Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Starts of the Week, Week 14 Matchups, Boom-Boom!

numbers to running backs and if if ivory is out if shoelace denard robinson is out i mean t j alden's going to be the guy that's what it ended up as last week and he was okay for fantasy do you find it interesting that vegas only has this as a three and a half point uh line wow is that yeah that is interesting is this must be in jacksonville it is okay that makes a little bit more sense um no it doesn't shock me at all okay that i think it might be

I think it might be a little bit. Oh, no. What? Come on, man. No, you're not doing it here. I think it might be. Yeah, it's faith that you're pulling a Jeff Fisher over there. You can't find your challenge. No. Andy's almost upset of the week. Try as you may. What is with you? I've gone, Jordy LaForge. I can't look at this. You and Gus Bradley. Yeah. You can't stop yourself. Can't quit you.

So in that case, they have... Last week, Jacksonville played within a touchdown of Denver. Now you've got a Minnesota offense. You have a Minnesota offense that is terrible and a defense that's a little more susceptible. And it over under that means the game's going to be close. In Jacksonville. In Jacksonville. You heard it here first. Start your Allen Robinson's. No, it does not translate to fantasy value just because I think the team's going to upset them. It just means that this game is going to be competitive.

Here's the how you win fantasy in this matchup. You have to get lucky and pick the one guy that scores on each team for a passing touchdown. Sure. Because I'm not projecting more than one passing touchdown for either quarterback, Sammy Biscuits or Blake Bortle. Yeah, and who that's going to go to, you would guess. If you had to guess who the touchdown goes to on both sides, you'd say Alan Robinson for Jagsville. Kyle Rudolph. I mean, you, you, I don't, I don't mean, Adam Thielen. All right, he's yours. Take him.

Take him home. Any other thoughts that you guys have on this matchup in particular? I mean, I know we could talk about Gus and Stefan Diggs. People probably wonder. I think you start him in PPR. In PPR. Avoid them in standard. Yep. Yep. Starts of the week. Stretching out. It's time to break him out. You're starting Gus Bradley as upset coach of the week.

As in he'll be the most upset at the end of the game. He's going to be upset pretty soon. All right, guys, look, it's playoff week. This is a serious business. And it's time to get down to brass tax. We've got our starts of the week at every position. Better than copper tax. Yeah. Brass ones just hold up longer. All right, Mike. Focus. Who's your quarterback start of the week, Mike? My quarterback start of the week. Captain Kirk Cousins. Wait, is this 2015? Nope.

It's 2016, my friend, and I want to give people confidence because you look, if you're an ESPN, you open it up, you see red. Red is dead. When it comes to matchups, you go, oh, crap, my quarterback Kurt Cousins is taking on Philadelphia, 11th against quarterbacks. Philly at home. However, the last four games are giving up nearly 300 yards and one and a half touchdowns.

Kurt Cousins is playing fantastic football. You have Deshawn Jackson. Revenge game. Revenge game taking on the Eagles. Maybe Jordan Reed is back. Even if Reed is not back, Jameson Crowder is playing fantastic football. Weapons. Kirk Cousins.

Kirk Couss is playing great. He really is. He's playing great. Do not be scared of the Philadelphia defense. He was almost my start of the week. It was between him and this other guy. I let you pick. You took Cousins. I think that's great. I am fine. And the reason that I'm going with Matthew Stafford this week is because a lot of teams that have him, very similar to how you're thinking, might think, okay, this is a divisional game.

This is against Chicago who just, you know, shut down Colin Cameron. Their defense has been. Colin Cabernick shot himself down. Yeah, and the snow. He clearly has never been in the cold. This is in a dome. So you're going, Matthew Stafford. This is in a dome at home, a very meaningful game for the Detroit Lions against a team that they should beat, they have to beat, and they will beat. And they're not going to be able to run the ball well.

because they just haven't been. I mean, they just signed drug bell. It tells you all you need to know. Exactly. So I think Matthew Stafford's going to put up two touchdowns, 250. And his upside is he just is better embarrasses him. Absolutely. I agree with that. And I think it's a good call. I think a lot of our starts right now, we're talking about those questions. We're getting on Twitter and through the website. It's do I start Stafford or this guy or that guy? And this should help you have some confidence. My guy, same vein. Confidence. It's Russell Wilson.

He's my number two ranked quarterback this week. He's in Green Bay. You have Earl Thomas now out in the secondary. There's susceptibility there for Aaron Rogers, who I like as well, but not more than Russell. I like Russell the most this week. We know the Green Bay struggles. I'm not worried about weather. I think Russell's been moving very, very well. I like him, and I'd start him over everybody except for Andrew Luck this week.

All right. I'm going to come right back and give you my running back start of the week. You guys get yours all ready to go. Mine is Mark Ingram against Tampa. Last week, Ingram had only seven carries, but he did produce 37 yards. Get this, five receptions in limited work last week for 16 yards. Love the reception totals. Love the fact that Tim Hightower only had two carries and one catch. And we know what happened last week. They had to ditch the run completely.

This was that matchup where, you know, they basically, Drew Brees disappointed everybody despite going to the past. Mark Ingram, we talked about him in the beginning of the show. He's an RB1 on the season, and he is an RB1 potential for this week for me. So I actually have a lot of confidence in Mark Ingram. I'm not worried about the toe being a major issue. He only had one limited practice last week, and it came later in the week. He's already had a limited practice this week. So I'm very confident in Mark Ingram. And like Mike said,

He's the best running back on that team. He's produced better than Hight Tower lately. Just needs to stay healthy and I like him. I love it. I'm going with a guy who I've got him back in that running back to area. And he's been very disappointing for a stretch here. And that was Jonathan Stewart. And I know that on paper you think, well, the San Diego run defense. Yeah, they're third in the league. But the last three weeks, they're giving up around 90 yards and a touchdown to the running back position.

The Panthers are at home. I just think that there could finally be some running room here for Jay Stu. I expect him to be back in that higher total of carries, and I want a running back to who's going to get volume. So I like Jonathan Stewart again this week. Yeah, I think he is a decent playoff matchup for that flex type option where a lot of people are going to be saying, do I start him? Yeah. Or, you know, a...

Jeremy Hill or whoever. Well, that would be Jeremy Hill. Well, I forgot the Cleveland Browns. My start of the week this week is going to be Spencer Ware. I love that. If I knew I could, I should have taken them from you. Spencer Ware has just been as reliable a running back as you could ask for. And in the last seven games he played, six of them are over double digits in fantasy. For half point, PPR scoring, which is the format we go by.

Three of those games have been over 20 points. He's involved in the past game. He's involved in the running game. And the Oakland Raiders, they can put up points, even in Kansas City, on Kansas City. And that just means more touchdowns need to be scored by Kansas City. The nice thing about Spencer Ware being involved in the passing game and the running game is you're not game scripting him out. Oakland is 25th against...

I'm going to put you on the spot here because I don't think anybody in the right mind is benching Spencer Ware. So I don't think that's a question. The question is, Jason, are you starting him over Devante Freeman? Are you starting over Jordan Howard? The reason that I went for the playoffs, I think we need better options. We need higher options. We're not looking for guys you're going to necessarily be playing, you know, off of the waivers.

You know, when it comes to Spencer Ware, for me, there's very few people I would start over him. He's my sixth ranked running back this week. I have him ranked ahead of, yeah, Devante Freeman and Matt Forte, Jeremy Hill, we just talked about. Wow. I love where. I do. I like wear a lot this week. That's why he's my start. Yeah, I haven't ranked the same. I haven't ranked six. Love him. There you go. All right. Wide receivers? I'll go with my wide receiver because I love it. He's my guy last year. He's a late.

Season hero. He is amazing. A late bloomer like you. And he is the one only, the Doug Baldwin. Doug Baldwin has a juicy matchup this week. Green Bay has just been as terrible a defense and as good an offense as you can hope for for a guy like Doug Baldwin to find his way. Here's a great stat from our good friend Scott Barrett over on Twitter.

Over the last 19 regular season games, you've got Russell Wilson as your number two quarterback. Sure do. Over Russell Wilson's last 19 regular season games, he has a 152.2 passer rating when targeting Doug Baldwin. Perfect passer rating is 158.3. Against Green Bay. Of course, 158.3. Very logical. Right. Makes sense. Against Green Bay in a game that they're going to be able to throw.

Doug Baldwin is going to get in the end zone. I've got him as a locked and loaded wide receiver one. Really like Doug Baldwin this week. My wide receiver start of the week may shock you. I know it's a little dangerous. It's a little hot. It's a little dangerous. You're going barefoot on the coals, my friend. Sammy Watkins. Sammy Watkins. I have him at wide receiver 15 this week.

I think he is startable. He went from 25 snaps to 49 snaps last week, so he doubled his participation on the field. He is fixing chemistry issues with Tyrod Taylor, and we've talked about this matchup between the bills and the Steelers and their offense. I know it's hot. I know it's a hot take, but this is what I'm saying. If you need to start a solid and startable wide receiver 2 with a potential surprise, Sammy Watkins.

He's my start of the week. He certainly has the potential, the talent, you know, to take a long, deep ball, 80 yards for a touchdown and have a great week. I've got him ranked 28th this week. I still worry a little bit about the weather. Don't blame you at all. All right. My guy is, uh, I got to have a contingency here because apparently my man Trevor Simeon is still looking not locked and loaded as I felt he should be. But this is a.

If Trevor Simeon is the quarterback, Emmanuel Sanders, I love it. I'm running the combo here. Jason's stream of the week is Trevor Simeon. Tennessee is giving up over 40 fantasy points per game to wide receiver as the last five games. There is massive production available for the wide receiver position. And we know that Trevor Simeon can make things happen with Sanders. Sanders is a spectacular wide receiver. I think he has the speed.

and the perfect skill set to exploit the Tennessee Titans secondary. I'll just flip it over to my tight end. Do it. Cameron Brate, highest over under the week. I want a piece of that action. Maybe you don't have Evans. Slice of Brayette. Maybe you don't have James Winston. Might as well have James Winston's number two option. And that is Cameron Brate, who you like him to get that 40 to 60 yards, which is solid for most tight ends.

But then you have a larger than usual probability of scoring a touchdown against New Orleans. I would like camera break. Jason, tight-in start. My tight-in start of the week, again, I'm going a little higher up to a guy that I think is going to have a monster game. Most people probably starting him, despite the fact that he only had two receptions last week. That is Tyler Eifert, the number one red zone target for Andy Dalton against the 30th ranked Cleveland Brown.

against tight ends. Tyler Eifert in standard scoring is my number one tight end of the week. Oh my. So I would start him over all. If you're playing against Tyler Eifert, I think you need to prepare for, you know, that kind of two touchdown game type of potential. And so Tyler Eifert, to me, is a guy that he is 100% started and he's going to have a monster game.

My tight-in start of the week has more 100-yard games than Cameron Brate does, because Brate has none. And I like a guy who has the potential to give you a monster playoff week and who also makes me feel like he has now established himself with a safe floor, and that's Ladarius Green. He's my number four ranked tight-in this week. I'm a spot ahead of Cameron Brate. Last week we saw the potential of Lederia's Green, not the guarantee, but the potential.