Fantasy Football Podcast 2015 - Week 17 Matchups, Starts of the Week, News

I would say that I'd like him. I don't know why he wouldn't have been my street. So you're on the side where the Chiefs take care of business in this game. You're starting. Kelsey, he's my start of the week. So the last person that's worth talking about in this game, the Chiefs are 12th against the run. Latavius Murray was coming off one of his better games, but he took advantage of a San Diego defense that has been known to give it up to the run. Murray, I think, has an okay baseline. Yeah, Murray's a guy that you have to start. You have to adjust your expectations this week.

He's a starting running back who's still alive in week 17 and can get a very high workload. So I'm still going to start him. All right. The Chargers head to Denver to take on the Broncos. Guys, give me some perspective on the fantasy implications of this game. You have Rivers, obviously, Woodhead, who he was okay last week. Really no other pass catchers. Gates has fallen out of favor with fantasy owners. I know that. So from the San Diego side, start there.

So I'll start with Woodhead, and I think Woodhead was actually good last week. For some reason, not known to us, the Chargers were forcing Donald Brown into the game, similar to what they were doing with Melvin Gordon, of, we got to get this guy going. We got to get Donald Brown going for some reason. Well, the reason is you're not going to give...

Danny Wood had the ball between the tackles 15 times. That's just decided it's not going to happen. I completely agree with that. You should in week 17. I mean, they won't. But I'm just saying. If I was the coach, I would. I got to look up this Donald Brown. Why would you do that? Because he is your best ball carrier through the tackles. He's better than Donald Brown. And he's better on the field. He's better in pass protection. He confuses the defense. You don't know whether you're passing or running if you're using the same guy. If I'm the coach, I do it. All that being said, they're not going to do it.

But they did in the fourth quarter, you saw, I think he had over 90 yards in the fourth quarter, right? Through the area. I don't recall. I know that Woodhead was barely into the game until the fourth quarter, and then they started having success. Here's Donald Brown's stat line carrying the ball last week. 14 carries. That's good, you know. At 14, he's got to be running well. 17 yards.

He looked bad every time he touched the ball. I remember texting you guys like, why is Donald Brown in the game? What are you doing? Every time I see Donald Brown's stat lines, I think about how much he must appreciate Trent Richardson. Trent Richardson got him so much money because he compared, held up against Trent Richardson, who was not an NFL running back, we just didn't know it yet. He looked great. Yeah, because everyone's watching going, wow. He is so fast. Trent Richardson's good, and this guy is even better. Donald Brown. Other side of the ball, Brock Osweiler, you've got

you know, Anderson who's running very well at this time of the year, but limited carries. Hillman got more work. Anderson was by far more efficient, including a big touchdown run last week. Demaris Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders. Those guys were on and off the field a little bit last week, banged up. Saw Norwood catch some passes. And then you've got the tight-in situation there where, by the way, Vernon Davis saw like five snaps. Yeah, that's not been working out for them. For Detroit, Sanders, Thomas, start him every week.

Of the running backs, I prefer CJ Anderson this week. And I honestly think that Anderson can be an okay play this week. The Chargers are bad run defense. They have been bad all year long. So Anderson's fine play this week. The thing that I wanted to flip back to real quick on Antonio Gates, is this Antonio Gates last game? No. You think he comes back? I think he comes back. I do this well.

But you've seen an offense that since they lost Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson, his involvement, you know, they can take him out of the game, basically. They can take Gates out of the game because he's not going to separate. And I've seen this before, you know, they'll throw a couple guys jam him at the line. He's not a goal line threat. And then all of a sudden you've lost Antonio Gates's value. I am personally, I'm fine rolling Gates this week. He definitely pooped in his big boy pants last week, but that was coming off of three.

games in a row with six receptions. Are the Chiefs still number one against tight ins? The Chiefs? Yeah, they were number one against tight ins for a very long period of time. Oh, for fantasy scoring? Fantasy-wise. Yes, I believe that's correct. So, I mean, obviously, not a... No, they're not. They've given up a lot now, so... The Chiefs have? Lately? Well, hold on a second. The Chiefs are... I didn't mean the Chiefs.

You did mean the Chiefs, not the Broncos. Yeah, I meant the Chiefs when I said the number one. I don't know why I said the Chiefs, though. It's the Broncos that they're obviously playing, and the Broncos aren't that good. I had Chiefs still in my head. My apologies. Yeah, that makes sense. The Chiefs are still very good, but I believe you were looking up probably the Broncos. The Chief's defense is so good. And the Broncos... They're playing in two games. Who was the guy that played in all the games last week? Remember in the beginning of the year he played in every game? Was it Hearns? No. Oh, who was that?

Every team you give them. Eddie Royal? I don't remember who it was. But my apologies. I was Devin Funchis. Yeah, I was Devin Funches. And I got us off track there. I apologize. I was looking up the wrong team. So the Broncos are 19th against the tight-in. So I'm fine with what you said. So Gates, we like him this week? I like him. I would play him over read. Yes, I would play him over read this week. All right, let's talk about the Seahawks and the Cardinals.

Another important game. Cardinals, if they can get this win, and the Panthers somehow lose to Tampa, they'll take home field advantage. Bruce Ariens has already said they're coming out, they're playing all their players. It's another game. Treating game 17 like game one, I think is what he said. So, now Michael Floyd has a knee problem, sat out practice. We don't know much about it. He's still expected to play and start. That worries me just a little because, you know, I hadn't heard anything about that. And then we see that happening. It gives me a slight, you know, whenever I see.

an injury or a missed practice. I think he might sit because of that. Yeah, that would be great. That's what I think will happen. And even if he doesn't, whenever I see an injury or a mispractice for any of the Cardinals' receivers, what that does to me is it shifts my, like it gives me a bump up to the other guys, and I just think they'll be more involved because we've really seen that play out this year. Whoever the...

injured guy is or whoever's mispractice doesn't perform as well this week and they kind of game plan more to the other guys. I would bump Fitz and John Brown up in this game. I completely agree with you. They're not going to take chances with a guy as valuable as Floyd. That offense with Floyd working, playing at max capacity is important. Yeah. So I would agree with you completely there. So let's say Floyd does play though. Then how would you, how are you ordering the receivers?

I would order them John Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd. That is my identical rank. So you're taking this injury. For me, I'm taking it. It's just like a day off. Okay. And it could be. But the truth is, is that with these three receivers, you could order them in any three, you could say Michael Floyd, Fitz, John Brown, or any direction. Sure. And you have no idea what's right. That's where I try to let the news kind of dictate the order.

Give at least some kind of a hint. Yeah, the wind blows in one different direction a little bit, and that's the best guess that you have. So right now, we don't really know enough about his status to really say one way or the other whether he'll go, but you need to pay attention to it. Yeah, we're not going to be on the air tomorrow with a new show as it's New Year's, but the practice reports are available. If he is, you know, if he misses practice again, then it's not a day off. It's not a day of rest. It's a serious problem. Yeah, and it is listed as an injury.

So we'll see what happens. All right, let's stare into the fire. I'm starting David Johnson. Yeah, I'm starting David Johnson too. He's too involved in the passing game to sit him down. Stare into the fires. Doug Baldwin. What do you think about Enfuego himself, Doug Baldwin, this week? I play him. Yep. I don't see how you sit a guy that has been...

as good as Doug Baldwin, even in a good matchup or a bad matchup against Adrian Peterson. Are you expecting a big game? Absolutely not. But I expect him to get one touchdown. That's kind of how I do it. What I thought you were going to ask me is whether I thought Peterson would shadow him or something, and that's not going to happen with the way Baldwin plays. Peterson will not shadow him? I don't think Peterson will not shadow him the whole game. No. And what? Why? Because Baldwin moves around into the slot. I don't think Peterson's going to follow him everywhere. He's just...

A smaller guy, he's not a normal prolific, number one outside type receiver. I just think he'll be on him some, and he will not be on him some. So, could be wrong. So Russell Wilson, how much has he ticked down in this game with the Cardinals at home, Cardinals defense? I took him down a good bit. Do you expect the pass rush to get to him like the Rams did last week?

It's, it sure seems so. We sacked Aaron Rogers at home nine times last week, and now you've got Russell Wilson. The Cardinals did? Yeah, the Cardinals did. Sorry. A little homerism there. But that is part of why Russell Wilson was my sit of the week. Going to try to get a successful sit of the week on Russell Wilson. You know, there's other options out there that I would stream overplay the guy. Like Brian Hoyer or Russell Wilson?

That's a really good question. If I were to have to make that decision between those two players alone, I would play Brian Hoyer. I really would. I know that. So then Eli Manning or Russell Wilson? Would be Eli for sure. All right. So let me give you a couple other Russell Wilson. Will you play Matt Stafford over him? No, I don't.

The Chicago defense has a pretty good pass defense on the year. Did you just say Sam Bradford? No. No. You did. Would you play Bradford over him? I would not play Bradford over him because of the coaching change. We just don't know what is going to happen. Don't know if they're going to come out and try to be a running team. It's just a question. Ryan Fitzpatrick?

I would play Fitzmagic over Russell Wilson. I mean, I've got Russell Wilson still as a quarterback. I've got him as a quarterback one, but he's a lower end, and I just think there are other guys in your championship week that you probably have on your roster that are good. These examples here, you probably have a Fitzpatrick type of player or an Eli Manning on the team with Russell Wilson, and I would shift over there. The biggest question to me, if you're looking at do I start Russell Wilson,

What do you believe their offensive line is? If Seattle's offensive line is back to being very porous and not a strength of their team combined with Arizona the way that they looked last week. So this is ultimate recency bias for me. They can't run the ball. You know, Seattle can't run the ball right now. They don't have options to run the ball, so it's one-dimensional. So if that's what you're buying into,

then Russell Wilson is in trouble this week. Okay. Yeah, I see what you're saying. And the fact that they can't run the ball hurts their offensive lines. We know Lynch is out this week. Yep. All right, the Vikings take on the Packers and the, this is the Sunday night game, I believe. The Sunday night game for the NFC North Division. What do you do as a fantasy owner of Aaron Rogers right now? Because the teams that won championships last week with Aaron Rogers did it in spite, not because of him, obviously.

has weapons that are not dependable. He's got a running game that's not dependable. But he's still Aaron Rogers. And every once in a while, Aaron Rogers can drop five touchdowns on a defense. I don't think it's going to be the Vikings. Yeah, he dropped 212 yards and two touchdowns on them last time. But here, starting in reverse order, so from week 16 county back, here's his touchdowns through the air. One, one, two.

Two, one, two, two. That's not the fantasy output you want. So does he get two this week? Probably. Okay. At home. I'll give me an example of how I feel about him. I have Russell Wilson one spot ahead of Aaron Rogers. So Russell Wilson or Aaron Rogers? I would start.

Russell Wilson. Okay. I'm just making sure you're confident in that. That's how I see it. Well, Russell Wilson represents, especially if they don't have a running game. Cardinals can't get to the edge very well. He can run the ball. Sure. Give you a baseline that's... He could very easily, even in a bad performance, get 60 yards on the ground from scrambles. I would rather play him than Roger. That's a touchdown, you know, just with his legs on the ground. And it's coincidental these games are back to back here in our kind of analysis because same problem. Russell Wilson?

And Aaron Rogers, offensive line can't protect them right now. And so, at least in recently, like you said, Seattle's been playing well, but they had some opponents without pass rushes. And now the Packers take on a Vikings team that is, I think they're locked and loaded to, you know, the Packers are favored. Now, is this game for the division. And I'm going to take the Vikings to win the game. Ooh. And this is at Lambo, right? Yes. Three point favorites, 45 and a half.