Starts of the Week + Frightful Weather, Tilt Time - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/22

Jameson Williams is like a super interesting young prospect. You know, I've got a soft spot in my heart for DJ Chark. I love everything about this team. And yet having traded for and rode with DeAndre Swift for half of a season. You're not in your semi-champ weekend. Correct. And a semi-champ kind of life for you. And the burns that DeAndre Fantasy Burns that DeAndre Swift has given me our third degree. Well, you love Jamal Williams, all right? I do. I like everyone on this team except for DeAndre Swift. You should not have traded for him. Oh, clearly. You would have been so much happier with the lions. But to answer your question, Mike, they've won six of their last seven. The only game they lost in that stretch is a three point last second loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Right. I don't like this. I see this bullet point here that Kyle decided to throw into our show doc. It says bench this week for Jared Goff. I'm not benching Jared Goff this week with the options you have a quarterback. I think Jared Goff is going to be fine. I agree. Jared Goff has got elite, elite wide receiver weapons in a matchup where, you know, the Panthers defense. I think it's. They're not garbage, but this is an important game. It is, but it's the road home situation. It's road Jared Goff. We got road Jared golf performing well a couple weeks, so didn't we? Didn't we finally get a road Jared golf game? No. Nope, we didn't. No. He has been truly bad on the road. That being said, so this is 100% true. He's been truly bad on the road all year. It's a very Amari Cooper situation. But if you look at a lot of those road games at New England.

at Dallas. At Chicago. That one is the one that's really upsetting. New York Giants. New York's got a decent enough defense. I'm not too much. This last week was at the Jets who have a great defense. Yes. I still like my lions in this game. It's a consequence. It's a consequential game for Detroit. And it's a beatable defense. So I'm going to play DeAndre Swift with. A level of enthusiasm. You go for it, brother. Nine targets last week. Yeah, how'd that work out? Nine targets last week for DeAndre Swift. He didn't have an awful week, did he? Running back 30. How is that possible with nine targets? Exactly. This is why I hate him. Not to mention six and a half per carry, eight for 52 on the ground with nine targets. 17 total opportunity.

and he was the running back 30, that's sad. But that was against the New York Jets. DeAndre Swift or Zeke, I'm guessing you're going to go Zeke, even though it's against Philly? I don't care. Okay. No matter what name I say. Go to Jason. Yeah, ask me because I do think Swift is a playable asset for sure. Yeah, Brooks, I'm playing golf over Gardner. That's what I'm doing. I don't blame you on that one. That's what I'm going to do. Yeah, that was a popular search on the site. Would you play golf over Gino? Yeah, I would. Would you play Gino or Minchu? Okay, what world am I living in here? Some fantasy algebra right now. Yeah, I mean, if I... Just trying to get back to that question. Look, the last thing I want to do is advise you this week. I think Gino and Minchu will end up within five points of each other. I don't know which direction. Okay.

That's probably true. Ahman Ra, play him. Heck yeah. High PPR value this week. DJ Charks a little bit more risky. The snaps are going down. Jameson Williams will eventually emerge, but I think you could dart throw that. I'm not excited about it though. Yeah, I mean. DJ Chark, you mean? Yeah. Okay. What did I say? Well, I wasn't sure if you were saying dart throw James and Williams. No, I was talking about, I was talking about chart. Okay. I think James and Williams is more of a DFS dart. That's what I was going to bring up his price in DFS is very, very low. He's been like his snaps. He was sure. And production. Absolutely. But not like his talent and not like the opportunity he could have ahead of him and the matchup. And then, you know, on the other side, this is the Sam Donald streamer game in my opinion. Detroit's defense, they're going to give up some yardage here. And they.

They are dominant against running backs. You saw Deonti Foreman and Chuba get stuffed last week. Deonta Foreman was awful. He was 10 carries for nine yards. It's because it's not Atlanta. And he fumbled. This is going to be a full passing game situation. Deonti Foreman do not play him. The lines are number one on the year, number one over the last six weeks against running backs. DJ Moore could have a game. Terrace Marshall could have a game. Yep. And Sam Darnold, of course, will have to supply this offense with some production. I have looked at DJ Moore so many times in so many different leagues because everything, everything says, oh, yeah, baby. And I just know that that's when you get tricked. That's when you can't do it. DJ Moore has the amount of branding that DJ Moore has put on my body from like, I got you.

I just don't want another one. Yeah, it's really hard. Really hard. All right, all the rankings, the starts hit tool on the website, the fantasy footballers.com. More matchups tomorrow. Right now it's those hidden starts of the week. Starts of the week. All right. This week, the theme behind my starts of the week is maybe the sequel will be better than the original because three of my four starts of the week were. We're in our starts of the week category last week in plus matchups that didn't pan out the way that we hoped. You need to wait for the trilogy. Going to the sequel, it's tough. Well, we'll find out. This week, my quarterback started the week. I'm going back to it. It wasn't mine last week, but he was one of our starts of the week. Justin Herbert, you didn't get what you ordered in the mail? No, you did not. You got your lump of coal, but the Colts are the fifth best matchup for quarterbacks over the last four weeks.

Again, consequential matchup for the Chargers, elite weapons. Kirk Cousins went insane on them last week. Herbert is unfortunately in this category where, you know, if you play the ping pong game with Justin Herbert, you're missing the good weeks as much as you're missing the bad weeks. And I think you're going to have a much, much better performance where you have a regression to the mean in terms of where these touchdowns are coming from. Last week, they both came on the ground. I think he's good for. 202 with a tremendous upside against the Colts. Yeah, and he didn't play bad last week. He had a bad fantasy output because there were two rushing touchdowns. He threw for 300 yards and they won the game. So he's not playing poorly. I would absolutely be confident starting Justin Herbert. My start of the week is Tua.

I am going to play to at home. He's been kind of mediocre over the last month. We've talked about the streakiness of the dolphins, but he is in one of the games that shouldn't be affected by heavy weather this week at home in Miami. The dolphins have the second highest team and played total of the week. I look for that, especially this week when I'm trying to make these decisions on quarterbacks. They have a 27 implied points. You know that that's going to come. by Waddle and Hill, which means it comes via Tua. If the dolphin in Dolphins wins this year, he's averaging 22 fantasy points and a 70% completion rate. Miami is four point home favorites versus Green Bay. So I think you can fire him up this week. My rankings algorithm that combines, you know, the Vegas odds and all of these factors like fantasy points against, no quarterback that it likes more than Tua this week. That's fair. Mine is my start of the week. It's Gino Smith.

Teams have to throw against Kansas City. They're seeing the second highest opponent passer rate. Pro bowler, Gino Smith, Mike. Pro bowler, Gino Smith. I apologize. The Chiefs rank 31st in Schedule adjusted fantasy points, and that includes the games like Jason alluded to with Malik Willis and Bryce Perkins. They have allowed a top 12 finish in 11 of 12 games recently. You have to throw on them. And I'm concerned about the weapons. But like I said, Russell Wilson did that with Jerry Judy. Cortland Sutton was not in that game. Guys can just get it done because there's going to be enough opportunity that they have to go with the passing game. Let's try the sequel here. Isaiah Pacheco is my running back start of the week again. Revealed. Yeah, the Seahawks are the best running back matchup in the league over the last five weeks.

Pacheco's averaging 17 opportunities per game, 91 total yards. I will throw Derek McKinnon's name into the mix here. I think both of them are great starts this week against the Seahawks. They're not going to be stoppable. I am going with Kenneth Walker the third in that cold weather game against Kansas City. He had 17 opportunities last week, including five targets. It's just a really good running back. He looked good last week. Obviously, it was a very difficult matchup. Had that late breakoff run to kind of save his fantasy day. But against Kansas City, 50% of his rushing yards have come on 15%.

plus yard runs, which is the highest rate in the NFL. He's averaging a first down on 23% of his rushing attempts. That's higher than Derek Henry and Nick Chubb. And this Seattle, Kansas City game, second highest total of the week. Walker should be a solid RB2 this week. I'm going with J.K. Dobbins against the Atlanta Falcons. Since returning from the injury, his lines have been 13 for 125, 15 for 120, and a touchdown. Atlanta allowing the seventh most expected points per rush attempt. I have them ranked firmly as a running back to they are seven point home favorites. And this is one of the weather games where it's okay that I'm still going to lean on the running game. Mike Williams is my start of the week at the wide receiver position. Get some volatility into your lineup in a plus matchup. The Colts. Look at what KG Osborne did last week. Look what physicality did. So DeAndre Carter, got you. I don't think so. I think one of the reasons why Osborne.

was so good was because he bullied this Colts defense. We know Big Mike's a streaky player, but if you look at the one game where he exited on 9% of snaps, if you throw that one out, he's averaging eight targets, 75 yards, 12.8 fantasy points per game. That's where Lockett was. That's wide receiver eight category and points per game. Like Mike Williams, it may be the bumpiest train ride that you've gone on. But it's one that I think is going to pay dividends. You're going to get to your destination in week 16. Speaking of bumpy train rides named Mike, I'm going with Mike Evans. Start of the week. It is his time. Evans has not scored a touchdown in 10 weeks, but he faces the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have moved into first place. The most points allowed on the season. And opponents are throwing on Arizona at the second highest rate over expectation. He has seen nine targets in three of the last four weeks. And most importantly, he's guaranteed a touchdown this week. Now, where is it? This is just coming from me. Okay. So this is a Jason Moore guarantee. This is a Jason Moore guarantee. All right. Let's find out. My wide receiver start. It's the confidence bump for Darius Slayton against Minnesota. He is a fringe flex player. Totally understand that. But he's in a dome against Minnesota. And by the way, Minnesota's last seven home games, those games have averaged 55 total points. You want in on that action, Minnesota 31st and schedule adjusted fantasy points allow it to the wide receiver. They're allowing the most first downs via the pass, the second highest yards per attempt.

Second most total passing yards. We have been here many, many times. We're targeting the Minnesota Vikings because their secondary stinks. You did this with Pity City last week. Yep. And he was a PPR machine. All right. Here's my steel underpanties. Yeah. All right. Isaiah likely is my tied in start of the week. Wow. You're classifying that as steel? I don't know. I think you've got to upgrade your metal. The passing game right now in Baltimore is depleted. You just lost DuVernay now. He is out for multiple months. You don't have Bateman. You've had an underwhelming Mark Andrews. This is a Baltimore offense that already ran two tight-ins 58% of the time. It's going to become a higher percentage. And Isaiah likely is a slot-wide receiver. So I am telling you to pick up a slot-wide receiver in Baltimore.

where 73% of his targets came as him lining up as a slot-wide receiver. I know this is deep. This is like, you know, two weeks ago I told you Chig Akonkwo was an option in a committee at tight-in for a team with no pass catchers. Sure. Isaiah likely this week in this matchup against Atlanta, which allows the fifth most passing yards per game, it is my deep, tight-end courage play of the week, just like Chig was. I think Isaiah likely will be very interesting. Wow. All right. I feel like I just found out who's in his draft king's lineup. We'll see tomorrow. I don't know. At tight end, I'm going with Mike's favorite tight end. Oh, yeah. Tassum Hill.

This is going to be in that really gross game in Cleveland with bad weather where you're going to have to run the ball. I think both teams are going to be relying on the run game. And Taysam Hill, that's really what he is. He's going to be a wildcat running back. He should see eight to ten touches. I think that gives him a baseline that is better than a lot of these streaming tight-in category guys. And obviously we know his upside. His upside is he can actually break off a 40-yard touchdown run. Not a lot of guys can do that.

Browns ranked dead last and expected points per rush attempt. 29th in 10-plus yard rush plays allowed. That seems like Tayson Hill's specialty. So he, to me, is safe enough this week to chase his upside. And my tight end start of the week, it is Kate Otten against the Arizona Cardinals. Oh, boy. It's the Arizona Cardinals, and that's why we are going with this. Admittedly, it is a little bit of a roulette wheel here where it could end up. Like we saw last week where it wasn't Dulcich, it was a different tight end, and Cameron Brate is back. Camer Brate ran 22 routes last week. Kate Otten was at 21, but Otten has been featured throughout this entire season as a pass catching tight end. You get Arizona, you get it on Christmas Day. They're allowing 15 points per game to the tight end that's the most in the NFL, second most over the last decade. So, I mean...

Back to the Arizona well, hoping you get the right one. Exactly. I think all three of us were trying to give you, should you not have a locked in, tight end that you feel comfortable with. That's right. And you're just, you're desperately looking on that waiver wire. I think these are three interesting options. And I do think Mark Andrews will be very good this week as well. I think we're going to see a little bit of a return of his involvement in this offense. We did get news that Kenneth Walker not practicing again with the ankle injury today. Have you ever seen an update that says a player is here in flat shoes? No cleats. I don't even. Oh, that's all it means is no cleats? No cleats. I thought I meant no arch in the foot whatsoever. Oh, I thought you meant snow shoes, which might fit the week, you know? But I've never heard someone's, oh, they're here, but they're in flats. Before you push that button, obviously not, not great for start of the week. I would prefer my players playing. But Andy, should Kenneth Walker not play?

Would you start Gino Smith or Gardner midship? Please. I'm dying. Well, I mean, the hard part is, is if you've got the Devante Smith stack and that factors into my mind every time you bring this up. And I know you're just tilting over there. I don't know if you even really want my answer as you headbutt your microphone. But, you know, you get both sides of it, right? It works out for Gardner. You get the Devante Smith side. He's going to work out for him. Dallas is going to score points on Philadelphia. These are actually two of the cheapest defenses in DFS this week, the Cowboys and Philadelphia. When have you seen that all year long? Like the expectation is points are going to be put up on the board. So I don't know, man. I don't know. Mike has Gino Smith as a start of the week. Why don't you ask that guy? All right. You ready for boom boom? Let's go.

Jason Moores, ironclad, locked and loaded, 100% guaranteed boom boom kicker of the week. Last week on boom boom kicker, I teamed up with two fart bags named Mike and Andy. It was like a beautiful dream, a buffed up wrestling team as our enemies shouted, oh no! From the top rope like pure art, a trifecta power... bomb of shart vanquishing the one gram ganoe again so we're we're fighting yeah the kicker that is going to be good that's right that's right we're knocking some sense into him while he knocks that ball through them uprights which did work out the fighting the kicker worked out last week with chase mclaughlin yeah i mean so far with you two guys in on the story 100% hit rate

You were getting a lot of love for your well-researched boom boom kicker. Well, he did do a lot of the kicking through the uprights. That was a trifecta power bomb of shart. Is that the, uh, yeah, no, yeah, that's bad. I think that wraps things up here on the fantasy footballers for Thursday. Uh, follow us on Twitter. Stay tuned as we make decisions about tonight. I still don't know what I'm doing with Mr. Slate and Zay Jones. Good luck. Oh, boy. Have a good one, everybody. See you tomorrow. Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on join thefoot.com. And follow us on Twitter at theFF ballers.