” — Erickson (20:55)

Waiver & Stash Advice

• Prioritize standalone value if needed immediately (e.g., Tootin over Brian Robinson if RB help needed now), otherwise stash high-upside RBs for injuries (27:39–28:02).

Trade Value Advice

• When selling a strong backup TE (e.g., Gadsden), target the manager most desperate at the position rather than fixating on which player to aim for (32:21–33:04).

4. Tight End Streamer Choices

• Fannin, Barner, Knox, Musgrave:
  • Lean Fannin for floor, Barner for Hail Mary upside. Taysom Hill advocated as a classic "what-the-heck" play in upside desperation (39:09–40:46).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Start/Sit Anxiety:
  • “Every wrong decision can mean everything.” — Welsh (36:09)
• On Superflex Quarterbacks:
  • “Quarterback in a full PPR, is Pickens vs. the Eagles a discussion point for you?” — Welsh (10:46)
  • “Not close for me. Process always says play QB.” — Erickson (10:54)
• On Waiver Depth:
  • “Depth isn’t the worst thing in the world…unless you can upgrade, package Sutton with Judkins to move up.” — Erickson (44:11)
• On Trading For Need:
  • “It’s not always about which player should I be targeting, it’s which manager should I be targeting.” — Erickson (32:24)
• Colorful Listener Stories:
  • Mongolian eagle photo and epic road trip story from community member Jorge, leading to football puns about the Eagles “tearing Cowboys' heads off.” (16:17–17:11)
• Banter on Impressions:
  • “I only have weird impressions...I do Meatwad from Aqua Teen, I do Yoshi and that’s about it. Debro just hates my impressions.” — Welsh (21:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment/Question | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------|:----------:| | Trusting Process As Playoffs Loom | 01:25 | | Joe Mixon Injury News | 00:47 | | Jennings vs. Pearsall WR Debate | 03:25–05:35| | Drake London Keeper League Dilemma | 05:38–08:17| | Superflex: Baker vs. WRs | 09:24–10:54| | Desperation RB Start/Sit | 11:26–13:36| | Yoshi Voss Flex Play Discussion | 17:34–21:09| | Yoshivas vs. Worthy/Downgraded WRs | 18:32–20:00| | Consolidation vs. Depth (Sutton, Judkins) | 43:21–44:11| | Trade Strategy With Gadsden | 32:19–33:04| | Fannin vs. TE Streamers/Taysom Hill | 39:09–40:46| | Final Lightning Qs: Waiver Adds, Jalen Hurts Trade | 45:03–47:35 |

Additional Notes

• Community Vibe: Lots of live Discord interaction; playful engagement with community member stories and recognition for regular callers.
• Strategic Takeaways: Don't panic or over-correct as playoffs near; maximize weekly upside when forced, but stick with reliable processes and remain open to last-minute upgrades if the right trade or stash emerges.
• Plugged FantasyPros Tools: Frequent references to My Playbook, waiver, trade, and lineup optimizers for listeners seeking edges.

Conclusion

The episode pressed home the importance of disciplined, process-based management, and community support as fantasy playoffs approach. Key takeaways included sticking with trustworthy quarterback options in superflex, reading injury reports closely, leveraging depth for upgrades only if a true improvement is possible, and not panicking into sub-optimal start/sit swaps. The hosts’ friendly expert tone, thorough listener engagement, and actionable answers made this a valuable episode for anyone seeking to optimize their rosters and get ready for the fantasy football stretch run.