The Ringer Fantasy Football Show

Episode: The “It’s Overtime; Which Team Do You Trust?” Draft, Ringer Fantasy Punishments, and Erotic Hyena Facts
Air Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, Craig Horlbeck

Overview:

This wide-ranging episode blends sharp NFL playoff analysis with the beloved goofiness of the Ringer Fantasy Football crew. The main event is an imaginative “Who Do You Trust in Playoff Overtime?” team draft, where the hosts select NFL teams in a scenario where a playoff game goes to overtime and both sides of the ball are tested. The episode also highlights fantasy league punishment ideas, a debate about what defines last place in a league, and wraps with one of the podcast's signature forays into wild animal facts—including a particularly memorable segment on the anatomy of female hyenas.

The guys are in prime form—meticulously breaking down football scenarios and letting their personalities run wild, oscillating between insightful analysis and hilarious riffing.
For listeners pressed for time, focus your attention especially between 14:28—55:14 for the meat of the team trust draft.

Key Sections & Insights

1. Setting Up the "Who Do You Trust in Overtime?" Draft

[00:00-14:28]

• The hosts riff about the rarity of drafting on a draft-oriented show and outline their scenario:
  • It’s the NFL playoffs, wild card weekend, game tied, going to overtime.
  • Both teams get offensive and defensive possessions.
  • The draft order is determined by a trivia tie-breaker (about HR staff at the company Jamf!).

Memorable Quote:

“It’s funny that we’re a fantasy football show and we don’t actually draft anything on this show.” —Danny Heifetz [01:08]

Context-Setting:

• Emphasize it’s feel over stats: “It’s about all that stuff condensed into, do you think they’re going to win or do you think they’re going to lose?” —Danny Heifetz [10:49]
• Non-playoff teams can be included if the hosts trust them more than actual division winners.

2. The Overtime Trust Draft

[14:28-55:14]

Draft Rules:

• Snake draft, teams selected based on trust in an overtime playoff scenario.
• Emphasis on “the feeling” and totality (coach, quarterback, defense, special teams).

First-Round Picks and Rationale:

• 1. Rams (Danny Kelly)
  • Trust in Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford’s playoff experience and the defense’s ability to create turnovers.
  • "The only one that I had any confidence in..." [15:28]
• 2. Bills (Danny Heifetz)
  • Solely for Josh Allen’s superhuman potential, despite receiver and defense issues.
  • “Josh Allen in the playoffs is probably the guy I trust most.” [17:40]
• 3. Chiefs (Craig)
  • Despite their rough year and possibly missing playoffs, Mahomes and Andy Reid = unkillable in crunch time.
  • “Until I see the Chiefs dead, they’re not dead.” [20:39]
• 4. Cowboys (Craig)
  • Recency bias admitted, but offense is elite and Dak’s in top form.
  • “I think Dak is playing like a top-five quarterback in the league.” [25:15]
• 5. Packers (Heifetz)
  • Noting Jordan Love’s growth and a well-balanced squad, especially with Micah Parsons as a closer.
  • “I just think Jordan Love, I trust him way more than I thought.” [26:16]

Key Factors Debated:

• Quarterback/coach duo value, “trump card" moments (e.g., Eagles’ Tush Push), and clutch intangibles.
• Weighing recent playoff failures (e.g., Ravens, 49ers, Cowboys).
• The role of defense vs. offense—some hosts give edge to elite defenses like the Seahawks or Texans, while others can’t get past “QB wins.”

Memorable Quote:

“If I want—if I need to win a game in overtime and I have one possession...I want the superhero that is gonna just will his team.” —Danny Kelly on Josh Allen [18:03]

Surprise or Controversial Picks:

• Patriots (Drake May/Mike Vrabel/Josh McDaniels)
  • Compared to a March Madness mid-major: “At a certain point, learning how to win is sticky and carries through.” [31:54]
• Seahawks (with Sam Darnold)
  • Admitted high variance, but defense and playmakers justify the gamble.
• Broncos (Bo Nix)
  • Acknowledge they're “horseshoe-up-their-ass” lucky, but have performed in crunch time.
• Texans
  • Best defense, with Craig “kind of” trusting CJ Stroud more in the playoffs than some vets.
• Bears (Caleb Williams/Ben Johnson):
  • Craig’s heart pick, noting their gritty ability to just keep winning, even if stats say they’re the “worst 9-3 team ever.” [42:38]
• 49ers (low-confidence, but playoff pedigree)
• Buccaneers (Baker Mayfield)
  • "The concern with the Buccaneers is they could never make it to overtime. But once they’re in overtime… I actually have a lot of confidence." [52:58]
• Outright Snubs & Debates:
  • Ravens (untrustworthy, but taken for “superhero” Lamar potential, injury concerns for Lamar).
  • Eagles (slip far in the draft, hosts admit “we probably should have taken them earlier but their offense is painful lately” [54:52]).
  • Bengals (snuck in late, recognized for playoff-tested Joe Burrow even if defense is weak).

Memorable Moment:

• The entire crew is embarrassed by their picks as the mid and lower tiers thin out, and many teams’ flaws are exposed—leading to some soul-searching and frequent “I regret picking…” admissions.

3. Fantasy League Punishments & What Counts as "Last Place"

[75:00-80:55]

• Question: Is “last place” the worst regular-season record, or the loser of the “toilet bowl” consolation playoff?
  • All three hosts favor the Toilet Bowl to keep the league engaged and raise the stakes to the very end:
  • “Losers bracket is way more dramatic. It incentivizes people at the bottom of the league to still try and focus…” —Craig [79:22]

Sample Punishments from Their League:

• No coffee/no matcha for a week
• Must wear a headband on a pod and never address it (for Sean Fennessey)
• Winner picks loser’s phone background/phone case for a week (Chris Ryan)
• Mallory Rubin must call other league-mates' moms on their birthdays

4. Animal Facts & Hyena “Erotica”

[88:04-94:41]

• A listener’s email reveals that female hyenas have a pseudo-penis (an elongated, erectile clitoris).
  • The crew is blown away, Greg reading from Wikipedia about hyena, elephant, and binturong anatomy.
• Quote:

  “Female hyenas have a pseudo penis because their clit can be erect up to seven inches.” —Emailer [88:50]

• The guys go deep on evolutionary biology, animal power dynamics, and try to figure out how some animals give birth.
• Several minutes of giggling and web searching ensue; they compare hyenas to having “BDE” and make Interstellar docking jokes.

5. Rapid-Fire: Notable Quotes & Moments

On the Steelers’ Predictability:

"When your fanbase can predict almost word for word and action for action what you'll do for eight hours later, maybe it's time for something new." —Danny Heifetz [08:43]

On the current NFL era:

"We're between eras. All these teams we’ve trusted and have been dominant are just kind of falling off. But there's not really a tier yet that we trust." —Heifetz [19:12]

On learning from the draft:

“It’s always—it’s still just all about the quarterback. It always is. It always will be.” —Danny Kelly [68:31]

On regretting picks:

“I regret taking the Niners over the Lions.” —Heifetz [70:15]
“I probably regret taking the Bears.” —Craig [70:18]

Notable Draft Order Recap

(Teams the hosts most trust to win an OT playoff game)

1. Rams
2. Bills
3. Chiefs
4. Cowboys
5. Packers
6. Patriots
7. Seahawks
8. Broncos
9. Texans
10. Bears
11. 49ers
12. Lions
13. Ravens
14. Buccaneers
15. Eagles
16. Bengals
17. Colts
18. Chargers

Timestamps for Key Segments:

• Intro & Setup: 00:00–14:28
• OT Trust Draft Begins: 14:28
• Rams/Bills/Chiefs/Cowboys/Packers: 15:28–27:19
• Mid-to-late round teams, recency bias, regrets: 29:44–55:14
• Fantasy League Structure/Punishment discussions: 75:00–80:55
• Hyena Facts & Animal Anatomy: 88:04–94:41

Tone & Takeaways

The show remains a careful balance of sharp, fantasy-relevant chatter and the wild, digressive fun the trio is loved for. There’s analysis you can trust for both fantasy and NFL playoffs, alongside fantasy punishment ideas you may want to steal for your group—and a healthy (if NSFW) education about hyenas.

If listening for football takes:

• This episode excels at educating listeners how seasoned analysts actually “feel” about teams’ playoff prospects outside of power rankings and odds.

If in it for the laughs:

• Stay for the animal deep dive and the group’s banter about punishments; both stretch the edges of a typical fantasy show—but belong to the winning Ringer formula.

“I just think Josh Allen in the playoffs is probably the guy I trust most.” —Danny Heifetz [17:40]

“If Bo Nix is the weakest part of the equation, I think the Broncos are… I kind of trust them.” —Heifetz [37:40]

“Female hyenas have a pseudo penis because their clit can be erect up to seven inches.” —Listener email [88:50]

For fantasy and NFL obsessives, this one’s “the draft about the draft” that turns knowledge and heart into trusted playoff picks. For everyone else, it’s great background for your next league punishment or animal trivia night.