Fantasy Football 2017 - Starts of the Week, Week 8 Matchups, Andy’s Happy/Sad Game

You also get access to premium projections. You get access to flex rankings. Consistency charts. Consistency charts. Game Day alerts. That's all just for being a base level foot clan member supporting us. That's five bucks a month to support us on join the foot.com. And we really appreciate all of the foot clan out there. And we listen to your feedback trying to make improvements. This year we've added new.

things to that membership and we just try to improve that we've got giveaways for people who support at a higher level you've got live streams we just did a live stream yesterday so there's lots of really cool ways to stay connected to this show and we really appreciate everybody that joins us on that journey at join the foot dot com let's talk about the raiders and the bills the bills are two and a half points at home in this game 45 and a half points you know this would have been kind of a to me a really easy

You know, almost upset pick. So I'm not going to make it my almost upset pick this week. I think you said the Raiders were at home. No, I said they're traveling to Buffalo. Buffalo is a two and a half point favorite at home. Gotcha. Okay, I heard that wrong. I want to make sure we were. Yeah. The game is in Buffalo. We're on the same page. We are now. All right. Derek Carr, you know, Mike, you're hesitant to start him in this game. I am. Marshall Lynch is going to miss. I don't think that really hurts the offense because Marshall Lynch hadn't been really helping the offense. Got Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington.

They'll be splitting carries. I guess it's Thursday. Let's weigh in. Who's your favorite there, Richard, Washington? If you had to have one, you had to start them. If I have to start one, I'm starting Richard. That's what I am too. I think the majority of people are leaning Washington. Yeah, I think that Washington has the higher chance at a touchdown. Part of that way is because of last week. I mean, on the goal line, they gave it to Washington. He was drafted by the team for a specific reason.

But I like both. I do. It's really a coin flip between the two. I think that Jalen Richard and D'Andre Washington are the real trap here. I think with Marshaun Lynch out, people are rushing to sign them, especially with the bypocalypse and start them thinking they're really good plays. Except this isn't a good matchup. And it's going to be a 50-50. It's going to be a 50-50 timeshare. So I'm not saying you can't start Jalen Richard or.

DeAndre Washington, I mean, you might need to. But I don't think either one is this great play where, you know, you're going to be happy and thrilled at the end of the week. And unless they get in the end zone, especially, I think that's going to be true. I'm expecting both guys to be, you know, total around 40 to 50 yards. That's not going to get it done if you don't happen to get a touchdown. Yeah, the bill's defense has only allowed 0.8.

touchdown passes per game this year. Now that is a concern for Derek Carr. It's a concern if you're a Crabtree or Cooper owner or you're trying to ride the wave that was Amari Cooper last week. I think you just temper expectations on those players. I don't think anybody's sitting Michael Crabtree. Nobody's sitting a Marty Cooper after last week's performance. But you have to temper those expectations. And, you know, Vegas has it at a 45 and a half point over under. My favorite play in this entire game is Tyrod Taylor, my streaming quarterback. The Raiders,

They hit the quarterback the lowest percentage of the time of any team in the league. They have no interceptions in seven games this year, which is incredible. So you already have an evasive quarterback in Tyrod Taylor. And now you have an offensive line that's going to be able to protect him against this really bad pass rush. I think Taylor is such a safe play this week. I think if you're in need, roll him out there. I completely agree. Now the question is,

Who's his pass-catching option that you start? Nobody. Well, LaShawn McCoy obviously will be fine. He might lead the team in receptions. Yeah, I don't start Jones, Thompson, or Matthews. And I don't. Thompson even after the big game? No, because Thompson, look, Jordan Matthews is working himself back into the fold. By the way, Zay Jones catching something like 20% of his targets is. He's been so. For what he showed in college and what he showed at the Combine, I think he's been my biggest, like, rookie disappointment.

I thought he could, I mean, he had every opportunity line up his way, and he has not gotten it done. I think Jordan Matthews is the guy that I'm not starting, but I'm keeping an eye on. If he has a good week, I'm buying in, because I think he's an excellent wide receiver in general, and I think they need him. Mr. Very necessary right now, Nicolieri, the tight end.

is that position is just so heavily utilized. He remains very necessary. And I believe you can start him in a, you know, if you're streaming the tight-in position and you don't have an option you love, Nick O'Leary is on virtually every waiver. And I think you can pick him up and plug him in.

Last week was a bit of a disaster for our next quarterback, Andy Dalton. The Colts travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals, and the Bengals are heavy favorites in this game. Ten and a half point favorites, you know, you have to expect that after the Colts got shut out last week. Their defense is giving up 27 points a game. That's worst in the league. And the storyline for me, and we're going to talk about them in a little bit.

I love Joe Mixing in this game. I think it's a really important game for Joe Mixen. The Colts defense is giving up 1.4 rushing touchdowns per game. We'll talk more about the projections there. But are you comfortable starting Andy Dalton? Are you comfortable starting Tyler Croft? Are you comfortable starting anybody outside of AJ Green at the receiver position? I love the pretty much the entire Bengals offense in this match with the Coltser. It's just rough. And for a 10 and a half point favorite,

Like you said, this, let's say Joe Mixin, this is such a big week for him because the matchup is there. The coaches last week clearly made a mistake in the second half of not giving Joe Mixon touches when he was averaging like six yards of carry. He's like seven for 48. In the first half. Didn't get another carry second half? If Mixon, and Andy, not to take away from you, but I know you're confident in him.

But if it doesn't happen this week, where is your alarm going to be set at? I think if it doesn't happen this week, what you do as a fantasy owner is adjust what you're expecting to get from him. He becomes a rotational matchup flex play instead of somebody that you're looking for. Because what I'm looking for with Joe Mixon is, especially with a rookie, getting the touches he's getting.

And with the matchups, it's not just this week, right? He's got Jacksonville. They're not a great run D. After that, he's got Tennessee. They haven't been able to stop anybody on the ground. So you have a run, you know, three games here. If he doesn't do it against Indianapolis, all of a sudden I go into next week, week nine, and I'm not looking at him as an RB2 that I can start. I'm not looking at them in week 10 as an RB2 that I can start. I'm adjusting my expectation. Maybe I'm adjusting the way I approach trading for running backs.

for the home stretch. So this is an important game for Joe Mixen. Last week, he complained about touches. Marvin Lewis wasn't really happy about that. You know, he says he needs to show maturity regarding those things. You need to be a better coach. Yeah, that's not something he can say back to him, unfortunately, regardless of it being the truth. So you bring up a good point. We have our starts of the week on the show today, and I'll...

Joe Mixon is my start of the week. So I'm going to invest in him against this run defense as 26 in the league. A past defense is 31st. And a game script that should really accentuate Mixon's opportunities in the second half as opposed to last week when he, you know, it was a mistake by the Bengals, but they were also trailing in that game. They barely touched the ball. The time of possession was messed up. Yeah, the thing that happened.

if you remember the game against Pittsburgh last week, is that once they were down, Pittsburgh could pin their ears back and go after the quarterback. And Cincinnati didn't want to run the clock because they were down multiple scores. So they had to put it in Andy Dalton's hand in obvious passing situations. And every time the ball was snapped, Pittsburgh was in the backfield all up in Andy Dalton's grill. That's not going to happen.

against the Indianapolis Colts. That's why Vegas has them as 10 and a half point favorites at home. I love Joe Mixin this week. My only worded with Joe Mixin is Jeremy Hill. Is it going to be one of those games where they just get him to involve? But it's now or never for Mixin, so I really like him. And I agree with you, Mike. I like every single bengal in this game to the point where...

I think if you're on one of those bypocalypse and you're looking waiver wire options, Brandon LaFell is a guy that you could throw out in a matchup and end up with, you know, 70 yards and a touchdown in a plus matchup. But you're starting AJ Green. I like Tyler Croft. I like Andy Tolm. I like Joe Mixing. So let's fire him up. So let's talk about the Colts side. Jack Doyle has been. Don't make me do it. Jack Doyle has been.

You know, reliable 44 yards last week against Jacksonville, 50 the week before against Tennessee with a touchdown. Mike, who was that again? Did I say, oh, baby hands, Jack Doyle. Oh, okay. Thank you. Were you confused on who it was until he clarified? Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's not just Jack Doyle's baby hands, Jack Doyle. You're talking very positively about the player. Well, I didn't. Hey, he was my start of the week at the tight-in position last week. And the targets are going to be there again. I mean, this is you, you gave up 10 sacks.

Indianapolis gave up 10 sacks last week. Now you give Jacobi Brissette almost assuredly a deficit. He's going to have to dump that ball off to baby hands. All right. Frank Gore. It's not a good matchup. Marlon Mack. Are you playing either of the running backs? I'm going to go so far as to say I will not play a Colt.

Including Jack Doyle. What? I think Cincinnati is a very good defense. I think they are, you know, a top six defense. They're third against the past. In the league right now. And so when the Indianapolis Colts on the road have to get into their obvious.

passing situations. You know, you're hoping for Jacoby Brissette to have value running the ball in fantasy. That could happen, and he could be all right, but they're good against the tight end, and that's their best option. I want to stay away. I can't trust Frank Gore. I can't trust Marlon Mack. You know, not even just a matchup. You can't trust who's going to get the ball, let alone in a bad matchup on the road. I'm not touching a colt. Don't touch a cult.

Don't do it. Chargers at the Patriots. I've been very interested in the narrative of this game. The Patriots are 7-point favorites at home. I get that. It's a 48.5 point over-under. I get that. It seems like the narrative, and look, if you go look at consensus rankings everywhere, Tom Brady's the number one quarterback on the week. He's at home. He's got the Chargers. Am I missing something? The Chargers last week dominant on defense. Yes, they were playing a, you know,

Denver who struggled a little bit. Why is it that people think Tom Brady is going to completely butter knife through this defense that's fifth against the past this year that has shown an ability to get to the quarterback? Do you guys buy into that narrative? Do you think this is going to be an absolute number one quarterback week for Tom Brady or is there a trap built in there where he may be good, not great? I think there could be a trap built in, but it's Tom Brady at home.

And that's against a team that can score on him. Sure. Which helps. Yeah, it's, yeah, it definitely helps. Well, I mean, we thought the Ravens were going to be able to score on them as well. The Falcons. Yeah, the Falcons. It's a bird, whatever. Yeah. It's a bird. Let's just refer to all those teams as the birds. Another bird of birds. Yeah. But that's the whole thing. It's just it's Tom Brady at home. And how don't, with the way that Tom Brady is playing right now.

How do you, how do you, do you really feel comfortable moving him out of your top three? No, I don't. No, I mean, you're not benching him if you have. No, no, certainly. That's not, that's not good discussion. Look, my gut tells me he's outside the top five this week. Sure. I mean, if you look at the last month for Tom Brady, he's been, Tom Brady, been getting the job done. But for fantasy purposes, in a six point per touchdown league, you know, his last four weeks, 27, 17, 22.

24. Those are not quarterback number one numbers. You know, the weekly top three quarterbacks are usually pushing over that 30 number. And so in six point leagues. And so I agree with you, Andy. This isn't a great matchup for him. And he hasn't been at that number one position, even though he has still been great. I mean, last week.