Starts of the Week + Week 14 Breakdown, Mr. Irresponsible - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/10

No fear at all of any repercussion of harm of going 100%. Yes. And there's a reason why nobody else does that because you get hurt. Debo Samuel could have a defensive lineman 20 yards in front of him. And Debo could easily go around. He could outrun this 300-pound guy. He's like, no, not Debo. I go through you. That's right. And they're like, Debo, go around.

Hey. It's very easy. And he just waves them off. Josh Jacob, sideline for Wednesday's practice. Yay. Ezekiel Elliott. I love Michael Keating. Ezekiel Elliott was listed as limited for Wednesday's practice with a calf issue. He's been kind of dealing with some stuff for a few weeks. I expect he'll be back there, although the, the wishful thinking Tony Pollard manager over across from me at the desk is thinking other things for the playoffs. Of course, I am thinking those things, but I have.

No realistic delusions yet that Zeke is going to miss. Justin Jackson designated to return from the IR. Oh my. Maybe the Kalin Belage window is closing because if he was activated, he will get the work. You would think so? Or some of it. Yeah. Denzel Mims away from the team for personal issues. With the COVID protocols, he may not have time to be cleared for week 14 because he had to travel out of state for the family issues. So.

Jamison Crowder becomes more important and obviously Bashad Perriman at the downfield threat. Yep. And then the Bears recently this morning announced a positive player COVID-19 related. We don't know any further details on who that is. They're quarantining. The game is on as scheduled as of now. Cam Newton's going to play. Cam Acres removed from the injury report. He's going to play. That's your Thursday night football updates. A reminder, take those Thursday night players out of your flex.

position. We remind you every week because it's important and it's easy to forget. So into the forecast we go. Fantasy forecast. All right. I'm sure you guys are going to be glued to the television for this one. Dallas Cowboys 3 and 9 taking on the Cincinnati Bengals at 2.9 and 1. Cowboys 3.5 point favorites. It's a 42.5 point over under. I'm with Jason. I thought the offense showed me enough to where I have confidence in Dallas in this game myself. And, you know, Andy Dalton, revenge game.

You guys ready? Revenge game. I'm ready. Yeah. I mean, he's got to be mad, right? I mean, he's not that he's mad, but you're a professional athlete, and the Bengals said you're no longer good enough to be our quarterback. Yes, of course. He's a professional quarterback. Also, he's a human. Right. He got fired for not being good enough, and now he's the starter across the field. Absolutely. That doesn't mean you bump him up, but he's. Yeah, when you get fired for not being good enough,

You don't necessarily have the ability to go get the other team. But he is definitely not happy. Yeah, yeah. So it'll be Andy Dalton versus Brandon Allen. So, yeah, Brandon Allen completing 50% of his passes in his career. Hashtag not good. Geo Bernard, another week, another geo start. I mean, it's so hard because they gave up, Dallas gave up 294 rushing yards last week. I'm still.

Not excited about Gio Bernard. Gio is in play here for me. I was looking at him this week, and I think he is a flex option just based on the matchup. The Cowboys have been so bad at stopping the run, and the Bengals are going to try to run as much as they can if they get down and they need to throw. They can always throw the ball to Gio. So Giovanni Bernard, while he has just been absolutely dreadful the last few weeks. 8 for 30, 9 for 18, 8 for 32, 12 for 30. That's what I'm talking about. He can't pass 32 yards rushing. He's been terrible. Pittsburgh.

Washington, the Giants of Miami. Yeah. Those are strong defenses, and the couple weeks before the bi-week, Tennessee, Cleveland, he had good performances against those teams. So I'm with Jason. I'm not overly excited about Giovanni Bernard because of, it's Giovanni Bernard, but matchup and volume dictates that you could flex him this week. Amari Cooper, C.D. Lamb, Michael Gallup. Are you playing all three of those players? I don't think I'm, I'm,

for sure playing all three of those players. Amari Cooper, I am for sure playing. We'll talk about him later. He's been very good with Andy Dalton. CD Lamb and Michael Gallup are shots you could take. Michael Galp obviously had a good game this last week, and CD Lamb is unbelievably talented, but they are the secondary options here in a game that you don't expect to be some crazy barn burner. 42.5 point over under in Vegas says...

this is just going to be a crap fest of a game. Yeah. Tyler Boyd's production last week was one short route that turned magical, and then there was nothing else, got ejected, didn't get a bunch of targets. Higgins is my favorite receiver to play because I know Higgins is going to catch five passes. And he's big enough and strong enough and relevant enough in the red zone to where I think, like I would probably go in this matchup, I'd go Cooper one.

And then I'd be willing to probably play Higgins and then go to all the other Dallas wide receivers. Higgins over CD? I think so. Yeah. I don't disagree. I was trying to look up the volume, you know, for C.D. Lamb, he saw nine targets against the Baltimore Ravens, but the game script dictated that. Like the Ravens were beating the crap out of Dallas. So this feels like a game that's more Zeke. As long as he's healthy, he's going to see a lot of work. And it's going to be.

lower scoring. I'm with you, Jason, that the 42.5 point over under is, is not exciting. Denzel Mims is out. Is that just come through, Al? Yes, sir. So, okay, he's out. Breshah, I mean, we haven't got to that matchup yet, but Breshad Perryman is interesting. Wasn't he, Mims was potentially in one of your lineups this week? He was, yep, because they're playing the Seattle Seahawks. Yeah, so. Personally,

Even in a decent matchup, I don't really want to go with Boyd or Higgins. I do view them very similar as Lamb or Gallop players that you can throw in a lineup. But in the playoffs, you know, if I had to put one in the playoffs, for my taste, I would rather have C.D. Lamb, because I think he's got the biggest game-breaking potential. But that's similar to the argument for Higgins, Higgins over Boyd. The game-breaking individual player talent that could do it.

on any play. Yeah. You know those like flow charts that you have on a piece of paper that it starts with a question at the top and it's like, do you want to play somebody in this game? Yes or no? Like if that says do you have to play somebody in this game and then you've already selected yes, then these questions get filtered out other than Zeke to me. But I'm trying to choose. I'm trying to choose no. Sure. The only other player that I would bring up is Dalton Schultz. I have...

somehow been backed into being adult and Schultzator, which I'm not for real. It was more for the bit of the show. But this matchup, the Bengals have been really, really, really, really bad against tight end. And if you are scrambling and you have absolutely nobody that you like and every week, you're somehow winning with a zero at your tight end because I know there's a lot of you out there, you can look Schultz's direction. I agree. Why are you shaking your head, Andy? Because I think I'm getting Schultz. Yes, I picked him up to play him.

Right now. To be clear, getting Schultz does not like a, it's not that bad of a thing. No. Mike's getting Kelsey. But that is true. It's for context for people out there, I have Austin Hooper. I've just, I've been enduring all of that nonsense. The Hooper Poopers. Yes. And Hooper could still come through this week. But as of now, I am playing Dalton Schultz over Austin Hooper.

You're right, Jason. I don't care who he plays. I don't care one bit who he plays. Play them all. All right, Kansas City, Miami. Chief seven point favorites? I feel like that line's come down. I'm pretty sure when I put picks in earlier this week, that was seven and a half. Seven feels better picking the Kansas City side. 49.5 point over under, though. And I don't know. This would be a very interesting matchup for Kansas City.

From a fantasy perspective, it doesn't really matter that they're playing Miami. You don't sit Patrick Mahomes or Tyree Kill or Travis Kelsey. But Miami's not a great matchup, and especially on the ground, the last six weeks, they're fourth against opposing running backs. My confidence in Clyde Edwards-Alaire is that it's everything. It's at a basement level already, so this matchup doesn't make me excited. Everything about the Kansas City side just comes down to, can you trust Clyde Edwards-Alair in your

Fantasy playoffs after the drama of last week where he was sick. He was missing practice because he was sick, not COVID-related. But then you got the alert. Oh, Clyde Edwards-A-Layer is going to be activated. He looks like he's going to play. Well, he was activated, but he did not take a single snap. Yeah, Brooks matched him in Snap games. Yes.

That's right. Congratulations, Brooks. I'm getting on the field that often. Brooks Edwards-Aler. Yeah, I mean, it really is. So I throw that game out with the illness and the snap counts. I mean, he wasn't relegated for performance or any of those reasons. But at the same time, you've got some fear in the production that he has had. So the way that I look at him, I'm looking at other players, players I would play him ahead of.

players I would play ahead of him. And I would play Clyde Edwards Aller ahead of Kareem Hunt and Miles Sanders, who I believe have really difficult matchups and their situations haven't made great. You would play Clyde Edwards-Aler above both those players? I personally would. And I would play Kenyon Drake and Wayne Galman ahead of Clyde Edwards-Aler. Who are the first two names that you said? Miles Sanders and did you say Kareem Hunt? Yes. Wow. Okay. I will...

I will give you the kind of Jason bet that you love, which is odds. Oh, I love good odds. So I think Edwards O'Leary finishes lower than both of those players. The matchups terrible, has opportunities have gone down. I disagree with you vehemently. So you win if both outscore. I need both. All right. That's your kind of bet. I like it. Water bet. You'll take all heavy odds. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But no, I'm, Mike, you questioned, it seemed, Jason's take there.

This is a tough, tough matchup. They only give up 14.9 fantasy points per game on the ground. To all opposing running backs, and this is a room with three players that are going to get work, Clyde, Lev, and Darrell. Yeah, it just, I don't know where I am on my confidence level with Clyde Edwards-Aler. Why don't you ask yourself? I'm trying. I'm trying to work it out in front of everybody here. I mean, right now I have them ranked as a low-in running back two.

Last week, that's a really bad taste of people's mouth to be waiting all week. He gets activated. You think, okay, I'm safe. I'm putting Clyde in, and he gives you a zero. And yet, certainly the opportunities have dropped a bit here since the acquisition of Levi-on-Bel, but also, you know, two of the last four games, and I'm counting the zero game.

Two of the last four games, he's been a top 20 guy, including a running back two finish just two weeks ago against the Las Vegas Raiders. So it's not an impossibility that Clyde Edwards Aller comes in and even on 12 touches ends up getting two rushing touchdowns. Like that's in the range of outcomes. But last week makes it really, really difficult to fully endorse Clyde. All right. Where are you with the Devante Parker experience?

Now that Tua is back behind center, Ryan Fitzpatrick, we miss you for how easy you made our lives projecting the Miami side of the football. I mean, against the Cincinnati Bengals and eight targets for Devante Parker last week. Four for 35. You have destroyed our beautiful Devante Parker. It's so weird. I don't remember in recent memory, at least.

Another example where a clear cut, 100% better option for your offense is available. The whole world knows it. Right. And we're just saying we're choosing no. Like what is happening? I get it. You're playing for the future. You got to know and all that jazz. But it's just, it's just a very unique situation because I think we would all smash play Parker every single game that Fitzpatrick is active. Correct.

That's not now. Tua is active, and I do not want to play Devante Parker. I would rather play Brasad Perriman or even James and Crowder over Devante Parker. I can think of a semi-close example that's happening right now, and that's the Taysom Hill versus James Winston situation, where the way New Orleans wins is to try to, I mean, clearly Winston is more turnover prone.

which is the situation for Fitzpatrick. And they're trying to win a different way. You have elements of the, you know, the rookie getting experience. So, yeah, it's tough. It's tough to have confidence in Parker. And we have them outside the top 24 because of because of that. So Mike Gassicki, another big game last week, nine for 88 and a touchdown, 11 targets. I like Mike Gassiki right now. Sure. That's a fair thing. And then if you have to shoot a shot on somebody.