The Ringer Fantasy Football Show – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Lions-Ravens Reaction, and Week 4 Waivers
Air Date: September 23, 2025
Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, Craig Horlbeck
Main Theme:
The hosts break down one of the most thrilling games of the season—Lions vs. Ravens—and deliver their actionable waiver wire advice heading into Week 4, with detailed positional breakdowns and strategic recommendations. Along the way, they analyze current NFL narratives, air some strong opinions about team cultures, and keep it entertaining with signature humor and banter.

Lions vs. Ravens Reaction (01:03–27:47)

Game Flow & Atmosphere (01:03–05:55)

• Game Result: Lions beat the Ravens on the road, 38–30, in what the hosts call the “second best game of the year.”
• Danny Heifetz gushes:
  “I really do think that's the second best game of the year… Every time I watch this Lions team… Detroit Lions are the most fun team I've ever seen.” (01:03–01:43)
• Detroit’s Offense:
  • The theme is “a symphony” of play action, discipline, and selfless receivers.
  • Danny Kelly: “They are the most aesthetically pleasing offense to watch… It feels like a symphony… The wide receivers are blocking their asses off.” (02:18)
  • When Goff is protected, he's in total control, facilitating like the "prime San Antonio Spurs" (02:56).

Lions’ Style and Coaching (03:06–05:49)

• Praises for Dan Campbell’s “psychopath” energy and consistent 4th down aggression ("we're just going to go win the fucking game every time." – Heifetz, 03:50).
• Team gets rewarded: “The Lions went for it on fourth down three times, got all three, and then scored a touchdown each time.” (03:27)
• Hosts love the culture: “The only team I've covered that make me wish I had played football longer.” (03:50)

Ravens’ Struggles and Key Plays (04:49–11:01)

• Defensively, the Lions dominated:
  • “Lamar got sacked seven times… tied for the most of his career.” (05:09)
  • “Did you ever think you'd see a game where Lamar Jackson got sacked seven times and Jared Goff didn't get sacked once?” (05:49)
• Ravens’ Playcalling Critique:
  • “Situational football was pretty atrocious in this game.” (09:05)
  • Questions over field goal rulings and red zone overthinking; the hosts vent about confusing NFL rules on upright height (09:44+).

Turnovers & Momentum (08:05–09:23)

• The Derrick Henry fumble was a turning point:
  • “If Derek Henry doesn't fumble, the Ravens are 3–0… The Lions only got three points but it was absolutely the turning point.” (08:09)
• Twitter stat: “Derrick Henry, three fumbles on 652 touches (2023-24). This year: three fumbles in 43 touches.” (15:48)

Critical Assessment of Ravens (11:45–27:47)

• The hosts see a psychological block with the Ravens in big moments, especially in the playoffs:
  • “It's hard…not [to] connect the theme of the Lamar Jackson era Ravens being incredible in the regular season and then kind of failing in the playoffs… They make the hard things look easy, and they make the easy things look hard.” (25:59)
  • “They're the best team I've ever seen that I don't trust at all.” (25:44 – Danny Kelly)
  • “There's just a feeling about them that is hard to not let infect you…” (26:50)
• Mark Andrews, after being doubted, goes off for two TDs—“Hilarious Mark Andrews game” (27:28), but confidence in him and the Ravens’ consistency persists as a real issue.

Notable Quotes

• "[Dan Campbell is] the only guy who coaches like my fucking JV football coach." – Heifetz (03:50)
• “The trick plays the Lions do are earned by kicking the shit out of you all the other times.” – Heifetz (21:08)

Week 4 Waiver Wire Breakdown (28:44–68:32)

Running Backs (28:44–39:36)

Top Priority: Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals)

• “Benson is the first waiver league-winning RB of the year… 60, 70, 80% of your FAAB budget.” – Craig (30:19)
• “Six yards per carry… pretty highly drafted… excited to see what he can do.” – Danny Kelly (30:19)

Other Running Backs:

• Woody Marks (Texans) – Flashes passing game upside.
• Blake Corum (Rams) – Looks good if Kyren Williams gets hurt.
• Kareem Hunt, Ali Gordon, Tyler Allgeier – Touchdown-dependent desperation plays.
• “If you actually need to play someone, unfortunately I would probably pick Kareem Hunt... but all these guys, I'm just going to rip through…” – Heifetz (36:53)

Wide Receivers (41:04–60:01)

Main Pick: Trey Tucker (Raiders)

• “He had 41 points this week… number three receiver in fantasy… Pick that guy.” – Heifetz (43:21, 44:28)
• “He is unique to what the team has right now… he's like small, quick, twitchy.” – Craig (47:56)
• “If Trey Tucker is good the rest of the year and you don’t pick him up, you'll feel like an idiot.” – Heifetz (47:40)

Other Top Recommendations:

• Elic Ayomanor (Titans) – Steady number one on a bad team, lots of targets.
• Calvin Austin (Steelers) – Deep flex option for TDs, PPR upside.
• Jaylen Tolbert (Cowboys), Romeo Doubs/DonTayvion Wicks (Packers), Troy Franklin (Broncos), Luther Burden (Eagles) – Given specific notes for stashing, upside for later in season.

Tight Ends (60:19–68:32)

Top Priority: Hunter Henry

• “Hunter Henry is literally the number one tight end in fantasy… pick him up.” – Heifetz (60:53)

Other Options:

• T.J. Hockenson (if dropped)
• Brenton Strange (Jaguars) – “Quietly leads the Jaguars in catches and yards…” – Craig (64:04)
• Chigoziem Okonkwo (Titans) – “If you absolutely need to play someone, go with Chig.” – DK (62:28)
• Isaiah Likely (Ravens) – “If Mark Andrews is out, Likely is the stash with top 10 upside.” (63:07)
• Donald Parham, Oronde Gadsden II (Chargers) – ultra-deep stashes.

Quarterbacks (70:58–75:55)

• Best Streamer: Geno Smith (Seahawks vs Bears); “worth chasing after last week.” (72:08)
• Darnold (Seahawks vs Cardinals); “he's running the offense with efficiency.” – DK (74:26)
• Deep stashes: Jackson Dart (Giants), Marcus Mariota (Falcons if Jaden Daniels misses more time), Tyrod Taylor (Jets).

Defenses/Special Teams (75:55–79:43)

• “Vikings, Seahawks, Packers, Eagles, Houston, Bills—just go get them.”
• Browns: “Play the Lions next week but then have Vikings, Steelers, Dolphins, Patriots on deck.”
• Chargers (vs Giants), Rams (vs Colts), Patriots (vs Panthers) also recommended.
• “Chargers defense is a phenomenal choice… the Rams at some point Daniel Jones is going to look awful and I think that could be versus the Rams.” (77:39)

Culture, Banter & Notable Moments

• Lions’ culture, Dan Campbell/Ben Johnson love: Multiple comparisons to the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom era and to a JV football coach’s intensity.
• Rule rants:
  Heifetz rails against NFL’s ambiguous field goal rules (09:44–11:17).
• Derrick Henry’s Fumbling:
  “Derrick Henry… three fumbles on 43 touches.” – Twitter stat, Ian Hartitz (15:48)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown Love Fest:
  “He's kind of under discussed, but if you just take him at the end of the first round, you'll never think about your wide receiver position.” – Craig (18:25)
• Fantasy Philosophy:
  “The S&P 500 strategy—just draft dependable guys.” – Craig on Amon-Ra and the old Keenan Allen standard (18:25)
• Great Quotes:
  • “They make the hard things look easy, and they make the easy things look hard.” – Craig (25:59)
• Guinness Trivia & Running Gags:
  Extensive and hilarious trivia segments woven throughout, relating to their upcoming trip to Dublin, e.g.:
  • “What is the official time to pour the perfect pint of Guinness?” (31:48–34:15; answer: 119.5 seconds)
  • “Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease for the brewery.” (35:03)
  • Guinness Book of World Records trivia (51:11: first published in 1955)
  • Name game: how many people in the world are named “Bone”? (65:07; ~54,213)

Closing (93:02-end)

• Upcoming Travel:
  No Monday episode next week; instead, waivers will be appended to the Sunday show from Dublin.
  “Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok… We’ll post shenanigans.”

• Music Tangent:
  Extended detour on Dire Straits songs—“Money for Nothing,” “Sultans of Swing,” “Walk of Life”—classic 80s guitar riffs and nostalgia.

• Listener Emails:
  Discussion about ancient engineering (Stonehenge), evolutionary biology (the origin of wiping), and legendary sports nicknames (“Big Dumper,” “The Big Unit”).

Key Timestamps

• Lions-Ravens Game Breakdown: 01:03–27:47
• Waivers:
  • Running Backs: 28:44–39:36
  • Wide Receivers: 41:04–60:01
  • Tight Ends: 60:19–68:32
  • Quarterbacks: 70:58–75:55
  • Defenses: 75:55–79:43
• Banter, Trivia, Culture, and Music: Scattered throughout, especially 31:30–36:05, 44:45–47:56, 65:07, 93:11–97:51

Final Takeaways

• Lions are winning hearts with culture, aggression, and play action synergy; Dan Campbell gets full respect.
• The Ravens cannot shake their reputation—brilliant but unreliable in big moments.
• Trey Benson (RB), Trey Tucker (WR), and Hunter Henry (TE) are your top Week 4 waivers.
• Show delivers not just actionable advice but the blend of humor, tangents, and community that’s become its trademark.

For more info or to ask your own questions: ringerfantasyfootball@gmail.com