Starts of the Week + Wk 10 Matchups, Cougar Bait!

And at the end of the game, he'll have enough garbage time or enough productive, you know, maybe it's not garbage time, but coming back and trying to do a play or two where he's an okay fantasy starter. But I'm not excited. Like, if AJ Green were playing, Andy Dalton would just be supremely exciting for me. Well, the challenge for me is the fact that the Bengals are at home and they're facing the Saints defense that gives up.

41.7 fantasy points to the wide receiver position. That's dead last in football. And so you balance the like, okay, maybe AJ Green is not a core part of the offense, but can I get enough out of the other pieces? Like C.J. Uzama seems interesting to me in this matchup from a target share standpoint. Obviously, you mentioned mixing. I think Tyler Boyd is fine. Yeah, Tyler, Tyler Boyd, he has to be okay. Here's the thing. Tyler Boyd is...

The slot receiver, according to pro football focus, they've got him in the slot. 73% of his snap. So you're talking about Malone and Ross on the outside. PJ Williams, the slot corner. I talk about him all the time on this show because I like to play my wide receivers against him. He is the weakest link for the Saints passing defense. Not last week, though. Last week he was really good. Well.

overall in the season. Of course, the guy can have a great game here and there, but I think Boyd should be okay. So I'm going to play him. I'm still going to have confidence in it, but it will be interesting to watch what happens with coverage if AJ Green's not there to open things up. Desperate break the glass play. Game with the highest overrunner of the week. The home team, Andy Dalton should air it out. Are you starting John Ross or John Malone? Josh Malone? I would start John Ross.

I did I say John Ross or Josh Malone? You said John. No, you said John Ross or John Malone. They used to win double John. They have to share a name. I'll go Josh. I'll go Josh Ross. Josh Ross. Do you love it? Look, I would probably go with Ross as well with the first round pick, big playability. Tyler Boyd thus far this year, 66 targets. That's the same number as Keenan Allen on the year for what it's worth.

On the other side, one quick question is what can you do with Mark Ingram? He's our consensus RB21. That feels generous considering his recent performances, but this is a high over and under game. The matchup is good. There should be a lot of points, so you can still play Mark Ingram. Okay, all right. Four and four Falcons travel to the Browns. Browns are two, six and one. They are four point underdogs at home. Only four? Yeah. Good work.

Cleveland. 50 and a half point over under. I had an inkling here. I did not make it my almost upset, but I had an inkling. Really? I did. They showed something last week against Kansas City, being able to battle back a little bit. Baker Mayfield has thrown for multiple touchdowns three weeks in a row. David Njoku seems healthy. Again, healthier than he was a couple of weeks ago.

I had a thought. I have thought. I didn't do it, though. Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I think that the potential loss of Denzel Ward for Cleveland Browns, the DB, he's been an absolute stud. If you're not paying attention to Denzel Ward, it was number four pick. Yeah, I mean, very, very high draft pick and coming through. I mean, it takes a while for fantasy players to come around and know the names of certain DBs where you...

You go, oh, crap, my wide receiver's up against this guy. Denzo Ward is quickly approaching that status already in his young career. But he got hurt last week. He would see a lot of Calvin Ridley if he plays. And their replacement right now, their insurance is Philip Gaines, who was waived by Buffalo. So if Ward is out, Calvin Ridley will get a slight bump in the rankings. This matchup.

I know we're going to get into starts of the week later. There are some players that will be featured in the starts of the week from this matchup. Like I said, Baker's thrown multiple touchdowns three weeks in a row. Atlanta gives up the fourth most passing yards per game right now. Over 300. And Baker's at home. And I think it's a strong start for Baker Mayfield this week. Right now, Nick Chubb, I've got them very high this week. I like the matchup for Nick Chubb.

Yeah, Chubbs a great play. Duke Johnson, I think, is also a great play. This is... Duke Johnson or Mark Ingram? We just talked about Ingram. I, I mean, I've said this for a couple weeks running now. Wrong. I believe in Mark Ingram. I think he's going to have a great game. So I would still have Mark Ingram ahead of Duke Johnson. Do you think that Duke Johnson with the pass catching against the Falcons? I mean, the Falcons are notorious. They always allow the most receptions to running backs just the way they play defense. Do you think Duke Johnson has a safer floor than Mark Ingram?

Yeah, yeah, I definitely think that Duke Johnson has a safer floor if you're in a PPR league. But this is a situation where if for some reason you have Chubb and Duke Johnson, I would be fine on the same roster starting both of these guys. And that's going to be rare as the season goes along. This is not, you know, a Tavin Coleman, Devonza Freeman, you know, proven offense. And then, of course, Matt Ryan.

You know, we've got to mention him just because he has been on fire leading the league in yards per game. You've got to start Matt Ryan if you've got him. Let me, we're talking about smashing the glass. I love Kevin Coleman. We're going to feature him a little bit later, foreshadow. How do you feel about Edo Smith? He's playing on about, you know, the mid 40% of snaps. High over under, he was 10 for 60, had a beastly touchdown.

this past week. Do you, are you okay in an emergency throwing Edo Smith in your flex? Are you trying to find a different option? I am okay with it. The matchups makes it fine. Okay. He is a matchup's, you know, play. He makes me so sad because I drafted a lot of Devanta Freeman. And he is getting so many goal line opportunities, Edo Smith is, and he's just not that good. And so it's like, oh, my Devanta Freeman would have been great. I like Eto Smith.

I do, too. I think he's a great guy. I think he's fine. I think he's going to shape up to be a good running back. Yeah, it takes time, Jason. Yeah. His career is over. I'm sorry to see him retire like this. I looked Austin Hooper's way a little bit this week to try to figure out, and that was just on the basis of, look, the Browns are real bad against tight ends. I settled on the fact that...

I just don't think. I think Austin Hooper benefited quite a bit from injuries to Sunu and Calvin Ridley. And that's where his explosion came from. And like we said, there are three starts of the week we're going to feature from this game. So you're just going to have to wait. The three and five Jags take on the three and five colds. Andy's almost upset of the week. The only way I can do that is.

because of this next part. The Colts are three-point favorites at home. It's a 46.5 point over under. That's right on my line of where I'm allowed to throw my almost upset of the weekend. Of course. You make the rules. I do. I make all the rules. I love this almost upset. It's crazy to me that the Colts are favorite in this game. This is the line that surprises me the most. They're both three and three, or I'm sorry, three and five teams. Jags coming off the by week, get Linder Fournette back, get things fixed, get things put back together a little bit.

I think it's going to be a Jags victory. But what does that mean for fantasy? Well, look, we're going to talk about Fournet a little bit later. There's obviously concerns as to whether or not you can start him on the first week back. We have a lot of history here this season of starting a player the first week back from injury, not being a good idea.

whether it was, you know, Doug Baldwin or Dalvin Cook or, you know, a lot of players. So we'll discuss in a little bit if I think it's a good idea to start him. He does make, assuming, you know, that he continues practicing, Carlos Hyde, T.J. Yeldon, irrelevant to me. I don't. I agree. Well, I don't think Yelden's irrelevant. Yeah, I mean, but for fantasy, you're not going to start Yelden, are you?

Only if you believe game script was going to be that the Colts are way out ahead. I mean, that would be the situation where you're looking at it. We had talked about Edo or Yelden. I would rather play Edo for sure. Yeah. Other questions from this game. Let's stay on that side of the ball. We talked about, I mean, Jason has Blake Bortles as a streamer this week. Yeah, and I think he's, I think it's fine. I think it's fine. I have some. I put some doubt in your soul.

I have some regrets. Some regrets. I believe it's four of the last five games. Oh, the Colts. The Colts have allowed a, at least a top 15 quarterback, and that includes the list of Derek Carr and Sam Darnold. No, the Colts have been putridly bad. That's why I made Blake Borrell's the stream of the week. And I think in a deep situation, I do think he's okay. But the Jaguars... Something's got to give situation, though, Mike. That's not... You can look at all the what Colts have given up.

Or are you going to look up how bad Blake Bortals has been, eight turnovers, three touchdowns in a four-week span? And then you say something's got to give. You both lean on the side that Blake Bortles is going to have a fantasy-worthy performance. I think he's going to have a game-winning, a performance that can win the game. I don't think he's going to translate to fantasy. I think the reason that we lean towards Blake Bordle being the victor of that something's got to get. He loses the S? Yeah, he's singular now. Yeah, he's singular now. Did I? Yeah, he just Bortle. Bortle. Yeah, I'm going to go with that. Bo.

I like it. Blake Bortle is a laugh at a mug. I think he's going to win the something's got to give because we've seen Blake Bortals be terrible and then be great. A hundred times in his short career. He's also been terrible and then terrible.

Yes, for fantasy. If you made that argument the last three weeks. But wins the last time we've seen the Colts defense step up and be great. I get it. I get it. My worry about Blake Bortles is not him. My worry about Blake Bortles is four net. Because this team has been losing with four net out. This team has been losing putting the game on the back of Blake Bortals. They want to win. And so I, you know, I worry that Blake Bortals is going to throw the ball 18 times. Yeah.

That's what I mean. I think they can win the game and he can still be irrelevant. You're not really starting a wide receiver for them. You're not starting a tight end for them. So on the other side, the tight end debate between Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron. I'll just throw out if you're going to start one, it's Moncrief right now. For you? Yeah, I mean, four of the past. That's fun. Look. I mean, the last game they played, it would have been Westbrook, right? But just saying Moncrief.

He has a goose egg. So this is not, I'm super excited for Moncrief because he has a goose egg in the middle of it. But four of the past five games, he's hit at least 50 yards, 70 plus yards and three of those. So he has been the, we talked about this all season. Who's going to emerge as the most reliable guy? It does seem like it's Moncrief is the most reliable. It's disgusting, but we're at the disgusting part of the season. Jack Doyle, Eric Hebra. Doyle.

Yeah, I would go to oil. The matchups good. Yeah, I think you can get away with playing Eric Ebron. He's been a touchdown machine, of course, but I'm going to play the guy who's getting the more snaps, running the more routes, getting targets. That's just how I prefer my tight end. And Jacksonville's defense has been disappointing to fantasy owners playing the DST. But they've actually, they have not been a great matchup.

for any position when you're playing your quarterbacks, your running backs, your riders against Jacksonville. They just haven't been getting the fantasy relevant sacks, turnovers, touchdowns on defense. Are you worried at all about starting T.Y. Hilton this week? He's our consensus wide receiver 19 seeing almost eight targets a game, but playing a Jacksonville defense. Slightly. He'll get Ramsey. Jalen Ramsey will shadow T.Y. Hilton, I believe. Yeah, I believe so as well. So, yes.

But that's not going to stop me. I'm going to play Hilton. Yeah, I feel like you have to play Hilton. Yes, you do. You just have to, you know, squit your eyes when you click submit. Last year against Jacksonville, T.Y. Hilton averaged nine targets, four and a half catches, 54 yards and a half a touchdown. So that's not what you want from T.Y Hilton, but you will live with those numbers for a week. This will be a fun one. The two and six cardinals travel to Arrowhead to take the take on the eight and one chiefs. The chiefs are moderate.

16 and a half point favorites. People betting on the Cardinals. In a game with a 49.5 point over under, that is a pretty low implied point total for Arizona. Josh Rosen and company traveling to a very difficult place to play to face a team that's going to eviscerate them. Fantasy-wise in this game, I think you're trying to figure out where your value is in Arizona because the Chief's defense gives up a lot of points.