Playoff Push + Hungry For More, Strategic or Evil? - Fantasy Football Podcast for 11/29

The Gino Smith problem is real. It actually makes it really hard for me. Like I have Tyler Lockett in a league, right? Some people have JSN. Some people have Metcalf. Like, I feel like you're, you don't really have good odds that two-thirds of these guys have a good game. I feel like it's like one-third of them. I think you have good odds that zero-thirds of them have a good game. For this week. For this week. Yeah. So are you, you'd play Brandon Cooks over any of them? Yeah, I would rather have. Brandon Cook's than D.K. Metcalfe, which feels... Let's get dirtier. Curtis Samuel after last week, or these three guys? I would not go that far down. I think that the targets can go anywhere for the manders. So I'll stick with the Seahawks there. Mike, how do you feel about those guys right now? Sad. Sad? Very, very sad. Yeah, I'm looking at, I'll tell you my decision is a flex with Tyler Lockett. If A. Chan's not back out there? I'm playing Jeff Wilson over Tyler Lockett.

Yeah. Like that's going to be the decision I make because I don't like the match up. I mean, Dallas gives up 23 total points to the fantasy wide receivers. That's total. That's ninth in the league. They've been even better over the last six weeks. It is risky business as it is with Zach Sharboning. I mean, I think you put him out there, but like if you had to guess his fantasy point total for the end of the day, it is what? I think he'll end up with 11.5. Half PPR points. I think he can break 10. Okay, I had him around 9 or 10. So hopefully he gets some targets, right? The pass rush may, is, is Michael Parsons going to be healthy? That is a question I think matters in this game. So I know he was out with an illness, I believe. Let's look it up. Because that will affect things a little bit. But, Gino, it's not good. It's out of practice as of 18 hours ago from Sports Illustrated.

Last year, Gino Smith led the NFL. He had 15 touchdowns of 20 plus 80 yards. What happened? This year he has three. You added JSN and you subtracted all of his talent. How's that? It makes, I mean, it makes some sense from the standpoint of Gino Smith has been in the NFL a very long time, and we've never seen him play like that. It just, I was, I. was giving the benefit of the doubt of we've never seen him in a real position to succeed. And he was given that chance with the Seahawks. And he had to earn the starting role. Back when the trade happened of Russell Wilson, the assumption was Drew Locke is going to be the quarterback and Gino will be a backup. But he outplayed Drew Locke. So they gave him the starting job. And then he was the most accurate quarterback in the NFL. So maybe he just had that one magical season. Or maybe the.

Just the injuries that we aren't hearing about have just stacked up and he can't get through him. Lockett 32, Metcalf 34. Is that where they are in the year? JSN 52. Those are your three Seattle wide receivers in total fantasy rank. Really? 32. I did not realize. 3452. That DK and Lockett were that low. It's been brutal. It's almost like if this was exactly what happened last year, everyone would have been like, That's what we expected. Yes. With Gino Smith. Yes. Yes, this is exactly what we expected last year. Do you want to hear the schedule for these gentlemen as you head into your playoffs? I know the next two weeks are not nice. You want to play? You're in Dallas this week. Then you travel to this kind of a fun place. San Francisco. And then don't worry, you get to stay home the next week, but you play Philly. At least you could pass on Philly. Yeah, you should. It should work. Should.

Yeah, I mean, I, you know, a lot of shoulds. To me, it's like Gino, if he's going to be facing a pass rush that forces him to be exceptionally good this year, that could be a problem. So did get a little update for you as we move on from the Thursday night game, which I, look, I am excited to watch that game. Yes. Mostly because it's not, it doesn't include the Jets. No, it's mostly because you've got the CD-D stack. Jerk. Anyone with CD DAC stack in your league right now is crushing. They're just, they're winning every week. I literally, when the game starts, I start dancing. I believe it. And I don't stop till the end. A little update on Jonathan Taylor head coach Shane Steichen indicates that the Colts will not make a move at running back in the wake of the Jonathan Taylor injury, strongly suggesting that Zach Moss will get the overwhelming majority of all carries just like he did early in the season. Well, yeah. So.

I thought that was honestly when I started that update because I hadn't read it. I thought that was like an indication that he wouldn't go on IR. I thought that's where they were going with that. If they're saying they won't make a move, that's, that has some value. Like if they're not going to actually bring anybody in. Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. Anything else from that Thursday night game you guys want to discuss? Are we ready to move on? Let's move. Let's do it. Mailbag. Oh, yeah. All right. That's all I have for you. If you have a question, Mike. That's the most disappointed. All right. Yeah. You know, part of me, part of me was just rooting for a real traditional one. And you gave, you know, you gave. Without a flourish. No flourish. I was looking for no flourish this week. I'm sorry. That's no longer traditional. There's always a flourish. Always? Pretty much. Yeah. I mean, that's what I'm disappointed about. Okay. I got something.

Real bland coming up next time. No, just here and there. I mean, just to make the flourish just stand out. You know, there's always a flourish. I can't wait to hear how bad yours is going to be on purpose next time. No, it won't be bad. It will be excellent, but it will be what it is. Cut off. Yeah. What it is. All right. If you have a question for the show, go to the website, the fantasy footballers.com. Click the submit a question button. Or you can dial our voicemail hotline, 302464 TFFB. Brooksie, do we have some voicemails today? Yes, sir. All right, let's hit one. Hey, ballers, love the show. Quick question for you. In a full PPR league, how much do you trust Joshua Palmer coming back from his injury? He's supposedly going to be healthy, but would you play him over someone like a Deontay Johnson? Thanks, guys. Look, I'm willing to be wrong here. So the question was a Joshua Palmer health, basically.

Yeah, and look, I'm on the side of, like, I had Joshua Palmer on my League of Record team. He was great. I thought I had the number two guy in Los Angeles, which was very valuable, got hurt, had to make the decision, do I keep him on my roster in the IR spot, or do I let him go? At least weeks ago when I was reading, there was not a lot of optimism. He was going to be back immediately upon his eligibility. Now, I could be wrong. He could have. made a great recovery. I don't hang out with Joshua Palmer. I definitely think Joshua Palmer will be valuable as soon as he is back. But when he's back, I'm not going to put him in my lineup week one. I want to see the successful game without reaggravation of the injury. Deontes playing Arizona. He isn't the type of player where, you know, this isn't Justin Jefferson coming backwards. Like week one, you put him in your lineup because the ceiling isn't really the same.

So when Josh Palmer comes back, I would pick him up if he's on your waivers right now because he's eligible to return. Might not be back this week. But I'm not starting him week one. He's got to prove the health. Okay. Do you agree with that, Mike? Yes. And Deiante has a good matchup. Like the specific question of Palmer in New England this week, if he was back in Deontay versus Arizona, you've got to go with the player that's guaranteed to be back. Jake, goodnight, says how do I go on now that I'm out of the playoffs? What is my purpose in life?

Your purpose is to watch the world burn. You are playing against teams who are trying to make it into the playoffs. And while it hurts to not make it into the playoffs, it feels a little bit good when you remove someone else from playoff contention. So I... That would be making the world burn. Really? Not just watching. You're the one setting some fires. Yes. With your efforts. Yeah. And so that's what I recommend. Look at that because you have people in the league that are your friends that you respect, but you want to see them fail in the game of fantasy football. So you keep playing, keep like fill your bench with all the insurance running backs. Now there are people with very strong opinions.

opposite of that, saying once you're eliminated, you're not allowed to pick up free agents. That's the argument of in the playoffs. We are not there yet. We're still a few weeks out. Fair. So if people are riding dirty right now, like the person who has Tony Pollard is, you know, just yucking it up without Rico Dowdle on the bench, go get Rico Dowdle. Like, in the event that they need them. They'll go to the waiver wire and you will laugh in their face. If you say trade deadlines closed. Also, Mike is, Mike is certainly like, if you want to be trained, he has a masterclass on vindictive management. Yeah. Brudge holding 101. We actually talked about this. I think you had already left or you were doing, I think you were doing the dynasty show yesterday. But, but if there was like a special power that each manager in our league has, like we've got one manager whose special power is.

They will not accept the offer without giving you a counter with a slight tweak because they want the last word. Yeah. Daniel. And then there's a manager like Mike, and Mike's secret power is that he will, to the detriment of his own team. Yes. Not accept the trade he determines to be unfair just so that you burn. And like at the trade deadline, like Mike was talking about this, he was trying to unload Tua for whatever. Not whatever, but like for a decent trade. He was not going to be kept for my team. I had other quarterbacks. I'm out of playoff contention for the league. Some might say just get whatever you can. Yes. It's a fair strategy. I'm fine if that's how people want to do it of like just anything because this player has no value. But I look at it as if this player is going to help you win a championship, you're going to compensate me for it. And so.

I was negotiating with Josh. Josh was trying real, real hard to pay nothing in the trade. And then he's like, yeah, this is not going to work. So I will actually negotiate, which we did. I had my starting. But you were willing to go to the grave with Tua. Absolutely. And there was a zero percent. If the trade didn't happen, that guy would be on my bench. He would not be dropped. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I, you got to, you got to be addictive with. I mean, last week, Mike paid attention to every team that turned down Michael Pittman in trades, did the math on their teams and whether they had accepted his offer if they would have won. Yep. And then reminded them of what their circumstances were. But anyway, so another thing you can do is make sure you're still paying attention because a lot of stuff happens right now through the end of the year. Players rise from out of nowhere and you have to, to be.

more prepared for 2024, know what's going on right now. Don't miss out on these late breakouts or whether they, like you can have an early jump of, is this a real thing or is this just a flash where this player just happened to have a couple weeks because of circumstances? And I will also say this for, I think it is, you know, some people are built that way, but it's also very human nature if your team is eliminated to lose interest. Because that happens. And if you're in a league where the other managers are not, You know, they kind of fade away. There are things to be done. I mean, you can convert your league to a basic keeper league of any shape and size that keeps people involved because they're interesting. Then you're picking people up. You don't know. I mean, two weeks ago or three weeks ago, I don't know if Tankdale looked like a keeper now. He looks like a keeper. Jaden Reed, maybe. Yeah. But so you're more incentivized in a keeper league to just toss those guys in your bench. And then the other thing that Mike has brought up before, like if you are in a paid league, a money league.

You can have weekly prizes. If you have a weekly cash prize for the high score of the week, then players are incentivized to keep competing as well. So there are some peripheral ways to make that happen. Let's grab another voicemail. Hey, I'm just wondering if you guys would trade Zach Moss for Zay Flowers. I'm looking for a wide receiver too, and I think the rest of his season schedule is pretty good. Thanks, love the show. Let me know. Cool, man. So trade Zach Moss right now. for Zay Flowers. I, I, which Reminders Zay is on a bye week right now. Yeah, personally, I would not do this. Um, Zach Moss in his starts without Jonathan Taylor has been like a league winning type of player. His production, his performances are consistent and impactful in a way that few, you know, like, like Kyron, um, you know, where, where he's putting up massive amounts of fantasy points.

in one spot. Zay Flowers, I know that he's got two games without Mark Andrews, both great games. But he's also got, you know, we're 12 games into the season, and he's got two great games. Right. So what if you don't have an action, like your optimal starting roster doesn't have a spot for Zach Moss? I know that it seems unlikely, but what if that's the case? I mean, if you're not going to put Zach Moss into your lineup, then I'm fine shopping him around and seeing what you can get. I, I wonder if you can't do better than Zay Flowers, though. I don't think Zay Flowers, he doesn't strike me as someone that's going to help you win a championship. And maybe the upcoming schedule mixed with Mark Andrews being gone will prove that to be an incorrect thought. And, you know, this is the voicemail from, like, you have your beliefs in Flowers. Like if you want to call your shot and say, hey, I'm looking at this schedule. I believe in the talent. Without Mark Andrews, I think he's going to be a league winner. Then yeah, then go ahead and.

call your shot, make that move. You know, I thought Tank Dell was going to be a league winner, and I went to try to trade for him, stupid Andy, beat me. But like, there is something nice about if you see something, if you believe something, calling your shot and doing it. So I don't have like, this isn't an absolutely not. But for me, I don't think Zayflowers is going to be a league winner. And I think Zach Moss could be. I think one key component here is like Zach Moss is guaranteed to be something for your team. could have an expiration date with the return of Jonathan Taylor. So if you're not fighting for the playoffs now and you view like the later weeks is more valuable, that might be a reason to take the Zayflower side of that transaction. But right now we just don't have a lot of clarity on how long Jonathan Taylor is going to miss. Like if you told me he was going to be out the rest of the year, there's no chance I would do that move. This question comes in. I mean, we've got puka questions coming in everywhere.

This comes in off of Twitter. KSui says, do I sit Puka? Tank Dell or Brian Robinson in a half point PPR league. Brian Robinson this week has the Miami matchup. And then... Tank is in, right? Tank is you're not possibly benching Tank Dell right now. Would we agree with that? I think that's the consensus opinion. I would agree. Cleveland is the matchup for Puka this week, which is a tough one. So I think tank has a lock because of that. I mean, the Denver matchup is tough, too, actually, versus wide receivers. Oh, man. I mean, I, so to me, this is between Puka and Brian Robinson. That's, that's how I view the sit. The sit decision. I. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is the status of Denzel Ward? Is he going to be back in business? That's a good question. I don't know that we know right now.

So Denzel Ward was out against the Broncos shoulder injury. Who was Cleveland giving up those points to start the game last week? Two scores right away. What was that matchup? Why am I blanking? Are you talking about against Denver? Yeah, it was Denver. It was Denver. So like they did give up some production in the past game without Denzel Ward. It was my point. I think I'd play Pooka. Eileen Puka and Sid Robinson as well. Yeah, I mean, Robinson's got a higher floor. Puka's got a higher ceiling to me in this week. Robinson has to catch passes, which he has been. But we do have Gibson back. Yeah. With Gibson back, Curtis Samuel back and healthy and obviously very involved last week. We saw, you know, the previous weeks, Brian Robinson was six receptions, seven receptions. With those guys back and healthy, he only had two receptions.

last week. Yeah, I'm going to sit Brian Robinson. Smithy FGC on YouTube writes in. He says, should I trust Najee Harris going forward after a strong performance in the new system, 15 for 99 and a touchdown, but zero targets last week. Definitely trust him this week. This week. Trust the heck out of him this week. Yeah, trust him this week. Trust him this week, but this is still week to week. He'll be mentioned on tomorrow's episode. Yes, he will. As well as running. Man, looking at his upcoming schedule, these are some pretty soft defense. So you got Arizona this week. New England the next week, which that could be more bottled up. But then the Colts, that's one of the best teams to run on. The Bengals have not been able to stop the run recently. Seattle, despite getting Leonard Williams, is one of the worst run defense. Last six weeks for Seattle, they are.

Yeah, they're terrible. The worst. And then that, I mean, that's championship week. So, Najee, with the new corner, yeah, maybe you do. Ethics question and maybe our final question. We'll see. Bryce in Wisconsin. Earmuffs, Josh. And Jeremy. Ethics question, Bryce and Wisconsin, you have the number one seed. First round by locked up. You play the number 60 this week. And you sit your best players because you want to keep that much better number seven seed team out of the playoffs. Is this strategic or is this evil? And here we are again. Welcome. Welcome, one and all to the, depending on who you are ethics question. Because if you're the number. Because it could be both. If you're the number seven seed trying to get into the playoffs and you're playing the sixth seed and the other team is playing the six seed and they bench their players to keep you out of the playoffs.

you're going to lose your mind. Yes. I mean, that is true. So you slip your, slip your, slip your shoes onto that person's situation. And that's your perspective, right? Like the seven teams battling to get in. They see that the number six seat has to play the number one seed. They're like, yes, I got a shot to get into the playoffs. And yet, this whole personal autonomy, do whatever you want, league be darned situation. It is that I, you know, some. People believe that. It is strategically evil. I think that I am formally opposed. I mean, we've been asked questions like this for years, and it's pretty much always been the same answer, right? First of all, you have to start an active lineup. That's not, you can't bench your players and not have a lineup. That's completely against the game that we are playing. As far as how egregious.

can you make these decisions? The way that I have always viewed it, the way I've said about it for years is simply, if you've got a questionable decision, like we just talked Puka or Brian Robinson, right? And we lean sitting Brian Robinson. And you're like, yeah, I don't think he's the right. But we had to work through it. We had to work through it. Maybe put him and be like, yeah, I think he's maybe the worst matchup. And so put that guy in. There's no problem there. But you're not going to take someone like, you know, Royce Freeman. and put him in. Tank Dell, Puka, those guys, and just yank them and throw them on the band. I think there's, I think there's just a reasonable gamesmanship you can play, but you can't, you know, outright tank. There's no way we're recording right now. There's just no chance this episode is being recorded, edited, none of that. Like, you're not hearing this. Why? Well, because, look, this ethics debate, we had this. I'm going to just tease it. I won't bring it up.

It gets brought up on the dynasty show. If you want to hear some things that took place in the dynasty league that brought this exact type of ethical debate, you can go listen to the dynasty show because it got brought up in there. So different opinions, some right, some wrong. You know, how opinions go. Just, you know, be careful what you wish for too. Yes, yes. I agree with that. I mean, this whole idea that we know. Yeah. Look, I mean, that team might have Zach might have had Zach Moss on the bench and you wanted to play him. And then an injury happens. And now you're facing Zach Moss because you thought they were the easier team. Yeah. That is, I mean, we were looking at the playoff matchups in our league of record yesterday, Jason. And you're like, I kind of hope you lose so I can kind of get this matchup in the first round. And it's like, you never know, man. You look back and things change quickly. So oftentimes I think you just kind of press forward.

The truth is, is like, if you have a better team and you have the better players and you play them the right way, you're going to win your matchup. And there you go. Anybody can beat anybody in the playoffs for sure because of, you know, one giant, what was it, Mike Evans, three touchdowns with Tom Brady. Oh, yeah, baby. Yep. That happens. It happens. And then, you know, we just put ourselves through it again next year. Reminder, before we close things out, drop it like it's hot, waiver wires. They went through this week. Also, reminder. That is a reminder to pick up players that others have dropped. Yes, in addition to picking up players, other players have dropped. This is the season where you must be looking at your matchup. You must be looking at what your opponent needs. If he's got a quarterback on by next week, then you need to block on defenses, on tight ends, on quarterbacks. It's not just, well, I don't need a quarterback. I've got Jalen Hertz. It's like, well,

Yeah, but if your opponent needs one and there's one good one out there, you need to start taking that approach as we enter these final playoff weeks. Agreed. Yeah. Block it like a time of your start thinking defensively, not just offensively. All right. Tomorrow starts of the week. The matchup previous Friday, the Wheel of Shame makes its return. Once again, we'll get into fantasy face off. More matchups on Friday. Hopefully have some injury updates for you. As you get primed and ready for, is this week 13? Week 13? Yes, yes it is. How? Crazy. How? That's how time works. It just goes. There's no stopping it. Well, not yet. No. I mean, we don't. We're working on it. Yeah, looking into it. Is that the Zach Morris, Paulus? Yeah, the timeout. Yeah, I'll use that and I'll swap some starters for my opponent. All right, that is going to do it for today's show. Shout out to the Deucer sitting over there.

On the ones and two, Judge Giamatti. Thank you. Hal Borland, I love you. And then Papa Josh is over there as well. All right. Take care. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on join thefoot.com. And follow us on Twitter at the FF ballers.