Week 15 Matchups + In-or-Out, Cookin’ by the Book

There's the matchup. We talked about how good the charges have been against quarterbacks. Well, that kind of affects their receiving options. They're even better against wide receivers as a top three defense giving up only 22.2 points. So this is a pivot game. We said this before, but if you're in the playoffs right now and Thielen's on your roster, you have already found your replacement for the last couple weeks. I would probably roll with that replacement and give Thielen a prove it week for health.

in a bad match. Yeah, I'd play James and Crowder from last night. Oh, that's a great call. I would pivot to Crowder from yesterday. Would you pivot to Anthony Miller against Green Bay? I think that's a little too far down. Green Bay has been a very good secondary as well. Would you pivot to Darius Slayton against Miami? Yes. Yeah, I would play Slatern over Thielen. All right. I don't know what to do with Eli this week.

I know, because he should be good. He should be good. Well, we're in these conversations with some of our leagues about Winston's hand and what happens if he's not active. Now, I figure we're probably just playing Winston, but you look at Ryan Fitzpatrick, you look at Eli Manning. I think there's a lot of reasons to like Eli Manning. But do you have what it takes? Do you have the intestinal fortuit? Would you play Aaron Rogers at home against Chicago, or would you play the Eli Manning opportunity? Aaron Rogers. Yeah.

I mean, I can't because I cut him. I followed the plan. But if I could pick him back up. So he's hanging out with Eli Manning on the waiver wire is what he's doing right now. I, oh, that's, you're mean. I'm playing Eli. You're mean. That's a terrible question to ask me. I think I'd play Eli Manning. I think I would. Hunter Henry, you start. Kyle Rudolph, I think you can move on. He's been great while Thielen has been absent.

But this isn't a good matchup. If Thielen is back, I'm not going to. And the latest update, Chad Graff, he covers the Minnesota Vikings. They've said barring a setback. The Vikings are currently planning to have Adam Thelan. They didn't rename setback Steelans. Barring a? All right. Falcons of 4 and 9. 49ers at 11 and 2. Games in San Francisco. 49ers, heavy favorites. It's 11 points. That's the spread. 48 point over under.

49ers are just a great football team. They really are. Adam Lefko tweeted out maybe just to contextualize it. They're the first team in NFL history to play three consecutive games with teams where their opponent was at an 800 winning percentage or better. They smashed the Packers by 29 points. They lost on a last second field goal to the Ravens. Then they won the shootout against Norland Saints in the Superdome.

In the Superdome. That's just really impressive coaching, play by Jimmy Garoppolo and company. Here we are in this matchup. Their defense has been more vulnerable in recent weeks, at least to opposing quarterbacks, but they still pressure the quarterback tremendously. We know that Ryan can't move around a lot. And we'll get pressured. And we'll get pressured quite a bit. He does have Julio Jones. He does have Austin Hooper. You probably have better things to do.

then play Mount Ryan that is probably your situation. The risk is high, but I still like him this week compared to the consensus quite a bit because of what we've seen over the last six weeks against San Francisco. And Julio Jones. Julio, I know you listen to this podcast. Obviously. Over his last eight games, he's the wide receiver 34. Julio Jones. This is series. You're talking to him right now. Yeah, I'm speaking directly to the man.

This is the semifinals of the fantasy playoffs. Julio Jones. We need you, buddy. If you could just give us one of your Julio games right now. You need to go in that phone booth. And then again next week. But this week. And you need to come out dressed back as Julio Touchdown Jones. Don't you come out of that phone booth until you are dressed. Head to toe as Julio Touchdown Jones.

which is the exact same uniform he normally has, but he wears a little mask. But he gets, he's got a mask and, like, the visor's on the helmet and then he scores a touchdown. Yeah, and he always scores such. I, look, Richard Sherman's out of this game. They're hoping he returns in week 16, but he's not going to be there. The secondary, the defense, they're beat up and they've been vulnerable. Julio should be able to surprise. Julio hasn't scored since week three. He's doing it again. He's Hulu-wing. Come on, Mr. Jones. He missed some time.

Mike? He didn't score at all when he was missing time. Yeah. Look, this should be. I know. This should be a good matchup for Julio. You've got no Calvin Ridley. Better than you think. No Mohammed Sunu. Julio is obviously a superstar NFL wide receiver. So this, I mean, everybody like Justin Watson level?

I would know that far. You just called them, you just named them the same thing. I just want you to know that you name Julio Jones and Justin Watson. The exact same thing. I apologize to Justin Watson. Oh, gosh. I would be trying to find other options than Devonta Freeman. You will have a floor with him in terms of total work. But this is a 49ers defense that gives up 14 points to the opposing, you know, to opposing running backs. We saw some Brian Hill last week. You break up 14, 15, 16 points across.

Devante Freeman and Brian Hill, you're not happy with your start. Yeah, right now the D-line is still the strength of the San Francisco 49ers offense or defense. And the offensive line is one of the weaknesses for the Falcons. So that's a concerning matchup. On the other side, Jimmy Garoppolo looks like a really good play. I mean, I don't know what it is about me that is hesitant to believe. You know,

I am. I am too. Every time I get a Garoppolo v. someone question, I'm usually going the other way and I'm starting to second guess myself because Garapolo, the only thing he has done lately is show us that he can absolutely be a good fantasy option. He's gotten it done game after game. And now this is a very plus matchup. In a game where I think Atlanta will keep up. Exactly. A little bit. Garapolo should be a quarterback that is.

He's locked and loaded for me. Okay. And I think Jason, I'm looking over at what he has done, trying to find a reason why. Because I have the same feelings as you, but I think that comes from either he was great or he tanked your quarterback position. And you had a huge disadvantage against your opposition because it was like five. He was quarterback, quarterback five against the Saints. 31.

against the Ravens. He had a couple good games, but then 22 against Seattle, 20 against Carolina. Yeah, but you're skipping when he was the number two, the number three, and the number 12. No, that's what I'm saying is he wasn't quarterback 14. He wasn't quarterback 13. He wasn't like a fringe. Oh, I'm okay. I got outscored at the quarterback position, but it's not bad. It's either he is great or you, you're minus seven points at the quarterback position. It's more than that too, though, Mike, because we sit here and we talk about players that

lose their pass catchers to injury. Well, he added a superstar in Emmanuel Sanders, but then he went out injured. He's averaging seven more points per game with Emmanuel Sanders. You have just a dynamic receiving court. Debo has taken a step forward in recent weeks. Kittles the best tight end in football, arguably. And then you have more health in the backfield. What Mustard's been able to do, Matt Brita coming back, Kevin Coleman is there. I'm taking the over in this game. I really am.

It's at 48. So I mean, the 49ers are projected to score 29.75 points. And I think that they're going to put a, put a whooping. Yeah. And then Rahim Oster, is the best running back play on this team this week. Yes. I'm confidently starting him.

I believe he's, you know, he's been the quarterback 12, 4, and 4 in the last three weeks. I've shared a lot of Kyle Shanahan's comments on... Are you talking about Rahim Mostert? Yes. Okay. You said quarterback, so I was confused. That's interesting. Power for the course. Yeah, Kyle Shanahan's been talking about needing to get him the ball more and that he's just flat earned it. And we've seen it. Kevin Coleman has gone bye-bye. And so I think...

Rahim Moster should get enough carries. If he gets 12 carries, Tom, 12 touches. I think he's going to have a good game. I think Matt Braid has a chance to surprise this week as well. Yeah, my hesitancy to get behind Rahim Moster, who I do not disagree. I think he, at least at this point, is he's the best running back on the team. He will be, he's the best fantasy option on this team. But in that run where he's been a superstar quarterback for fantasy the last three weeks, he's also a running back. Did it?

Did I say it too? You did. You both said quarterback. Oh, man. He's going to throw something this week. Well, whatever. You heard it here first. Regardless, he's doing that on such limited work with two other options on the team that it just freaks me out to, like, you are boldly bearing your chest for Rahim Mostert.

He has the same number of... Averaging 12 carries and two targets in that three-game span. He has the same... And that includes a game with 19 carries. He has the same number of 15-yard or more rushing carries leading the league tied with Christian McCaffrey, who has the opposite workload. So I just... I believe in the talent. I believe in the matchup. I believe in Shanahan. I think he's going to get more work this week. Okay. Okay. Would you play Kenyon Drake or Matt Breda? Drake. Drake.

Oh, Drake, I thought you were saying most of it. All right. Julio Jones, we talked about Emmanuel Sanders. You got to play Emmanuel Sanders. Man, 28%, 25% target share of the last two weeks since he's returned. Debo Samuel, I think he's a flex option this week as well. He's so involved. He gets a couple of carries every game. He gets screen passes. He's scored recently. He's going to be guarded by quarterback Isaiah Oliver.

who is allowing the second most yards after catch in the league, which is a Debo specialty. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. And then Austin Hooper, I like him this week quite a bit, so much so that I made him my start of the week. And then George Kittle, yep, yep, yep. Rams, eight and five, Cowboys, six and seven. Rams are one-point favorites on the road in Dallas, 49 point over under. I like the Rams in this game to continue their...

I don't know, momentum. Did you know that the Cowboys, the line opened with the Cowboys favored by four? What? Yeah, and now the Rams are favored by one. That's one of the largest movements I can remember. Why? Why is it moved or? Yeah, why would they have opened his four point favorites and it moved? Well, it moved because everyone started bending on the Rams. Yeah, that's insane.

I was just trying to figure out what injury happened and unhappened in that span. I've never seen a line move that much. That's a very line. It could have something to do with that Dallas is 0 and 6 versus teams with winning records. Get out to do with Mike's start of the week, Jared Golf. Oh yes. My start of the week Cooper Cup. Mike started the week Tyler Higby. Just imagine of Jared Gurf had Jared Kuk.

Just imagine what he could do. Our show would never get done. It would be three hours long of us just being buffoons going, you guys see Jared Gurf, the Jerkuk. Jerkuk so good. Big some of a blowout. I think you're right, Mike. I think it would never, I don't think we'd ever. The show would never end. It would become a new show. It would be breaking down two players every week. That's what it would be.

Cuk-de-cook. Oh, my goodness. Jared Goff leading the league in 20-plus yard passing plays 4.6 per game. Big opportunities for Cooper Cup for Robert Woods. Tyler Higby, you like him to continue, even if Everett's back, Mike, or no? No, it's the start of the week was based off of I'm projecting. I don't think Everett's out there. I'm projecting Everett out. He didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday with the knee injury, and I think he'll be out again. All right. And then looking at Todd Gurley, he's in your lineup.

Dak on the other side at home. Dak's just been too good to sit, I think for fantasy purposes. I don't think you can go away from him here at home. He's been better at home. Amari Cooper's been better at home. What do you do with the peripheral options in Dallas, though? You know you're playing Zeke, but what about Gallup? I think Gallup is a good play. You expect Amari Cooper to get Ramsey.

So Cooper scares me a little bit, but like you said, you're playing him. I do have worries and hesitations there, but that should mean a few more targets going Michael Gallops way. And he's, he has looked really good this season. He's had plenty of solid games and passed the eyeball test. So I'm confident playing. I mean, if DAC is going to have a good game.