FantasyPros - Week 17 Fantasy Football Quarterback & Tight End Rankings & Tiers: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts (Ep. 1918)

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – FantasyPros: Week 17 Fantasy Football QB & TE Rankings & Tiers (Ep. 1918)

Date: December 26, 2025
Host: Chris Welsh
Analysts: Pat Fitzmaurice ("Fitzy"), Andrew Erickson
Episode Focus: In-depth fantasy football analysis for Week 17 Quarterback and Tight End rankings and tiers—studs, sleepers, and must-starts for your championship matchup.

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Overview

This penultimate episode of the season is all about helping fantasy managers make the right decisions in their championship matchups, focusing specifically on quarterbacks and tight ends. Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Erickson reflect on their season of podcasting together before offering nuanced, data-driven advice on this week's most pivotal start/sit questions, tiers, and upside plays. The conversation is lively, opinionated, and sprinkled with friendly debate and memorable moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflections on the 2025 Fantasy Season

• The trio agree that this year’s version of the show is “the best iteration yet,” giving a nod to meaningful discussions that elevated each analyst’s rankings.
  • “I think bringing in the right questions, moving guys around ... helps me make my rankings better as we head into the week because that’s the ultimate goal, right?”
    —Andrew Erickson [02:09]
• All agree the show’s open-minded approach has led to better rankings and improvements throughout the year.

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2. Quarterback Rankings and Tier Debates

Top-12 Quarterbacks for Week 17 (as discussed):

1. Josh Allen
2. Joe Burrow
3. Drake May
4. Dak Prescott
5. Matthew Stafford
6. Jalen Hurts
7. Trevor Lawrence
8. Jacoby Brissett
9. Brock Purdy
10. Caleb Williams
11. Baker Mayfield
12. Tyler Shuck

The Key Debate: Trevor Lawrence vs. Josh Allen

Scenario: Welsh pondering starting Trevor Lawrence over Josh Allen given Allen’s recent dud and Lawrence’s soft matchup.

• Pat Fitzmaurice:

  • Strongly advises not to bench Allen:
    • “I would maybe question your sanity if you bench Josh Allen in a championship game.” [06:28]
  • Notes Lawrence’s efficiency: 15 TDs in last 5 games, 268 passing yards/gm, but worries about possible lack of pass volume vs. Colts.
  • Allen’s rushing TD upside cannot be ignored.

• Andrew Erickson:

  • Highlights statistical tie between Allen and Lawrence as fantasy QB1’s since Week 5:
    • “They’re scoring the exact same amount of points.” [08:23]
  • Wonders if Allen’s recent ankle injury will limit his rushing and upside.
  • Would consider Lawrence if Allen’s injury lingers, but concedes: “I’m not sure I have the stones to actually do it.” [09:54]

Caleb Williams vs. Expectations

• Fitzy: Lower on Williams — outside the top 12 (QB14):
  • “Just hasn't been a very good passer over the last month and a half.” (citing poor completion %, YPA, and yardage) [11:33]
• Erickson: Cautiously optimistic (QB10):
  • “This is like the best defensive matchup he’s had in a while ... I think that he can be a back end fantasy QB1 because I think that this is one of the better matchups.” [12:15]

Streamer & Bubble QB Debates

Tyler Shuck (QB12) vs. Jackson Dart

• Erickson:
  • Favors Shuck due to matchup vs. depleted Titans secondary and consistent production.
  • Skeptical of Dart’s role and health after return from concussion [15:47]
• Fitzy:
  • Concurs, noting Giants’ focus should be QB safety; cites Shuck as QB9 over the past 4 weeks and facing a weak defense [17:16]

Tyler Shuck vs. Justin Herbert

• Fitzy:
  • Shuck is a clear start over Herbert, who faces Houston’s top-rated pass defense after torching Dallas’ weak secondary. [19:03]
• Erickson:
  • Avoid Herbert:
    • “He is a pass ... This is a trend that's gone on all year where guys get highly ranked the week after they play Dallas and almost never reach those expectations again.” [19:55]

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3. Tight End Rankings and Contrasting Styles

Top-12 Tight Ends for Week 17 (as discussed):

1. Trey McBride
2. George Kittle
3. Brock Bowers
4. Harold Fannin
5. Kyle Pitts
6. Juwan Johnson
7. Dallas Goedert
8. Dalton Schultz
9. Jake Ferguson
10. Brenton Strange
11. Colston Loveland
12. Hunter Henry

Dallas Goedert: A Divisive Play

• Erickson:
  • Crushingly low (TE16): “Bills are number one defense against fantasy tight ends ... so that's why I have him basically as a sit this week.” [21:51]
• Fitzy:
  • Lower than ECR, but still as a starter (TE10):
    • “The Bills have given up 42 catches to tight ends ... so the Bills really throw a blanket over tight ends.” [23:00]
    • Relies on Philly’s red zone ‘shovel pass’ to Goedert for TD upside [23:00]

Hunter Henry: Streaming Upside and Contract Incentive Narrative

• Fitzy:
  • Hesitant (TE14 but moving up):
    • “It feels like a random roll of the dice ... as to whether he smashes or has one catch for seven yards.” [24:12]
• Erickson:
  • High on Henry (TE7):
    • “What does that mean? Contract incentive season. Hunter Henry currently at 52 receptions ... don't be surprised Hunter Henry has eight catches in this game because it's going to win him a million dollars.” [25:21]

Taysom Hill: All-Upside Playoff Dart Throw

• Fitzy:
  • Cautious optimism (TE15):
    • Points out increased usage due to New Orleans RB injuries: 12 carries, 4 receptions, 1 passing TD in the last game [27:22]
• Erickson:
  • Aggressive (TE11):
    • “Because he has way more upside than 80% of tight ends ... at least I know with Taysom Hill, his ceiling is he could be (the) TE1 on the week ... you have to shoot for the ceiling.” [28:35]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Dance with the one that brought you ... but do you think it’s close?” —Chris Welsh, on starting your studs [07:44]
• “You have to shoot for the moon if you're going to try to beat a team with Trey McBride ... and as I'm talking about this right now in my fantasy championship I am facing Trey McBride and I have a whole tight end and I think I’m going to roll with Taysom Hill.” —Andrew Erickson [29:51]
• “I want to see how many championship teams are won with Tyler Shuck at quarterback. Probably not on a lot of people’s cards.” —Chris Welsh [18:22]
• “It’s contract incentive season ... don’t be surprised Hunter Henry has eight catches in this game because it’s going to win him a million dollars.” —Andrew Erickson [25:21]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:35] Season reflections, host camaraderie
• [04:25] Giveaway info, announcements
• [05:02] Start of QB rankings, opening the Trevor Lawrence vs. Josh Allen discussion
• [06:28] Pat on benching Allen/starting Lawrence
• [08:23] Erickson’s case for Trevor Lawrence’s ceiling
• [10:27] Returning focus to Lawrence and overall QB1 upside
• [11:33] Caleb Williams: A tale of two analysts
• [15:02] Streaming QBs: Tyler Shuck vs. Jackson Dart
• [19:03] Shuck vs. Justin Herbert: Fade the recency bias
• [20:35] Beginning of tight end rankings
• [21:51] Goedert: The toughest sit call
• [24:12] Hunter Henry: Roll of the dice?
• [25:21] The contract incentive theory
• [27:22] Taysom Hill: Embracing volatility
• [29:51] Facing the “McBride Monster” – upside strategy
• [30:13] Chris Welsh’s championship tight ends and summary strategy notes
• [31:00-end] Goodbyes, holiday wishes, gratitude for the audience

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Summary Table: Analyst Takes on Key Players

| Player | Fitzmaurice | Erickson | Key Consideration | |--------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------| | Josh Allen | Don’t bench for Lawrence | Would consider if injured | Allen’s health vs. Lawrence’s matchup | | Trevor Lawrence | QB10, good but cautious | QB6, loves recent form | Recent hot streak; pass volume | | Caleb Williams | QB14, fading | QB10, cautiously bullish | Better matchup than recent weeks | | Tyler Shuck | QB11, higher floor | Must-start streamer | Titans matchup, recent form | | Jackson Dart | Fade, high injury risk | Fade, volatile role | Giants’ conservative approach | | Justin Herbert | Fade, terrible matchup | Fade, recency trap | Houston defense | | Dallas Goedert | Lower than consensus | Sit of the week | Bills defense | | Hunter Henry | Risky dice roll | TE7, contract narrative | Jets matchup, red zone role | | Taysom Hill | TE15, but could rise | TE11, all-upside play | Saints’ RB injuries, usage spike |

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Takeaways & Strategy for Week 17 Championships

• Stay flexible: Consider injuries and true ceiling, not just the name value.
• Don’t chase last week’s breakout against bad defenses (Herbert).
• Embrace upside at tight end—if you’re facing TE juggernauts, look for volatile, high ceiling options like Taysom Hill.
• Pay attention to contract incentives (e.g., Hunter Henry), as teams may feed players chasing big bonuses.
• Check late-breaking news: Many of these ranks will evolve as injury updates arrive.

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Final Words:
The analysts encourage listeners to take a bold but data-driven approach as they chase their leagues’ championships, and to keep the discourse going by sharing their wins and queries with the FantasyPros community.

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For live rankings updates and all positions: fantasypros.com/rankings

Transcript

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Chris Welsh]

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Chris Welsh]

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Chris Welsh]

Hello, friends, and welcome into the Week 17 Championship Series ranks episode for quarterbacks and tight ends right here on the fantasy football podcast here at Fantasy Pros. I'm Chris Welsh, we've got Pat Fitzmaurice, Andrew Erickson. We've got quarterbacks, we've got tight ends, and we got championships. We've also got the final rank episode of the season. Hat tip to you two gentlemen. Just want to say again, we've talked about this before. There has been. Fitzy has kind of been the constant in the ranks world here at Fantasy Pros on the episodes. But I do want to say we've talked about this. Probably the best iteration, I think Fitzy, you've co signed this. The best iteration of this show has been this year, like the three of us, more particularly you two, me just bringing you guys in, but having concerts we've had like rotations and stuff like that, definitely been the best iteration of it and I think probably some of the best results as well. Fitzy just across, just doing a 30 second review of the season since this is the final one.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, it's been a really fun season doing this with both of you and you know, hopefully we've steered people right more often than we've steered them wrong.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, great conversations all year long. Every time it's like, hey, look, Fitzy's here. And shout out to Erickson. Erickson's here. Shout out to Fitzy. And we've had the other fantasy pros cruise. So Erickson, great job joining. You've been the most welcome of additions and you are like, this is like my fifth show with you every single week. So like you and I are just official podcast partners here on Fantasy Pros. Like there's no way getting around it. You just can't get rid of me.

[Andrew Erickson]

Sorry. Now I know and I know that the producers really wanted to get Mike Mayer on this show week to week basis because he always ranks so high in the rankings competition be like, nah, he's got too much on his plate. We'll, we'll substitute him with Erickson and see if Erickson can at least be a top 50 finisher this week and this year. So I've actually had my best year ranking again. It's still dragging behind guys like Dbro and Fitz and of course Mike Mayer. But yeah, I think that I've improved by being on this show, picking the brain of Fitz and Welsh and I think, I think bringing in the right questions, moving guys around it and kind of going on to the show with an open mind about certain guys where it's not, oh, this is definitely how I feel. It's Wednesday or whenever recording and this isn't going to change. No, I really want to know what Fitz feels about so and so player. I want to know what Welsh thinks about this player. And it helps me make my rankings better as we head into the week because that's the ultimate goal, right? It's finding the right answer for us all to win and for us all to be right. And I think that we've done that, guys. So shout to us.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, good. And I hope everybody has kind of gotten that as well. I think there's really good discourse, good conversation all year long from this episode. We do a wide receiver one, we do a running back one, and then we do this quarterback and tight end one I think has been great conversation all year long and hopefully we can come out strong here for the final one for your quarterbacks and your tight end. So we've got you covered on your top 12. Couple names outside of each boy. Tight ends have been a struggle the last couple weeks with all the craziness. So hopefully we can get a little bit more chalky this week. A lot of interesting quarterback plays as well. So we are going to be diving into those. Before we do though. Giveaways. We love giveaways and we're always talking about the latest giveaway and this is your chance to win the crown jewel of any fantasy football league, the perpetual fantasy football trophy. Courtesy of our good friends at Trophy Smack, the number one destination for epic fantasy football hardware. This gorgeous black trophy comes with a perpetual base so you can engrave your league champion year after year. It's not just a prize, it's a legacy piece. Here's how you can enter. Just subscribe to The Fantasy Pros YouTube channel. My God, if you have not. If you're listening in week 17 and you haven't subscribed to the channel, just do yourself a favor. Subscribe. Drop any comment below on any of the videos and you are entered. That's it. That's all we're asking.

[Andrew Erickson]

For you.

[Chris Welsh]

We'll be announcing a winner right here on the channel. Turn on notifications, don't miss your prize, don't miss any episodes. Win that trophy and engrave it year after year. Very cool. Thank you to our friends over at Trophy Smack. All right, if you guys want to follow along, go to fantasypros.com rankings. You can check out all the positions as it evolves during the week. This is a snapshot of when we are recording this, which is a little bit earlier than normal. Usually we do this on Wednesdays. We're doing this on Tuesday because of the holidays. So you might see some more changes. Follow [e-mail] rankings. Boys, here's your top 12 for the week. Josh Allen. After just laying an egg for me in multiple spots, Josh Allen comes in at number one this week going up against the Eagles, followed by Joe Burrow, Drake May, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts. That's your top six. We've got Trevor Lawrence at seven, Jacoby Brissette, Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield and Tyler Schuck. Tyler shuck at your 12 spot here. Let me present a question to you guys. So we're going to talk about Trevor Lawrence and based on your ranks, I think one of you might entertain me here. But he's QB7. Fitzy, you've got him at 10. Erickson, you got him at 6. I have a league. It's our fantasy pros championship league where I squeaked in because of Josh Allen underperforming. But I have Trevor Lawrence. I am thinking of rolling out Trevor Lawrence this week over Josh Allen. Don't particularly love the matchup against the Eagles. I do love the matchup against the Colts after Brock Purdy just dropped five touchdowns. Whether I do it or not, let's do this. Bitsy, you're the most negative on Trevor Lawrence this week. You've got him at 10. Is this in the ballpark or is this going to be insanity? Will I finally be titanic ing down with a really bad decision if I do that?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, I would. I would maybe question your sanity if you bench Josh Allen in a championship game.

[Chris Welsh]

I know.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Like I know Lawrence has been great, so I've got him QB10. But I'm ranking Lamar Jackson as if he's going to play. So I have him one spot ahead of Trevor Lawrence. And maybe QB10 is a little too low. He has been terrific lately. Last five games, 15 touchdown passes, averaging 268 passing yards a game. 8.6 yards per attempt. Super efficient I guess I'm slightly concerned, though, about the passing volume. He had 36 pass attempts against the Broncos last week, but in the six games before that, he'd averaged 27.3 pass attempts per game with no more than 32 pass attempts in any of those games. So will the Colts be able to force Trevor Lawrence to keep his foot on the gas for all four quarters? That. That's one thing that kind of concerns me a little bit, because if you don't get the pass volume, yeah, he's been really efficient lately, but it might be hard for him to put up just monster numbers. Whereas Josh Allen can run for two touchdowns in any game.

[Chris Welsh]

Don't know if you watch Monday Night Football. Brock Purdy did some business against the Colts. That was a pretty good game.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

He did.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, that was a pretty good game. But I don't disagree. This is like the most classic question we see streams all the time because I'm one of the biggest, like, hey, you know, dance with the one that brought you type of guy. But I'm staring at the situation after that dud with Alan. I'm looking at that defense and then I look at what Trevor Lawrence has in front of him. Erickson, I'm down with the idea that it's dance with the one that brought you, but do you think it's close? You have Lawrence higher than ACR. You've got him at 6. You do like him. But do you think it belongs in that tier or it's just a little too risque to do in a champion?

[Andrew Erickson]

So Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen are tied as the fantasy quarterback one since week five in points per game. So since week five, they're scoring the exact same amount of points. So I think that Trevor Lawrence is in that tier based on what he's been doing in this offense. He is cooking with Liam Cohen. I think that Fitz, you said it. I don't remember how long ago it was, but it took Baker Mayfield a certain amount of weeks to understand the Liam Cohen offense. I don't remember the exact number was, but it seems like Trevor Lawrence has kind of fully embraced what he's doing. They've acquired Jacoby Meyer, just everything is clicking, and now they get to face a Colts defense indoors that just got eviscerated. Do they even need all four quarters for Trevor Lawrence to be productive? Because Brock Purdy threw like four touchdowns in the first half. I think so. I don't know if they need all four quarters for him to be a fantasy QB one, and I'd never Want to bench Josh Allen, any capacity. Agreed. Is he healthy, though? Because he got hurt last week and we saw. I don't think that was just a coincidence that he bangs up his. I think it was, like, labeled as an ankle injury. But then he doesn't run nearly as much last week, and he has one of his worst performances ever. Lamar Jackson got hurt, and he never looked the same after he got hurt. And we kept continuing to go back to him like, no, it's Lamar Jackson. You got to do it. You got to do it. But what if we don't get the same Josh Allen because he is dealing with some type of leg injury? Who's he throwing the ball to? Because if you SAP away any of his mobility, then you're running into a lot of trouble and then you flare in. It's not a good match against Eagles. Now, maybe none of this stuff matters and I'm not a doctor. I don't know what is going on with Josh Allen's foot, leg, ankle, whatever the injury is, but I think it's worth monitoring what he's like on the injury report. Is he missing practices? I think maybe that could leave me Trevor Lawrence over Josh Allen, but I'm not sure I have the stones to actually do it. So, Welsh, maybe you have to let us know at some point, send us a screenshot of what you did. I'm not sure I'll be able to do it, but I don't think that it's quite as insane. But maybe I am insane.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah. And I didn't mean to make this, nor about my team or even Josh Allen, because I think at the end of the day, we want to talk. I think you should talk positive on Trevor Lawrence. Trevor Lawrence is a really good option this week. He's in at seven. I'll probably have him close to that top five. I just. It was interesting context because I literally have those two. And I had been thinking about that and I had initially put Trevor Lawrence in, but after seeing, you know, the cheeks get slapped for the Colts, it makes me think Trevor Lawrence is in a decent spot, especially with the receiving game. So Trevor Lawrence, solid A plus start this week. What about Caleb Williams? Caleb Williams, ECR, quarterback, 10. Let's not pretend like the San Francisco 49ers defense is that great. Philip Rivers first drove him with Alec Pierce. You know, Philip Rivers was able to do some stuff he hadn't done and, you know, since he had, like, seven kids. So Caleb Williams, ECR, 10, going up against the 49ers. You guys are Both not super, super excited. Erickson, you got him at 10. Fitzy, you got him at 14. Fitzy, why don't you start it off? You are lower. You got Caleb, outside of a startable quarterback in fantasy this week.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Since week 10, Caleb Williams has completed 53.8% of his passes and averaged 6.3 yards per pass attempt and has averaged 212 passing yards a game over that stretch. So I do like the matchup of the 49ers and their, you know, non existent pass rush. I, I do like that he adds rushing value. Caleb does. I just think QB10 is too high for a guy who just hasn't been a very good passer over the last month and a half.

[Chris Welsh]

Erickson, you have him at QB10. Do you feel a little bit dicey about it or do you feel like confident that this is a spot, especially based on the guys that are coming in below him?

[Andrew Erickson]

I think I like the spot against the 49ers. I did not like Caleb Williams end of season stretch because I looked at all these matchups, Eagles, Packers, Browns, Packers, Vikings, and I looked at the schedule. I'm thinking, man, he's going to fall off. And he did. And to Fitz's credit, like, I think that has to do with his fall off in the completion percentage because he's had a lot of tough matchups. I think this is like the best defensive matchup he's had since he faced the New York giants in week 10 when he was the QB4 on the week. So I think that's why I'm a little bit more optimistic about Kelly Blooms, because we know he has the tools to get it done as a rusher. Maybe he gets Luther Burden back. So another receiver added to the fold here. So I think that he can be a back end fantasy QB1 because I think that this is definitely one of the better matchups he's had in a long time.

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[Chris Welsh]

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[Andrew Erickson]

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[Chris Welsh]

Let's have a little battle here. Tyler Schuck coming in as a 12th startable quarterback is definitely eye opening for a lot of people. He talked about him last week as like hey, you know you're getting into this territory of someone that could you could potentially stream. That means he's coming in over some big names quarterback. We're going to talk a little bit with the Chargers, but how about this one? This might be a buns cheeks conversation. Tyler Schuck versus Jackson Dart. So Shuck comes in at 12. Dart is not inside the top 12. I think that's a legitimate question. People are going to be looking at Erickson. Do you trust the valuation of a guy like Tyler Schuck over Jackson Dart who's also been there's some rushing upside. What's your take on this for a week 17 start? Which one are you going with?

[Andrew Erickson]

I think it has to be shock if you're talking about who do you trust more? I mean Shuck has been really consistent over the last couple games. He's had good matchups but facing the Tennessee Titans who have nobody left in their secondary. I don't think I can name a single guy they have in their secondary because every week they lose more guys towards injuries. So I think you could see a decent amount of throwing from Tyler Shuck and Slash or Taysom Hill Olave is cooking. Joanne Johnson's been really productive over the last couple games. So there's just no trust level with Jackson Dart because what Giants offense are we going to see? Are we going to see this cookie cutter? We're just going to hand the ball off and run and hide Jackson Dart like we did last week where they posted a negative 23% pass rate over expectation. Now maybe that's because they were facing the Vikings who are this super run funnel defense. But it is concerning that Dart's not getting as many design runs since he came back from his concussion. It is the Raiders. We thought it was a good matchup for CJ Stroud. Turns out it wasn't nearly as good as a matchup for CJ Stroud like we thought it was going to be. And Andrew Thomas, one of their best offensive tackles, is also hurt. So the, the trust level of Jackson Dart is. He's extremely boomer bust. Like if he just decides no, I'm just going to run around, I don't care. Then you see the upside case for him against the Raiders indoors. But I think Tyler Schuck has equally as much upside because he also runs and the floor is just much, much higher. So I would go with Shuck Bitsy, same thing.

[Chris Welsh]

Tyler Schuck, QB12, you've actually got him at 11. So I think it's going to answer this versus Jackson Dart.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, the prime directive for the Giants the rest of the way should be to not have their quarterback of the future suffer the same fate that Patrick Mahomes suffered. You have to have this guy, okay, because they've got optimism for 2026 with Malik neighbors coming back with Cam Scatter Boot coming back like this offense could be really good. Just don't run him into a major injury against the Raiders. So the aggressive running we saw from Jackson Dart earlier this season we probably don't see this week. And you know, I wouldn't be surprised if there was any sort of minor injury and they just pulled him as a precautionary measure. So Dart is a real risky play. Shock, on the other hand, has scored 17 or more fantasy points in four straight games and is QB9 in fantasy scoring over that four week stretch and now he gets a matchup against the Titans, who as Erickson mentioned, are just completely eviscerated and have allowed, you know, the eighth most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season. But their past defense is in worse shape now than it was for most of the year.

[Chris Welsh]

I want to see that, that thing at the End I want to see how many championship teams are won with Tyler Shuck at quarterback. Probably not on a lot of people's cards that they thought they would be looking at starting him. But it's a good matchup. He's been performing. Maybe one more of like shuck versus. People are going to be tempted about Justin Herbert after having a QB4 performance this past week. But he comes in at 16 because he's got Houston. It's a tough matchup in here. Fitzy, is there any world that you're going to, you know, take the performance off from last week, the high flying, you know, passing side of Justin Herbert versus this Houston defense? Or is this like a no brainer? You would start like Tyler Schuck over Justin Herbert. Not think twice.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Not think twice. Tyler Schuck over Justin Herbert, who is literally going from a matchup against the worst pass defense in the league to a matchup against the best pass defense in the league. Cowboys have given up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Texans the fewest. And yeah, great game last week. But in the five games before that, Justin Herbert had averaged 160 passing yards and had thrown five touchdown passes in five games. Like his offensive line is bad. Oh my goodness. Like this offensive line going against Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter this week. Like, I don't think it's going to look pretty for Justin Herbert.

[Chris Welsh]

Erickson, is there any scenario where you are an advocate of Justin Herbert for this week? Guys like Tyler Schuck, even you're talking about Jackson darts out there. Like, is, is Herbert such a pass that we, you know, we don't even want people to ask a question.

[Andrew Erickson]

He is a pass. I, I think that you are chasing the Dallas matchup from last week. If you go back to Justin Herbert, to Fitz's point, look at all of his QB finishes since week 10, 17, 31, 19, 17, 27 and then four. And it's because he faced the Dallas Cowboys. And this is a trend that's gone on all year long where guys get highly ranked the week after they play Dallas and they almost never, ever reach those expectations again because the matchup is always tougher because Dallas is just one of the worst defenses in the NFL against fantasy quarterbacks. So I agree, it's such a tough spot for him. You got to look elsewhere than Justin.

[Chris Welsh]

Herbert this week and he's not being ranked high this week. So people are avoiding people. Get it? All right, those are your quarterback ranks. Let's go and take a look at the tight ends, the big board for the top 12 tight ends this week we've got Trey McBride at number one, George Kittle at two. We'll have to see if he plays Brock Bowers, Harold Fannin, Kyle Pitts, Joanne Johnson, that's your top six. The bottom half is Dallas Goddard, Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson, Britain Strange, Colston Loveland and Hunter Henry. So obviously as mentioned, there could be a pivot in the George Kittle market, which I would think would make Jake Tonjas maybe like a low end. You know, if you were deep play you could definitely look at him. Purdy likes going in that direction. You Harold Fannin has kind of established himself in a very, very comfortable spots. Kyle Pitts has kind of done the same as well. So what I'm getting at is like a lot of good chalky plays that are floating in there. So we're actually going to. Well actually let's do this one because I didn't even see this. Dallas Goddard is down here at titan7. Not only are both of you lower on Dallas Goddard, one of you has got him super far. Erickson, let's start with you. 16. Dallas Goddard isn't even in the what that, that's a non ranked tight end essentially for you. So you are not into Dallas Goddard this week.

[Andrew Erickson]

Bills are number one defense against fantasy tight ends and especially ones like Dallas Goddard who are more of these inline tight ends. I don't think that they see the most type of unique type of usage. Now Harold Fannin obviously still able to be productive last week, but the Browns kind of use him in a bunch of different fun ways. Meaning he had a rushing touchdown because they gave him a goal line carry. So I think that he had kind of more outs and I was wrong about where I had him ranked last because of the matchup. But I don't think that the Dallas, excuse me, the Philadelphia Eagles use Dallas Garden the same way that the Browns use a guy like Harold Fan where they're having a lineup in the backfield now he can always bail you out with a touchdown because I know they love to target him inside the red zone. But I mean I can make the argument for oh well this guy could catch touchdown. Kobe Parkinson could catch like, like the list of guys I could list out that oh, maybe this guy could catch touchdown. I guess I'm leaning more into. Well I think the Bills might be able to stop that this week because of how good they've been against fantasy Titans for the most part. So that's why I have him basically as a sit this week.

[Chris Welsh]

Fitz, you've got him at 10. You just, you have him quite a bit lower, but you still do have him as a starter. So what's the positive spin versus Ericsson? Super negative.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

That the Eagles little shovel pass to Dallas Goddard now inside the five yard line is becoming almost iconic. Iconic as the Tush push. Like they love that play. And Dallas Goddard now has 10 touchdowns on the season with a bunch of them coming on those gadgety little shovel passes they do. Plus the targets for Philly are pretty concentrated. It's AJ Brown, it's Devonte Smith, it's Dallas Goddard, and that's just about it. But to Erickson's point and the reason I'm behind ECR and you know, like the touchdown outlook is why I'm not as down on him as Erickson is. But the Bills have given up 42 catches to tight ends this season. No other team has given up fewer than 58. So the bills really throw a blanket over tight ends.

[Chris Welsh]

Next tight end up is tight end 12 on this list, Hunter Henry. He was actually like 15 a day ago. This is one where you guys are very split. Fitzy, you do not have a Hunter Henry. We'll start there as a starting tight end. You've got him at 14. He's outside of your top 12. So you made a positive case for Dallas Goddard. No positive case for Hunter Henry, who's going up against a Jets team.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, I should probably come up on him a little, actually. I already have. I moved him up one spot this morning to tight end 13. I have been totally incapable of accurately ranking Hunter Henry this week. It feels like a just random roll of the dice with this guy every week as to whether he smashes or has one catch for seven yards. If you're going to bet on him, it does seem like a good week to bet on him because the jets pass defense is completely falling apart. I mean, they're letting Taysom Hill throw touchdown passes for goodness sakes. And yeah, like K Shun, Booty is probably going to miss this game with a concussion. Not the case on Booty is a big target hog, but you know the three or four targets he gets a week, maybe one of those goes to Henry. I, I think I probably will have Henry inside tight end one territory by the end of the week.

[Chris Welsh]

Erickson, smash or pass on Hunter Henry? It's a smash. You've got him at tight end seven. So that means that we are scoring a touchdown. That means anytime. Touchdown. Hunter Henry is activated for this week. If you've got him at 7, was facing the Jets.

[Andrew Erickson]

Already played the jets this year. He did not score against jets, but he did have a red zone target in that game. He got tipped at the line of scrimmage and Drake may just missed him. The only reason I know that is because I bet on Hunter Henry to score a touchdown in that game. So I was watching it very, very closely. And again, end of the year, what does that mean? Contract incentive season. Hunter Henry currently at 52 receptions. He has contract incentives for 55 catches, 60 catches and 65 catches. So don't be surprised. Hunter Henry has eight catches in this game because it's going to win him a million dollars. So yeah, Drake Bay knows who to feed in the red zone. I think it's going to be Hunter Henry this week.

[Chris Welsh]

That'd be dope if we had that type of stuff. Be like you finished 25 in the ranks, you're going to get a $20,000 bonus. Like let's start getting those, let's start putting those in here. Contract incentive season.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, Erickson is great on these incentives. He was the one who tipped me off to the Tony Pollard incentive that if he can get to 1100 yards rushing he gets a quarter of a million dollars. And boy, Tony Pollard is on a major incentive drive here with three straight hundred yard games. I smashed the over on his rushing yardage. I didn't get a quarter of a million dollars for it, but you know, turned a nice profit.

[Chris Welsh]

Quarter two will do fine. Erickson, make sure when you, whenever you do that article or that thread or whatever, send it over to us on who we need to pay attention to. I'm down for that. No props this week, no prop show. So very sad. I won't get that conversation. All right, last tight end, he was actually just mentioned a second ago and when he threw a touchdown last week. Taysom Hill is inaccurately ranked currently because people don't know what to do with it. He's tight end 33, so don't even focus on that for a second. But he threw a touchdown, he's running the ball more. You guys have got him in an interesting area. Actually Fitz, we're going to start with you on this because you are a little bit lower. You're kind of in that Hunter Henry thing. You've got him at 15. Just doable here. Erickson is higher so why don't you first start take. Where are you at? Taysum Hill 15. Are you kind of a little bit indifferent as against more usage or do you think we are leading into a smash? Taysom Hill spot.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah. So I did a quick check on Taysom Hill's ECR before we did the show because 33 seems strange to me. He was up at 17, so I'm between him and Erickson, but I. I feel like I should maybe be more aggressive to the extent that Erickson is. The Saints have lost Alvin Camara, Kendra Miller and Devin Neil to injuries, and there's a chance Camara comes back before the end of the regular season, but what's the point? So I kind of doubt it. And rather than turn the rushing duties over to young journeyman Audrey Estimate, Evan hall last week, the Saints just gave Taysom Hill the most work he's had all season. 12 carries for 42 yards, four catches for 36 yards, and one touchdown pass for 38 yards against the Jets. So Hill's a little hard to trust based on the really sporadic usage he's gotten all season. But I feel like the Saints are just going to lean into what they did with him last week and keep going like that in a pretty playable matchup against the Titans.

[Chris Welsh]

Erickson, you are more aggressive. You've got him at 11. He's a starting tight end for you for this week. So break it down on why we're starting Taysum Hill in our championships.

[Andrew Erickson]

Because he has way more upside than 80% of tight ends of the non elite tight ends. That's the name of the game with tight end. I can't tell you how much sleep I lost over trying to decide, oh, do I go Kobe, Parkinson or Gadsden or a bunch of these other guys and they all sucked. They were all terrible. So it didn't matter which one I picked. At least I know with Taysom Hill, his ceiling is he could be tight on one on the week because no one else in the NFL could rush for a touchdown, throw a touchdown and catch touchdown. He also caught a touchdown last week and it was called back on a penalty. So yes, I think you got to lean into. He could put up 20, 25 points and there are some tight ends where that's not even in their range of outcomes where they can even get close to that type of production. So I think that floor is overrated when it comes to tight end. Don't try to get your 4 for 40 because I'll tell you this, chances are you're facing Trey McBride in your fantasy championships. Good point. You need to shoot for the moon if you're going to try to beat a team with Trey McBride because he's going to put up 35 points against the Bengals, especially coming after a dud performance like you have to shoot for the ceiling. And as I'm kind of talking about this right now in my fantasy championship I am facing Trey McBride and I have a whole tight end and I think I'm going to roll a taste of mail because I'm going to need as many points as humanly possible. And like Juwan Johnson, yeah, I feel probably better about him in terms of his targets, his floor. It feels better. But if Trey McBride is going to put up 35 on me, I have to do as much as I can to try to match that. And I think that guy's taste him Hill.

[Chris Welsh]

It's an interesting thing. I was actually going to look and I'm like who are my titans that I'm going with in my because I have three championships. I know one is Dallas Goddard in a championship, Harold Fannin in the Fantasy Pros one and oh my gosh, two or Dallas Goddard. I didn't realize that I got two Dallas Goddard's and a Harold Fannin this week. Who I'm going up against is probably the better thing. But I think that's a really interesting point of you're probably going up against some high end stuff. Look for upside. Who are the upside plays this week? I mean there's probably arguments to be had but you know Pitts is still there. I'd say Brenton Strange has a big upside. Hunter Henry on the touchdown to your point. And then guys like Taysom Hill can, you know, really pop. So shoot for the moon if you're going up against one of those big guys and hopefully these tight ends helped you out. You can go to fantasypros.com Rankings throughout the week to see where things evolve. Taysom Hill specifically is a player that's continuously evolving as ranks are coming in and make sure you're just following us in all the spots. Follow us over on the discord fantasypros.com chat follow us on Twitch, Twitch TV fantasypros here and on the socials. If you want to know this holiday schedule of things that are going on. If you got questions, we want to be there for you. We got lots of different outlets for you to make that happen. That is it, ladies and gentlemen. The best of luck to you in your championship weeks. We're here for you. We're all vying for spots. You know where to find us. We want to hear about your championship wins. If you come back. If you want to come back after the fact, drop your championship wins in the chat. We would love to see them and celebrate them and thank you for hanging out with us the entire season long. My second full season of being the host of this show. Fitzy's been doing it forever. Erickson, your first full season. I've absolutely enjoyed it and I hope all of the listeners can agree with that. For for the last time this season, Andrew Erickson and Pat Fitzmaurice. I'm Chris Welsh. The best to all of you and to all a good night.

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.