The Ringer Fantasy Football Show

Episode: Midseason Awards – MVP, Best Sleeper, and Biggest Bust. Plus, Heifetz vs. Craig Fantasy Court
Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly (DK), Craig Horlbeck
Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode celebrates the halfway point of the 2025 fantasy football season with the annual “Midseason Awards,” including Fantasy MVP, Sleeper of the Year (and its ignominious opposite), and Biggest Bust, plus playful takes on coaching and player narratives. The hosts evaluate their preseason calls, reflect on notable surprises and disappointments, and address a commissioner controversy in “Fantasy Court.” The conversation mixes data-driven insights, jokes, and listener stories, flowing with the pod’s trademark irreverent camaraderie.

Main Themes & Structure

• Power Hour–style countdown of midseason fantasy awards
• In-depth breakdown of fantasy season narratives, with emphasis on notable player performances
• Self-deprecating and behind-the-scenes stories about drafting and league management
• Lively debate and banter, especially in Fantasy Court

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[01:36–10:30] Midseason Check-In & News

• Hosts balk at technical “midpoint”: “Nerds, I don’t want to hear about how this isn’t actually halfway through.” (Danny Heifetz, 01:58)
• Quarterback Carousel: Discussion on Saints benching Spencer Rattler for Tyler Shuck, who they joke, “has four college degrees,” and Vikings’ backup woes after Carson Wentz’s injury:
  • “They have to… trade for a quarterback, even to just back up J.J. McCarthy.” (Heifetz, 06:50)
  • “It’s time for Kevin O’Connell to fix Jameis Winston.” (DK, 07:16)
• Inside Jokes: Speculate on teams inventing fake players to test beat writers’ knowledge—a running bit about “Ty Whittingham out of Western Michigan” (Heifetz, 09:08).

[10:30–16:00] Power Hour Midseason Fantasy Awards

• Hosts set up the awards format: Using submitted ballots, but letting debate decide close calls.
• Award #1 – Fantasy MVP:
  • Winner: Jonathan Taylor (Colts RB)
  • “RB1 by a mile… 14 touchdowns, four games with three plus touchdowns this year.” (Craig, 12:55)
  • “A running back hasn’t had 20 rushing touchdowns in 20 years, and Jonathan Taylor has 14 halfway through.” (Heifetz, 13:37)
  • “He’s the poster boy for boring, talented players getting overlooked.” (Heifetz, 14:11)
  • Perspective: In rare historic company; “enjoy this and revel in it.” (Craig, 15:13)

[16:00–18:15] Sleeper of the Year (Complimentary)

• Winner: Drake Maye (Patriots QB)
• “He was drafted as QB16, now QB4 in PPG behind only Mahomes, Allen, and Hurts.” (DK, 16:46)
• “He was the most hyped QB, and he’s outperforming even that.” (Heifetz, 17:33)
• “He’s as good at real football as he is in fantasy.” (DK, 18:06)
• Noted: Hype picks (Emeka Egbuka, Tyler Warren) also delivered this year, unusual vs. historical hit rates.

[18:15–23:26] Sleeper of the Year (Derogatory – “Best Busty Sleeper”)

• Winner: Caleb Johnson (Steelers RB)
• “He was probably droppped after two weeks.” (Craig, 18:53)
• With just 13 touches all season: “He’s an afterthought, he’s on waivers.” (Craig, 21:07)
• Also roasted:
  • RJ Harvey (“infuriating” and unplayable despite hype),
  • Matthew Golden (Packers WR, “the 65th best WR with no touchdowns”),
  • Colston Loveland (Bears TE, “most painful rookie TE pick if you missed the others”)
  • Braylon Allen (Jets RB, “all we heard about in August, did absolutely nothing”)

[24:58–29:44] Non-Jonathan Taylor Fantasy MVP

• Winner: Jackson Smith-Njigba (Seahawks WR)
• “He leads the league in receiving yards by over 100 despite already having a bye.” (Heifetz, 27:14)
• “He’s doing things people thought he couldn’t do—winning deep, winning outside.” (Craig, 28:27 & 28:46)
• “He has a 38% target share, which leads all receivers in the league.” (DK, 28:49)

[29:44–31:09] Biggest Bust — Player Taken Instead of JSN

• Winner: Brian Thomas (Jaguars WR)
• “He was a borderline first-round pick… now WR42, averaging nine points per game.” (Craig, 29:50)
• “Vibes are horrific — not in sync with Trevor Lawrence, coaching in flux.” (Craig, 30:57)
• DK: “Has the yips, bunch of drops, losing his role, it might get worse.”

[31:09–34:06] Waiver Wire MVP

• Winner: Daniel Jones (Colts QB)
• “A guy that basically went undrafted, scoring 21 PPG—massively valuable.” (Craig, 32:21)
• “He’s QB5, one of seven over 20 PPG.” (DK, 32:40)
• Runners-up: Keenan Allen (Chargers WR), Rico Dowdle (Panthers RB)

[33:54–37:16] Most Embarrassing Good Pick (Auto/Mocked Pick That Paid Off)

• Winner: Jalen Waddle (Dolphins WR)
  • “I despised this man, but had to take him because he was $5… he’s WR12, but since Tyreek went down, WR5.” (DK, 34:06)
  • “There are moments the Miami offense finds its rhythm, and Waddle’s getting his.” (DK, 35:07)
• Others mentioned: Quentin Johnston (Chargers), Javonte Williams (Cowboys), Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts)
• “The Kyle Pitts experience: serviceable! (barely)” [36:52]

[37:16–41:11] Tight End of the Year Debate

• Leading candidates:
  • Tucker Kraft (Packers): “TE1 in fantasy, 14 PPG, now focal point of the offense.” (Craig, 37:34)
  • Tyler Warren (Colts): “Consistently fun and a big part of the fun Colts ride.” (Heifetz, 41:09)
  • Jake Ferguson (Cowboys): “In PPR, he’s tight end #1—massively outpacing others in targets.” (Heifetz, 40:33)
  • Dallas Goedert (Eagles)
• “I’ll give the tiebreaker to Tyler Warren.” (Heifetz, 41:09)

[41:11–44:12] Hype Guy Who Actually Delivered

• Nominees: Drake Maye (Patriots, winner); Emeka Egbuka (Bucs); Tyler Warren (Colts); George Pickens (Cowboys)
• “Everybody was saying Drake Maye, and it just absolutely was.” (DK, 41:27)
• Craig: “Pickens was my favorite… he’s WR6, just balling out and happy in Dallas.” (42:58)

[44:12–46:29] The “Never Again” List — Most Emotionally Frustrating Drafted Player

• Winner: A.J. Brown (Eagles WR)
• “I don’t know if I want to ever do it again… always bullshit with him, always a hamstring injury.” (DK, 44:29)
• “Even when he scores, the juice is not worth the squeeze.” (Craig, 44:57)
• Honorable misery: TreVeyon Henderson (Patriots RB)

[47:24–48:58] Ringer Fantasy League Update

• Heifetz and Craig tied at 6–2 for first.
• “I play Craig this week, so that'll be a big game.” (Heifetz, 47:27)
• “Bill is still in last.” (DK, 47:49)
• DK: Team riddled by injuries, “kind of hanging on.”
• Prophecy: “So fantasy's going to win.” (Heifetz, 48:20) — accepting the randomness of the game.

[49:02–67:10] FANTASY COURT: Heifetz vs. Craig, Commissioner's Dilemma

• Issue: Yahoo IR glitch locks teams if player is still on IR after being activated; Craig couldn’t manage roster.
• Craig’s take: Thought it was a routine fix, but Heifetz “sent a 2,000-word text to the league, making it seem shadier than it was."
• Heifetz’s perspective: Defensive, over-explains to avoid drama with bosses/league, invokes “sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
• DK’s arbitration: “Somewhere in the middle—it’s a weird power dynamic, but this was a completely unhinged text” (Craig, 59:33)
• Key moment:
  • “The price of fixing your team is I get to make fun of you in the chat. It’s the toll!” (Heifetz, 64:48)
  • “You fomented a controversy that did not exist just to kind of get things going.” (DK, 58:27)
• Amazing display of pod’s dynamic—joking, annoyed, and self-aware all at once.
• “Anyway, Craig lost.” (Heifetz, 65:25)

[69:54–72:14] Fantasy Court: Fat-Finger Accepting a Trade

• Listener “Max” asks if a trade he butt-dialed an acceptance to—with immediate regret—can be reversed.
• “Undo it, right?” (DK, 71:12) — all agree, fairness wins, just make it right.
• Include suggestion: “Maybe there should be a punishment—a second ‘are you sure?’ click.”

[72:14–84:14] Listener Emails, Premier League Story Time, "Cousins" Relationship Poll

• All-time Premier League prank: A guy impersonates George Weah’s cousin, bluffs his way onto Southampton in 1995.
  • “Turns out the guy made the whole thing up.” (Heifetz, 75:13)
• “Cousins” romance follow-up: Listeners overwhelmingly say, “Do it, kid."
  • “Every email was: yeah, there’s no blood, why is it weird?” (Heifetz, 78:31)
• Breakfast check-ins: Blueberry muffin, Red Bull & a cigarette, Ikea yogurt.
  • “Muffins are breakfast cake.” (Heifetz, 72:26)

[84:14–90:53] Off-Topic Goofing—Tattoos and Earrings

• DK reveals “freckle tattoo”—a tiny dot.
• Craig had a mid-aughts cartilage hoop earring.
• Possible future fantasy league punishments: temporary/henna tramp stamps.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Jonathan Taylor:
  • “The talent was always there, but I feel like he never had that reputation… now this year, rightfully so, he’s in that conversation.” (DK, 14:48)
• On midseason takeaways:
  • “This is a good reminder to enjoy this and revel in it.” (Craig, 15:13)
• On waivers:
  • “No one made fun of you when you had to add Keenan Allen. I think that’s what pushes Daniel Jones over [for waiver MVP].” (Heifetz, 31:55)
• On A.J. Brown:
  • “The juice is not worth the squeeze.” (Craig, 44:57)
• On league drama:
  • “The price of fixing your team is I get to make fun of you in the chat.” (Heifetz, 64:48)
• Listener polling on 'cousin' romance:
  • “The only argument to not do it is that it will be really awkward if it doesn’t work out at family functions.” (DK, 78:59)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:36 – Show intro, midway point banter
• 02:43 – NFL news, QB changes
• 10:30 – Outline of award categories & voting process
• 11:44 – Fantasy MVP: Jonathan Taylor
• 16:00 – Compliment Sleeper: Drake Maye
• 18:15 – Bust Sleeper: Caleb Johnson & others
• 24:58 – Non-JT MVP: Jackson Smith-Njigba
• 29:44 – Bust: Brian Thomas
• 31:09 – Waiver Wire MVP
• 33:54 – Embarrassing Good Pick
• 37:16 – Tight End of the Year
• 41:11 – Hype Guy Who Delivered
• 44:12 – “Never Again” Player
• 47:24 – Ringer League update
• 49:02 – Fantasy Court: Yahoo IR Glitch drama
• 69:54 – Fantasy Court: Butt-dial trade disaster
• 72:14 – Listener interaction: Premier League grift, “cousins” dilemma
• 84:14 – Fun closing: tattoos, earrings, punishment ideas

Final Thoughts

The pod captures the roller-coaster of expectations, the randomness of fantasy football, and the fun of friendly league drama. With their characteristic blend of stats, snark, and real-life war stories, the hosts bring midseason reflection to life for listeners—whether they’re atop their standings or plotting next year’s draft revenge.

For more, follow @RingerFantasy and check out the weekly rankings at fantasyfootball.theringer.com.