Christmas Eve Extravaganza! + Week 16 Matchups, Fantasy Grinches - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/24

1,386 and 10 running back pace. Melvin Gordon is somebody I'm actually afraid to be playing in championship week this week. Afraid to be playing against. To be playing against. Yeah. That is correct. I think he is a good play. He's a solid option. And, you know, we talk about. And it's a revenge game. I was going to say, we talk about, you know, stupid revenge narratives. But at the same time, he came to this team so that he could play against them twice. I know. And he sucked against him last time.

So now he needs what? He's just on fire right now. He needs more revenge. 8.7 per carry, 5.2, 5.5.5. He's looked good the last few weeks. I remember that touchdown run. I think it was this past week where it was just, you know, they were from the six or seven yard line. They give him, I think it was like a draw, and he just smashed his way in. Gordon's been good. He's had a good year. He really has. He's turned it around. He's the RB 17.

on the season, and he was the RB 23 last year in Los Angeles, and he jumped up to 4.7 to carry on the year. So, interesting. Keenan Allen did not practice on Wednesday. Mike, stress check. As long as he doesn't practice, the stress will be at zero because then I don't have to worry about it. So if he doesn't practice and he's active, you're not playing Keenan Allen. Correct. Okay. But today, we don't have the report yet from today, but today and tomorrow.

are the really big ones. If Keenan Allen practices in full, then you have a really, really tough decision to make. If he is limited in practice, I'm probably just going to pivot to someone else like T.Y. Hilton is on my team. I don't see a scenario myself where I would play Keenan Allen this week. But you brought it up. If you had full practices, then maybe. But I am not excited about it.

Yeah, what we saw last week. Because he could go out in one play. Exactly. So that's where it's bizarre to me that you're so confident in James Robinson, who is a running back with an ankle problem. Sure. But you're completely hands off of Keenan Allen. Yeah, because Keenan's, he left early last week and didn't look good on the field last week. Well, to be fair, he didn't leave early. He just didn't really play much. He was still there. Yeah, I mean, I don't know what we're debating at this point. It's a matter of.

Keenan has come out of games injured twice this year. Sure. Didn't look right to me. Yeah, that was the other issue. It wasn't just when he wasn't on the field. When he was on the field, it was like, that's not a Keenan Allen route. That's like what I would do. And the James Robinson thing has to do with, he's been extremely resilient with high volume all year long and wasn't placed on IR, wasn't said that he has a high ankle sprain that's going to keep him out. And I don't think they have another option.

They got a Gumbulli. Like I said. For Keenan Allen, though, the game, do remember the game was on Thursday. So they had the, it was like the mini by week, so to speak, for Keenan Allen. So my policy right now is if I see some full practices from Keenan Allen, and we'll see what the coaches are saying. If the coach says snap count again, I'm going to take him for his word this time and bail.

If Keenan is out, are you taking a shot on Tyron Johnson or Mike Williams? Or even... Man. Jalen Guyton. I mean, I know Tyrone Johnson, he had a big fantasy game, but it was on five targets. And I don't think so. I don't think... The problem is, is if you like Herbert no matter what, and Keenan is out, how does he produce? Hunter Henry, out with an illness. It's not going to be all Henry. Maybe 50 yards is Henry.

Well, you could. It's like it's going to be Johnson is going to be guiding. Yeah, I mean, these guys will be involved. It'll also be awesome. Eckler will end up with, you know, 100 receiving yards if he's out there. So I do think you could take a shot on Tyron Johnson and on Mike Williams, who's, you know, getting back from his own injury if he's out there. Tim Patrick? Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine with Tim Patrick. I am. I'm not going to allow, I'm not going to allow.

you know, a small sample to deviate. He is the number one wide receiver for this team. The matchup on the other side of the ball is not the scariest matchup. So I think Tim Patrick can be in your lineup. Noah fan. We say yes to Noah. After 11 targets, eight receptions, I think you have to. Yeah, that was a whiff last week. He's real annoying. Because when you want him and believe in him,

he's let you down and then he has these breakout games and has high target totals. 11 targets is enough to, it's kind of like your Logan Thomas situation last week. You didn't have confidence, but then the targets came. All right, the Carolina Panthers at 4 and 10 take on the 6 and 8 Washington football team. Washington, 2.5 point favorites, 44.5 point over under. Ron Rivera gets to reunite against Carolina in this game with a lot on the line.

And we don't know if it's going to be Alex Smith, limited on Wednesday or Dwayne Haskins. Who? Dwayne Haskins. Oh, okay. I thought you were making... Talent. Yeah, you were being mean to Alex Smith. I was like, I won't stand for that. Oh, no. No, no. Teddy Bridgewriters not looked good. This team actually hasn't looked really good on offense for a little while. In fact... Yeah, what happened? There's a player in this game. Uh-oh. Mr. Greenwich.

A Grinch sighting. There's a Grinch sighting. Mike Davis is Mike Grinch for this week. Mike Davis, yes, he's the RB10 on the year and had a great start to the season. But Washington is a tough, tough matchup. And only two running backs have caught more than three passes in a game against Washington this year. If you don't get Mike Davis in the end zone, you're going to be pretty, pretty disappointed.

Obviously got in the end zone a couple weeks ago, made Jason sad. But from week seven on, let me just illustrate a couple things here. From week seven on, despite Mike Davis having a lot more snaps than Damien Harris, Harris has had more yards per game, more top 24 finishes, and the same amount of fantasy points as Mike Davis. It has slowed down tremendously, and I just don't trust him outside of RB3 range.

against Washington's defense, which is sixth against opposing fantasy running backs. I love it. I'm in. You're in on the Grinch? I'm in on the Grinch. I mean. Is that punitive? There's got to be at least 10% punitive damages here, but the reality is the process. It was your fault. It was not Mike Davis's fault. Mike Davis didn't force himself into the lineup, Mike. Yeah. With the previous performance to just make it overwhelming for Jason to reject him.

Yeah, you know, Mike Davis gets a lot of his volume from the passing work. That's what's happened this year. And as Andy illustrated, that doesn't happen much against the Washington football team. So I'm out. Pretty has the tin about the upside for all three wide receivers in Carolina, too, to be honest. DJ Moore, Ravi Anderson, Curtis Samuel. This feels like the same situation as Tampa's three wide receivers. Only the matchup stinks and their matchup is Detroit. Right. So opposite.

Right, but where all three of them could absolutely, one of them could have a big game, two of them could be okay, all three could stink. Yeah, and I lean towards all three stinking because the Washington football team's been great and Teddy Bridgewater has not.

been really great. You know, he's, he's okay on yardage. He's throwing, you know, 250, 280 the last several weeks. Doesn't look good. But he doesn't look good. Their owner came out and literally said that, you know, unless you have a quarterback that is, you know, taking you to a Super Bowl, that position is always a position of need. When your owner says that, that's like writing is on the wall, Teddy, you are not our future. And Robbie Anderson.

I want to play somebody else. I really do. I don't want to play him this week. He is riding on the laurels of the beginning of the year. Weeks 1 through 5, he was the wide receiver 8. Since then, he's the wide receiver 39. That is a position that you can put a Russell Gage in or put somebody else in that you feel more confident in. I was burned by not doing it last week when I had my instincts told me sit him down. Yep. And my only piece here for the, there is negativity. And I don't disagree with you guys. But DJ Moore is.

You have to play DJ Moore to me. There's no way I'm benching him. Why? Because DJ Moore, the upside every single week, DJ Moore has that. I'm saying like what, okay, let's do some start sits then. Let's see how down you are on DJ Moore and the Panthers as a whole. So DJ Moore or, let's see, Manuel Sanders against Minnesota. DJ Moore.

Yeah, I'd probably go DJ Moore there. DJ Moore or Cooper Cup against Seattle? Cooper Cup. Right, pretty even there. Okay. And then DJ Moore or Antonio Brown. I would go Antonio Brown. I would play DJ Moore. Okay. So he's in a lot of linens. I think, yeah, Jason, maybe a little lower than me. Terry McLaren in this matchup or DJ more?

Wow. I think I would play DJ Moore. More with 6.4131. The point with Moore, I think, is that you're going to get bigger plays. Right. And if you're trying to find some optimism against Washington in a low over under, the bigger plays are going to matter. And DJ Moore seems to be coming down with those. So I would put him higher than the rest, for sure. And I would take McLaur in there. Yeah. I think I would take McLaur in there.

I hope we get Alex Smith. I really do. Will we get Antonio Gibson? I still doubt it. Are you playing him if he plays? Against Carolina? I would not. Per not. I'm just saying, you know. This game is rough. It is. It is really tough decisions in this one.

Yeah, it's just a matter of how you expect this game to go. And I don't expect good things. I think I would take the under on this, a defensive, yucky offense type of game. So I don't really want pieces here. And I expect Wayne Haskins to be the starter, which, you know, we've talked about this. That hurts the Carolina side as well. Oh, that was just for Haskins. Sure, absolutely. I think we, that's just all three of us. Logan Thomas, you're going to play him.

Stay in the flames? If you're for tight end, yes. Okay. And then if Antonio Gibson's out, J.D. McKissick? Yep. Yeah, that's what I was going to bring up is that Gibson's biggest entry to this game is ruining J.D. McKissick's standalone value if Gibson is active. Philadelphia Eagles, 4-9 and 1 against the 5 and 9 Dallas Cowboys. Eagles are two-point favorites, 49.5.5.

everybody because of Jalen Hertz. Because of the Jalen Hertz end-of-season storyline, Mike is as on board with Jalen Hertz as a person can get, and I understand it. I am more hesitant. My hesitation would have cost me with Justin Herbert at the beginning of the year. I would have expected, you know, a down game here or there. This is a divisional matchup. The line is close. I mean, it's a two-point line. It's a 49.5 point over and under. And so I...

I have no problem starting Jalen Hertz. I think you should start him. He's in the top eight, seven or eight this week. But I still like some. If I'm going into this week, I like Sean Watson more. I like Tom Brady more. I like probably go Justin Herbert over Jalen Hertz as well. Yeah, I mean, that's the grouping that he's in. You haven't seen enough from him. It would really hurts if he let you down. What you saw was a number one.

40 point fantasy week. So that recency bias is saying we know the upside is outlandishly high. He just got you to this matchup. So you're going to stay in the flames of last week. But I do think the expectations need to be adjusted. You're not going to have Kyler Murray throwing for 406 yards and a ton of touchdowns and have this crazy high scoring game. That's not my expectation for this matchup because the Eagles defense is good enough.

to slow down the Cowboys offense. Miles Sanders' confidence this week. You had 100% of the carries last week, 95% of the running back opportunities, and Dallas has been bad against running backs. It's sky high for Miles. That's got to be nice for you, Mike. Yeah, it's about time. If you made it this far with Miles Sanders, it is a Christmas miracle to finally have a game where you actually feel confident playing him instead of just like.

Okay, I'm starting Miles Sanders again. Here we go. Now, where I don't have any confidence is trying to wade through the wide receiver situation in Philadelphia. You mentioned some interest in Jalen Rager. Greg Ward has been heavily targeted. The tight ends have been heavily targeted. Alshan Jeffrey saw a bunch of targets that got past interfered on last week. Sean Jackson could be activated. Travis Folgham's on the field. I think that's eight options if you include Miles Sanders, and that just doesn't give me.