Starts of the Week + Week 14 Breakdown, Bread Pudding! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/9

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In fact, so many people have been using BetterHelp that they are recruiting additional therapists in all 50 states. Special offer for Fantasy Footballers listeners, get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com slash footballers. Fantasy forecast. All right, let's kick it off here with the Baltimore Ravens at 8 and 4 traveling to Cleveland.

To take on the Browns who are six and six, the Draft King Sportsbook line is Browns minus two and a half at home. Over Under is 43 points. I do like the Browns in this one myself. And this is a big game for Cleveland. I mean, this is playoff potential. Baltimore beat them 16 to 10. So well under that 43 point line the last time we saw these teams. You look at this game and the way the Ravens' offense has been trending.

and you have some hesitation, at least I do, where the Brown's off the buy at home, control the clock, you know, you play Lamar, but you do it with a little bit of trepidation, and I just don't think this is going to be a big week for their past catchers. What do you guys think about this matchup? Well, I'm taking the under. You know, if you look back, we've been talking about the struggles.

you know, recently from the Baltimore Ravens offense. They just, even when they're winning these games, they just have not been able to put up points. But, and, and the Browns are coming off a buy, and hopefully that helps because Baker has been just so beat up. But their offense has been worse than the Baltimore Ravens offense. Before the buy, they scored 10 points in a loss, 10 points, or I'm sorry, 13 points in a win, and 7 points in a loss. They have not. They could trade for Beckham.

Yeah, they have not been good offensively. I am not quite on the Brown's side here, but I don't expect a barn burner. This is a divisional beat-em-up game, defensive-minded. I'm not in love with it for fantasy, even though there's obviously a lot of pieces here, Chubb, Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews that are locks for lineups. Yeah, I think Hollywood's where I get worried.

And understandable. The Browns defense, six against opposing wide receivers over the last six weeks, 10th on the year. So Hollywood, since week six, the wide receiver 32, there's some trepidation going on the road here. They talked this morning about the Ravens maybe doing some more hurry-up offense. You know, more plays total would help this offense in production. Rashad Bateman, you got to bench him until he proves it after the goose last week. And then Devanta Freeman, that's your opportunity there, I think.

He's pretty solid in this game. And I don't think Lamar can throw an interception when he hands it off to Devante Freeman. That is accurate. Those are only when he targets Mark Andrews. But you do. I agree with you. Andy Freeman is in as a fine running back to Mark Andrews. The Browns are 29th against fantasy tight ends over the last six weeks. And the targets are there. I'm still.

I'm still playing Hollywood Brown because the volume has been there. Seven targets against Pittsburgh, 10, 13, 12. It hasn't hit. The offense is just, the passing attack as a whole is off, but at least the opportunities are there. So I'm not looking at a, like a waiver wire option to play over Hollywood Brown. Let me bring up one more name.

on the other side of the ball, because since Beckham left, he's actually been relevant. Jarvis Landry, the last two weeks that he played football, one against Baltimore. He was the 23rd wide receiver, 10 targets. Obviously, they need pass catchers to, you know, Baker needs somebody here, and he's very reliable. Do you like Landry at home here more than Hollywood Brown? Not more because it takes a lot. He had a...

a big reception. He had a 38-yard catch against Baltimore. It usually takes at least seven receptions before you're happy with what Jarvis Landry has given you. But the Ravens give up deep plays all the time and they just lost another piece of their secondary. So he is interesting to me as a flex-type player. And if you are, David and Joku is likely out because he's on the COVID list.

I mean, Jarvis didn't practice on Wednesdays, and he seems to be kind of always banged up these days. If you are in a full desperation underdog mode, I think that you can take the shot on Donovan People's Jones of hoping that the one big play hits. That whole story I thought was going to end with you recommending Austin Hooper. Oh, no. That was a surprise pivot. Oh, no, no. I don't want to play Austin Hooper. I'm not saying I really want to play People's Jones either, but the

The recipe is there for one of the big games to hit this week for him. Yeah, it's really hard to project which wide receiver. So I think I'm avoiding them all together in a game that I don't expect a lot of fantasy points. The only other name to cover, Cream Hunt is back. Off the by, he should be fully healthy. And prior to him leaving to injury, he was dominating for fantasy. So he's just interesting to me. He's someone that in a pinch you could throw into your lineup. You know, I would start him over a Deont de Foreman.

type if I, if I'm in that level. He will finish the week as the RB. I think he'll finish RB 24. Okay. All right. So he's flex-worthy without question and right on the cusp of RB2. Jacksonville at 2 and 10 take on the Tennessee Titans who are 8 and 4. The Draft King Sportsbook line, Titans minus 8 and a half at home, over under is 43 points. Low over under, but that's a big spread. So that gives the Titans almost, puts them at 26.

Jacksonville at 17. Jacksonville, Tennessee. I mean, I'm looking at this, and it's like Tennessee hasn't hit their implied team total, that 26 points, three straight weeks. Jacksonville has only done it twice this year. So both teams on average perform worse than even Vegas's expectation. When I see an eight and a half point line for Tennessee, I'm going, how are they going to score that many?

points. And this is just complete disrespect to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And I'm not saying it's undeserved. I'm just saying here is a team, you know, in the Tennessee Titans that have lost all their offensive pieces and put up back-to-back 13-point games. Don't have Derek Henry, don't have A.J. Brown. Hopefully, it seems like they're getting Julio back this game.

So he must be able to do something for this offense to go. Yeah, not activated, but usually that happens with these IR guys. It has to happen by Saturday. Yeah, and I expect that it will. I fully think he will be active in playing. So now Deonti Foreman is really the question here at the running back position. Are you your favorite by eight and a half? So, you know, the sports books are saying Tennessee is going to score 25 plus points.

wouldn't you think that Deonta Foreman is a decent play here? He's probably, which I never thought I'd say this, he's probably the safest play on the Titans this week. I think you're right. And that's, but he's, congratulations for returning to that. But it's not like the backfield, Deontiform and Dantrail Hilliard, the last time we saw those two, they both had a good game against the Patriots. Hilliard had the breakaway touchdown. Foreman was able to be efficient on his touches.

Jeremy McNichols returned to practice on Wednesday. I don't know exactly how this backfield will shake up. I mean, McNichols was the one who was the backup for Derek Henry, and the emergence of Hilliard was because Jeremy McNichols was missing time to a concussion. Does he just walk right back into his role? I have no confidence in Hilliard with that situation. Right, but does.

How much does McNichols return shake things up for all of them, where he gets on the field over Deont de Foreman a couple times here and there, need to monitor what the coaches are saying about this situation, because we just don't know yet. James Robinson on the other side, this is brutal. He was the running back 10 against the Titans early on in the year, but he has banged up. He's got...

a foot problem. So he's got a heel issue. He has a knee issue. He's had a fumbling issue recently, and Urban Meyer has gone get off my lawn coach, where if you fumble, you're off the field. And that included Carlos Hyde, who came in in replacement of Robinson because he fumbled, and then he was off the field. So where is your guys' confidence with Robinson, who did perform the first time they played, but...

Tennessee Titans on the season fifth against fantasy running backs. This is not a matchup that you're trying to exploit. I'm pretty confident in James Robinson. Obviously all those things that you said are true, but he's going to be in my starting lineup because I think he has proven that over and over and over and over in his two-year career, he's someone that you can rely on. One side note, I don't think that Irma Meyer has done jacked.

crap about that situation. What do you mean? I don't think he knows what the heck. I don't think he knows one thing that's going on with the running back room. He didn't know earlier this year when they were moving Carlos Hyde and James Robinson in and out on the goal line. He had no idea what was going on. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know that James Robinson got back out on the field for two plays, said it was stupid because of the injury. Like there were.

Like he doesn't know what's happening on this team. That's the truth. Yeah, it really is. That's not what you want to hear. No, Daryl Bevel is the one that is running the show. And I don't think this is a show you want credit for. This is, Darryl Bevels really want to make sure everyone knows the name Urban Meyer. The wide receiver core here, what a great matchup. I'm pretty much avoiding all of them because you don't know Marvin Jones hasn't done anything. Leviska-Shanolt hasn't done anything. And you want to know who the most targeted.

most snap player over the last couple weeks. You're going to say to him on Austin. No, it's Laquan Treadwell. Oh, he's actually the guy who's playing the most snaps, getting the most targets, the most yards. So, no. Yeah, that's gross. Yeah, it is gross. The Las Vegas Raiders at six and six, six and six take on the Kansas City Chiefs who are eight and four.

The DK Sportsbook line here, Chiefs minus nine and a half at home. The over and under is 47 and a half. The Chiefs have fixed the defense. They have congealed into a fifth ranked against quarterbacks over the last six weeks, 10th against running back, seventh against wideouts. That's why the spread is so high. It has to do with not the offense figuring everything out, but the defense and the fact that the Raiders, they don't expect them to be able to do enough against them.

And I think that's the headline here. I do have something a little special for you. This is not good. It's been too long since we've had a surprise game. Oh, these are usually gross. Well, let's play a game. The game is called Hunter Renfro or Tyreek Hill. Oh, no. Oh, yay. Oh, no. Top 15 weeks. Hunter Renfro, Tyreek Hill. On the season? Yes, this is on the season. No. Top 15 weeks.

It's got to be Tyreek. Mike? Hunter Renfro. You're both right. It is five to five. Okay, thank goodness. Same amount of top 15 weeks, and I'll spoil one. We did it. I'll spoil one more for you. They also have the same amount of top 24 weeks, six each. How about this? Bus games with fewer than eight points. Hunter Renfro or Tyreek Hill. Renfro doesn't bust often, so I will say he has fewer.

Tyree Kill, double the amount, four to two. Games with five plus receptions. Tyree Kill or Hunter Renfro? Renfro. Yeah. Renfro, 10 to 9. Higher passer rating when targeted. Hunter Renfro or Tyreek Hill. Renfro. Hunter.

Renfro. 111 pass a rating when targeted Tyreek at 101. So give me yards. This is, nope, sorry, don't have that one. This is a Hunter Renfro game because I just want people to know that since week nine, he's the wide receiver nine. Yeah, no, he has been awesome. And the absence of.