Fantasy Football Podcast 2015 - Week 17 Fantasy Forecast, Sits of the Week, Playoff News

That being said, I'm with you guys. I would start Bilal Powell. Ivory is trending down right now. And you even saw Ridley get, he's been worked into the mix a little bit. And remember, remember when we had Nick Mangold on the show early this year, how much love he gave below Powell. I mean, he was saying that guy is amazing. And then we asked about Stephen Ridley. And he's like, no, no, we asked about Stacy. Oh, who was? Stacey. Oh, that's right. That's right. Zach Stacey. He's like, yeah, he plays football too.

He's on our team. But he gave a ton of love to Belal Powell, so that team believes in him, the players believe in him, the offensive line. Bilal Pal, you know, we talk all about their potential in the playoffs, the Jets. Oh, they've got Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and Derell Revis and this defense. It's a guy like Bilal Powell that makes a difference on those playoff teams. There are certain role player type guys that are better.

football players, then they are fantasy football players. And I think he's one of those, even though he's performed a little bit in fantasy, that's even better. And you know, the list that I talk about of names, people, you write them down right now because it's still fresh in your mind going into next year. Bilal Powell is going to be maybe not drafted or drafted very late. Chris Ivory will be the guy who's taken because people see, oh, he finished as a top 10 running back. Bilal Powell will not do that. But...

He's a guy that you should take later in your draft. As of right now, team things change all the time, but he's a guy that you need to remember going into your draft next year. Those are the guys that drop so far down, whether it's a Danny Woodhead or Charles Sims or somebody who's very productive but just doesn't have the flash of being a number one back that can be a steal in the mid-round. So that's a great point. Now, on the other side of the ball at the running back position, I really want to know your guys' takes on that situation because...

Carlos Williams is going to carry the mail again, 17 for 76 in a touchdown, but now you have to face the Jets. I was going to put Carlos Williams down as my sit of the week until I made it Robinson, just because you have Gillisly, who looks very good, who's going to be splitting carries with him against...

The Jets defense, which is the number two ranked defense in the league, that combination of things says to me I'd rather have other options. I mean, Carlos Williams is still a startable guy. He had a great game last week, so I didn't make him my sit completely. But if you have other guys, if you've got, you know, those middling guys that aren't sexy and you don't really like like the Frank Gore's and Lamar Miller's, I would rather play them.

Quick note, though, I mean, LaShaul McCoy has not been officially ruled out of this game. Yes. We need to remind ourselves of that fact despite the MCL tear. He hasn't. Stop. Now, Gillisley, also to your point, they're not splitting carries. Williams had twice as many carries as Gillisley last week, but Gillisley has been the kind of explosion type guy touchdowns in three straight weeks. Wide receiver-wise, I don't like Watkins. You're going to hear that later in the show or sits of the week. Watkins is my sit because I don't like the matchup.

But on the other side of the ball, you're starting Marshall and you're starting Decker. Every week. Nothing to debate. Yeah, every week, they are must-start guys. Okay. And we saw LaShawn McCoy have some very solid success against this team, against the Jets when they played earlier than year. Now, so that's something that people might look to and say, oh, well, the Buffalo, maybe they can still have success. Carlos Williams does not run like LaShawn McCoy. Shady is...

agile and a speed guy to the edge and that's how he got it done so i'm not sure that carlos can have that type of success quarterbacks in this game ryan fitzpatrick what are you doing with him i like ryan fitzpatrick a lot in this game

He is stream-worthy. He is start-worthy. I think he's going to be a quarterback one this week and is absolutely fine to play. The bill's defense, especially through the air, does not scare me. When you've got those weapons, it's almost a guarantee that he's going to throw two touchdowns, right? Because Brandon Marginle's got to get his, and Eric Decker's got to get his. I think they've done that together or something like 10 times this year, something ridiculous. It's absurd. Eric Decker has not cut a touchdown in three games on the year.

The entire year, there's only been three games where he hasn't caught his obligatory one touchdown. Hey, he took it to the very end last week, too, the last play of the game in overtime. Yeah, and so I'm looking at Fitzpatrick. Let's see. In the last six weeks, wait, one, two, three, four, in the last five weeks, he only has a one single touchdown game. He's played great. Now, on the other side, Tyrod Taylor, what are your thoughts in this game? Stay away? Ah, yeah, there's probably a better streaming option.

That's my feeling. Yeah, completely agree. I don't like this matchup. When you take away, like you were hinting at Andy, the number one option in Sammy Watkins, and Charles Clay is on the injured reserve, and Robert Woods is on the injured reserve, what are you going to do against a great Jets defense? I mean, you never know with a guy that can scramble like that. He can make plays out of nothing, and he could end up with a good week.

before, you know, when we don't have revisionist history and we're trying to predict these things, you cannot say Tyra Taylor is a good play for this upcoming week. There's everything stacked against them. There's no argument for that. Yeah. The Redskins, let's move on. The Redskins go to Dallas to take on the Cowboys and Kellynne Moore. Yeah. Well, the Redskins, however, have locked everything up. And so...

The truth is, is you can't start a Redskin this week unless you're talking about somebody down the depth chart. You know, a Jameson Crowder could be a PPR guy this week, in my opinion, because you're going to see Deshawn Jackson and Garsohn probably off the field. James and Crowder could be the guy that comes in and Clay Aiken's as well. I said Clay Aiken again. That's delightful. You met Ruben stuttered. Camar Aikins, his way. If I worry.

there's a ball. Oh my God. I don't remember even when the weird Clay and Kamar Aiken joke happened. I think it was Twitter between me and some listener. Because I have not heard this joke. Yeah. Yeah, me and a listener were joking around about Clay Aiken and Kamar Aiken. And now it has come out in the way that things come out on the show. Classic Andy. Pretty.

Yeah, I speak too fast. All right. So, James and Crowder, I'm going to throw his name out there as one of those guys that I think if you needed to get crazy, if you needed to get crazy, because in Week 17, you're required to start somebody strange. Then James and Crotter is a guy. Would you start Clay Aiken? Clay Aiken, uh, he can't, press coverage, problem. Problems is serious problem. Press coverage. Pretty much guaranteed concussion.

Yeah, he's got issues. All right. This is when the world goes haywire, and all of a sudden Clay Aiken is singing the national anthem at that game. Yes. And our brains explode. Yes. Let's hope for that. All right. What do we do with Darren McFadden in this game against the Redskins? I kind of like him. Oh, yeah. McFadden has turned back the clock. The hands of time. And he has been...

We have lost complete control of this show. But McFadden, Washington is not a very good run defense to start. McFadden has been great. The Washington defense, I'm sure that we'll have some starters rested. And so I think McFadden is a very solid play. All right. I don't really want to talk about this game anymore. Yeah, and I do like the, I like the Cowboys defense in this.

game. That's a very good point because they've been stout against good teams and now they might be facing. They're at home. They're facing a team that might be... Put it this way. The Cowboys are favored by Vegas. They're going to win this game. Yeah, the Cowboys defense very good. And for Washington, nothing has been officially declared yet of guys who are sitting. Let's say they get crazy and they say, oh, we're going to play our guys for a half or whatever.

I'd probably still play Jordan Reed if they say he's going to play for a half because I'd rather play him for a half than Joe Schmo. That's the sad disheartening part of, you know, we don't want to come on here and disparage your league for playing in Week 17, but we certainly recommend, and you would have heard it in the beginning of the season, to play to Week 16. This is why. You play a whole season with Jordan Reed on your team. You should get to use him. Yeah, and I disagree that I'm fine disparaging those leagues.

I think I would do a public service announcement and say, for next year, change your league. You're listening. You're realizing as you Google for information this week, oh, there's not a whole lot of information out there. Oh, places have stopped doing fantasy football. They're shut down because last week is the week that should be the championship. All right. Well, there you go. This next matchup, the Steelers go to Cleveland to take on the Browns in my... Andy's almost upset of the week. Oh, no.

Get ready for the divisional matchup of Johnny Mansell and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, the Steelers season is on the line, but it is... I can't even talk right now. I didn't want to watch this game, and now that's the only game I want to watch. I got to see how the Browns do it. Mike Petton, set to remain head coach for the Cleveland Browns. Allegedly. Allegedly. The Browns, again, they competed with the Seahawks in Seattle.

This is a chance for them to keep a division rival from the playoffs. I don't think the line is right. We'll find out. But right now, the Browns are. It's in Cleveland, right? Yes, it is. So Big Ben on the road. It's in Cleveland. Big Ben on the road. It doesn't mean that I'm going to, you know, disparage the fantasy potential of Big Ben and Antonio Brown. Okay, let me ask you this because I almost asked it earlier. Big Ben on the road against a great matchup for the Browns.

Or Blake Bortles, because we had so many of those questions, so many rosters have those two guys on it. Or this week, Blake Bordles on the road in a terrible matchup. Yes. I will go with Big Ben. Okay, I just wanted to make sure here. Nope. It's a great point because last week, Blake Bortles was great and Big Ben's numbers were horrible. And so you look at those, you go, I just got to play Bortles. Exactly. And that's what we're trying to avoid is chasing those points.

Yes, I agree. So fantasy-wise, we talked about Isaiah Crowell. He's gotten some carries lately. Would you start Crowell over Carlos Williams? Both bad matchups, so I'm going to say no. Okay. I think Carlos is the better guy. So in bad matchups, I'll go with Carlos. And so on the other side, DeAngelo Williams, you're starting him. That's done, a done deal. You're not starting a wide receiver, a pass catcher from Cleveland other than Gary Barnage.

That would be correct. And then on the other side of the ball, I have no confidence in Heath Miller. I don't think anybody's wanting to roll him out there. They might see the matchup and say, oh, okay, the Browns aren't great against the past. I don't like Heath Miller. He's had pretty much three straight weeks that are disappointing. So, you know, he had that 11 catch week that made me think, okay, maybe they're going to start using him, Big Ben's back. It didn't happen, so no reason to roll him out there with better flex or streaming options that tied in.

Martavis Bryant, does he fix what was going on this week? Yeah, I think he does fix it. He's been pretty solid all year, and this last game wasn't his game. Every, you know, players have that. This last game wasn't Big Ben's game. They struggled entirely. Antonio Brown didn't have a good game. I think Martavis Bryant, clearly he was terrible this last week.

But I think that the Steelers fix it. They need this game to get into the playoffs. I don't have this as my almost upset of the week. I think that this is against the team that is not as good. You know, the Browns just can't hang with them. They have to get it done. So I'm fine with Bryant. How good are the Ravens? How good are the Ravens? They're better than the Browns. Are they? I would say they're better than Browns. Okay. Is that because they beat the Steelers last week?

No, before then, I would say they've been close. The reason that they've been such a good fantasy defense to play against is because they've been close in so many games. I would agree that the Ravens are better than the Browns. Yeah. And they're better coached for a big game, a divisional game. That being said, they did the Steelers with their season kind of on the line last week, lost to a five-win team.

Which was a four-win team at the time. And I think that that's part of what plays into them coming out gangbusters this week. You could be absolutely right. And that is why it is my almost upset. Yeah, I like the almost part. I think the game is closer than people think. I believe the Steelers will get it done. But I don't think it's going to be just a shutout. All right. This game, I don't know. I don't know if I'm going to be watching one minute of it.