Fantasy Football Podcast for Week 12/13

They hadn't given up a Russian touchdown this year. Yeah. And he went out two minutes into the second quarter with a concussion. So Mr. Latavis Murray, what's his outlook going forward? Mike Wright. He has not practiced. I think we can talk about him a little bit more in the waiver section because he's clearly. Is he? Okay. Oh, he's going to be a hot name. Sounds good. As of now, he has not practiced. Other big guys that I just wanted to cover real quick.

It's for people who need to pay attention. Zach Mettenberger, you probably don't have any interest in him, but the guy's putting up fantasy numbers. I think the key there for him, too, is he's in a wizzen hunt offense that cannot run. Never can. And they just are going to hurl the ball around because they're going to be losing. The last two weeks, he's over 250 yards with two touchdowns. So if you're struggling for a quarterback or you're streaming,

Look at Medberger. He might help you out. Just a quick. Rashad Jennings is back. Welcome back. He looked good. Yeah, he did. Yeah, I was watching that game. And I like this one very much. Yeah, I know you do. Kaka! It's only destiny that you end up with him somehow paying off. Isaiah Crowell. Oh. Finally gets his day in the sun and did he shine? Oh my goodness. When I saw that touchdown run, did you see...

Any of them? Oh yeah, I saw him both. So the one where he kind of cut back all the way across the field. I saw that play and all I kept thinking of myself was this. Ben Tate could not do that. Ben Tate could not do that. Not even close. Not even close. Crowell is also a favorite of the hitman. And I've been talking about him all season long. And finally the Browns wiseed up. They cut Ben Tate and they stopped this.

We don't even know who our running back is garbage, and they gave it to Crowell. It should be said that I drafted Ben Tate in our main league and was riding high after it seemed like he was going to be the Bell Cow. Kind of held on to him, hoping that what I was seeing was an illusion once Alex Mack went out. But I will say this. I cut Ben Tate off my fantasy team one hour before Minnesota, or I'm sorry, before Cleveland cut Ben Tate from the actual roster, which I thought was pretty funny.

You did. You were ahead of the curve on that one. Let's see. So, oh, he's already kind of blew up, but we got to talk about that back-up catch. Just touch on it. It was the best catch I've ever seen. It's the... And I hadn't even seen the still shot of his fingers. Have you seen that? Yeah, where he caught the ball with two fingers. Yeah, basically three. His, like, top three fingers, top two fingers. Yeah. He's got some good stick-em.

My goodness. I've seen great catches in probably more important situations, but as far as the guy's arm was being held with a complete blatant pass interference falling back. I mean, that was ridiculous. I think all the, like, to stay in bounds and do all of that was just incredible. He is so good, by the way. My favorite quote was someone.

I don't know where they were doing it, but they asked Randy Moss about it. And Randy Moss said, I don't have a single catch in my career that compares to that. Wow. So when you got... High praise. When you got Randy Moss talking about how good the catch is, you know it was a good catch. I try to think, like, I think the point people have made, obviously it wasn't the most important catch. There have been a lot more important catches. But I cannot think of anything that compares other than the David Tyree catch.

Yeah, that's kind of the one that people keep coming up with. And obviously that was more important. But from a pure athletic catch standpoint, I mean, this was just stupid. You have to add into the past interference into it, which you can't see if you just see the picture. Yeah, fighting it off, reaching across. Yeah, what a catch. ODB is playing like a beast. And the other guy to mention just had another good week. We'll talk about it more on the waiver wire claims as well. Jarvis Landry.

Yes. Wide receiver, rookie wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. Another one of the rookies kind of coming into his own towards the back half of the year. Like we already talked about, Odell Beckham. You've also got guys like Mike Evans. Yeah, Tana Hill's playing well. Tana Hill. Mike must remind me that we had a little Matt Ryan, Ryan Tana Hill bet, and I am losing, I'm the losing Ryan on that one. But, but just because you were gone doesn't mean our audience needs to forget.

A very important fact that you are getting watered. Yes. Because Kobe Fleener, my start of the week, had his greatest day as a... Yeah, from two weeks ago. We need to specify that. Had his greatest day as a pro during my start of the week. And we bet Dennis Allen versus Kobe Fleener, which Alan didn't even put up a fight because he got hurt. We have to specify...

It wasn't this past week when I played Kobe Fleener and he got me two and a half points. Screw you one, screw you twice? Yeah, all right, let's move on. Poop in his big boy pants. Oh, these two guys are here. I love talking about them. This is a curious case. They go out for ice cream together. Which... These two guys are best buddies. And what makes the situation even better is you are anti one of these guys and I am anti the other.

I'm very not pro the other. So, yeah. But you're right. Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford. Can we trust these guys moving into our fantasy playoffs? Good question. The answer is maybe. The answer is no on Matthew Stafford, in my opinion. Which is funny because I'm very anti-Jay Cutler. Trust is a tough word, though, this time of year with fantasy playoffs because here's the problem. Do I trust Jay Cutler or Matthew Stafford? No.

Do I trust Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford compared to Zach Mettenberger or Ryan Tannahill or some of those guys? It's more up in the air. I probably put Tannahill above both of them from a consistency standpoint. Yes. But to say that out loud is incredible considering where these guys have been. Cutler is doing exactly what I've always said he will do, which is look amazing fantasy-wise and look awful fantasy-wise the next day. So Cutler is a guy that, honestly, if you're...

If you've been riding him and you're in the playoffs because he hasn't buried you yet, I mean, what do you do? Yeah. I don't think you have an option to start somebody else. Because if you've been riding him, you're likely one of those, you're not a streamer. He has some okay matchups. Well, he's actually, I think the past six weeks, he's gone every other. Yep, he has. So three great games and three just probably killed. Now one thing to keep an eye on is.

I read that Marshall was limited again today. So if he's struggling again, who knows? I mean, that team is, that Tampa Bay game was an ugly game. Yeah. But would you start Cutler or Mettenberger? This week, let's see what, I'm trying to think what the matchup is. Cutler is playing the Lions. I know that. Yeah, and Mettenberger is playing. The Titans, Titans, where are the Titans? Texans. I would play Mettenberger. There you go.

because I think the Texas is that bad. And the other guy that you're very anti is Stafford. How many touchdowns has you thrown in the last two weeks? Zero. Zero touchdowns from the... It's just, how to... Is this all coaching? It's Stafford. I have a theory, which I don't necessarily have these backed up by numbers. I just have it backed up by my owning of Stafford, where Stafford in December is no go.

It's no good. He will let you down. He just, he can't finish strong. Pressure mixed with outdoors? Yeah. Some of those things. And he just, because his, it might be because his mechanics are so bad where he has such a strong arm that he thinks he can throw anything. And he gets away with things a lot. So he does, he's not going to change how he throws. But when you, when you combine those mechanics and then you.

actually get some bad weather. And if Calvin Johnson is not playing at an absolute optimal Megatron form, then Stafford's numbers are garbage. Yeah, I mean, what's happened in the last two weeks is proven exactly what I said two weeks ago, which is the Lions record was completely a product of easy opponents. Yeah, they're a good, goodish team. The Kansas City Chiefs. Yeah, they're not bad. Are you kidding me in the playoffs? Are they going to beat Green Bay? No. No. Not even close.

Andre Ellington, this is a problem. And I can tell you, we're both big Arizona guys. We watch Arizona all the time. I can tell you, I see this clear as day what his future looks like, and it's not bright. Because they cannot run the ball. He's below 10 yards, or I'm sorry, he's below 2 yards to carry a pass, I think, three games. And then the biggest thing I'm seeing is these timing routes where Carson Palmer got him the ball out of the backfield.

quickly so that he had fantasy production in the passing game. They're not there. Right. He had two routes this past weekend where Stanton missed him on basically what you'd call, you know, he just ran straight out of the backfield almost in a seam pattern, make a break. He just missed them. Yeah. Big gains that could have had them. So I'm worried about Allington because that offense cannot run the ball. The defenses can, uh, I feel like they can cheat up too. There's no one's, I,

I like Stanton. I think he's an adequate backup. Yeah, but you know you're picking your poison. Yeah, and he's a 50% completion guy. As long as you don't get beat by his, he'll take the chances and throw it over the top to Brown or Floyd, and if those don't beat you, then you're going to shut the offense down. Yeah, and I guess we say all this to say, Ellington, if he's your starter, he's your starter. He gets enough volume play time to where you're not benching him, but I'm concerned.

For sure. This week I'd play him. He's playing the Falcons. Yeah. And they stink. Famous last words. Yeah, Mark Ingram. Two fumbles. Two fumbles. Pierre Thomas is back. I don't believe Kyrie Robinson's coming back anytime soon. I'm actually not concerned about Mark King. You're not? No. Even though he's not been great the last couple games. I'm not really that concern. I feel like, I don't know, what you saw last night was a pretty ferocious Baltimore front.

front seven and I think what he's still running with the same gust though we've seen over the you know he had a touchdown he would have had a touchdown had he not fumble on the one I'm not that concerned I have still RB two three to me yeah I guess I can still play him there but I do have growing concerns that the old ingram is coming back uh Deshawn Jackson has been terrible the last two games I mean this is who is his quarterback

Is that what he's called now? Oh, Mr. Griffin. He can't throw the ball. Their passing offense is awful, and Gruden, I mean, Gruden's going crazy. He's going crazy. I just feel like he doesn't know what he's doing. If you can't adjust your scheme to the talents that you have around you, then you're just not a great coach. Not a good coach. Yeah, I'm with you on that. You've been making that point for a while. Sammy Watkins has...

Not that he has huge big boy pants, but he's put up three duds in a row. Do you have, are you still throwing him out there every week? No. And actually on the podcast, about three weeks ago, I said I wasn't a big Sammy Watkins fan. I think we had one of the start-sick questions. And the problem I have with Watkins is what you're seeing here, which is inconsistency from the quarterback position, a team that doesn't depend on his offense, as much of his defense. Super good talent. But coming off an injury and a rookie and a quarterback like that,

No thanks. I'll start somebody else. Yeah, so let's talk a little waiver wire. Put me in, coach. As we mentioned, we do, Andy and I do some writing for fantasy pros.com, which is a terrific fantasy tool on the internet. They have all kinds of information for you where they take experts and they do a consensus averaging out.

for rankings, for who to start, who to sit. But every week they come out with their waiver wire, which I believe they take kind of four analysts and they have them talk about who they would pick up and then they make a list. So we're going to go through that list and we're going to give our opinion about if we agree or if we disagree. Yes, and like we said, this is a crucial time of year to grab the right guy if you need one.

Starting a running back? This is just overall. So number one on their waiver board is Latavius Murray. Do you agree or do you disagree? I completely agree. And here's a couple of reasons why. One is, did you see him? Yeah. Okay. So he's a talented running back who's going to be given the opportunity. The fans in Oakland want him. He was key to their first one at the year. And the other thing that I think...

bodes well for Murray is when Murray was knocked out of the game with concussion, Marcel Rees started taking carries. They're done with McFadden. They're done with MJD. And Tony Sparano, if you remember from his time in Miami, he likes to run. He does like to run. I like Spirano, man. I think he got a raw deal over there. He's a fighter. He's definitely one of them fiery coaches, but he's a good coach, gets people to play hard. And I just think Murray moving forward is going to have opportunity. He catches the ball out of the backfield.