Starts of the Week + Week 6 Breakdown, Bye-pocalypse is Coming! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 10/14

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All right, the Cincinnati Bengals at 3 and 2 travel to Detroit to take on the 0 and 5 Lions. The D.K. Sportsbook line here is Bengals minus 3 and a half. Over under is 48. I'm a little scared of this game because Cincinnati is an enigma right now. Their games have hit the under and four straight. They rank 30th in plays per game.

I'm not sure. I'm not sure what they're going to need to do here. I mean, the Lions offense has scored 17 or fewer points three straight weeks. And the Bengals defense has been so improved. You know, they're middle of the pack against the major positions, fourth against tight ends. And I just wonder if this is going to be one of those games that we look at and we say, wow, I've got confidence in Chase and Higgins and Boyd and, you know, they're road favorites.

But maybe they try to control the clock with Joe Mixon. I hurt Joe Mixon? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's going to be an interesting, I agree with you, Andy. There is definitely the potential for disappointment here. You can have a lower scoring game, just like you've seen with a lot of these Cincinnati games over the last couple of weeks. That being said, there are really good fantasy options in this game. Even if it is a low scoring game, I mean, we've seen.

These 17 point week after week after week performances with the Lions result in good fantasy matchups. So I think it's going to happen again. First of all, you've got DeAndre Swift on the lion's side, which you've got to play. The Cincinnati Bengals are allowing the highest opponent running back target share in the NFL. So.

That's where Swift lives. He is the PPR, the target guy. You lost Cephas. I think Dandre Swift is just an unbelievably great play. In fact, I was... Andy's almost upset of the wig. I could see him wanting to hit that button. All right. He needed it. So this game is one that you are predicting the Lions get there, maybe their first win?

Yeah, I mean, I think, I think Detroit has been on the edge of success multiple times. You see Dan Campbell after that loss? You see how emotional he was? I did not. He was crying. He was crying. This man for his team. He wants to win. I love it. You know, you can bite kneecaps and you can cry at the same time. Yes, you can. That's manhood. I'm sorry. They should have won last week. They should have won against Baltimore. They're going to win this week at home. They're going to fight.

And you were making such a compelling argument about Swift. I had to hit the button. I could see it. I had a really hard time deciding whom I started the week was between the running backs on either side of the ball for this game because both of them are just such a great matchup. Joe Mixin against the Lions, Swift against the Bengals. I think it pairs up really nicely for fantasy.

Yeah, I know, Mike, you are into Burrow this week. I am more reserved about this game, but we'll talk more about Burrow in a Bitsky. Amman Ross St. Brown eight targets in back-to-back weeks. Last man standing at the wide receiver position. An interesting desperation play. He's also who I ended up with in our waiver wire moments ago when Mike outbid Jason by a considerable amount for Ramandre Stevenson. I figured.

And then I also, who was I going for? Oh, you picked up Brandon Ayuk, Jason. Congratulations. Thank you. Getting ready for the bypocalypse, I guess. That is what it is. I just said it on the show. He's on by week, hit the waivers, and I've got no Amari Cooper next week. Well, I was certainly going to feel more confident with an IUC desperation play if Jimmy Grappel is a quarterback. That is going to make a huge difference to me. T.J. Hawkinson, didn't practice on Wednesday. It's not.

a fun fantasy football situation for managers of TG Hawkinson because you're dealing with underwhelming play and under a lack of confidence in the knee. You know, it's it's been coverage going his way. Yeah. And tough opponent. Yeah. The Bengals haven't given up much to the tight end position. He is in, you know, dealing with the knee injury and with Cephas out.

The defense can really lock in on him. I think Hawkinson's going to be great the rest of the season. I really, really still do. But if you have the ability to start one of these other guys that we're going to be talking about in a little bit, keep Hawkinson. I think I would be willing to look at. Dan Arnold. Dan Arnold's right on that cusp where I'd probably still go. Zach Ertz.

Yeah, Zach Gertz, I would. Ricky Seals Jones. Those two I would play over him. Not cut Hawkinson for them. Hunter Henry. Oh, he's so funny. Hunter Henry's been good for a couple of weeks in a row. He's got good jokes. He's got good jokes. Good sense of humor. No, but I think, I think Seals Jones and Zacherts, I would be willing to.

sit Hawkinson, not cut him, obviously, and try to get a few more points this week. That doesn't look like a great week for Hawk. Anything to add, Mike? Not on the Hawkinson side, just of the... Jamar Chase is in your lineup. Oh, yes. Yes. Houston, Texans, one and four taking on the one and four Colts. I guess back to the Bengals, are you playing T. Higgins with confidence? No, because of the injury. The way that he...

kind of re-aggravated at midgame. Even if he's active, I worry that it keeps popping up. So then are you playing? You don't worry about that with Mixing then? Well, I'm worried about mixing. I'm not worried about it with mixing because P. Ryan is gone and this is something where you saw him last week. And even though his utilization was only on the field like 20% of snaps, he didn't look bad. Like he had some solid runs in the game. His cut for the touchdown was delightful. Yeah, exactly. So I'm not, I'm not worried about mixing at all.

The Texans, the Colts, both teams one and four games in Indianapolis, Drafking Sportsbook line. Colts minus 10 at home after the Texans put a big scare into New England last week. Over under is a disgusting, 43 points. And I'd take the over. Would you? I would. Yeah, the Colts defense. You think Davis Mills can get it done again? He looked good enough last week and the Colts defense hasn't been great. And I think that they're.

I think that this will hit the over. Interesting. I like the Colts minus the points. I think their defense, this is their time to step up at home. You got Jonathan Taylor coming off a wild Monday night game. He's confidently started. Michael Pittman, I think you stay in the flames with him. He's had six plus receptions in four straight games. He seems very, very solid, especially in PPR formats. T.Y. Houston.

I mean, they call him that for a reason. I mean, the jokes around Indianapolis right now is, hey, I don't think it's a coincidence he's ready to go at home against Houston because he's just, he healed up faster. It's not like the reporters. It's the players, the team, the coach. Yeah, Frank Reich was talking about it. Like they all know. He's like, oh, man, we should get him out here because he always, he always torches Houston. Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't play him though.

No. I don't think I have any confidence to ride that narrative week one with a neck injury coming back. I probably have better options. It's not by apocalypse yet. I need him to pass the Houston moniker over to Michael Pittman. Yeah, Michael Houston? Sure. It's not as catchy. I'm saying I would really love for Pittman to destroy this team. Mo Ali Cox, he's been involved. I don't know if they'll need him this week personally in a game with.

Jonathan Taylor running wild, but... That's kind of been the narrative for a lot of teams against the Texans, as you wonder, will they even need to throw the ball? But they have given up so many touchdowns to the tight-end position that they are last place. Yes. All right, the other side of the ball, Brandon Cooks has had a couple of soft weeks. I am targeting him right now in trades. He's already got the stink of...

The Texans. Yes. And when you have a couple bad weeks and that rookie, you might be able to target him and get him at a value. After his start, those three great weeks, at that point we talked about, I'm probably benching Brandon Cooks for two weeks.

because we knew the schedule. Buffalo looked amazing, and the New England Patriots are going to take out the number one option, and he had bad back-to-back weeks, but I think he's fine. He obviously is a good player. He's the number one target. We'll talk about him in a little bit. All right. Anything else to add to this game? It doesn't look like it to me. Nope. The Rams at 4-1 take on the 1-4 Giants. Draft King's Sportsbook line, Rams minus 9 and a half, overrunners 48 and a half.

Look, the Giants are under 20 implied points in this game. They lost Daniel Jones last week. They lost Kenny Gulliday last week. They lost Saquan Barkley last week. They lost Cadarious Tony to injury on and off the field. They're not a lot to like there. And Devante Booker was the big spin, you know, in the waiver wire. And he will have volume, plenty of it, but not a big ceiling.

Not a big ceiling. I think it does make a big difference as to what quarterback is starting here for the Giants for literally the entire side of the ball. And it makes sense, obviously, your team is better with a better quarterback. But if Daniel Jones, right now he did not practice on Wednesday, but reports say he's progressing and on track to maybe clear the protocol, if he is starting, that makes me more confident in Devante Booker, more confident in Cadarius Tony, more confident in Sterling Shepard, guys that if.

You know, if Glennon is the quarterback, I am very afraid. I realize Tony can do things completely on his own, break away, you know, yards after the catch. But I'm hesitant to play any of the receiving options with Mike Glennon. Look, the Giants defense is not good. It's 24th or worst against every position. I love Daryl Henderson. Yeah, in this game. And Cooper Cup and Robert Woods are both comfortable plays.

Tyler Higby, I think if you've been starting him, he probably keeps starting him and hope for those touchdowns to continue. He has ping ponged between top 10 weeks and bad weeks, but tight end is a tricky one. Is this a week you're willing to flex Van Jefferson? I just don't think you could. It's just, no. It's like one in, he's like Fulton Reed out there. I mean, it's one in five. It's two and five right now. Okay. So no is my answer. Okay. That's more than Robert Woods.

Yeah, but the difference is they build the game plan to involve Robert Woods, and they did it last week, and I don't know if you can bench 12 for 150. Oh, yeah, I'm not saying to bench Robert Woods. I'm just saying that Van Jefferson's had, you said two really big weeks. Yeah, and to me it's a matter of, so obviously we saw week one, Van Jefferson was like the very beginning of the game. Just complete surprise.

I would assume that Van Jefferson would be more needed in the game where the other team is scoring a lot of points. His other good week was against Arizona who put up 37 points. They had to really throw the ball a lot and Van Jefferson was more utilized against the Giants. If it doesn't happen early, I would expect them to have a lead and then Van Jefferson is not worthy of this matchup. Kansas City, two and three, Kansas City, taking on the Washington football team at two and three in Washington. Oh, same record.