Fantasy Football 2017 - Holiday Awards, Week 16 Matchups, Starts of the Week

The Lions running backs have shared 63 rushing yards per game, which is dead last in the league over the last three weeks. So you're talking about how do I distribute 63 yards? That's not. This is why. This is why you just start somebody else. This is why you start Matthew Stafford. Because, look, it's a game that they're expected to win. They're playing the hapless Bengals right now who are falling apart. So hapless. Beyond hapless. You can't run the ball. I've never seen less half in my life. No hap available.

Mm-mm. It's a very anti-Hap team right now. Not happening. Oh, nice. You win. Not happen. Okay. Speaking of the not happening, Bengals. Oh, man. You know. You know who else can't stop the run? Yeah. The Lions. Yeah. We'll get into my start of the week, which is Mixen or Bernard. I mean, that, that's where I'm going here.

You want to see what you have in Joe Mixing. I expect him to be back, to be back, and the Lions cannot defend the running back throughout the season. You expect, once Joe Mixon is back, you expect the volume to completely return? Yeah, I think so. I think so. I mean, he's had a couple weeks off similarly to Devont to Freeman, when Freeman was out for a couple of weeks and came back and got all the volume back. So Mixing and AJ Green and no one else. I mean, that is, that's kind of my equation. Certainly.

All right, the dolphins take on the chiefs in airhead. Six and eight dolphins, eight and six chiefs. Jay Cutler, by the way, said today he hasn't thought about 2018 at all. Jay Cutler hasn't thought about lunch. I'm taking that as I haven't even thought about the year happening at all. Like it might come and might not. Today is the day. Jake Cutler wakes up. What am I doing today? Like that cigarette. I'm a quarterback.

Jason, you're hoping for big things from Kenyon Drake, and the running back, you know, the defense for the Chiefs against the running back position has been pretty vulnerable lately, giving up 22 and a half fantasy points over the last six weeks. So Kenyon Drake, he's a must start this week. Devante Parker talked about him being banged up. You're willing to start Jarvis Landry. Absolutely. He's just been too involved. You can't bench Jarvis. Outside of Jarvis and Drake, though, are you touching anybody else?

No. Mike? I... Nope. If Parker's out is Stills in that wide receiver three category? Yes. If Parker is out, then Stills gets an upgrade for sure. So last week, I benched Alex Smith at home against the Chargers in favor of... No, the process to bench Alex Smith was there. He had a good game. Also known as he threw the ball to Tyree Kill down the field. And...

Corrine, Corrine. So what I'm saying is last week, my gut told me Alex Smith set him down in favor of Nick Foles. Now, he had a very good game. Foles beat him out. I felt good about that call. This week... Oh, tell me something good. This week, I'm almost positive I'm starting Alex Smith. Oh, yes. The Dolphins defense is 28th against the fantasy quarterback.

Now, they've been good against wide receivers, but that's not, you know, it takes one play with Tyreek Hill. And Alex Smith, he makes his hay with Travis Kelsey a lot of the time. The Dolphins can't guard the tight end. This game's at home. It's do or die for the Chiefs. And I think this place is going to be rocking. Now, I know it's going to be a little cold, but it's not going to be anything that they're not used to doing and not used to playing in. And if anything, that hurts the Floridians, right? It hurts the dolphins playing on the road in the cold.

My gut tells me Alex Smith is a solid start this week. I agree. The numbers say that as well. And I think I'm going to hedge a little bit. I'm not going to go into Monday night with Foles and Jeffrey to beat you, Mike. I'm going to play Alex Smith this week. All right. I'm going to put it on his back. Look, he's carried me along the way this year. And I think he's going to finish for fantasy owners in the right way. I do not blame you at all for going with Smith. I think that he is the safer option over Nick Foles who.

Nick, apparently if you're a Philadelphia, Eagle quarterback, your touchdown percentage. In the red zone. It's just astronomical. That transferred over to Foles. I don't know if it'll continue. Not that I hate Foles this weekend, but I think Smith is the play that I would go with if I was running the team. Cream Hunt. Everybody else is easy on this team, right? You start Hunt, you start Hill, you start Kelsey. Yeah, absolutely. By the way, Kenyon Drake, Jason?

6.5 targets per game. Second highest in the league since week 12. Nice baseline. That is the reason I'm worried about Damien Williams. Because. Yes. The baseline could be evaporated by Damien Williams. Exactly. I'm doing baselines for you guys. Ah, there it was. Yeah. If Damien Williams comes back, he was at practice. Oh. Williams. It doesn't quite have the same. No. We got to.

Kay Drake. I don't know. But look, I love Kenyon Drake. He's been so solid lately. But if Damien Williams comes back, I think you're going to see a few of those targets. Obviously, it's going to siphon some touches away, which will hurt him. All right, the bills, 8 and 6 take on the Patriots 11 and 3 after that miracle win by New England last week. Patriots are 12.5 point favorites, 47 point over under. They're at home.

and you could see some light rain in this game, but everything says a Patriots running back is going to do work in this game. And I think it's Dionne Lewis. I think it's so much that I tried to put him in as my start of the week. And someone stole him before I had a chance. Yeah, because I completely agree. This is why, and I guess now is the time to bring up Mike Gillisley's name, this is why you look at.

You know, over the last few weeks, I forget the stat, but I heard it from a good friend of the show, JJ Zacharison. Oh, that over the last several weeks, Rex Burkhead has been in the top five as far as rushing goal line carries. Goal line carries. Dionne Lewis over that time has only had one. So Rex Burkhead was the goal line back. And actually, I mean, I think there's a strong case to be made that, you know, New England giving some sort of gargantuan workload to Dionne Lewis doesn't make sense.

They're an 11-3 team heading into the playoffs. The Allen Lewis is crucial, especially with Burkhead's absence, to keep him healthy. It might not make sense to just throw everything Lewis and White's way. It's going to make sense to work Mike Gillisley in. And if the game, you know, you talked about Vegas, the 12 and a half point favorite, the Bill's offense probably, you know, they've not been very good. They've scored 14 points a game since week 12. This fourth worst in the league.

That's 14 points are not going to get it done against New England. They're going to have a big lead. I guess that's the argument for the Gillisley shot in the dark. Exactly. But it is a shot in the dark. If Gillisley is not active, if you come out and he's just not active, I won't be shocked. I actually will. I will be very shocked if Mike Gillisley is inactive again. Dionne Lewis, like you're saying, Andy, I don't, maybe he gets a carrier two more. Right.

They know who Dionne Lewis is, which is a spectacular running back who you have to manage his touches. Did they not put Legerat Blunt inactive several times in years past and then bring him back to grind it out at the end of the year? It sounds very familiar. I mean, they've done this with. This is what Billichick does. They have rolls. And now that the goal line back is the roll is open because Burkhead's gone, I think Gillisley slides right in. Yeah, I mean, it's next man up. Okay, we've got an injury. You're in. Yeah.

it's a strong point. I mean, it's a, you got a shot. You're going to play him against me, Mike? No, because I have Carlos Hyde. Right. If you've got a good option. That's, that's the message. Yeah, if you're like me where you got in on the back of Alfred Morris. Brandon Cooks is the only wide receiver you can play in New England right now. Yes. They're only targeting the wide receiver position 13 times the game as third lowest in the league. Grankowski is who led them down the field. You got to love Gronkowski in this game against the bill's defense at home.

He's probably got to make his hay early. I mean, that's what the equation in this game is. Possibly. Now on the other side of the coin is, divisional matchup, the bills have been, they're in the playoffs right now. Right. So we look at it, and Vegas says, look, it doesn't matter that they're in the playoffs. We're going to give the Patriots 13 points, 12 and a half points. You know, and for fantasy owners, it probably doesn't matter that much either. I mean, LaShawn McCoy, you're starting him. Yes. You're starting Charles Clay if you need him. If you have to.

Otherwise, Kelvin Benjamin's been worthless. You can't start a wide receiver and you can't start to have a retailer in my opinion. I think Charles Clay is a better play than if you have to. What about better than Jack Doyle? Not better than Doyle. Okay. But Charles Clay is a low wind, tied in one, nine targets last week, five receptions for 68 yards, five targets the week before. He's, he, he's Mr. Necessary. He gets a large, uh,

large part of the target share from Tyrod Taylor, and game flow, I expect that they are going to have to throw the ball more than they want to. Yeah, it's a compelling argument. You could get some great value out of clay and put up a fight against your opponent with some advantage at the position. Starts of the week. All right, starts of the week. Week 16, playoff time. I say...

rolling back out there. Philip Rivers is my start of the week at the quarterback position, taking on a Jets team that while they have put up a fight in several games, they're an always break defense. At some point in the game, don't bend, break. Yeah, at some point in the game, it happens. That's how I do yoga. That's smart. But Philip Rivers, with the assurity that, you know, Keenan Allen is healthy.

that he's going to be back in the fold. They're fighting for their playoff lives. Yes, they're on the road across the country. But I think that, you know, I want to put my vote of confidence behind Phillip Rivers in this game. He's going to have Antonio Gates in there a little bit more than he's used to this year. But from a PPR perspective, I think Gates could be interesting. Philip Rivers, start them up, start of the week. Mike, who do you got? You know where I'm going, ladies and gentlemen, something that has never been done on this show before.

This man has received three accolades this week. He was my rising star. He was my stream of the week. And now he's my start of the week. Blake Bordos. Oh, my gosh. Sorry. That's a lot. Now, Mike, I noticed you snuck a little Kareem Hunt on the wall this morning. You weren't supposed to see that. Yeah, so you put him up there.

Now we have a little bet where you've got to throw it. I got an Alshan Jeffrey jersey. I went on that wall if I beat you this week. Yes. If Blake Bortles ends up in the top three this week, you got to buy a Blake Bortle's jersey for this office. If he's in the top three, absolutely. Yeah, for sure. But here's the thing. Right now, since we're on the subject, we might need to get an Alex Smith jersey immediately because if Alex Smith comes through, then we're both champs. Me and you, Jason? Yeah, and we need a month. Stop derailing my Blake Bortles love fest over here. This has to happen.

The matchup is great against San Francisco. There's no worries there. On top of that, here's Blake Bortle's average over the last three games. 22 for 302 and two touchdowns. Blake Bortles is playing the best football of his career right now. The fact that Leonard Fornett is back to me is a positive thing. No doubt. This is not a, oh, the running bag is back. He's going to.

Take all the touches and the touchdowns away. I don't think Jason would like his start of the week if Todd Curley was out. Right. So I like. Blake Bortles. I like Blake Bortles is my favorite, uh, my favorite streamer and my favorite starter. My favorite Bortle. Bortle's bordling is working out for people. It certainly is. All right. I'm going to need that, that, uh, King Goffrey horn. Oh, announcing. Announcing this week's start of the week.

King Goughrey. Jared Gough. Dilly, Dilly Dilly Dilly Dilley Dilly. Jared Gough has been a very solid quarterback this year for an exceptionally high-powered offense. But make no mistake, this office has been run by through and under and over and on the back of Todd Gurley. One more week, please. He's the one that's been getting it done.

But Jared Goff has an exceptionally safe floor to me and has the high ceiling. That's why I think if you've got him and you're in any one of those questionable situations, I would start Jared Goff. He has thrown at least since his by week back in week eight, he has thrown two touchdowns every single game except for once against Minnesota. I mean, he's throwing touchdowns. They're scoring points. He's got Robert Woods back. And Tennessee.

surprisingly has been very good against running backs. I know you don't want to hear that. And look, Todd Gurley's going to be fine. You can't stop Todd. You can't stop Todd Gurley. He's going to be fine. But if you can make it to where it's easier to pass than to run on Tennessee, who's over the last six weeks, they're number one against the running back position on the season. They're number two as far as fancy points given up. It just makes me sad. Yeah. I think that this game opens up for golf. I think he's got...