← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
FantasyPros - Week 17 Lineup Advice: Starts, Sits, Player Debates, and TD Calls (Ep. 1919)
01:02:42
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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
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The United Airlines app has all the bells and whistles to make flying easier and can save you around 30 minutes at the airport. Get real time flight updates like live countdown clocks to boarding. Even if your screen's locked, get play by play directions through the airport with personalized maps. And if you want to make a game time decision and go home early or stay longer, there are no fees to change your flight. You get the united app at united.com/app. No fees to change your flight. Excludes basic economy applies to flights originating in the United States. Fare differences may apply.
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Hello everybody. Welcome into the Fantasy Pros Football podcast. I'm Ryan Warmley, joined by Andrew Erickson and Pat Fitzmaurice. Interesting trio. This was the three of us who did this starts and sits show last year. This year, of course, Erickson was not on the show, but we are bringing him back for for our holiday championship episode. Week 17 starts N6. Erickson, how are you doing, buddy? I've done other shows with you, of course, but not this one.
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D
This year doing great. Celebrating this glorious Boxing Day, the day after Christmas with you guys. Couldn't think of anything better. So I'm ready to rock.
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C
Totally agree. Fitz, how are you doing? You were telling us a little bit about your Christmas here before we started recording. Sounded like some football, some wine. What more could you ask for?
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E
Exactly. Food, family, dogs, kids. It was, it was great. It was a really good time. Hopefully everyone out there had a great Christmas too.
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C
Erickson and I have watched all stranger things. We will not spoil it for you or the listeners here, Fitz. As we move ahead and Erickson strategically takes a sip from that mug. We can go ahead and dive into the show, guys. This is the fantasy championship here. Of course, just quickly because I didn't talk to you guys earlier in the week. How many leagues are you alive and how many titles are you fighting for here, Fitzgerald?
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E
Seven, actually.
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C
Seven.
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E
Seven and oh, semifinal week. It, it was glorious. I'm worried that's going to boomerang back on me and it's going to be a terrible finals week, but so far really not much blood after the three game Christmas slates.
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C
So that, that is impressive. I had eight teams in the semifinals. Just two survived to the championship. Now I would call them my second and third most important teams. So if I had to pick two, it's a pretty good two to pick. It's funny going into this week, in one of the leagues I have puka and in one of the leagues I'm facing Puka. And so I feel like, well, I'll probably go one and one here because he's going to go a long way towards determining this thing. Erickson, how about you?
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D
Just one. And it's the one that I care about the most. It's the one that I won last year, the biggest money league and that I'm in. So hoping to repeat not off to like the best start because I had Jameson Williams, they'd have the Lions defense. So that was solid and I did face Bonix. So again, the way that the slate is set up this Christmas week is such a slow burn, right? Because you have a couple games on Thursdays and then you have games on Saturday and then Sunday and then Monday night like the Sunday night games. The Monday night Games, Falcons, Rams, 49ers and Bears like a lot of really impactful fantasy players. So it's going to come down to the wire, I think, in that final Monday night game between I mean the Rams and Falcons. Bijan Robinson, Drake, London, the Rams pieces just it's going to be a great finish for a lot of fantasy leagues.
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C
Obviously it didn't pan out this way due to the, you know, tragic circumstances with demar Hamlin, but it's similar going into the weekend to how I felt to the year where the fantasy title game was Monday night. Bills, Bengals, where going into that weekend it was like, oh, there's just so many players here that are going to be really impactful in a lot of these leagues. Rams, Falcons, maybe not quite on that level with the quarterback matchup, but it feels similar in terms of just the, the number of really like significant players who are probably still alive in a lot of these fantasy title games. Coming on Monday night will be kind of fun to sit back and wait for that and just kind of see how it all plays out. I think like half my starting roster in one of the leagues I'm alive in is playing in that Monday night game. So definitely won't know anything until we get to that game. Reminder for everybody, just one last one going into the championship here. All of our 2025 consensus rankings and tiers can be found at fantasyprose.com rankings and at this point we'll see. We're not talking rest of season rankings. We're not talking looking ahead at anything. It is, you know, look at those weekly rankings. They are being updated here still throughout the week, even despite the holidays. Guys, we usually have a bit of a start or some of these popular waiver ads segment. I was sitting down to put this together earlier in the week. It didn't feel like there were really any good options here, with one exception that I'll bring up. But for the most part, like, you're going to be playing the best players on your team, right? You're here in the fantasy championship. There also weren't a ton of obvious, like, instant starters here. The one that I was maybe going to bring up that I won't ask you guys about is the Browns backfield. It does seem like Dylan Sampson, you know, has been back at practice, so maybe we won't be looking at some of these backup guys. Obviously, keep an eye on that throughout the weekend. The one name that I did want to ask you about, though, is Michael Carter. He has been a starting option at various times during the season. He was still under 50% rostered here coming into this week. You know, he's got that starting role for Arizona here in what looks like a good matchup. So, Erickson, I'll start with you. Just Carter, is he somebody that you're interested in starting in in in the fantasy championship if you haven't needed running back?
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D
Yeah, I think that he's a solid starter. He's kind of been solid all year when he's been given opportunities. I don't love that. The Cardinals are kind of still embracing this committee and they found their new Bam Knight with Corey Kiner, who was taking snaps at inside the red zone last week. And this week, according to the Coach Speak Index, they talked about how they love Kiner and how physical he is as a rusher. So basically the carbon copy of why they liked using Bam Knight at the goal line. So still, you can't beat the matchup against the Bengals, one of the best four running backs. So even if Carter isn't seeing 70, 80% of the snaps, he should be efficient. And he was efficient last week, which hasn't always been the case with him. So I think He's a solid RB2 flex play.
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C
He's RB26 in ECR. Erickson, too high, too low or just right?
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I think it's a little low. I've got him at 23. I'm starting him in a championship game and I think people are maybe a little lower on him than they should be because he didn't catch any passes last week, but the week before that he had four catches for, I think, 38 yards. Erickson mentioned the matchup. The Bengals have given up, I think 1924 yards to running backs, most in the league, and he just didn't get A lot of rushing volume last week because the, the Cardinals were stuck in a negative game script against the Falcons. They trailed pretty much for the entirety of that game. So only 11 carries for Carter, but he was efficient with them. You'd hope that maybe the, the Cardinals can keep it a close fight with the Bengals and maybe we see something closer to 15, 16 carries for Carter this week. But I think we like that their shootout potential in this game. So we could see a lot of points in this one. Maybe it is kinder getting those short yardage touchdowns, but I still think that there's a pretty reasonable chance that you get 13, 14 touches minimum for Michael Carter.
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Let's plant our flags on some players here. Just kind of guys, you're going into championship week with real conviction on Erickson. We'll start with you here.
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Tony Pollard can't believe that this is the guy that you could have faith starting in week 17 out of your fantasy football championships. But that's where we're at with Tony Pollard and he's been on a heater over the last four games. He's averaging over 20 touches per game over the last three weeks. And look, the Titans are playing to put good tape out there for Cam Ward, their next head coach. And Tony Pollard is trying to get paid. He is very, very close to several different contract incentives and, and they're trying to get him to these numbers again. Last week he had a touchdown wiped off the board. He only needs two more touchdowns to hit a contract incentive of seven rushing touchdowns on the year. He's 51 yards away from a thousand yards. So some of these incentives are not just based on contracts, but it's based on hitting that 1,000 mark. There's a lot of running backs, a lot of different wide receivers that are trying to get to that number. We actually saw Court and Sutton hit 1,000 yards against the Chiefs last night on Thursday night. And Tony Pollard, he's within striking distance of getting to 1,000 rushing yards. He's 51 yards away, so they've been feeding him a ton. They're playing the Saints at home this week and the Saints just put Brian Brzee or they put him on injured reserve, but he's probably going to miss this game. And he leads the Saints in terms of defensive snaps and run stops across the defensive line this season. We've talked about this all year long. When a defense loses an interior anchor like a defensive tackle, you see their run splits drastically change. It happened with the Browns once an elite run defense, they lose Malik Collins and What happens? They get boat race by every single runaway that they face. So I think at home this is a good spot for Tony park to continue to be on his hot streak, going to get volume. So I think he can be a top 20 running back in week 17.
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C
He is back to back with Michael Carter in ECR. He's one spot ahead actually. Technically they're both outside the top 24. They're at 25 and 26. Do you agree with Pollard being ahead of Carter?
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E
Absolutely. And I've got Pollard running back 18. I mean three straight hundred yard games. And Erickson mentioned the thousand yard mark. No, the key number here is the 1100 yard mark because Tony Pollard gets a cool quarter of a million dollars in a contract bonus if he can get to that. So 151 yards over these last two weeks, he'll get that. I think we do like the matchup for the, the reasons Erickson outlined. So I think he's going to have a good game this week. I'm, I'm starting him in a championship game as well.
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We're just going through all your, your roster here apparently fits.
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D
I had seven, he's got 17. So we got a lot of players to talk about.
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That's true. I've, that's remarkable. Seven for seven in the semifinals. I still can't believe that.
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Just couldn't have been, couldn't have been more fortunate. I had a lot of opponents collapse on me last week, which was very fortunate.
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Very, very fun to watch, I'm sure. Who are you planting your flag on here, Fitz?
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Stefan Diggs and his involvement can be sporadic. Diggs had nine catches for 105 yards against the jets in Week 11. Then he had three straight games with fewer than 30 receiving yards before erupting for nine catches and 138 yards against the Ravens last week. Now Stefan Diggs gets a rematch against the jets. And their past defense has been getting completely flambe the last few weeks. Tyler Schuck had 308 passing yards against them last week. Shuck and Taysom Hill both had touchdown passes in that game. A week earlier, Trevor Lawrence had 330 passing yards and five touchdown passes against the Jets. This defense is already checked out like they are. They're, they're on the field playing, but really in their minds they're on a beach in Aruba or Cancun somewhere. Drake May is going to absolutely filet the jets defense this week and Diggs is going to be prominently involved.
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So we got, we got Filet and Flambe a couple mixing those up there. He's wide receiver 24 in ECR. Fits just on the back end of wide receiver 2 range. Sounds like you think that's low.
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I do think that's low. Just checking to see where I have him. I believe he's top 20 for me. Wide receiver 18.
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C
Where is he for you, Erickson?
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D
16 because oh, nice digs. The thing that with Diggs, we're always frustrated with the route participation in the snaps. But you look at the Patriots receivers, they're banged up like Kshaan Booty's probably not gonna play in this game. He has a concussion. Matt Collins has not been practicing all week either. He's dealing with, I believe an abdomen or oblique injury. So they kind of have to take digs out of the bubble wrap here. It's like no, like you have to play 70, 80% of the snaps and matchup is awesome against the jets and again chasing these 1,000 yard numbers. He is 131 yards away from a thousand yards, which he hasn't done since Buffalo. So remember he got hurt last year. He didn't get to finish the season. Let's get drake may another one thou his first 1000 yard receiver. I think Diggs is going to be super motivated in this game. I believe he also has more contract incentives in terms of receptions. So look, the only thing holding back Diggs this year has been just kind of his usage and the injury early on the year. But with that all behind him in this particular spot, yeah, I think he's locked and loaded. Another top 20 guy. Hand holding with Tony Pollard, Stefan Diggs and your championships. Let's go, Fitz. Let's go.
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Except for Die Hard.
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If Die Hard qualifies. I totally agree. It's both the best Christmas movie and the best action movie ever made, in my opinion. So I, I'll. I will not fight you there, Fitzy. All right, let's go to our start to player debates here. We will start with the running backs as always. How about a couple Kenneths? We got Kenneth Walker versus Kenneth Gainwell. They were closer earlier in the week in ecr. They have started to spread out a bit. I will pull it back up here just to make sure where we're at now we've got Walker at RB24 and Gainwell has moved up to RB18. So Walker has moved down and Gainwell has moved up. So a little bit of a gap here. Erickson, do you see it that way as well where Gainwell is an easy choice for you?
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D
Yes, I do. And clearly people have been listening to the Rank show where we did talk about Ken Walker kind of being, I think a little bit overvalued by the ECR just based on, hey, at a monster game in a prime time spot against the Rams, but he still got out snapped by Zach Charbonnet. Zach Charbonnet still came in in the red zone and scored one of the rushing touchdowns at the two point conversion. That really weird play. So there's really nothing about Walker's projection that suggests, oh well now this is such a better spot. Again, it's a good matchup against the Carolina Panthers. It is on the road so that, you know, sometimes things can go weird in terms of game script, but I mean in terms of who has a better role in their respective offense, I mean it's got to be Kenneth Gainwell. He has seven targets in three straight games. Ken Walker has seven targets combined in the last three games. They like to use Gainwell around the red zone. So I think that even he has kind of like that edge there over Ken Walker. Both guys can rip off big plays and Jalen Warren is also on the injury board this week. So the Steelers are in a really weird situation because if the Ravens lose to the packers and Lamar Jackson's not playing in that game, then the Steelers have nothing to play for the next two weeks. So does that mean that they lay down to the Browns? Do they take off week 18? I would lean towards the latter there being, hey, we're going to rest everybody week 18, get ready for the playoffs. But depending on how that game goes against Cleveland, if Jalen Warren is kind of nicked up like okay, we'll just sit him down and we'll ride game well or is it a scenario where they don't want to play either guy so that's kind of the only way that we need to kind of get. You need to stay up to date with what the Steelers are planning on doing. I don't think they're going to rest their guys necessarily just because they've gone through the whole process of prepping for the Browns this week and probably week 18 where they take off. But that is something to keep in mind with a lot of Steelers players. But if they are full go and if the Ravens beat the packers, well, Gainwell has just been an absolute monster so I would continue to start him. The Browns defense has been terrible against running back since they lost Malik Collins, so I think that he is clearly ahead of Ken Walker.
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C
Yeah, if it were me coaching the Steelers, I would like. You don't want to go two weeks with guy sitting guys in a row. You'd only want to pick one of these. I, I think week 18 is the clear choice to, to rest guys. I would still kind of want to keep everybody sharp here in week 17. A, just like I think schedule wise that kind of works out better for staying as sharp as possible. And and B, you know I, if I I'm going to lay down and let the opponent opponent win, I'd rather the Ravens win in a meaningless game and get their, their draft pick worse like that they're the bigger threat to you long term in the division. It feels like so so it for the Steelers, like it would make a lot of logical sense for them to still try here in week 17 and then maybe dial it down a bit in week 18. How do you see this fits in that regard?
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I see it the same way as you. Mike Tomlins, an old school coach. He's not going to lay down two weeks in a row.
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C
So.
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Yeah and I, well first of all I love that you came up with the what's the frequency Kenneth running back debate. That's just outstanding pairing here for him. Good, good, good booking. And yeah, I mean I would go with Gainwell too because we know that the Steelers are going to run the offense through the running backs and the tight ends. I mean that's kind of the Arthur Smith modus operandi anyway. And look, Walker coming off that big game where he had the two really big plays against the Rams, he sort of regained his luster. But in the 10 games before that, he averaged 7.9 half point PPR points and hit double digit points twice in those 10 games. Typically gets pulled at the goal line in favor of Zach Charbonnet. Walker's usage in the passing game can be kind of sporadic. So we know that Gainwell is going to get pretty heavy usage in the passing game that's been consistent over the last month. And running game two, I mean Erickson was talking about how bad the Browns run defense has been since losing their, their run stuffing. Defensive tackle Malik Collins. First game without Collins. Tony Pollard, 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Second game without Collins. DeAndre Swift, 98 rushing yards, two touchdowns last week. James Cook, 117 rushing yards, two touchdowns. We're seeing a theme here. So maybe it's, it's Jalen Warren getting a little more of the rushing work, but Gainwell's still going to get probably eight to 12 carries against this bad run defense and add a lot of receiving value too. So I think he's a, a pretty easy choice and almost a must start this week.
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C
Erickson, I feel like for our Tuesday show next year this is a lesson we should remember. We talked a little bit about this early in the year, like looking ahead to playoff schedules. A lot of people were very afraid of the Browns defense like when talking about trades earlier in year and trying to look at him through this perspective and now of course this does not look like a scary run defense at all. I think the lesson for me just thinking in next year is if a team's really bad early in the year, I want to target them because like, like, you know, tight ends against the Bengals that's still the case. But if a team's really good, a defense is really good and I don't expect that team to be very good long term. I'm not going to be afraid of that, you know, in terms of trades and I think it's just kind of a fool's errand to, you know, project that out ahead because it could be an injury, it could be just a lack of effort late in the season if, if your season's over. Um, a whole lot of reasons why the defense maybe doesn't look quite as, as scary and you know, non startable against as it maybe did earlier. Also Fitz, did you think I was going to get this what's the frequency Kenneth Reference I I googled it as soon as you said it and it's a song from 1994. I There's no chance I was going.
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E
To know that that it's. You've heard of REM before.
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C
You're familiar I've heard of rm. I'm not sure how many REM songs that could name, but I I am aware of the the band R.E.M. all right. So so Gainwell appears just very quickly because I want to move on Gainwell or Jaylen Warren Is is it Gainwell for both of you guys? They're they are very close in ECR fits.
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E
It's actually Warren for me because I think he's probably going to have more of the rushing duties and I think that's where you can really make hay against the Browns.
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Gain well is one spot ahead Erickson.
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Of Warren I've gain well ahead as well. Warren being on the injury report this week does slightly concern me. Just want to account for it because if they find that they're in a situation where let's say the Browns are up, Steelers are we can't really pull back things in the second half. Let's get Warren out of there. We know he had a. I think he's a hip injury. That is what he's dealing with. So again, trying to read the tea leaves. If they're ever going to pull back on any player would be someone that maybe is a tad bit nicked up. If that is Jalen Warren, then you could see them lean a little bit more on Gainwell. And then the thing with Gainwell too is I mean I feel like he could see like double digit targets in this game potentially without DK Metcalf. So like that's another thing where he has been preferred a little bit more than Jalen Warren in the passing game. And obviously he can also be really efficient against this Browns run defense too. So I again I have them ranked essentially back to back 20. Gainwell I had Aaron Jones at 21 and then Jalen Warren at 22.
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E
How do you have those guys ranked vis a vis o' Mary and Hampton and Erickson?
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D
I got Hampton way ahead depending on how plays. It depends on if Idel plays or not. Like he'll he'll be adjusted. He'll have to move down.
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C
Hampton is one spot ahead of both of them at ECR for what it's worth. All right, let's go to another Running back debate here, Bree hall or Tyrone Tracy Jr. Erickson, I'll start with you here. Who do you like better?
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D
Yeah, I'm pretty torn on these two guys. I like both of them in their respective matchups. I just keep pointing out that the Patriots run defense is not good. Like don't look at the season long stats against them because they're all banged up all over the place the last four weeks since week 12 running back finishes against the Patriots, RB13, RB8, RB1 and RB8 Robert Spillane is still on the injury report. Milton Williams is being designated to return from ir, but it's still not confirmed whether he's not playing or not. Maybe that could sway me moving Tyrone Tracy ahead of Breece hall, but I just, I want to keep attacking this Patriots run defense with opposing running backs. And yeah, I get Breece has been disappointed. He plays on the jets. It's not an exciting offense, but he hasn't seen anything lower than 14 touches since week 10. He had 18 total touches last week. So he's seeing volume. He's explosive pass catcher and he's got a good matchup and he's playing at home. Like those are enough of reasons where it's like, okay, like I could see a ceiling spot here for Breece hall, but then again I look at Tyrone Tracy and I think, I mean he's also in a pretty decent spot here too. Again against the Las Vegas Raiders. They're a team that is more of a run funnel than a pass funnel, especially if we see the Giants do what they did last week offensively, which was let's run the ball 15 straight times and not have Jackson Dart attempt a pass. So that obviously works in favor of Tyrone Tracy. And Tracy also been better than Breeze hall over the last five games. Tracy has at least 71 yards from scrimmage, so he's been really consistent both as a rusher and receiver. I do get some concerns about the split with Devin Singletary, especially around the goal line because they frequently like to take him out and put Devin Singletary in full Zach Charbonnet fashion. And the big thing with the Giants is Andrew Thomas is probably not going to play in this game. He is their best offensive lineman by far and he kind of has like a, a Trent Williams type of impact where you take out that guy and the entire offensive line can crumble and then the offense becomes super dysfunctional. So not only is Andrew Thomas the best pass blocker, he's also the best run blocker on the Giants. Max Crosby. Like that Guy has a motor like no other player in the NFL. Like it doesn't matter what the score is, it doesn't matter what his team's record is. He is coming after the quarterback no matter what and after the running back as both a pass rusher and run defender. So without Andrew Thomas, I think that's ultimately what kind of pushes me just to have Breeze hall slightly ahead because I've just seen this Giants offense without Thomas before and it's a disaster. And they're also playing on the road this week. So lean slightly towards Breece, but I'm not really opposed to using both guys as low end RB2 flex plays.
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C
Fitz Tracy is five spots ahead in ECR. He's RB22. This is in half PPR scoring, by the way. He's RB22, Breeze Hall, RB27.
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E
So I have a gap of. Let's see. Yeah, five spots also between Tracy and Hall. I like Tracy more. Tracy's had 18 touches each of the last two weeks and I think the Giants prime directive here in their last couple of games is to not get their franchise quarterback destroyed in the last couple of weeks. Keep him fresh for 2026. And a big way to do that with Andrew Thomas out is to just to run the heck out of the ball against the Raiders. And I think that's what the Giants are going to do. Erickson and I talked about Breeze hall in the ranking show and he's kind of interested in hall because of the matchup. I almost think the matchup, I don't want to say it's irrelevant. I think it's less relevant. I think what sort of supersedes the matchup is just the utter incompetence of the jets offense right now with Brady Cook at quarterback. So in. In two starts, the two starts Brady Cook has made for the Jets, Breeze hall has averaged 50 yards from scrimmage and hasn't scored a touchdown. He's been RB47 and RB40 in fantasy scoring the last two weeks. I just, I don't want to play Breeze hall on a championship game.
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C
Fitz, who do you think wins that Giants Raiders game, by the way, and therefore loses the number one pick? Probably.
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E
I feel like it would be a Raiders thing to do to win that game and not get the first pick when they so desperately need a quarterback. And so I tend to think the Raiders are going to win.
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D
Ericson, I want no part of wagering on this particular game because you don't know what, like what each team is trying to do, like what's their plan if it's a close game, can you just see like, hey, Gino just. She's got to throw a pick here. Like, you just got to do it. Like, they're. The play call's going to come in that has a zero percent chance of being completed. It's like, no, you got to do this play. It's going to work. They're going to run that stupid pick play that got picked off in the super bowl that Pete Carroll called. Instead of running the ball to Marshall lynch, they're going to do the same thing.
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C
Right.
- [28:37]
D
It's going to be Genty. He's. He's been eating all game and they're not going to hand it off to him. They're going to throw it and they're going to lose because of some interception. So, yeah, I don't know who's going to win this game. I guess the thing with the Giants is they were in this similar situation last year and then Drew Lock had like this career game, so they've been here before. But they also theoretically have their franchise quarterback with. With Jackson. I mean, I think that he can be a franchise quarterback, but yeah, the Giants will have a new coaching staff. And also, you know, Mike Kafka is still kind of coaching for his job. Right. Like, whether it's for the Giants next year or for another team down the line, you know, I don't know. We'll. We'll find out together, right. Who. Who really wanted to win this game. Yeah.
- [29:20]
C
And like, obviously you'd rather have the higher pick, but like, I mean, the Texans a couple years ago, too, like, they had that meaningless win in the last game of the season and then. So they got Stroud instead of Bryce Young has largely looked, you know, really good. Like you. Maybe there's some karma with winning the game when, you know, it seems obvious that you should.
- [29:35]
D
A lot, A lot of coaches talk about how you want to build like a winning.
- [29:38]
C
Yeah.
- [29:39]
D
Like, like you. You don't want to just lose on purpose. Right. And the way that coaches get around it is you just, well, we're going to start all of our bad players and then they'll play their hardest. So they're trying to win, but we're putting them in a position where the likelihood of them winning is very, very low. And that's probably the case like with like the jets, for example. Right.
- [29:57]
C
Teams tank, but players don't like. You want the.
- [30:02]
E
Right. So it's the moves the coaches in the front office makes. And like we saw Brock Bowers Try to play through a PCL injury earlier this year and be totally ineffective. Lately, he's been playing pretty well, and now all of a sudden, the. The Raiders are putting him on IR for, like, a precautionary measure. Okay.
- [30:19]
D
Yeah.
- [30:19]
E
Okay.
- [30:21]
C
Yeah. Let's go to some of our receiver debates here. How About Zay Flowers vs. Jalen Waddle? Flowers has been playing. You know, I have probably been as vocal a Zay Flowers. I won't say hater, but fader in terms of fantasy, you know, throughout the season as there is last three weeks, wide receiver 8, wide receiver 20, wide receiver 9. And it feels like he maybe even has been leaving a little bit on the field. But of course, now it's Tyler Huntley. In all likelihood, as of right now, Lamar is technically still doubtful. He's not going to play. So it's going to be Zay Flowers with Tyler Huntley going up against Jalen Waddle with his own quarterback. Question marks here, Fitz. I'll start with you on this one. Who do you have ranked higher, Zay Flowers or Jalen Waddle?
- [31:07]
E
Flowers. He's posted his three highest fantasy point totals of the season in his last three games. He's giving us a decent weekly floor worm. I know the touchdown output has been disappointing this year, but Flowers has had at least five catches in 14 of his 15 games this year. He said at least 60 receiving yards in 11 of 15 games and one of the misses was a 58 yard game. So the floor is pretty sturdy here and we've been getting some ceiling out of him lately. So I don't know if there's a huge drop off in the quality of the receiving outlook. I guess going from Jackson to Huntley, I say careful. Yeah, I know. I mean, like the. Lamar's great, but he hasn't been Lamar for most of this season. That. That's kind of why I say that. Meanwhile, I do think there has been a drop off from, you know, Tua. And I know Tua is not everyone's favorite quarterback, but going from him to Quinn Ewers like that, that hurts.
- [32:09]
D
Waddle.
- [32:09]
E
And I know the Ewers managed to throw for 260 yards last week, but no touchdowns. I just. I think Flowers is a safer play.
- [32:18]
C
This week than Waddle is just a note of correction. And maybe I misheard you, so apologies if I did. I sounded like you said that. He's had his three best games of the season in the last three weeks. That's except week one, where he had his best game in the.
- [32:29]
E
Oh, sorry. That's right. That's right.
- [32:31]
C
Yeah, that, that was his best game of the year. But except for week one, his best three of the season has been the.
- [32:36]
E
Last since week two.
- [32:37]
C
Yeah. Yes. Yeah. This is one where, and by the way, on the rankings in ECR, Flowers is 8, wide receiver 18, Waddle is wide receiver 20, and Justin Jefferson was the guy in the middle already played. So amongst the players who haven't played yet, they are back to back in ecr. Erickson, who do you like better between Flowers? You've been a Waddle guy for years. Really? Is he ahead of Flowers in this case too?
- [33:00]
D
I do have Waddle ahead of Flowers and I agree with all the points that Fitz made about Flowers. Definitely offering the higher floor. But when I'm in my championships, I'm not trying to think about floor. I'm thinking about, okay, who could have a bonkers type of game. And I look at Buccaneers, Dolphins, and I see this game could get nuts. Whereas Ravens going on the road to play at Lambo, which is one of the heaviest under stadiums this year, with the packers defense now, I know that their secondary can be had and that's why Flowers does have a high floor. But it comes down to the touchdowns, right? Are his odds of scoring higher because he has Tyler Huntley as his quarterback? I would probably say no. Now, not to say that Waddle has like this enormous touchdown equity attached to Quinn Ewers, but when you're facing the Buccaneers defense, everyone does the exact same thing. They just throw, throw, throw and throw. So it just takes Waddle for one big play. You know, pass interference, defender falls down, or something along those lines where he can break off a big run. And I just think that, look, last week he was really good 5 for 7, or shouldn't say really good, modest 5 for 72 on nine targets. But that's the basically the very similar stat line that Zay Flowers put up in Tyler's Huntley's first start this year. Seven for 63 on nine targets. So both guys should see around double digit targets. I just think from a game script perspective, which game could really be a shootout? I think it's probably the Buccaneers and the Dolphins game in Miami versus this game with potentially backup quarterbacks on both sides at Lambeau Field. So I do think it's close if you want to lean in towards the floor. I would agree that it probably is a Flowers, but I, I think Waddle has a potential ceiling spot not because of his quarterback, but because of the matchup against the Buccaneers defense that We've seen, I mean how Kyle Pitts had a pretty good game against the Buccaneers a couple weeks ago with a backup quarterback. He was pretty good. So I, I think Waddle would be.
- [34:56]
C
Kirk Cousins and Quinn Ewers are not really comparable at this current.
- [35:01]
D
They're both backup quarterbacks. That's.
- [35:03]
C
That's. Yes. In that sense they are, they are comfortable, I suppose. I don't know. I guess it feels a little weird for me to think about either of these players in terms of. Of ceiling because they have this season they have not really been ceiling players for the most part. They have been more about the floor. I mean flowers in particular in that regard. But you know, waddle only has 100 yard receiving game this season. Like it's not like he's had these huge blow up spots either for the most part. So do you, do you see the game script similarly to Erickson Fitz in terms of like. I mean it just has a Packers fan like Ravens packers not really having a good chance of being this high.
- [35:42]
E
Octane game kind of do you know, it seemed like Jordan Love was on track to start and I don't know if that changes now that the Lions lost and the packers have their spot assured and you know, they can't. I don't maybe technically they could earn a home game if like the Bears lose out and the packers win out. But I don't think that's going to happen. So maybe they don't start Love this week. Yeah, I don't know. I, but I, I agree there's probably more of a chance for fireworks and Buccaneers Dolphins than there is in Ravens Packers.
- [36:16]
C
Let's go to our second wide receiver debate here. How about DJ Moore or Michael Wilson? Fitz, I will start with you here. Who do you like better in week 17? DJ Moore obviously coming off of his, you know, really exciting finish last week. He's wide receiver 22. Or Michael Wilson who is wide receiver 26 in that great matchup with the Bengals.
- [36:38]
E
Yeah, real exciting finish last week for DJ Moore. Thanks for. I am weaning Michael Wilson here.
- [36:44]
C
I was saying that in my head. I was like oh crap, that was against the Packers.
- [36:48]
D
No, not as exciting finish as Ravens Patriots was worm. That was.
- [36:53]
C
There's a reason we didn't do the Tuesday show this week.
- [36:57]
E
So I'm leaning Michael Wilson over DJ Moore. DJ Moore is on a little bit of a heater with touchdowns. Three in his last two games, five in his last five games. But even with Roma Dunes and Luther Burden out last week against the Packers Moore only had seven targets, and if that game had not gone to overtime where he got the long touchdown catch, he would have finished with four catches for 51 yards. So Wilson also on a heater with touchdowns, four in his last three games. I guess the fear is that, well, one is that his target count dropped last week with Marvin Harrison Jr. Back, even though it seems to me like Marvin Harrison Jr. Is not fully healthy. But I guess maybe the bigger fear is that the Cardinals tight ends run wild against the Broncos. Mostly Trey McBride, but maybe Elijah Higgins too, and the receivers aren't as involved. Like the Bengals have allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points, I believe, to wide receivers and far and away the most fantasy points to tight ends. And before Week 16, Wilson had gotten double digits in four of his previous five games. But then Harrison Jr. Came back last week and Wilson only had three targets, although he still managed to finish with 52 yards and a touchdown. I'm pretty optimistic though that Joe Burrow and the Bengals can push the Cardinals into a shootout where a lot of the pass catchers eat. For both teams. I don't think there's much of a chance of the Bears getting into a shootout because that's just not how they want to play. Like they have an excellent running game, they want to run the ball successfully so that it could be a high scoring game. But I don't think it'll be a high scoring game with Caleb Williams throwing 40 passes. So I think there's a little bit of an edge for Wilson here.
- [38:44]
C
It is crazy how straightforward it's been like in terms of if Marvin Harrison Jr. Is in the field or not for Michael Wilson. Like because you mentioned like the double digit targets. And for the last five games it's not just double digit. In three of those four games it was 15 plus targets, 18, 15, 16 and then 11. And then as soon as Marvin Harrison Jr. Is back in the field, even not fully healthy, even not really having been producing when he was on the field, Michael Wilson drops down to three targets. It's just like kind of gobsmacking, honestly.
- [39:12]
E
Yeah, we didn't get the crazy. Like Brissette had been throwing a lot. Like he had typically been going over 40 pass attempts. And it was just that the Cardinals didn't run a lot of plays last week in that game against the Falcons. So Brissette had I think 31 pass attempts. If he goes over 40, I think the volume will be fine for Wilson. Maybe not double digits, but I think he'll get seven or eight targets. If you know, Brett is back up to 40 pass attempts.
- [39:39]
C
Erickson, who do you prefer, DJ Moore or Michael Wilson?
- [39:42]
D
Yeah, I don't love either guy. To be totally honest. I think that I would default to DJ Moore. Although it does seem like Luther Burden's going to play in this game. So that's something that's concerning about Mourn. To Fitz's point, Moore has only seen six targets per game in the last two weeks. Right. He hasn't been this monster target earner despite the injuries to some of these other Bears pass catchers. I like his matchup more against the 49ers. We saw Philip Rivers throw on this 49ers defense like so. I like that. And if you do get a chance where it is negative game script because I don't know how the Bears defense is going to stop the Death Star. That is the 49ers offense with Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy really operating at. I mean, they're on fire right now. So I kind of like that for the Bears passing game. Whereas Michael Wilson, I'm just not trying to overthink this. You start him when Marvin Harrison Jr. Is out and you don't start him when he's in. And last week I feel like vanity managers kind of got bailed out where like he had one long pass, he caught the touchdown and you feel, okay, he made it through. But I feel like you're playing with fire. If you go back to Michael Wilson, when you look at all the data we have when he's on the field with Marvin Harrison Jr. Michael Wilson doesn't get targets. And it's just so obvious to see in the games, in the game logs from this year, from last year, like when they're both on the field, Michael Wilson doesn't get targeted nearly as much when Marvin Harrison is playing. And the matchup, how do you attack the Bengals? It's with tight ends and running backs. So I think even if this game does have a lot of high scoring, it's not because of Michael Wilson and Marvin. I kind of feel like they just kind of cannibalize each other where they're going to eat into whatever small amount of targets go to the wide receivers and it's going to be, I mean, Trey McBride had a bad game last week, so that that output from last week is probably going to at least a double or even triple against the Cincinnati Bengals because he was held under five catches for the first time. And I don't know how long his streak of having at least five receptions in A game. So I think that's going to change. The Bengals are allowing the fewest points per game to wide receivers this season. So I. I'm trying to find alternatives to Michael Wilson. I. Do you guys know what Michael Wilson's receptions prop this week is? I almost fell out of my chair when I saw what it was. What do you think it is?
- [42:01]
E
Like four and a half?
- [42:03]
D
It's five and a half.
- [42:04]
E
Geez, that's crazy. And I thought four and a half would have been too high. Five and a half is crazy.
- [42:10]
D
I was like, I mean, like again, there's. There's never a lock of all locks. But I mean, come on, right?
- [42:19]
C
If there was one.
- [42:20]
E
I mean, is it like minus 200 to bet the under on that or.
- [42:24]
D
No, no, it's actually so you can get it at four and a half. It's plus money at under four and a half.
- [42:29]
C
Wow.
- [42:30]
D
It was minus. I mean, it's juicy. I think it's minus 150. So it is a juicier one. But I mean, hey, but it's. Can't go broke making a profit, right?
- [42:39]
E
That's right.
- [42:40]
C
All right, let's get to our more rapid fire starts at decisions here. We'll do another running back one. We're just talking about the Bears. How about Kyle Manungai or Blake Corum fits. Who do you like better, Manungai or Corum?
- [42:52]
E
I've Corum ranked one spot higher. Pretty similar outlooks. Two backup running backs who typically get around a dozen touches a game and play in strong running games behind very good offensive lines. I just think the Rams have a better offense than the Bears and they have a higher employee implied Vegas point total than the Bears. I think the Rams implied total is like 28 and a half and bears are around 24 and a half. Just better touchdown odds with Corum, but this one's close.
- [43:20]
C
The other thing I wanted to point out just on that game because we talked about it as kind of this big, exciting, you know, finish to the title game. Friend of the show Scott Panowski was tweeting about this the other day. There's a chance that the Rams are not able to win the division going into that game, depending on what happens with Seattle and San Francisco. And if that's the case, we know McVay has been aggressive about wrestling guys in the past. Again, kind of similar to talking about the Steelers. We're still two weeks away, so you would think that's maybe not a total issue, but it is something kind of in the back of Your mind that I saw Scott point out on Twitter. And you know, if that is the case and McVay decides to be, you know, on the kind of extreme end of rest, then you would think Blake Corum could maybe get even more carries and they. They kind of sit Kyron Williams just as a possibility and. And Blake Corum in this offense, although if other people are sitting, who knows. But in. In what is typically a very good offense, if he's getting even more carries because they're trying to dial it down for Kyron in that scenario. Just something to keep in mind could be even better for Corum there. By the way, they are two spots apart in ECR. Corum, RB31 Manangay RB29 Erickson.
- [44:29]
D
I was kind of torn on this, but Fitz convinced me that it should be Blake Corum. We had similar roles, but if you look at projected game flow, I would probably bet on the Rams playing with a lead more likely than Manungai and the Bears playing with the lead against the 49ers. And so I would also go with Corm. I do think it's close, though.
- [44:47]
C
All right, let's go to a receiver one here. Christian Watson or Chris Godwin? Erickson, I'll start with you here.
- [44:53]
D
Both guys are on the injury report, so TBD on who's actually playing. So I think I just lean with Watson. I think that he's just shown he has a higher ceiling on a week to week basis. We'll see what his quarterback is. Hopefully. It's short to love. That's who I would prefer. So I'm not feeling like super great about either guy right now.
- [45:12]
C
Watson popped up with an illness, right? Fitz?
- [45:15]
E
I believe so.
- [45:17]
C
Yeah.
- [45:17]
E
Yeah, this is. Yeah, go ahead. Well, I was, I was just going to say, I mean, the, the Lions loss to the Vikings was good for packers fans, but it's not good for anyone, I think, who's invested in the Green Bay passing game because they were sort of expecting to have Jordan Love back despite the concussion last week. I think that if this were sort of a game they needed to win, we would be assured of seeing Christian Watson now. I don't know. So I think if, if Watson is active and Jordan Love starts, I would play Christian Watson here. I mean, he scored five touchdowns in his last six games. A pair of two touchdown games. Big play receiver and worm. Your Ravens do give up big plays in the passing game. 55 pass completions of 20 or more yards. That's tied for third most in the league. Just two behind the Bengals who've given up the most. Like I don't hate Godwin as an option, but the Buccaneers are using a four receiver rotation these days with Godwin, Mike Evans, Emeka buka and Jalen McMillan. So Evans is the alpha. And you know, there's also the fact that Baker Mayfield hasn't played all that well over the last two months whereas Jordan Love has been dealing. So if Love plays, I want Watson here over Godwin.
- [46:39]
C
Let's do some flexes here. We mentioned a Marion Hampton earlier. How about Hampton or Juwan Jennings?
- [46:45]
E
Fitz Hampton. I know it's a tough matchup against the Texans, although the Texans let Ashton Genty run wild on them last week and I think with the Chargers injury plagued offensive line having these protection issues where they just are not keeping the pressure off Justin Herbert. Chargers really need to run the ball heavily and effectively in this game. So I like Jennings too. I've got him a wide receiver 15 for the week, but his value has been pretty touchdown dependent. He's got seven touchdowns in his last seven games. But Jennings hasn't given us more than 71 receiving yards in a game since Week 2. And it's possible Ricky Pierce all comes back although George Kittle's status is kind of up in the air. So maybe, maybe that could funnel a few extra targets Jennings way. But I would still rather have a.
- [47:33]
D
Hampton Erickson Hampton for me and even more so if Kamani Vidal doesn't play in this game. I think the Chargers know, hey, we got to run the football to keep the Texans pass rush off of destroying our quarterback Justin Herbert. And of course this game is being played on Saturday. The window where Saturday late December, early January there's always a Texans game on at 4:30 Eastern. Just it just I don't know why it always seems like this. It's usually them playing in the wild card round hosting a wild card game, but just all the memories of like it's like after Christmas, like New Year's is coming up. I'm like oh yeah, the Texans are on Saturday 4:30. Here we go.
- [48:09]
E
It's the Matt Sh memorial time slot pretty much.
- [48:12]
C
Yes. They have taken residence in that Saturday wild card weekend game every single year that they're in the playoffs. All right, next flex here, Jalen Warren who we also already talked about or tea McMillan Erickson Jalen Warren for me.
- [48:29]
D
Assuming that we get reports of Steelers are going to play their guys. Jaylen Warren's fine. He's not dealing with this hip injury so that's where I would lean just because the Browns matchup is really, really good.
- [48:39]
E
Fitz Agreed. Just Steeler running backs, both really good plays this week against the Browns with their issues against the running game lately. I don't hate McMillan. I'm not terrified by the Seattle matchup, but we do know that Dave Canelis has kind of tried to hide Bryce Young for a lot of this year. So I think he doesn't want to open it up and have Bryce Young Throw 30 or more passes unless he absolutely has to. Maybe he'll have to this week, but I don't know. It's just. It seems like there's way more upside with the running back on a team that has no wide receivers.
- [49:18]
C
Michael Carter or Jacoby Myers fits.
- [49:23]
E
I'm going with Carter. You know, he is the Cardinals lead running back and no team has given up more rushing yards to running backs than the Bengals. So Meyer's more of an ensemble cast of pass catchers for the Jaguars these days, so could have a big game, could kind of fall by the wayside. I think Carter's going to be. I think he offers the safer floor.
- [49:47]
C
Erickson.
- [49:49]
D
I will go with Jacoby Myers because the Colts defense is terrible. Their secondary is a mess. I don't know if Sas Garter is playing in this game or not. Even if he does, I would not expect him to shadow Jacoby Myers. And although it is kind of everybody eats type of mantra in this Jags passing game, this passing game has also become a wagon. Right. Trevor Lawrence is tied with Josh Allen as the QB1 and points per game since week five. So I feel like I want to put my stock more into the Jaguars offense rather than the Cardinals offense. I did talk about Carter earlier where it's not all him in that backfield. They are using other guys. I know Fitz mentioned the lack of receptions last week. I think part of that too is Amari Di Mercado played more snaps on third downs, kind of taking away some of the receptions from Michael Carter. So my only concern with Carter is he gets a lot of rushing yards but doesn't catch passes and maybe doesn't score. So that's where I get concerned with him, especially in like the full ppr. Whereas Jacoby Myers, I mean he's the target leader basically every single week for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's a good matchup for him. So I like the Jaguars wide receiver.
- [50:55]
C
Fitz. Where's Myers ranked to you amongst receivers?
- [50:59]
E
I have got him ranked wide receiver 2027.
- [51:06]
C
Okay, so you're well below consensus. Jacoby Myers is wide receiver 16 in ECR.
- [51:12]
E
I don't understand why. I just, like, there are a lot of pass catchers now for the Jaguars, and I don't know. We'll see. Can. Can Philip Rivers force Trevor Lawrence into a shootout? Trevor Lawrence just. I know he's been on fire, but, like, are we booking him for four touchdown passes every week? I just. I can't get there with him.
- [51:37]
D
Yeah, if he faces Colts every week. I mean, Brock Purdy made it look pretty easy.
- [51:43]
C
Myers, not only is he up there, he's gone up. He, like, he has risen six spots in ECR in the last two days. He was at 22, but since Wednesday has gone up to. To wide receiver 16 here. All right, let's go to another flex here, Erickson, Adonai Mitchell or Zach Charbonnet?
- [52:01]
D
I will go with Zach Charbonnet. I just think he probably has better odds of scoring a touchdown.
- [52:07]
C
Fitz.
- [52:08]
E
Yeah, it's as simple as that. I just don't want to have to rely on a wide receiver tied to Brady Cook. I would rather just cross my fingers and hope to get a touchdown from Zach Charbonnet.
- [52:19]
C
All right, let's go to a quarterback here. How about Jacoby Brissette or the aforementioned Trevor Lawrence? Fitz, I'll start with you on this one.
- [52:26]
E
Oh, man, this is a close call. And speaking of Lawrence with the touchdown outburst the last couple of weeks where he's given us, I think, you know, four or five touchdown passes, a touchdown run every week. Where was this earlier in the year when I needed it in the fantasy pros in house league where I had Trevor Lawrence, like, I was thrilled when I won Joe Flacco on waivers so I wouldn't have to start Trevor Lawrence anymore at one point this season. And now, like, Trevor Lawrence is carrying people to fantasy championship. So it's been quite the turnaround after I was already eliminated in that league. I have Brissette ranked one spot higher. It's a really close call. But before last week, Brissette had been averaging 300 passing yards and two touchdown passes in his starts for the Cardinals this year. And, you know, he kind of flopped last week against the Falcons, but I think we could get a shootout between the Cardinals and the Bengals. And we know Trey McBride is going to absolutely destroy a Cincinnati defense that simply cannot stop tight ends. So Lawrence also a top 10 quarterback option, too. I just like Brissette a little more.
- [53:32]
C
They're both ranked very highly in ecr, of course. Erickson, who do you prefer, Lawrence or Brissette?
- [53:38]
D
I prefer Trevor Lawrence and I'm kicking myself because in my championship league, I had to actually drop Trevor Lawrence earlier because he was facing the Broncos last week. And I was like, well, I have Jacoby. I'm going to roll with him next week. And now I'm like, did I just make the worst decision of my entire life? So I hope Fitz is right, and I hope that Jacoby outscores Trevor Lawrence. But I would go. I was panicked. I was. I was like, maybe I can pick him back up. Of course, I have 0 fab left, so I had no chance of getting Trevor Lawrence. Luckily, my opponent was not able to get him. Someone in the consolation bracket picked up Trevor Lawrence instead. So wasn't the worst maneuver to fit this point. Both guys are really good options, very strongly ranked, both in ecr. But I would go with Trevor. I mean, like I said before, QB1 tied with Josh Allen since Week 5, and he's facing the Colts indoors in a dome. I think the Jaguars could do just pouring on offensively.
- [54:26]
C
Let me ask you this. Lawrence is one spot ahead of Matthew Stafford. Erickson, would you start Lawrence ahead of Stafford?
- [54:32]
D
Well, now you're making me second guess a lot of my Rams rankings because of what you just mentioned about if they don't have anything to play for. I would not. I would not be surprised. Sean McVeigh's like, no, Stafford's not playing. Like, we're. We're gonna take him out, and I'll. I'll play Garoppolo because he knows that so much of what makes the Rams so effective and their upside is having a healthy Matthew Stafford. And I don't think anyone in the. I don't think anyone in the locker room is going to be like, oh, like, why'd you bench Staffords? Like, if we have nothing to play for, he's not touching the field. So that would concern me. And I think that we could see a guy like Jimmy Garoppolo if that scenario plays itself out, because we know that the Rams don't ever risk their guys in meaningless games in the preseason. So I think I probably would.
- [55:13]
C
It depends on how they define meaningless, because they are. They can still fight for a better seed. He doesn't care about, but, yes, historically, he has not cared about the better seed when it's the, like, the difference between, like, the three and the four seed or, like, the five and the six seed. Sean McVeigh has historically, not really, really minded that. Again, two weeks away from the playoffs, it feels, like, pretty early, but it's just something to keep in mind it would be crushing to me in my, in my championship league. It's a super flex and I lost Mahomes and Gardner Minshew and I have no available starting quarterbacks. So Stafford is my only qb. That would be really rough too.
- [55:49]
D
I would pick up right now.
- [55:51]
C
I cannot pick him up. It's a league where you have to have a minimum $1 to make any kind of waiver pickup. I spent everything on Minshew because I was like the last spot I need is I just lost my home. So let me make sure I get his, his backup. What's the worst that could happen? He immediately tears ACL and now Stafford might not play. So that would be a very, very devastating finish to that season. But it's something to keep in mind. Obviously. I think we're all hoping that we still get the Rams in that game. You know, given it.
- [56:22]
E
They're all. I've been agonizing over a Brock Purdy vs Matthew Stafford start sit decision and I had sort of independently decided to go and I've got them ranked adjacent to each other in the rankings. I decided to go with Purdy. Now I feel like it's kind of a no brainer now that you raised that scenario, the Pienofsky scenario here because yeah, that's gotta terrify anyone who's dependent on the Rams passing game this final week.
- [56:47]
C
Any other coach and I would be pretty optimistic that they'd still play, but McVay is the one like given his history. By the way, those four names we talked about, Lawrence Stafford, Purdy, Brissette are all back to back to back to back in ecr. So that's kind of the range that.
- [57:00]
D
We are discussing also too, for, for if you are a Stafford manager, just make sure you have Kirk Cousins just like just in case like they pull the plug on so you have the backup. I mean the Rams can give up yardage, their secondary. So just to be sure because Tropical probably won't tell us till it's too late because that's. Because that's how they roll. So.
- [57:19]
C
All right, we got a tight end one here. Dallas Goddard or Tyler Warren? These guys are back to back, back end, tight end ones in ecr. Erickson, who do you like better, Goddard or Warren?
- [57:33]
D
So I like Tyler Warren better. He has been the target leader with Philip Rivers under center the last two games. It's a good matchup for him against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense. And I know Warren's been disappointing. The box scores have been pretty, pretty putrid. But the volume has been there for him the last couple games and the matchup is good for him. He's a talented player. You can make plays after the catch. So I actually prefer Warren here. I hate the matchup for Dallas Goddard against the Bills. Bills have been brutal against Titans, especially guys that are more inline tight ends than more of these hybrid types of players. However, I would probably have to move Goddard up if this A.J. brown thing. Like, dude, getting your wisdom teeth out before you. Like, what are we doing? Like, like, like, what are we doing here, dude? Like, how do you schedule this in the season before you have to play this, like, huge game on the road against the Buffalo Bills? You're like, yeah, I gotta get my wisdom teeth out this week. Like, what?
- [58:28]
C
Yeah, I've had my wisdom teeth removed before. It's not fun.
- [58:32]
D
I will say it sucks. It's terrible.
- [58:36]
C
Although, Erickson, I do recall, I think it was earlier this summer that you fought through. You had like some kind of dental procedure and we recorded the next morning and you were powering through. Am I remembering that correctly?
- [58:47]
D
Yeah. But then all the YouTube comments said I looked really depressed and looked I didn't want to be there.
- [58:52]
C
So.
- [58:52]
D
So maybe we're going to get the A.J. brown book game because he's going to be out there grabbing his mouth, be like, oh, man, my mouth hurts. Just who signed off on this? But, oh, yeah, just get your wisdom teeth out Christmas week. I mean, he got on Christmas Eve. Like, what's going on?
- [59:08]
E
Dude, that is just insane.
- [59:11]
C
A.J. brown looks depressed. Every game he plays with Jalen hurts. So I don't know how we'll be able to tell the difference here. All right, Fitz, who do you like better, Tyler Warren or Dallas Goddard?
- [59:21]
E
Dallas Goddard. I know the volume was there. My. My son had Tyler Warren in a semifinal game last week and he needed, I think like four and a half PPR points out of Tyler Warren to win. And he sweated that one out until like, garbage time. Like, Tyler Warren didn't get across the finish line for him with four and a half PPR points until late. And Warren has had 30 or fewer receiving yards in four straight games, and he's only scored one touchdown in his last eight games. Like, Dallas Goddard has 10 touchdowns and I know the Bills smother tight ends, but the. The tush pushes now pass a. And the Eagles favorite play near the goal line is that little shovel pass to Dallas Goddard. So I'm. I'm hoping we get one of those. And I'll take that over Tyler Warren, who's just kind of fizzled down the stretch here.
- [60:13]
C
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 fantasyprose.com myplaybook or download the Fantasy Pros app and make winning decisions in no time. We're about to get to our touchdown calls 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. Guys, we are doing running back, receiver and tight end as always. Erickson, who do you have at running back?
- [61:04]
D
Ashton Genty is going to score this week against the New York Giants in pursuit of a thousand rushing yards. He's actually closing in on a thousand rushing yards after that big game. See Houston Texans two games left so hopefully he can get over the 1k mark for his rookie season.
- [61:18]
C
Ashton Genty for Erickson. Fitz, who do you have at receiver?
- [61:21]
E
Drake London against the Rams on Monday nights. And yes, I'm trying to speak this into existence because I'm starting Drake London in two championship games.
- [61:31]
D
How many, how many Drake London teams are you facing though? You got to check that.
- [61:34]
E
Yeah, I don't think I'm going against him in any league this week.
- [61:39]
C
That, that is a nice part about only having two teams left is Alave and Puka are the only players that like have in one facing in the other because when you have, you know, 14 leagues or whatever, you know it's been for most of the season, you you get a lot of that. It is nice to simplify it from that perspective. I'm sure it's more difficult for you Fitzgerald, but that's very much a first world problem with seven teams in the championship. So Janti for Ericsson, Drake London for Fitz. I'm at tight end. We are not overthinking it. This is the final time I have to pick a tight end for this year in this touchdown calls contest. I don't think I've gotten a single tight end right. Hopefully I'm not putting that bad juju on Trey McBride just the no brainer of all, no brainers McBride facing this Bengals defense. So we're going with him. Genty London and McBride are our three touchdown calls for the week. 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. Erickson, before we get out of here, any kind of like, hype up for anybody? I mean, this is the fantasy championship, right? Like any kind of pep talk you want to give to our listeners here before the rest of this late kicks off stress.
- [62:56]
D
The process you got here, grinding 16 weeks of the season, not letting your emotions get in the way. Because as we all know, this is a very emotional game that we play. And 16 weeks of tilting, hey, it all pays off if you come on with that championship. So yeah, let's go, baby.
- [63:15]
C
Fitz, any final words of wisdom here?
- [63:17]
E
Yeah, that's it. I mean, there can be a lot of variance in a single week of fantasy football and the best teams are not always going to win this week. But every year all you can do is just, you know, maximize your probability and, you know, just keep, keep getting to the doorstep. And if you're playing this week, you are on the doorstep. Just keep knocking. Eventually that door is going to open.
- [63:41]
C
All it takes is winning one week. I, I have a team that's not very good, clear underdog, but you never. Any individual week, anything can happen.
- [63:47]
D
So dare I say, any given Sunday.
- [63:50]
C
Any, some, some would. Or any given Thursday, slash Saturday, slash Sunday, slash whatever.
- [63:55]
D
Cause the NFL plays every single day.
- [63:58]
C
Yeah. Best of luck to everybody. We will have programming next week. It'll obviously look different because week 18, you know, people don't have championships typically. We'll have some version, versions of shows going into next week and beyond. This is the last edition of this particular show for the season. So thanks everybody for tuning into this show all year long. Again, there will be more programming next week. You know, we'll, we'll, we'll have shows for you just looking a little bit different for Erickson and Jake, who's been on the show all year, and Fitz, I'm Ryan Wormley. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros 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.
- [65:08]
B
The United Airlines app has all the bells and whistles to make flying easier and can save you around 30 minutes at the airport. Get real time flight updates like live countdown clocks to boarding even if your screen's locked. Get play by play directions through the airport with personalized maps and if you want to make a game time decision and go home early or stay longer, there are no fees to change your flight. Get the united app@united.com app no fees to change your flight Excludes basic economy applies to flights originating in the United States. Fare differences may apply.
- [65:40]
A
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- [66:10]
D
PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite processors are made to go the distance with blazing fast performance, next level efficiency and multi day battery life. Snapdragon processors are built to tackle it all, from highlight reel editing to intense player research so you can be at the top of your game wherever the day takes you. Learn more@snapdragon.com laptops Snapdragon the heart of your PC. Battery life varies significantly based on device settings, usage and other factors.
- [66:43]
A
At CVS, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night, and we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine and matters. So Visit us@cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.