The Ringer Fantasy Football Show – Chiefs Dominate, World Series Insanity, and Week 9 Waivers

Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly (DK), Craig Horlbeck

Episode Overview

In this episode, the crew recaps a dominant Chiefs win on Monday Night Football, delights in real-time World Series craziness featuring Shohei Ohtani, and helps listeners prep for fantasy football Week 9 with meticulous waiver wire analysis at every position. The hosts blend expert insights, signature tangents, trivia, and high-energy banter, making it both informative and entertaining for fantasy players and sports fans.

Chiefs vs. Commanders: Monday Night Football Recap

01:36–12:35

Chiefs Dominate, Rashee Rice Ascends

• Chiefs beat the Commanders 28–7 in a game that started messy with five turnovers (including two that bounced off receivers’ faces), but ended in a thorough KC outclassing.
• Rashee Rice’s Rise
  • Craig: “He only played 47% of the snaps last week. And then he just came in and had nine catches, 93 yards and touchdown. He came close to having three touchdowns.” (03:19)
  • Rice is praised for being “defense-proof” (DK) since Andy Reid’s scheme manufactures touches for him in creative ways, not just as a downfield threat.
  • Heifetz: “He’s replaced Travis Kelce in the offense... I think next year in fantasy Rashee Rice is going to be a first round pick.” (04:43)
  • Comped to Deebo Samuel in terms of role (not body type): “Just in the way they manufacture touches and build their offense around this guy’s talents.” (Craig, 05:50)
  • Debate on whether Rice is an elite WR or perfectly used in KC’s system: “Describe Rashee Rice’s style. What is he amazing at? I don’t even really know if I could tell you.” (DK, 06:17)
• Kansas City’s Running Game
  • Kareem Hunt “looked like vintage Kareem Hunt at times,” though “not as fast as he was in 2018.” (Craig & Heifetz, 08:32)
• On the Chiefs’ Super Bowl Prospects
  • “I kind of just think the Super Bowl is going to be Chiefs-Eagles again.” (Heifetz, 09:02)
  • Craig: “The Chiefs just slowly ground them into dust, which is what they do.” (09:12)

Other Notes

• Patrick Mahomes’ Quiet Brilliance: “His navigation in the pocket… I was shocked at that stat [3 TDs with 4+ seconds each].” (Heifetz, 09:36)
• Fantasy Notes:
  • Bill Merritt (“unplayable” — DK, 10:23)
  • Terry McLaurin’s highlight-reel TD: “I don’t know if there’s ever been a smaller amount of time someone got the two feet in.” (Heifetz, 11:30)

World Series Insanity – Shohei Ohtani

12:43–21:28 & sporadically threaded

• Live Game Reactions & Ohtani Awe:
  • “Ohtani … feels like it’s pretty mainstream at this point to say he’s the best baseball player ever. And it’s now the resume has to build.” (Heifetz, 13:12)
  • DK: “It’s easily the best contract in baseball … up there with the best contracts in the history of sports because it’s gonna save fucking baseball.” (14:00)
  • Ohtani’s four extra-base hits in a World Series game—a feat not matched since 1906.
  • Craig: “He’s the type of guy where if the bases are loaded, you walk him instead of pitch to him.” (15:22)
  • Pitch clock debate: “After the home run, I would like to sit in it a little more.” (DK, 15:46)
• Baseball History Tangent:
  • Deep dive into 19th-century baseball team names—Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Chicago Orphans, Boston Beaneaters—prompted by live trivia and on-air banter. (17:07–20:09)

Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets

21:28–66:19

Running Backs

21:28–38:42

• Top Add: Tyrone Tracy (Giants)
  • “Unfortunately our boy Scatter Boo is out for the season … Tracy’s available. Absolutely.” (Craig, 22:26)
• Others:
  • Bam Knight (Cardinals): Good for Week 9, especially with Cardinals vs. Dallas (26:23)
  • Trey Benson (stash for Cardinals, if available/activated from IR)
  • Tank Bigsby (Dolphins): “If Saquon gets hurt, Tank Bigsby is like the highest return.” (Heifetz, 34:28)
  • Dylan Sampson (Browns), Isaiah Davis (Jets—if Breece Hall gets traded), Kyle Manungai (Bears), Ollie Gordon (Dolphins): Stash plays with contingent value.

Wide Receivers

39:51–58:42

• Top Tier:
  • Kayshon Boutte (Patriots): Deep threat “Boom-or-bust” but tied to Drake May. “He’s like a supercharged version of Alec Pierce.” (DK, 39:51)
  • Christian Watson (Packers): High-variance with spike weeks possible.
  • Alec Pierce (Colts): Deep threat vs. the Steelers (“They can't cover anybody”—DK, 43:54)
  • Troy Franklin (Broncos): Caution due to a tough Texans matchup, but big-play upside.
• Stash/Speculative Adds:
  • Trey Tucker (Raiders, especially if Jakobi Meyers is traded)
  • Texans receivers: Jalen Noel, Jaden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson (“worth stashing if you have a deep roster”—Craig, 46:26)

Tight Ends

58:14–66:19

• Main Targets:
  • Colston Loveland (Bears): Strong add, especially with a favorable Bengals matchup and if Cole Kmet remains out.
  • Juwan Johnson (Saints): “Snaps have spiked” and he’s become the lead TE again.
  • A.J. Barner (Rams): Streaming value vs. Washington, who just gave up 99 yards to Travis Kelce.

Quarterbacks & Defenses

66:19–69:59

• QBs:
  • Trevor Lawrence (preferred, faces Raiders),
  • Sam Darnold (solid streamer)
  • Joe Flacco (plus matchup vs. Bears)
  • Michael Penix, Tua (Thursday Night discussion—prefer to avoid early lock-in).
• DSTs:
  • Seattle Seahawks (top pickup; great upcoming schedule)
  • Rams, Chargers, Jaguars, Ravens, Browns (all worth considering based on matchup and recent performance)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Chiefs & Rashee Rice

• Heifetz, on Rashee Rice:

  “I think next year in fantasy Rashee Rice is going to be a first round pick.” [04:43]

• DK, on Rice’s usage:

  “He’s a little bit more defense proof than I would say other guys in the top 10.” [04:39]

• Craig, on Rice's playing style:

  “He’s like finding space against zones … It’s like Travis Kelce. He can sit in zones and find pockets and maneuver.” [06:52–06:56]

On Mahomes & Chiefs’ Super Bowl Hopes

• Heifetz:

  “I kind of just think the Super Bowl is going to be Chiefs-Eagles again.” [09:02]

World Series & Ohtani

• Heifetz:

  “Ohtani ... this is the craziest thing that's happened in my life in sports. I don't think that's unfair to say he's the best player, he's the best hitter.” [13:12]

• DK, on MLB contract value:

  “It’s easily the best contract in baseball ... up there with the best contracts in the history of sports because it’s gonna save fucking baseball.” [14:00]

Waiver Wire Banter

• On cheesesteaks (food tangent):

  “She’s garbage. As far as I'm concerned, cheesesteaks are garbage.” (Craig, 23:43)

• On WRs/Alec Pierce:

  “Pierce is the deep guy … Steelers can't cover anyone. How many times are we going to talk about how the Colts have the most points per drive in the 21st century since the '07 Patriots?” (Heifetz, 44:01)

• On RB stashes:

  “Tank Bigsby is like the highest return. I don't think it's particularly close.” (Heifetz, 34:28)

Trivia & Tangents

• Multiple trivia segments (e.g. “How many boys named Alvin in 2024?”—Answer: 316) [29:27]
• “What percentage of marriages worldwide are between cousins?” (Heifetz reads study: 10.4%) [52:27]

Pop Culture, Sports History, and Tangents

Baseball Oddities

• Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Chicago Orphans, Boston Beaneaters—deep dive into wild 19th-century team names (~17:07–20:09).

Relationships & Dating Apps

• Hilarious and surprisingly detailed conversation about the differences between dating apps (Hinge, Tinder, Bumble).
  • Heifetz: “Hinge is not purely for like carnal. It's actually like you're supposed to go on a date.” [55:17]

Doctor and Medical School Realities

• Blunt conversation and requests for listener stories about insane hours and traditions in med school.
  • “We do need more doctors though. It's just funny that ... the profession that knows about the human body would not want to employ people who are working on a lack of sleep.” (DK, 79:25–79:44)

Wild Listener Questions & Conspiracies

• Can we harness lightning? Cam asks (“Why can’t we harness lightning?”), hosts deliberate in classic clueless-yet-sincere style. [74:18]
• AT&T history lesson: Ebone lectures the hosts (“For many years there was only one telephone company and that company was the predecessor to AT&T. And the Feds finally used antitrust laws to break up the original company.”) [70:43]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Chiefs-Commanders & Rashee Rice’ Ascension: 01:36–12:35
• World Series Ohtani Insanity & Baseball Team Names: 12:43–21:28, 17:07–20:09
• Waiver RBs: 21:28–38:42
• Waiver WRs: 39:51–58:42
• Waiver TEs: 58:14–66:19
• QB/DEF Streamers: 66:19–69:59
• Listener Emails, Conspiracies/Tangents: 69:59–end

Summary Takeaways for Fantasy Players

• Rashee Rice is a league-winner and set to be a consensus top-5 WR next year.
• Tyrone Tracy is the clear top RB add due to opportunity and role; Trey Benson, Bam Knight worth stashing.
• A robust WR waiver pool: Kayshon Boutte, Christian Watson, Alec Pierce offer upside; Troy Franklin & Houston WRs for deeper leagues.
• Tight end position is chaotic: Colston Loveland and Juwan Johnson are this week’s priority pickups.
• QB/DEF streaming: Trevor Lawrence and the Seahawks D/ST headline streamer options.
• The show is as much comedy and community as it is analysis—expect tangents, playful arguments, trivia, and listener emails.

“Fantasy is the stupidest thing ever.” — Danny Heifetz, 38:02

For all waiver wire and fantasy start/sit questions, email: ringerfantasyfootball@gmail.com
Make sure to include your breakfast!