Starts of the Week + Week 16 Breakdown, Touchdowns or Revolt! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/23

Okay, thank you, Brooks. Thank you. Matthew Stafford against Minnesota, or do you go with Tyler Huntley? That one, I'd go Stafford. It's because Stafford just is a locked and loaded Supreme Fantasy play, especially against Minnesota. But here's the thing to look at for Tyler Huntley. We've seen him in essentially close to three full games, two full games and one where he was in for 86% of the snaps. He has rushed for no fewer than 40 yards.

in those contests, including 13 carries for 73 yards, two rushing touchdowns. Now, the rushing touchdowns may not come. That's just a, that's an upside product of a quarterback who's going to run it seven plus times. And that's so safe for fantasy football. I've been over here, you know, talking up Taysam Hill is a, feels like a safe floor fantasy quarterback. Not great through the air.

doesn't have good passing weapons, but he's still worth playing in fantasy because he runs. And then you have Tyler Huntley, who is incredibly dynamic on the ground, seems like he is a competent passer, and he actually has great weapons. Mark Andrews is just a towering inferno these days of you cannot stop him. And then the matchup for a tight end, over the last six weeks, the Bengals, 30 seconds.

That's dead last. That will be Tyler Huntley's number one option. And then on top of that, you have Hollywood Brown who they just need to connect one time on a big play for it to pay off for fantasy. So yes, my confidence in Tyler Huntley is rapidly rising here as it looks like Lamar Jackson might be trending out. 14 targets for Hollywood.

Ten catch is only 43 yards. So a little different types of targets with Tyler Huntley and protecting him hasn't scored since week seven. So Hollywood confidence is there, though? Yeah, I would still play him. I think he's playing against me. No running backs from Baltimore, right? Yeah, after the Latavius Murray has kind of, he's started to siphon off a little bit more work the past couple weeks. I would be moving away from that.

The Rams at 10 and 4 take on the 7 and 7 Minnesota Vikings, the DK Sportsbook line, Rams minus 2 and a half. Overrunners 49, they're on the road. Somehow Minnesota has achieved 13 to 14 games being just one score. One score games. Minnesota Vikings. That's insane. They morph into whoever they're playing. Like that's as good as they are. Like a chameleon? Yeah. They mirror the opposition?

Yeah, I was thinking of like Rogue, but Rogue takes people's powers. They don't just become the other person. But they play to the level of their competition. And that's kind of a, you know, a cliche thing to say. But 13 of 14 games, one score. They are no better. They are no worse than their opponent. You have to love the passing game for the Rams because Minnesota doesn't stop it well. They're dead last against wide receivers over the last six weeks. Oh, and the year.

So this is a very consistent theme. What they just, they just kind of, they cut Rashad Breeland last week, which, yeah, he's been awful. But your secondary has been in desperate need of help. And, you know, so Beckham Cup, Van Jefferson, Stafford, Sony Michelle, who looked great. I bench Henderson and I, I don't know if I touch Tyler Higby.

Tyler Higbee is like the only question of this game for me because the Cup is locked in and then Beckham and Van Jefferson I believe are both strong wide receiver three type plays who it's not a guarantee that they hit but the matchup dictates that both of like all three wide receivers could have huge games but Tyler Higby who really hasn't come through like do we have any?

He missed two straight games. So I think you just... Nine has been his ceiling. I don't think you mess with him this week. And I don't think you mess with Conklin on the other side. The Conklin's been awful. You know, one catch for seven yards last week, two for 20 the week before. Hasn't scored since week 10. Like, just don't do it. And then, you know, Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are locked into your lineup. What do you do with Cousins and what do you do with Thielen if he happens to return? Yeah, oh my gosh.

I would say there is a chance that Thielen Cones back. The timeline still doesn't make sense to me for the injury, but he was out there pre-game warming up, trying to give it a go, and that before they ultimately ruled him out, which that could happen again. Oh, if Adam Thielen plays, I would play him. Okay.

All right. He's just the touchdown upside is there. 49.5.5. Yeah, I don't mind that. Buffalo at 8 and 6 take on the New England Patriots, who are 9 and 5. The Draft King Sportsbook line has the Patriots minus 2 and a half. Over under is 43 and a half. Flo wins this one. Oh, my, you're getting spicy today. I think Buffalo is going to win. New England beat them 13 to 10 on Monday night football. That game doesn't count. Because of the... Because the game was... Mac Jones threw the ball three times. Right.

That game, yes. 43 and a half, though, is not a huge over-under. No. And so, you know, you're not going to, like what pivot options would you ever have for the number one quarterback? I mean, Josh Allen is still number one. You're going to have to play him. In New England last year, he smoked him. Won't have Beasley. Very different. Probably won't have Sanders. Very different defense for the Patriots last year. I agree. But point is taken that I'm not. If I have Josh Allen, he's come through more often than not.

His upside is weak winning, so I would play him. Let me ask you a difficult question about the running back room in New England. Damien Harris was limited. Two straight days of the hamstring issue. Ramandre Stevenson missed practice due to an illness. He looked like a strong play last week because the previous time he had the backfield to himself. He was a 20 plus scorer. Game script didn't go the direction that we needed it to. Are you, you know, Harris, is he locked in over Ramandre if he's active?

I'm going back to the flow chart, the New England Patriots flow chart that says if Damien Harris is active, I will play him. Well, let me color that in then. Okay. Because I think the highest likelihood is that both players are active. Sure. And in that situation against Buffalo, who has really struggled on the ground recently. To Damien Harris, yes. To Damien Harris and everybody else. But do you play, like they were so good in the beginning of the year against the run and they just stopped doing that.

But do you play Harris in that kind of situation, the committee, or do you play Jeff Wilson or Deont de Foreman or even like a Jarrett Patterson if he was alone? I mean, the problem for Harrison, or I'm sorry, for Wilson and Foreman, they go tonight. Like you won't have the luxury of knowing. That's what I mean. Like if you're guessing. Oh, okay. I see what you said. If you're guessing that they're together, which I think is likely. Harris has looked good.

in practice and Ramandre was just an illness. So I think both will be active. If you aren't stashing both players, like if you just have one of them and you have Jeff Wilson or Foreman, I would personally go with Wilson or Foreman. You would. Even against the Buffalo D that struggled someone. Yeah, because I just, I don't know who's going to be active. With Harris Limited in practice, if he is active, I have to believe he's good enough to go.

If he is active, then Stevenson is just the backup. Maybe Harris, you know, leaves the game because of the hamstring and then Stevenson becomes a strong play. But there's just, there's way too many question marks for me where there is clarity for Jeff Wilson informant. This feels like a tempered expectation game. Sure. Across the board. Like even with Josh Allen, like the pressure the Patriots are putting on the quarterback and then what they're doing in the secondary versus I just worry about.

ceiling for anybody here. Devin Singletary's the guy. We know that now in Buffalo, but he's going to have to get it done through the passing game. He is the guy as of, you know, the last couple weeks in terms of snaps. Two weeks ago, it was 82% of the snaps. Not a ton of work except for seven targets. And then this last week against Carolina, that's where he saw 23 opportunities, which is by far his highest opportunity share of the season.

He would be showing me he is the guy on my bench. Okay. Yeah. No, I get it. And then if he is the guy again, then maybe next week against the Atlanta Falcons, I'll take the chance. Diggs is in your lineup. Yes. But do you go with Gabriel Davis after last week or any Patriot wide receiver? Is it Gabe Davis over all of them? Yes, it would be. And then COVID-Based. Oh, no. Oh, no!

That was 100% accidental. I mean, it says Cole Beasley COVID list on my notes. Yeah. Yep. So we're going to move on, but he's not going to be there. Dawson Knox at the disappointing week last week. If he had gotten to double digits, I would be moving on in Dynasty. So I'm bummed out. Do you play Dawson Knox this week against the Patriots or do you play Zach Ertz?

Ooh, that's a good question. Shoot, I think I would play Ertz. I'd play Ertz over Knox this week. Knox or Pitts? That one's tough. Knox has just been such a touchdown machine. I would play pets. I'm scared about this game. Yeah, I think it would come down to floor. Both of them have tremendous ceilings. I think the probability of Dawson Knox.

approaching his ceiling is a higher probability than Kyle Pitts, but at this point, in this game, Dawson Knox's floor is devastatingly low, where I don't think, where Kyle Pitts, if he disappoints you, it's because he's the tight end nine or tight end 10. Jacksonville at 2 and 12 take on the New York Jets 3 and 11. It's a pick them game. The overrunner is 41. Can you pick neither? Yes, you could.

Number one versus the number two pick in the draft. Oh, yeah. Touchdown rate 1.8% to 1.9% which is almost 0%, which is how I feel about the game. On the surface, I agree with you. It looks just nasty and disgusting. But just like last week of Jacksonville and Houston, because the defenses allow points, there's fantasy goodness to scrape out of this match. This is bad offenses versus bad defenses.

and something's got to give, but predicting that seems really difficult. James Robinson, it's a smash play. The Jets just give up tons of points on the ground. Yep. See, Duke Johnson. But look, you look at the passing game for Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence doesn't throw touchdowns anymore. Marvin Jones shares with Lequan Treadwell down the field. I mean, that's been happening. I don't, I'm not messing around with anybody else. I'm not flexing Marvin Jones. I'm not flexing Laquan Treadwell. I'm not playing.

O'Shaughnessy or Dan Arnold, I am not touching the passing game. I can understand wanting to go with that, but if you had to make a decision, Laquan Treadwell has had just a very sound foundation of at least four receptions and 50 yards. Like that's... It's been happening even after the departure of Urban Meyer. Right. And the ceiling doesn't exist. I will...

say that that is there. But in terms of you're desperate, you need a wide receiver three flex playoff of your waiver wire. Laquan Treadwell feels pretty locked into that 4 and 50 range. And James O'Shaughnessy, which this is TBD, Dan Arnold, the postman was designated to return. We'll see if he is actually active or not. But James O'Shaughnessy, in terms of a streaming option, the matchup is good.

The Jets are 25th on the season against fantasy tight ends. And then last week, James O'Shaughnessy, you know, 11% of the targets, 16 the week before, 21% the week before. Not all targets are created equal. I definitely agree. But if you need a tight end that's just going to, like, this is like the, we're talking about Nick Vinette last week. I'm just waiting for you to stop talking about James LaShonesy. I will never. That's all I'm waiting for in this show. I will never. I'll do anything.

I'll even talk about Braxton Barrios if I have to. No, I don't want to talk about him. James and Crowder, he didn't practice. He's not been good. Don't mess with him. Yeah. But they don't have anybody else. They're out. They're pretty much out. And so it's going to be Braxton Barrios and Kill and Cole. And that's, please stay away from this game. Michael Carter's on the COVID list. Oh, is he? He only had 10 opportunities last week. I'm not messing with him either. Yeah. Gotcha. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Okay.

But who's going to win the game? Nobody. We all lose. The Giants at 4 and 10 take on the 7 and 7 Eagles. The D.K. Sportsbook line Eagles minus 10. Over under 40 and a half points. It gives the Eagles 25. The Giants at 15. The Eagles are one of my favorite defenses this week. I don't see how the Giants... My biggest concern in this game is competition. If the Giants can't compete on offense in any way, shape, or form, which will be Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm in some ensemble, right? Some tandem.