Fantasy Football 2017 - Week 5 Matchups, In-or-Out, Bold Bets

so much, you know, so many question marks when it comes to who's getting the targets. Where's the market share going? And you combine that with a really tough defense in the Seattle Seahawks. You just can't accurately predict who it would be. The upside isn't there. I'm sitting everyone if I can. Here's the problem. You go back two weeks, a really high scoring game, 41 points put up by the Los Angeles Rams. Sammy Watkins goes ham, 106, and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Cooper Cup in that game,

Two for 17. So you go, aha. It's Sammy Watkins. You go to next week. The Rams put up 35 points. Sammy Watkins has one for 17 and Cooper Cup is five for 60 with a touchdown. Exactly. I'm just going to play Todd Gurley in all my positions. Running back wide receiver. Is that fair? Yeah. Double the points. That's, I got a water bet for you guys. Ooh. You'll probably take it. I guarantee. I guarantee an Eddie Lacey touchdown in this game.

Yes, either you want it. Yes, I will take that. Jason, you went in on this, double up. Let's do it. Yeah. Waterbed. That's, that's what I want to be. I want to be me and Eddie Lacey in a convertible heading down the freeway together. I am shocked at the, I can't wait. At the snow. I can't wait for the goal line stand down there when they roll out Russell. They fake the hand off to Eddie Lacey and they roll them out on a bootleg.

It gives a nice. No team. No team in the NFL have given up more rushing touchdowns than the Los Angeles Rams. So prepare yourself for Eddie money. All right. All right. The Ravens take. I hope. I hope I'm a wet person at the end of this. All right. Ravens Raiders. In Oakland, the Raiders are two and a half point favorites with E.J. Manuel under center. So let's approach this game.

that Mike is avoiding every single player. And we heard this yesterday on Pump the Brakes. So we already know Mike's thoughts. But there are fantasy owners in a pickle. And if you're inside of that pickle and you have to choose between Crabtree or Cooper to start in this game, both are healthy, both are active, both are playing. You are picking Crabtree. Me too. Now, granted, I have pumped the brakes. I want nothing to do with this game. But let's say these previous two situations where it's...

rough. I mean, you have the Seattle backfield. I'm trying to choose between Rawls and Lacey for some reason. You have both of them. And I pity the fool who has both Rawls and Lacey on your bench. And I mentioned the Green Bay situation of not knowing who to start. I would rather play Marshawn Lynch over one of those situations, even though I want nothing to do with this game. Yeah, this is, I think this is a really important game for Marshaun Lynch. I almost.

went with a start of the week. I couldn't do it. That was too fire. You think Marshaun Lynch cares? Yeah. I mean, he wants to win. Whether he's the start of the week? No. Yes, he's listening in, phoning in. Marshawn, you look a little down. I heard Jason thought about making me the start of the week and then he didn't. I still love you, Marshaun. Here's what I'm saying. Even if you're like, this is an important game for Marshaun Lynch. And he wants to win. He's a competitor. But he just, it doesn't seem like a guy who he's like, Marshaun, it's really important.

That we handle this and you do it. I don't really care. I think he don't really care. I don't get that vibe. I think he wants to win. He wants the ball. So here's the reality for the Raiders. The Raiders are in a slump. And they need this game. They need the win. And their starting quarterback is gone. So what they have to do is they, I mean, if I, if I'm the coach here, and especially when you look across the field at the Baltimore Ravens, who have this great passing defense.

But this subpar rushing defense, it lines up to say, we need to put this game on Marshawn. We have been limiting his carries. He hasn't been that involved the last few weeks. But this is the game where we've got to just cram it down their necks. And I think if Oakland wins this game, it's going to be in part due to a good Marshaun Lynch game. It's a compelling narrative to me. I mean, the Ravens defense have allowed.

I have nine interceptions on the year, which is the most in the NFL. And E.J. Manuel, you're going to be prone to that circumstance situation. And with how bad Baltimore's offense has been, you're trying to protect the ball. And that's why I would think even like a guy like Jalen Richard is a potential. He's in the same category as E.J. McGuire is for me this week.

where I think Richard will have work because the work hasn't been there in quantity for Lynch. E.J. McGuire? What did I say? You said E.J. McGuire? Oh, I had E.J. Manuel. Elijah Maguire. Okay. Or as we call him, Elijah McGuire. It just doesn't work. It just doesn't work. And that's what makes it work. I felt it just rolls. On the other side. Rolls right off the door. Elijah McGar. Alex Collins.

Is the kind of surprise potential play here with the Raiders 24th ranked run defense in fantasy. Otherwise, I mean, I'm not touching Macklin. I'm not touching Wallace. I'm not touching Watson. Who would you start between Jeremy Macklin against a bad Oakland Raiders defense with his starting quarterback or Amari Cooper? Leading the witness. Great against a great defense without his starting quarterback.

I am playing Jeremy Macklin in that situation. Whoa. No, what a world we live in. Dirty, dirty cake. Dirty cake over E.J. Manuel's favorite target. 8.2 yards per completion. Worst in the league. Yep. I'm going to play that wide receiver over Amari Cooper. Packers. Take on the Cowboys in Dallas. Two and a half point favorites.

The Cowboys are. And it's a 52 and a half point over under. We love Dak Prescott. We love Aaron Rogers. We expect this game to be an exciting one. Both defenses have the ability to give up yardage. And I think this is going to be. The ability to? Yeah. Yeah, they have the ability and the willingness to give it up. So we talked about the running back situation already in Green Bay.

We talked about Zeke. We know he'll be on the field. So let's move to the wide receivers. And let's talk about Des and its potential to break out in the first kind of, I would say, easier cornerback matchup of the year for Des. He's near the league lead and targets. But the production has not been there that you'd expect from Des Bryant. Are you locked and loaded, throwing him out there? Yes. And just look back.

I mean, it's really not that long ago that these two teams met in Dallas. And Des Bryant had himself a fantastic evening. Dinner, dancing. Yeah. I mean, he, a movie. Yeah. And not just one, not just at the local cinema. He went down to the movie theater where they bring you the food. Yeah. And he had himself a nice time. It's a dessert.

I'm looking for Des Bryant to have his first real big game of the season. Two touchdowns would not shock me in this matchup. Packers defense only allowing 16.8 points per game to opposing offenses. Yeah, I'm not buying into it, though. Yeah, it's early. And Dax's been moving the ball. By the way, Dack is a top five fantasy quarterback right now. I don't know if I don't understand that Dack doesn't get the fantasy respect.

that I think he deserves. If you own him, he does. Yes. If you don't own him, people don't look at him the same way they look at Breeze, Brady, Rogers, Ryan. That's what I'm talking about. Like, if for whatever reason you're trying to float DAC out there in a, in a trade, I think they're going to say, well, yeah, he's no, he's no Drew Breeze. Yeah, and it's the same thing we saw with Russell Wilson, though, or even Cam Newton in the beginning of his career. You just, it's just the longevity.

You're just afraid of the, you have more time and experience with Drew Breeze. Well, people who listen to this show, they don't have any worries because we've, you know, DAC is for real. He's the only quarterback this year, despite such a tough schedule who has been a weekly quarterback one without fail. Really my point is, I feel like the fantasy community undervalues him. If you could trade to get Dak Prescott, I don't usually trade to get a quarterback. But if you can buy him.

for below market, or my guess, even market value, because the market value is not set correctly, I would make that move. So I would just put a feeler out there if you're, if you don't like your quarterback situation, try and get back. But you're going to have to do it before this game on Sunday. We talked about Randall Cobb yesterday, started the week for Jason, correct? Correct. And then Devante Adams, we don't know if he'll play. If he plays, do you start him? If he plays, I absolutely start him because he's not.

He's not coming off of a hurt knee or something like that. He's in the concussion protocol. He's practicing. News came out today that he is still not cleared from the concussion protocol. And he has to clear before the team gets on the plane. So you'll know soon. Right. Doubtful. All right. Sunday night football, the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs take on the Houston Texans. Chiefs are one-point favorites in Houston for this game. 46.

over under a test for Deshaun Watson, a test for Alex Smith on the road against Houston. So this is a – This is my game of the week. Sure. This is a game where I think there will be great fantasy value, but you're not certain where it comes from because of the push comes to shove nature of this game. The Chiefs defense have allowed a completion percentage of 51%. That's the lowest in the NFL.

What do we expect from Deshaun Watson from this game? Does he have the kind of ceiling we saw last week? No. No, I don't think the ceiling that we've seen the last two weeks while he's been playing inferior opponents. I think it's the Titans and the Patriots. Now, that's his floor is pretty good because he's a Russian quarterback. He's going to get enough yards on the ground where even if he has an average to mediocre passing day, you'll be all right in fantasy. We see that with...

quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor, but I think his ceiling is tremendously capped with the chiefs in town, then it, you know, it has been over the last two weeks. So I don't think you can expect another top five quarterback performance. What about Alex Smith? You have, shockingly, Alex Smith is one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy. He's played a bottom 16 pass defense three times, and that's where he is having himself.

A good fantasy production. A feast, as you would say. 29 points a game for the Chiefs so far, third best in the league. His one game, though, against a tougher pass defense, which the Houston certainly qualifies as, he only put up 15 points. Are you willing to play Alex Smith on the road against the Texans? Yeah. If I'm a Drew Brees owner, I'm willing to do that. Okay. Yeah. If I'm a Kirk Cousins owner, I'm willing to do that. If I'm, you know, a Jack Prescott owner, I'm not doing that.

Yeah, these quarterbacks. Yeah, by willing, I mean, like, as part of the stream, streaming options who are generally available. I think we basically said he's in every week start earlier this week. We leaned that direction. This will be a test for him. But like I said, when you roll the Alex Smith die and it lands on Kareem Hunt or Tyree Kill or Travis Kelsey or he gives the rushing yardage he gave last week, you're in good shape. Yeah. Who would you take between these two guys? I would take Smith. I think I would take Watson because of Home Road.

I mean, right now we've seen Alex Smith. He's come back to life rushing the ball this year, which was always a value to him. But if you look at where he's rushing, you know, when he's been in Arrowhead Stadium, he's had a game with 21 yards and a game with 56 yards rushing. But on the road, three yards and nine yards. Yeah, if they, if Houston is smart enough to get D'Andrey Hopkins, get him lined up facing against Terrence Mitchell because the chiefs.

cornerbacks do not shadow. They're not going to have a problem getting the ball to Hopkins, the most target to wide receiver in football. So I think I would go with Watson over Alex Smith. Okay. So you start Lamar Miller. Yes. You don't start Deontiformin. Nope. You don't start Will Fuller. Correct. Even after two touchdowns? Nope. All right. No, I'm not going to do it. Let's checking.

I'm excited for that game. That's a great game. Monday night football, the Vikings take on the Bears and Mitch Trubiskey. The Vikings could have Case Keenham behind center. They could have Sam Bradford behind center. They could have me. Who knows? You're available though? I'm on the emergency roll of decks. I don't. I hope they use a roller decks. As I said it, I'm like, people listen. What's a roller? 50% of a audience. What? He just made up a word.

I, yeah, all right. The Bears are winning this game. What? That's my belief. No way. Yes, I believe the Bears win this game. What? Oh, he's putting the water bet hammer down. Water bet. No way. No way. No way. Bears win. Tribusky, debut, victory over the Vikings. Vikings are hurting, guys. Dalvin Cook. Hurting other teams because they're good.