Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Starts of the Week, Week 17 Matchups, Boom-Boom!

He could get pulled, you know, three quarters halfway through the game, but I think he would have, he should have done work if he's getting pulled out. Julian Edelman, I expect to play a lower amount of snaps than you used to for Julian Edelman. I think Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Hogan, they'll still be out there. So it's, I'm not overly concerned about that. All right. Last game, we got the Bears taking on the Vikings. The Vikings are.

Five and a half point favorites. It's a 41 point over, under. This is the showdown we've been looking forward to all year. Barkley Bradford, just like everyone expected. Oh, the old Barkley Bradford rivalry. It's gone on for years. These two hate each other. Yeah, they grew up in opposite sides of the same city.

Their families have always been opposed to one another. Very Romeo and Juliet situation. Right. But more of a Barclay Bradford situation. Lanister and Starks. Yeah, it's not, it's not friendly. It's a blood feud. Yeah, one of the two will be working at Walmart next year. No, that's not true. That's not true. But actually, look, one will be a manager. Give him some credit. Yeah, yeah. No, Barclay and Bradford, well, people who like those guys really hate us right now. And by us, I mean me.

All right, look, I love Jordan Howard this week. They're going to give him the rock. Yes. He's going to carry the rock, and he's going to help your fantasy team. I also don't mind Jerich McKinnon this week as a kind of one of those, you know, a half point, full point. Because the bear's start worthy guy. Is this a matchup situation? Bears 28 against the run. Yeah, it's a matchup. We know, you know, I got, I got him at 22. Looks like Jason has McKinnon in 19. So you would go. That's an RB2. McKinnon over Aziata? Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, it was so much confidence. Yeah, it was. Cameron Meredith, big week last week. Alshan Jeffrey, Jeffrey, um, do you prefer Jeffrey over Meredith? I think I prefer Meredith. Yeah. And I wanted to talk about him. What a weird dude. Just, you're a weird dude, Cam. No, it's just weird. He was amazing. What, the quarterback change? And then another quarterback change is amazing again. What do you make of Cameron Meredith going, your initial thoughts going into 2017? Alan Hertz.

Oh, okay. So you think it's a complete flash in the pan? Yes. Okay. That's fair. I think that he's got some staying power. Okay. Well, look, I mean, I think Alan Hurons is a good player. That's the reality. But I think his long-term position in the NFL is floating between wide receiver 2-3 for the team he's on. I don't think Meredith can step up and be, do something more than what he's done this year and be at one.

If that's the question. Right. Because Alex and Jeffrey, we expect him to be gone. Kevin White, the oft-injured Kevin White will be back. So, I mean, you're looking at it's White and Meredith. And who would you prefer just right now? Cam Meredith or Kevin White. For next year? Yeah.

I'm going to take Meredith. Sure. You're the Eric Decker and I'm the, I'm hoping for the one. I probably would not take Meredith because I think you can find Meredith's on the waiver wire. But if white was something special, then I'd want that shot at that. That's fair. That's fair. You have an almost identical situation over there for the other wide receivers for Minnesota. Stefan Diggs. Stefan Diggs should have been the man. Coming into the season, he had a sensational rookie year.

had those two monster games to start the year, then really disappeared. Meanwhile, Adam Thielen has been slow, the tortoise there in that race, just steady production, had a few blow-up games. I think what you've seen with Diggs is a propensity to get banged up and not be able to get back from it. It's been kind of one of those things where, okay, we've had so many weeks where is Diggs going to play? Is he not going to play if he plays? Did he play hurt? You know, I'd go with Thielen this week.

Yeah, we all three have Adam Thielen rated higher than Stefan Diggs. Andy, you only have them two spots higher. For Mike and I, we both have him a good dozen, or in Mike's case, two dozen spots higher than... Yeah, take that. Diggs. Got him. But, yeah, I think he's a good, you know, PPR play, especially. He's getting enough target volume. Sam Bradford doesn't throw the ball very far.

usually you know he's he's staying in that nice eight yards away from himself range so that's helpful for ppr starts of the week we're starting with your running back start of the week all right because i

I mean, I'm just, I've been in shock since I've seen it in there and I'm still in shock. And I won an EZE bet last week. So I'll happily bet you again. And then if I win that, we'll sweep it. If you had Ezekiel Elliott on your team and you didn't play him, you are a patented idiot last week. Patented? What, like from the patent office? You got a patent from the patent office saying that there is a far cry from start your Zeke.

and making him your start of the week. No, no, no, no, no. Which is what you've made him. Oh, come on. We've done this a hundred times. Starts of the week. I'm looking at the headline over here. Oh, my God. Who's your start of the week at running back? It's Ezekiel. Let me tell you why. Because we've done this a hundred times. I don't know why all of a sudden you're acting like we haven't done this before. This is a confidence play to say to P. This isn't saying he's going to be the number one running back. This is saying if you have Ezekiel Elliott.

You need to play him. He's going to get work. They're going, he himself, there is no chance on planet Earth that when he gets out there for Kerry 1, he is not trying to get that 178 or whatever. He is away from the rookie record. He is going to be running like a man on a mission. And if they get up, they will pull him. But if they got up,

There's a good chance he got in the end zone once or maybe twice in that first half. And he got 78 to 125 yards. I think you're going to be fine. And I think you're foolish if you don't play Ezekiel Elliott. That's why I'm making him my start of the week, which we've done plenty of times. I don't have confidence in Ezekiel Elliott. He's getting pulled. So you would bench him. He's getting pulled. No, I didn't say that. Would you play him? You're asking me.

To give you the credit for what we've done in the past, and then you're putting words into my mouth about him binching. I did not say, you said so you'd bench him. It was a question. He needs 177 yards for the rookie record. They're trying to win the Super Bowl. He's getting benched in this game, regardless of whether they're winning or not. There's nothing on the line for them. There's no motivation for them to do anything with that spot. Last week, you thought he'd have 25 carries. He had 12. How many carries does he get this week?

I thought he would have a great game. Look, you said 25-carry, but he got a 55-yard carry that took all of the other opportunities in that drive away from being able to get the ball. So I'm saying I don't have confidence in Ezekiel at having a big workload. I don't think if he has 12 carries and doesn't have a 55-yard run, I don't think they give him 12 more until he does. 177 yards for the rookie record. It's too far to go.

Unless he breaks his first carry for 75 yards and he's got to do 100 for the rest of the game. How about this? Water bet that Azika Elliott is a top 15 back this week. Top 15 back? Yeah. He's your start of the week. I know. Yeah. Top 15. I'm saying he's going to be one of the best 15 backs and you need to play him. Top 12. No, no, no. You've made this a huge thing. No, I haven't. So you're saying. He disagreed with you too. I disagree with both of you. Mike, what do you think the bet should be? I think top 15 is perfectly fine.

I think that's a perfect. I said top 12. If you're confident in Zekiel, to the level of making start of the week. Which means water bet. I just want, I want this on record, too, because I'm going to take a look at it. Water bets this week, you and I have Dak playing the entire game. That's a bad one. And you have Ezekiel Elliott top 12. So the Dallas game determines what you're eating next week. Let's put it that way. Or what I'm eating.

Let's put it down. Okay. So for me, we've spent a lot of time on Elliot here. I agree with Andy that he's going to get pulled regardless. I don't think this is a, if they're up two touchdowns, going into the half, they'll pull him out. I think he plays a couple drives. I'm concerned about Dak. You have Tyron Smith, the left tackle. He's not going to play. It's difficult to say, we're going to play our starters when you don't have your starting left tackle.

And you have nothing to play for with your, with DAC going into the, to the playoffs. So I'm, I'm kind of in the middle of you guys. I will jump in here then with my start of the week at the running back position. I think he's going to play. He did not practice yesterday, but that's Blal Powell. I completely expect Matt Forte to be out. And this is just another situation where, or Powell.

as the workhorse. He's looked good. He's just looked the park. When given opportunity, he's always looked great. I have to imagine it's a thing that the Jets just don't believe he can do that for 16 games. So they never let him start as the main guy, even though he succeeds greatly when they give him the opportunity, catches the ball. I think he's a stud. So I like him regardless of any kind of matchup if he's the lead guy. So he's my start of the week.

I'm going with Mark Ingram this week. They've come out and publicly said they want to get him to 1,000 yards. He's 60 yards away from that threshold. He looked very good last week. I know I don't remember which one of you looked it up. It was not the odd stat that Mark Ingram. Every single time that he's had 15 more carries, they've won the game. Every time he hasn't, they haven't. There's a correlation there. He's the best running back on that team. And last week.

He out snapped Tim Hightower 48 to 15. That's not changing this week. I actually really like Mark Ingram next year. I like him moving forward. He's looking good. All the time. High Tower's not getting any younger. And I think Ingram has shown this year when he played. I don't know why he's been split so much. But he's just been, he's been really good at actual football. He's one of those you watch film and you go, why is this guy not getting the ball more? Do you think Sean Payton leaves? You think he's back next week? I think he's back.

Yeah, why would he not be? There's been talk of him being traded. They were going to listen to offers for him, just like they did last time. Trading head coach is so bizarre. Remember he almost went to Miami? Yeah. He's also apparently intrigued with the St. Louis, the Los Angeles situation. All right, James Winston. I only brought him up, by the way, is because Ingram, it seems like it's John Peyton and Ingram don't. There's something weird there. James Winston is my starting quarterback of the week, my start of the week at quarterback.

He's at home against Carolina with a sliver's chance of the playoffs and a beatable secondary Mike Evans. There's no chance. I, you know, I like James Winston enough this week to make him my start of the week. Yeah, he's been producing. I think we were hoping for a little bit more last week, but he got enough to get the job done. And I'm doubling down. I mentioned it earlier in the matchups. Blake Bortles gets to take on the Indianapolis Colts.

He's, Blake Bortles is playing for his job. Playing for his J.O.B. next year, you get a new coaching staff in. They're going to evaluate everything, and that might include benching or getting rid of Blake. I don't know if they can get rid of him with his contract, but benching him and moving on to a different quarterback. So he's playing for his job. Doug Marone, playing for another head coaching opportunity, beatable matchup. I like Blake Bortles again.

My start of the week this week is Russell Wilson. And he is not just a, to me, he is what Ezekiel Eli is not. He is a locked and loaded. He's going to be, he's my number two quarterback this week. They are in a game that they need. San Francisco is their opponent.

And they stink. But Seattle needs to win to get a buy week. And because they flex the Atlanta game, they're not going to know ahead of time. They're going to have to play to win. Russell Wilson on the season. What do you think? Disappointment or been, fantasy owner's been happy with Russell this year? I'm going to disappointment. Huge disappointment. I mean, we expected him to be a great quarterback this year. He was from day one. From day one. And he was like a.

fifth six round draft pick. Yeah. So second half of the season, week nine to now, what quarterback is Russell Wilson in fantasy football? He's second half. He's great. Yeah, what quarterback? I'm going to go four, three. Four, three, two. He is the number two fantasy quarterback since week nine. He's in a game they have to win against San Francisco. It looks so much like last year. If you look at his first eight games, five touchdowns, his next.