Starts of the Week + Week 1 Breakdown, It’s Football Time! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 9/9

because I think that it's just going to be nonstop throwing. You can't run against Pittsburgh, and Buffalo doesn't have a strong running game. So they're just going to spread it out like they did. Of course, you're playing Stefan Diggs. Mani Sanders is sort of interesting to me in this matchup. I see I'm out on all three of the other options outside of Diggs. You know, you just need to scroll on Twitter and you're going to have Gabriel Davis hype. Cole Beasley is still.

heavily involved. He's a safe PPR play. Who is? Cole Beasley. Yeah. And so at that point in time, am I starting a third or fourth option for the Buffalo passing game against Pittsburgh? I don't think I am. I mean, they were 10th against fantasy wide receivers last year. I'd like to, this is a let it shake out to see what the depth chart looks like for Buffalo for me. Yeah, I agree, especially between Emmanuel Sanders, who's been dealing with a foot problem and Gabriel Davis, who is the new hotness who.

does not necessarily even have the job. So, yeah, you've got to wait and see what the snap counts look like between those guys. This is not a great defensive, you know, a matchup. So I'm pretty much looking at obviously Diggs and Allen. They're locked in. Gold Beasley and PPR. And then the other side of the ball, this is where it gets a little bit more interesting because I'm less afraid of the bill's defense, even at home, than I am against the Steelers defense. You're starting Najee.

That's exciting. You drafted him. But I think the questions come up, and this is one of the reasons why I haven't drafted a lot of Deontay Johnson, Chase Claypool or Juju Smith-Schuster, is because every single week, matchup does not really determine. It's like, who is it? Yeah, I mean, on the road in week one, I would probably try my best to get somebody else into my lineup if I had Claypool or Ju-Ju.

I'm confident with the volume, the target volume for Deonte week in and week out. He's not really going to be a matchup decision for me this year. But otherwise, like, I'm not trying to play Big Ben on the road. I mean, you look at last year, it was not a great year for Big Ben in general. But the handful of top 12 games, most of those happened at home where he finished at three and five. Those were at home. Buffalo was the benching game for Deontay.

Last year. Right. And, you know, Buffalo's defense, it's pretty stout, especially in the secondary. So there'd be question marks for me about opportunity for Claypool and Juju to do enough. That's how I see it. I wouldn't play Big Ben either. Yeah, I would say the only other passing. I think you laid that out exactly how I view it. If you can pivot from Claypool or Juju to see what happens, you're fine, play Deontay. But I would put the line at two and a half touchdowns for Pat Friermouth.

Ooh, muse is loose. The mooth is loose on the field. It's saying it feels so bad. Antonio Brown or Chase Claypool. Sorry, it is so much worse to say than even to hear. It feels terrible. It feels wrong. Go ahead. Say it with us at home. Yeah. The mooth is loose. It just doesn't. In your mouth, it feels weird. Yeah, I'm doing something wrong here. Okay. Yeah, what you're doing is you're saying the mooth is loose. That's what you're doing wrong. But to hear it sounds bad. To say it,

It feels terrible. You know, do you ever do the thing where you hope? Oh, say Apple? You just hold your tongue and try to say Apple? Oh, I haven't. I wouldn't recommend you doing that. I wouldn't do it right now. Antonio Brown or Chase Claypool? It's AB, right? Cory Davis or Chase Claypool? Corey Davis is. Against Carolina. Yeah. Ooh, that one is tough. I think the higher upside is with Claypool, but the higher volume and, you know, if I'm projected.

To win the matchup and I want to go play it safe, I would go Corey Davis. Debo at Detroit or Chase Claypool? I won't go Debo, so Chase. You won't? Wait, you just, you're just against him?

Is this an IU thing? It's funny. No. We have this debate about me not liking your players. You won't even start Debo. I like Brandon I. This has nothing to do with, this is literally just Debo's injury history where I'm always afraid you're going to get a couple of snaps. Obviously the matchup is great. I would be the one to worry about on that in this game. Debo should, you're just saying because he's had a more recent injury? Yeah, like he was injured like last week and he would be the re-injury risk in this game. And those are some.

Those are words you want to say out loud. Re-injury risk? That Debo is not the injury risk in this game. I think if you had to pick one person to be a re-injury risk, it would be IU. Doesn't it a hamstring for IU? I don't remember. Does Drafking Sportsbook have injury problems? Oh, gosh. No, please don't. Yeah, it was a hamstring. Yeah. Oh, man. You're just begging for pain. I know. The Minnesota Vikings take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati.

It's Vikings minus three on the road over under's 47 points. Personally, I am smashing the Vikings minus three in this game. They are one of my 2021 surprise teams. I think they can win the division. And Cincinnati is, I mean, just it's narrative street, right? But Joe Burrow, off of the injury, Jamar Chase, first game in the NFL, which, by the way.

He's come out and said that it's harder to catch the NFL ball because it doesn't have the white stripes, so it's harder to see. It's a little bigger. Like the band? It doesn't have the white stripes on the ball. Sorry. One? Yeah, that one was real bad. You got a one for that joke. You can't give a zero to a joke because it existed. That joke was bad because it distracted from the conversation in a way that was not funny.

No, I mean, Cincinnati, you're going to need to see, like, I'm not going to play anybody with confidence on Cincinnati outside of Joe Mixon. I would agree that with the confidence side. No, not with confidence. I think Tyler Boyd might have the better week of the three wide receivers. Yeah, I'm fine starting T. Higgins in a PPR, Tyler Boyd is pretty much one of those Jarvis Landry types where everything or Cole Beasley, the matchup.

really doesn't matter. Good matchup, bad matchup. Those are guys in a full PPR league. You can throw in for a couple of points. They're going to be fine. They're not going to be great. Higgins is who I would throw out if you wanted to take a shot in this matchup. The Vikings were obviously a very great defense to play against last year as far as they were not good. I expect them to be better. This is one where I'm not targeting last year's metrics and saying, ooh.

Minnesota's secondary sucks. Obviously, they brought in Patrick Peterson, made some upgrades all over the defense. So I expect them to be far, far better. And I would agree with you, Andy. This is a game where I think it's lining up well for the Minnesota Vikings. We do have a start of the week in this game we'll get to. You'd start both.

wide receivers for the Vikings in this one on the road. Yes. You start Delvin Cook. And I love Kirk Cousins this week. From week 10 on last year, he was the quarterback three. Jefferson is an elite talent, an elite deep threat, big play. You know, he can turn a mediocre Kirk Cousins game into a great one on one play. So I like Kirk in this matchup despite it being on the road. And then if you need to go deep shot.

Yes. At the tight-in position. Yes. Please go where you think. I think you're going. Conk. Conk. If you didn't say it, I was going to say it. Over the final four games, Tyler Conklin started to produce. Pronounced with an onklin. Produced at a similar level to Irv Smith, who was a lot of people's favorite breakout and sleeper tight end of the year. And Irv Smith is out for the season with the meniscus problem.

Conklin, if you're playing the game of I just hope my tight end catches a touchdown. I think that Tyler Conklin this week is in that category. Last year, the Bengals 26th against the tight end position. Yeah, the matchup is great and that's why Chris Herndon's going to have himself a game. No, he's not. The guy who just got added to the team? We'll see. I think he will be more involved than you two think.

I don't think this is going to be the Tyler Conklin tight-in show. Well, we're saying he's sneaky. We're not saying it's the show. I believe we said, like, if you need a last, like a last ditch. This is like a public access show. Okay, but in reality. We're not available in many markets. Local markets may vary. But sure. I guess my point is, you know, assuming a 12-team league. I think you and Mike should make a Conklin versus Earnedon. Oh, let's put it on the board. Waterbed. Just for fun.

Just to get it started. Waterbed. If you don't know what the waterbed is, we have a video that's going to be coming out pretty soon that highlights our draft, like our League of Record draft, where the last place person has to get a punishment. So you'll get to see that. But Conklin versus Herndon. I'm leaning on the free from Adam Gay's narrative forever. Sure. And I'm leaning on...

shouting conk is very fun. That you were going to say statistics and history and things like that. I'm guessing that you're not applying the Adam Gay's philosophy to Lev Bell on the Ravens. That is correct because he was washed well before Adam Gase. All right. The 49ers take on the Detroit Lions in Detroit. Draft King Sportsbook line here, 49ers minus seven and a half over under a 44 and a half.

implied point toll 26 for the 49ers, 18 and a half for Detroit. Boy, do I love this game if I'm playing a player on the San Francisco 49ers. Last year, the Lions were 32nd against fantasy quarterbacks, 32nd against fantasy running backs, 31st against fantasy wide receivers. I do expect them to be improved. I think they're going to get better this year. In my bold predictions article, I have them winning more games than people expect. However,

They're not going to be able to stop the well-oiled rushing attack of the 49ers in this one. Rahim Mostert, we're going to talk about him soon. I love him in DFS this week. And Trey Serman is interesting because he's going to get to make his debut against the porous run defense that, you know, is going to have to prove it before I believe.

Yeah, I mean, I have an unfortunate situation on, you know, I'm in the process of tearing down a dynasty to rebuild it. And so I am starting both Rahim Moster and Trey Sermin, but thankfully this matchup says that could work out for you. You know, when I look at the Detroit side of the ball, I'm a little worried about almost everybody. And that extends even to...

A guy I'm madly in love with this year, one of the, you know, an unofficial my guy, if you will. T.J. Hawkinson, I expect to have a great year to be the center of this offense. But this matchup is really, really bad. I mean, the San Francisco 49ers were the most difficult matchup for tight ends. They're practicing against George Gittle. They gave up six points a game last year to the tight end position. And I think their defense has...

improved over last year, just personnel-wise. But are you, I mean, there's no way you're benching Hawkinson, right? No, you're not benching Hawkinson. I think he's still going to get, you know, six, seven, eight targets, five, six receptions, which is great for a time in. But he is, you know, we talked about Ezekiel Elliott being a week two target. If T.J. Hawkinson comes out and lays a stinker, I'm not going to be off of him based on him not showing up against a really good defense at playing. So you're prepared for the Kyle Pitts, amazing week one, T. J.

disastrous week one. I am fully mentally prepared, yes. I don't think you are. He's mentally, not emotionally prepared. Right. He's mentally prepared. Thank you, Andy. He acknowledges the fact that it could happen. But, yeah, he'll be a ball. I'm already a ball. What about Jerry? What about Jared Goff? You ready to start him against San Francisco? Oh, no, thank you. No, thank you. Quarterback 28 on the week. DeAndre Swift and Jamal Williams, it's kind of a mess there, too. Great run defense for the 49ers.

and Swift is coming off the injury. I'm more confident for Swift if you're in a PPR league. I agree. And the wide receiver room, like, I don't know if you've looked at the depth chart for Detroit. Like, it was already a mess, but the, like, you have Tyrell Williams. Okay. He's probably kind of washed. And then you have potential players, right? Quintas, Seifis, Amon Ra, St. Brown. Amon Rae St. Brown is a starter on the depth chart. Is he? Yeah, but you know who? Oh, no. They just.

They added different names to this is a team. They're doing their best, like Texans of the NFC impression in picking up different players. Cephas is not listed as a starter. Yeah, I mean, the only wide receiver I would even be willing to look at in a pinch is Tyrell Williams. I'm not 100% convinced. Caliph Raymond is a starter.