Fantasy Football - Footie Award Nominees + Week 18 Recap, Super Bowl Picks! - Podcast for 1/6

to the fantasy footballers podcast with your host Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright. Oh, welcome in. Tuesday, January 6th, 2026. Welcome in to the fantasy footballers podcast. Mike Wright. Offseason edition. Jason Moore. Yeah, this is our first technically offseason episode. And we're back. We've got NFL playoffs on the horizon. But your fantasy season is done. It's over. Even you week 18ers out there, you weirdos. But that was a good time. Weirdos. That was a blast, wasn't it? No, it was, you know, it was funny because going into the week, it felt like. Riley Leonard. Early on, it was like, you know what, this year doesn't have too many bad hiccups. And then it was just like everyone right down to the stretch was just like, yeah, we're not going to play him.

Yeah, he's going to play a little bit of the game. It's just so dumb. You, like, you know, you shouldn't play week 18 championships. I know we joke about it and we're like, ah, you weirdos and what, but like, don't do it. But we mean it. Don't do it. Don't do it. It takes away from something so majestic, so much work and energy and effort and brainpower and fun. Well, the product actually isn't very good. No, not at all. Like. for NFL fans, independent of fantasy. Most of those games were bad. I mean, you did have an incredible amazing. Oh, man. Steelers, Ravens game for the ages. Lamar Jackson. What a loser, am I right, guys? Can't win the bid. What a loser. I mean, it's wild, though. No Mahomes, no Burrow, no Lamar for the AFC this year. This is why you're saying Josh Allen, it's your time. It has to be. And now they have to go beat Jacksonville. But consider me worried. They do not beat.

I think they are favored. The bills. Yeah. I think the bills are favorite. You got to remember these playoffs, you guys both have Seattle going to your Super Bowl. We got our predictions and stuff like that. Let's just say the playoffs are too kicking as that situation was to tie the loop. Pressure packed. And I don't, I don't, you know, big, big players, the reason Mahomes has been so successful. It doesn't matter what the regular season looks like. He gets here and he does it. And I, if you can't do it now, Josh, you're going to look back with regrets. Yes. Because you're not going to have an off season or a playoffs like this again. What? I don't know. What was the, what's our website? Or not our website, Brooksies website. Myplayoff picks.com. So if you are, you know, just listening, you didn't see the tweet where we tweeted out, my playoff picks.com. It is a super duper doper,

to make a playoff bracket not for money or anything just to like make your picks yeah see how you think uh the playoffs are gonna go receipts for you so you don't make that mistake i know years ago we used to do it on paper and then be like wait this team can't play that's impossible um and what's funny is just a bracket maker so we all made our bracket we we do it around the office everyone makes theirs put it in a little thread and i made mine and i felt like i felt like some wild stuff i was like this is crazy and i felt like i was doing some wild stuff

And then afterwards, Mike scoots over and looks, and he had done his bracket earlier, 100% identical picks in every round, which is insane that two people can be on this show will get every single pick right. I know, right? Yeah, two. Do you guys have, just to summarize, I have the bills over the Rams and the Super Bowl. You two both had the Seahawks over. Jacksonville in the Super Bowl. Wild. So there you go. It's going to be fun. I mean, the truth of the matter is, is when you're looking at these matchups, other than the Rams Carolina game, which again, that could bust some brackets. I don't want to take away any hope from Carolina fans, but it's going to be tough. It's going to be tough. But you did backdoor your way into the playoffs. You did sub.

500 your way into the playoffs. You did have a negative 69 point differential, which is worse than the Giants. Yeah. I mean, they beat them. Carolina beat the Rams. They did. They did a month ago. But other than that one, you can kind of make an argument in almost every other game of how it can go either direction, right? I mean, you can see San Francisco winning. I can see Philadelphia winning. All the matchups in the first round to me feel like I want Buffalo to win. I could see them losing to Jacksonville in round one. It's going to be crazy.

Fortunately, we're in a much better mood thanks to some news that has come out. Oh, news and notes from around the league. Oh, man. The coaching carousel shall begin. We had the Browns firing Stafansky and the Raiders firing Pete Carroll and the Falcons letting go of Rahim Morris. And we felt left out. They were saying the media is like, no, no. Jonathan Gannon is safe. Gannon was going on radio stations. He's like, what? No, of course I'm not going to get fired. And then all the media people were like, well, Jonathan Gannon said he's not going to get fired. So I guess he should keep the job. Gannon showed up at 5 a.m. to the facilities just ready for a normal day waving to the cameras and just historically one of the worst. For the doors locked Jason because Jonathan Gannon was fired. I can wear this hat out. Get on out. I was so close. Get on out.

I was so close to truly abandoning fanhood. I get out. Get the number three pick. Got no blobfish. You get. Get out here. You don't come back. You get it. It's always a weird thing because you are, you're celebrating. This is a human. This is a man. Did it seem like we're celebrating? Yeah, because we are. Okay. I'm just saying like I get it. It's, it. Yeah! John Gannon! Go! John Gannon! Get on out! Is... Move on! It's a man. He's a human being, and he gets fired. Like, that's... Yeah, that's a bummer. He is paid so, so much cash, and... Well, not anymore, right? Not like next year and the next year. Yeah, no, no. Oh, no, he does. He'll still be paying millions and millions of dollars. And how many...

Like, how many careers got ruined by Jonathan Gannon? I mean, like, I'm dead serious. Do you mean other coaches or players? I mean all of it. Like anyone in that coaching staff now has, this is on, this is their resume. Is this, that cardinal season? Those players are trying to go out and put stuff on tape and they're getting put in bad positions because the coaches stink and they don't know what they're doing. Just saying it. Well, I get it. I think Josh Sweets, a pro bowler, if it wasn't for Jonathan Gannon's team, going three and 14. It can feel anti-just caring humanity to celebrate a person being removed from their job. But he had to go. He had to go, man. And they were telling us it wasn't going to happen. Yeah, I mean, this is. Yeah. Get on out of here. All right, that's it.

Do you think... Results-based job. Yes. The Raiders fans, they've got to be happy that Pete Carrolls out. That one was on the wall. I wonder if the Falcons fans are happy. Rahim Morris is gone. Yeah, you think so? I think that is, unfortunately, a move you had to make. And the one that I'm the most confused about from a fandom perspective, obviously a terrible season for the Browns, but they let Kevin Stefansky go, who is... I think it's like two of the last four years of the coach of the year. He's clearly not a bad coach. Yeah, I mean, again, it shows how quick things can change. The last two years, they're basement dwellers in the division, and that was enough. So now you have Giants, Titans, Raiders, Browns, Falcons Cardinals so far looking for new head coaches. Bengals are bringing back Zach Taylor. Colts are going to keep Shane Steichen despite the fact that they went from 8 and 2 to 8 and 9.

I mean, I don't blame them on that one. The fact that they were eight and two and number one in the NFL when they had their quarterback shows that he had the team doing good stuff and then obviously dealt with losing your quarterback and lost games. And the Giants maintaining their general manager despite the fact Daebel got fired mid-season. and there's going to be some names out there. Despite the fact that Dayball is the reason they drafted the quarterback and not the GM. It was like Dayball's guy and then he was right. And it's like, that one is wild. We had some injuries in week 18. Cam Ward left with the grade three right shoulder AC joint injury. Brock Purdy suffered a stinger late in the game. He's going to be okay. And then Devante Adams were supposed to get him back.

When you look at what happened with the Rams, and thank goodness the Cardinals lost to the Rams. Cardinals have the number three pick in the draft now. Thank you, Browns, in a big way for that. That victory was huge. But you got to remember, Matthew Stafford, the push for MVP, it didn't have, he didn't have Devante Adams in the last handful of weeks. Probably going to be the difference, I think. Saturday we have the Rams, Panthers, Packers, Bears. Oh, boy. That Packers Bears game is going to be unbelievable. The last victory for the Packers was the Chicago Bears. And the last victory. No, no, no, no, the last team that the Packers beat was the Bears. And the last team that the Bears beat was the Packers. Really? Yes. Wait, what? I know, it feels impossible. Because the Bears have lost two straight, right? Someone needs to vet this. I know, vet it is. I think you made it out. Week 14. Makes no sense. Week 14, the Packers beat.

Chicago. There you go. And then it was four straight losses. Oh, then this is right. And then Caleb Williams. Let's see. Yeah, they had the, they had to come back win. Week 16, they beat the Packers and then they lost two games. So there you go. It seems impossible. NFL rules. The NFL, it just gives us so much of this. I mean, the Steelers Ravens game was so exciting from every moment. I mean, man, it, it. really stinks that it was going to come down to either Boswell being, you know, ridiculed or loop being ridiculed. The game is so much more than those moments. I think Harbaugh not running the football and gaining as many yards as you can to make that kick more manageable was ridiculous. Absolutely nonsense to not do that. But I did rewatch the kick, and he could have been at the goal line. It was so bad. He missed it. Yeah, but maybe his approach is different. Confidence.

39-yard field goal. Maybe that feels better in your head. If you're three yards forward, you kick a lot. I mean, I completely agree that it was wild to not only, I mean, you took like a two-yard lost on Lamar's kneel down there. Shout out to Aaron Rogers. Played amazingly at the end of that game. Also had a look on his face like he knew he was going to lose. Oh, yeah. And the relief. His face through the entirety of the end. Like the celebration was the of a man who was like, oh. I can't believe we won that game. All the faces. Did you see Derek Henry's? People want your reaction to your incorrect prediction about Aaron Rogers. That's the most thing I saw on Twitter. Now, now I'm, now I'm just rooting for them to win the Super Bowl because I just want chaos. Yeah, because you had, I mean, it looked like we were one kick from then finally missing the playoffs. He's wrong. What's the crew out there? It's, uh, Austin. Yeah, Calvin Austin. Adam Thielen MVS. And MVS. Hey, they'll get Metcalf back.

Oh, yeah, they will. That was, Mike Caff. That's as close as you can get to really screwing your team without screwing your team. With those three wide receivers. Yeah, it's true. And he made some big throws. Shout out to Rogers getting it closed out and then no Lamar for the playoffs. It's crazy. But I brought that up again because the Packers Bears, it feels the same. I mean, that's that kind of rivalry. And we'll either, we have two people in this office, the studio. They're going to come up with some kind of a bet. I mean, Al Borland is the biggest Packers fan I know. And Jake, baby Jake, the biggest Bears fan I know. I don't know if these guys can, I mean, Saturday game. Maybe you can come to work on Monday, hopefully. After the game, those two get in a ring, but one of them gets a sword.

and it's based on whoever wins. I was just going to go. The winner gets a sword or the loser gets? No, the winner would get the sword. I'm going a good old fashioned. It just seems like murder. A pinky toe? Yeah, yeah. Oh, just remember you, the losers is the pinky toe. Yeah, that seems fine. I mean, okay. That's cleaner. Are you in messy? I'm in. Okay. That just leaves baby Jake who. Now, do you both? You have both of your pinky toes? Do you genuinely? No, I lost one in a previous packer bet. That's why I'm in. So, oh.

Owl, you're the only one here. Do you genuinely believe your Packers will win? Yes, I do. You do. Okay. That's not fandom you think you're going to win. You can look at my bracket. I took the Packers and this one, but not win the Super Bowl. Oh, okay. All right. You took them, you tried to win the, actually tried to do the bracket right. I tried to. Oh my gosh. If I had my, if the Cardinals are past, they would always be. Yeah, exactly. Sunday games, Buffalo Jacksonville, Buffalo one and a half point road favorites. Um, That'll be a wild game. Jacksonville playing so well. What was it? Trevor Lawrence at 38 touchdowns. That's the record for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The turnaround in the offense halfway through the year. You know who it doesn't involve at all? Brian Thomas Jr. Brian Thomas Jr. He was irrelevant in this game that they dominated. Parker Washington. Parker, Washington. It actually gives me a little bit of this is what I just think Brian Thomas is going to go somewhere else. I just.

if you're playing, if you really have a plan to have him third or fourth in the depth chart, if it's going to be Jacoby on the contract and Parker, Washington, and then obviously Travis Hunter is going to be a big part because you invested everything to get him with this regime. And Britain Strange, you, it's not congruent. You can probably get more for your team than the value out of trading him to someone else and getting a draft pick. And I don't know all the, I know he's on a rookie contract and I know that that's advantageous, but again, Rookie contractor not, if there's going to be a problem in the locker room, which, look, if I'm Brian Thomas, I got a problem. That's the truth. I've got a problem being the fifth target in an offense. I don't know. I would have a major problem, and I'd want to go somewhere else, which is why it was rumored at the deadline. Yeah, it's just really tough to have a major problem while your team is dominating, winning every game. And, I mean, they could go on. Both Mike and I, shockingly, have the Jaguars in the Super Bowl.

I don't think you have a problem. Like if you're the wider shooter four. You ever seen AJ Brown have a problem with winning? Yeah. Yeah. It happens all the time. Yeah. I just, I don't think that that's a given for all people to be upset, not getting enough while. Like if you're losing games and not getting enough. Bro. He's got one chance starting a contract. If he's getting one catch a game, two catches a game, you're going to hear from BTJ. I just, I think it's already happened a little bit in that locker room. San Francisco. Philadelphia. Oh my. You know, things get real when the playoffs hit. Yeah. It's like all this, all these games, all this lead up, and then all of a sudden one of these teams is just going home. That's a real pickum style game. Right now the Eagles are favored four and a half because they're at home, but it's the 49ers defense or lack thereof. I think that is the worry. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, who did you guys take in that game? I took Philly. I took the Eagles. Yeah, I mean, it was the, you know, we had the.

the San Francisco Seattle game where it was like the off the elite offense because that's what San Francisco is versus the team that has a good offense and an elite defense and that one went to Seattle yeah you were dead on like round one that game the Chargers at New England New England three and a half point home favorites I did take New England in that one yeah I got New England too and then Monday night Pittsburgh I believe they have not lost a Monday night football game at home Since 1991. 23 straight games. They are on a wild card four in a row loss. And they are the underdogs because the Texans are favored by three on the road. Well, look, it's hard, Mike. You just mentioned the offensive weapons for Pittsburgh. You're leading the way with Kenny Gainwell, no disrespect, but. No game well is good. Gainwell and Metcalfe, but against Houston? I know. There was no pass rush from Buffalo.

Or sorry, from Baltimore. Right. There will be a major problem with a pass rush from Houston. Yeah. But I took Pittsburgh. I don't know why. That was very, it was a very tough one. Them being at home made it difficult. I believe I went. I agree. Texans. Yeah, we took the Texans because it's the correct pick for our perfect bracket. But that one was the like, I could see Pittsburgh just in a nasty, disgusting. To me, the toughest one was the Patriots Chargers. That one, the Patriots haven't really beat some of the great teams. The week off for the Chargers, I think was a real smart move. That's going to be tough. We are going to take a break in a moment. This show is about the footies. The Footie Award nominees are coming up after we briefly talked through some of these week 18 stud performances, maybe framing a little bit of how we view these players for.

26 and the upcoming season. It's easy to tune out a little bit in week 18, but this puts an end to the season for a lot of these guys. And then we'll come back and give you the entire footy nominees. We need you voting at footy awards.com. We'll announce the nominees momentarily. This week's fantasy stud muffins. Well, nothing says week 18 like Mitch Trubisky leading the way at quarterback. So Trubitsky. Stafford. But wait, Trubisky didn't start. No. Josh Allen started that game. Yeah, you got that one right, Jay. If Josh Allen's going to come out here and what was it, Ripkin it? Yeah, one snap. Just, I started. I mean, that just kind of sucks. Yes. I don't feel like that makes it, like no one will remember it because they'll look at the years later. They'll just be like he started this many games in a row. And I think that's fine. Like, to me, he wasn't injured.

Right. It wasn't, yeah, it wasn't like they put him out there limping and then came off the field. Yeah, he just, they didn't want to break that streak. I know in the past, uh, Eli Manning had a chance to do that and he, he chose not to, you know, he's like, well, he was forcibly, yeah, sat down. Remember they did they broke his streak and then they like went right back to him. Mitch Rabisky, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Tyler Shuck. Yeah, you remember right now. Yeah, they host. I think before that they, yeah, but yes, they did. And then. And then they went back to him. It's like, all right, you can start again. Streaks over. Stafford Lawrence, Shuck, Burrow. The Trevor Lawrence stuff is so exciting. Have to, I mean, imagine it will continue next year. But perhaps this was just like the magic season. That'll be something to watch. And Tyler Shuck, man, he had, he's what, the QB4 on the week. He had another passing touchdown called back on.

I thought it was a pretty weak OPI. I thought the player was fine. For who? For Shuck. Shuck had a, and then they had to settle for a field goal on that drive. And no Alave hurt him this week. Yeah, but it's like, dude, Tyler Shuck is going to be fascinating next year. His nine starts, he's on pace for 4,200 passing yards as a rookie, throwing for what was, 69% completion percentage as a rookie. That's... That's very, very nice. And then he still adds some on the ground. And I don't think that people will be like, man, like, Shuck won't be the QB 7 or 8. I don't think. Maybe, maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He'll be more like kind of what. Probably a later. This year's Drake May was. Right. Where he was one of those targetable double digit close to it round type of player. It will be on watch for the Saints because if they add.

A weapon? I mean, that would, I don't know. I'm very, very intrigued moving forward for Shuck. I'm looking at this Trevor Lawrence season to try to, you know, I expected to go looking at fantasy finishes before the buy, right? And it was not good. 23, 13, 28, 28, 28, 7, 13, 14. I'm like, oh, okay, well, what's his pace there? 3,922. Not that great. Pretty normal Trevor Lawrence type of year, really. Yeah, that will not get it done. So then I'm like expecting the split to be wildly different in the second half after the buy week because he had a bunch of great fantasy finishes. They're not that different. I mean, 4,000. It's just touchdowns. Yeah. It's just touchdowns. The touchdowns, he went, he started going crazy basically from week 10 on. He was basically on 38 touchdown pace. What about rushing touchdowns? Yeah. Because he, he had, so here's a neat stat, quarterbacks with 4,000 passing yards.

29 passing touchdowns and nine or more rushing touchdowns in the same season. It's 2023 Josh Allen and 2025 Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, and to be clear, that 38 touchdowns is total, right? So he broke the record for the team at quarterback because of the nine plus the 29. He broke Blake Bordles. That's a good one to break. You don't want to be a franchise. War records are all set by Blake Bordell. I mean, same team and everything. That's the, like, going into next year, being willing to put your chips all in on Trevor Lawrence. Because what we, second half of this year, if that's what the guy you get, I mean, that's, that's the top three quarterback. You drafted 101. And, but Bortles did it. Well, and then when it's the volatility of the pocket passer. And if he brings nine rushing touchdowns, it changes the equation. That's for sure.

But yeah, it's going to be a bet on something that we haven't seen over sustained amount of years. And I bet part of the momentum is going to be what this playoffs looks like. Are they one and done? Might be. They're favored to be. I mean, they're underdogs, right? So could be one and done or they could be like your two brackets and be in the, you know, if he's a Super Bowl quarterback, all of a sudden he's drafted very high. It is really funny. Looking at my bracket, it's like I took Jacksonville over the bills and Jacksonville making it all the way to the Super Bowl.

But that Jacksonville Bill's game is the real test for them. And if the bills win, I think I would take the bills all the way to the Super Bowl. So that game will be incredibly important. Another funny performance from this week. Riley Leonard. Oh, yeah. Dude, I was loving it. Oh, man. When he had that bomb, like this one, well, the first wide open bomb down the sideline little rainbow ball that. Philip Rivers couldn't dream of throwing in today's day. Yes, that ball was in. It was just like, oh, man, maybe they should have given Riley Leonard a chance. That might have been the right move. 270 and 2. Lamar Jackson. At one point in this game, it was like 5 for 60 or something in the third quarter, ends up with the three touchdowns, two bombs to Zayflowers. Jackson Dart, they managed to defeat Dallas, which removed them from the number one pick.

Because the Raiders won, which means they would have had the number one pick had they lost. I know it's hard to convince a team to lose, but they rope-a-doped. Like, Dallas, things got better for Dallas with Jackson Dart not having a top, whatever, top two pick. Remandre Stevenson led the way for the running backs. He was unstoppable. Seven carries and three touchdowns total. Seven carries for 131 and two. And still two touchdowns for Trayvion. And Romandre had a receiving touchdown. That's five touchdowns between the two. Yeah. It was wild. I mean, they just, it was very easy for the Patriots. Unbelievable. Ray Davis, Tyrone Tracy, Jamir Gibbs, and Ty Johnson. So two. Two bills. Two bills backup running backs. Foof. Getting it done. Kenny Gainwell got into the end zone again. Caught nine, or sorry, nine targets for eight catches and 64 yards.

I thought both running backs at times looked really good in the San Francisco game. But Zach Charbonnet, I thought, looked better. 17 for 74 and a touchdown. You know, everything about those two guys, it's just funny. It's like, Zach Charbonnet is a good running back. And he does some things really, really well. The one thing that keeps killing Kenneth Walker is his losing yards. I mean, he is just ridiculous when it comes to. trying to get to the edge and then losing three or four yards at a time at least. Charbonnet is kind of more north-south. It's wild. 12 rushing touchdowns for Zach Charboning. And yet the fewest amount of PPR points for a running back with that amount of touchdowns since 2010. Yeah, I mean, that's pretty much the only thing that he did. If you started him in fantasy, he was just like, oh, good, I got a touchdown. I got two touchdowns. Was the guy in the bearers Michael Bush?