New Year's Eve MEGAshow + Week 17 Matchups, Motivation Levels - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/31

awesome game. He is an excellent smash play. I think the biggest question here is genuinely Herbert, is are you wanting, willing to play Herbert in your championship? Yes. To both for me. Yeah, I agree. Any other big breakdowns from this game? It's just the question of who's going to be the running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, Darrell Williams or Darwin Thompson. Yeah, you'll have to follow some news. If Darrell Williams is playing

I'm willing to throw him out there as a running back too. I am going to go the Darwin direction. I believe that Darrell is actually more important to this team, and they may try to limit his exposure, but we'll see. Cardinals, 8 and 7 taken on the 96 Rams. Both teams really, really need to win. Cardinals, they clinch a playoff berth with a win. The Rams can clinch with a loss if Chicago loses, right? Correct. So they need to win.

Yeah, I mean, right now, you know, obviously the odds on favorite is that Chicago is going to lose to the Packers, but this is a win and get in game. It's divisional. This is as high a motivation as it gets, but you have a very banged up Rams team right now. No Jared Goff, no Daryl Henderson, no Cooper Cup, and maybe not Cam Acres, or if you have Cam Acres back, he's.

two weeks past a high ankle sprain, he's not going to be the same guy. However, the Los Angeles Rams and the Sean McVeigh era against the Cliff Kingsbury-led Arizona Cardinals have decimated them. Talk about having someone's number. They've just kicked their butts. In this game, Kenyon Drake, 81 rushing yards away from 1,000, so he needs 30 carries to possibly...

Consider getting a thousand yard mark. He could get it this game. Chase Edmonds is not expected to be there. And so a full workload from Kenyon Drake who won people championships last year in the fantasy playoffs. I think he's a fine play. I don't look at him as a smash play. But if he's actually, the thing that's been keeping him from being a top tier running back versus a solid running back is the lack of involvement in the passing game.

Now if you've got Kyler with his leg whip issue and maybe he's less mobile and Chase Edmonds isn't there, you could see Drake get more targets than he usually gets this season. Is there an opportunity here for Dan Arnold who has been heavily targeted in higher value situations and with Janlon Ramsey on a potentially slightly hobbled or injured D'Andre Hopkins? Sure. Who's the secondary pass-catching option if you're taking a shot? Man, I mean...

The secondary option, you could argue, is fits when it comes to targets, but they're so irrelevant. The targets are as worthless for fantasy as it gets. They're close to the line, one touchdown in the last, like, two years it feels like. And they, but Krisha Kirk last week had 10 targets. He was 7 for 76. I think he would be the guy, but this is a, you know, it's not just Ramsey. This defense shuts people down across the board.

I don't love any of the options. You're still going to play Hopkins because you have to. Right. To Dan Ardo, what I was going to say is you have to hope that Kyler and Cliff have forgiven Dan Arnold. If you didn't watch the game, Dan Arnold dropped a really easy, I think it was like a 40-air yard pass and hit Arnold right in the hands. He dropped it. Arnold had a really bad fumble late in the game that helped

create the loss for them against San Francisco. So those are things that if you're going to play Arnold, you have to hope that those are not impacting coaching decisions on where to put him out. I don't think they'll impact because they don't really have an option. They don't have a replacement for what Dan Arnold does in the offense on the roster. He was checked out for a concussion on the play he fumbled on too. Like he missed the next series due to concussion check, blue tint stuff. Any other big?

decisions you're making in this game are you know Robert Woods I think is a fine play I realize it's a backup quarterback it's not what you want he's not a smash play but with Cooper Cup out of the game and the fact that they use him as a running back or give him carries and manufacture screens I think that Robert Woods is is a flex option

All right, let's move into the Seattle, San Francisco game. Seattle's 11 and 4, and they can actually clinch a number one seed if Green Bay happens to lose, which is certainly possible against Chicago, playing for their playoff lives. And the Saints lose. Saints have to lose as well. So Seattle's got something to play for here. San Francisco could play spoiler in that role. C.J. Bethard will get the start again. Jeff Wilson.

My name is Jeff. It was an incredible pickup last week. It led you to a title, Mike. You did. Brandon Ayuk is going to be out. So I think George killed Jeff Wilson are the two plays on the San Francisco side. Yep. I would love to play both of them. I think they are smash plays. I agree. You have to put them in. Outside of those two players, I don't know that there's anybody you can play. I agree. So the Seahawks. Seahawks are a team that has a very weird vibe.

for fantasy purposes right now because on one hand they won last week. They keep winning ball games. They're doing what they need to do on the NFL level. They potentially could win the number one seed. So we have a distorted view of the Seahawks. We believe that there is a lack of success to some degree, right? Where, you know, he's not cooking and McCaff has had a bad second half and Lockett has disappeared. And that's not how the NFL views it. That's not how Pete Carroll views it. So.

I don't expect this game to be any sort of breakout fantasy performance for any of these offensive options. That being said, who are you playing? I agree with you. And just to illustrate that, you know, in the last seven games, they're five and two. They're winning games. And you have one, uno top ten performance from Russell Wilson. But they're winning the game. So, you know, again, that was just to illustrate your fantasy versus real life. It was too spicy for Pete Carroll.

The cooking. That's right. And so he doesn't like the spice. He got a glass of milk, and that's what you're getting now, which means the running game is fine. Chris Carson is someone that you play. I think the biggest question, you're going to play D.K. Metcalfe because he's, you know, just an absolute monster on the field. What he can do, you have to have him in your lineup to capitalize. I think there's a chance Seattle benches players in the second half of this game, depending on how the New Orleans Carolina game's going.

I think you have some concerns there because if New Orleans has a very big lead to lock in the number one, you could see some rest in the second half for Seattle. They're happening at the same time. New Orleans is 11 and 4 taking on the 5 and 10 Carolina Panthers. Panthers are going to be without Mike Davis. Panthers could be without Robbie Anderson. And I really think that that's going to happen. What that says to me is I'm not going to play Russell Wilson.

I'm going to look for a different option because he hasn't been good anyways. I am going to play D.K. Metcalf. Philip Rivers. Well, you can ask Andy, but there's no reason to ask me. But it's fun to ask you about Bill Rivers. Then give me all of Russell Wilson. Yeah. Philip Rivers or Russ. I'll play Rivers. Yeah. Yeah.

You are willing to say, yeah, just not the name or make a personal endorsement. That's right. What he said. No personal endorsement of the P. River. But I still would play D.K. Metcalf even with that option of sitting because D.K. Metcalf really just needs one play. He could be the first quarter, the second quarter, he can have a fine game and then be benched. All right. New Orleans, though, you're not going to get six touchdowns from Alvin Camara, but I think you're going to have a nice reprise this week in week 17.

There's a lot on the line. He's 68 rushing yards away from 1,000, but that's the least of what I think is on the line. They want that number one seed in the buy. They could use it, and, you know, Camaro's a great play each and every week. The question is whether you can turn to Emmanuel Sanders, Latavius Murray, Jared Cook. What do you guys think? I think you can play Sanders as a top 25 wide receiver. He'll be safe. I mean, he's kind of on that platform with, I don't remember who.

Got that joke. The, uh, the, the, the, the ceiling. That was so long ago. It was so long ago. I have no idea. But he's, he's on that platform. So at least he has a friend up there. Who was that? That was minutes ago. It wasn't Robert Woods. This is incredible. You're talking about who has the, the story of Gumbulli. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Now I see why we didn't remember. The hot platform joke. Yeah. Okay. So, um, that was a great joke. Yeah. So Sanders is up there.

You complain, but you're not getting, you're not getting 75 and 2 from Emmanuel Sanders. DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel are plays in this game, too. I agree. They are plays. Both should be fine starts, especially if Robbie, you know, misses. I really like Jared Cook in this matchup. You can't just go by what did last week look for me, you know, look like at the tight-in position. It's a great matchup.

Six touchdowns aren't going to Alvin Camara here. And even if you think about, okay, what did he do last week? He was a tight-in 16, not good. But he had 82 yards. That's fine. That's great for a tight end. So Jared Kuk is, I think, a good start. Tennessee Titans are 10 and 5, and they need to win to get in. What a competitive AFC there is. Texans are 4 and 11. They could play the spoiler.

And that is motivation. This game Titans are seven and a half point favorites, 56 point over under. Assuming Deshawn Watson is healthy, I would expect this game to go down to the wire. I really would. In fact, I'll give my final almost upset on this one. Andy's almost upset of the wig. I believe. Go ahead. Someone believes in the JJ Watts speech. Someone believes that Watson is actually healthy.

Someone believes that I made Houston my almost upset against this team back in week four when the game was very, very close. It was 42 to 36 in the same type of competitive back and forth situation. Houston would love to come in here and eliminate Tennessee from the playoffs. And I don't think they'll be able to because their defense cannot summon up more talent. However, between the Watts Beach and Watson's capabilities and the fact that...

Look, there are a few ways you can disrupt this Tennessee offense, and I just think it'll be a competitive game. Look at the over under, 56 points. I would, I mean, the reality is this. I want every possible piece in this game. I just am terrified of Deshaun Watson's health. Not on the injury report. At all. And so that's the thing. If he's not on the injury report, obviously the Vegas line is super high. They are not expecting him to be injured. Came back in the last game. If we move forward with the.

with the best hypothesis that he's fully healthy, then goodness gracious. The points will be flowing in this game. The Titans have hit the over the highest in the NFL, 113 and 1. Against the spread? Yes. Against the over under. Hitting the over. And it makes sense because their defense stinks. Their offense is great. Oh, which team am I describing? Right.

Yes, please. Yeah, no, I mean, that's a recipe for success, and that really puts everybody who's starting in this game on the table. Brandon Cook's Kiki QT, David Johnson, Deshawn Watson. I don't know about Mbop. I think I'm going to be out on, I'll be out on Mbop this week. Look, it was a one-hit wonder. Oh, man, that's good. Yes. Henry, A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, Joni Smith, even, if you need to get desperate there at the tight-end position. And Tanna Hills, Jason, start of the week at quarterback. So.

I think it's going to be a fun one. Sunday night, Washington, 6 and 9, the Eagles, 410 and 1. Washington's a 1.5 point favorite in this game on the road. It's a 43.5 point over under, and, yeah, Washington is playing for everything. Win the NFC East, and it is, you know, win and the NFC East is theirs at 7 and 9. At least a level I could accept. Not only do they win the division, which obviously is your number one goal at this point.

But you extra crush the hopes and dreams of a divisional rival because someone from that earlier game, that Cowboys Giants game is going to think we did it. We won the game. We're going to make the playoffs. And then you get to just take a steamy hot turd on that team. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I do think Washington is going to win the game. I'm with Mike on that. I do believe Alex Smith will play.

and I think they're going to win. I don't think Jalen Hertz is going to be able to do enough against this defense. Washington is number one against running backs and tight ends over the last six weeks, number three against quarterbacks. They are a disciplined, ferocious defensive line that will cause problems for Jalen Hertz. They're going to confuse him. They're going to put pressure on him. That is when rookies make mistakes. Everything you said about last week came down to Hertz making a lot of mistakes. Turnovers.