Start/Sit Courage + Hungry For More, TNF Preview - Fantasy Football Podcast for 12/18

The Fantasy Footballers Studio is brought to you by Amazon Prime. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright. Welcome in. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, Mr. Moore. Wednesday, December 18th, the Fantasy Footballers in the building. Hello. You just hit us with a Mr. Rogers? Nothing wrong with that. You'll put on your cardigan?

It's the level of calm that we all need for the Fantasy Semifinal. Oh, and not all of us, but I mean like Al, myself. Okay, that's one league. I'm in plenty of semifinals. But not the one you want to be. Not the one I want to be. That's fair. Also, no one needs calm. Like, I mean. You don't want peace in your decision-making? I think that's the best kind of decision you can make. You don't want panic. I don't want to. You want to put your shoes on nights and slow. I want excitement. In your decision-making? I want passion. Yeah, well, I got that.

I also got Gibbs. That's not fair. You also got gifted to Jamar Chase and Lamar Jackson. We also got anxiety from Al Borland in the back. Is it starting to percolate now that you have a matchup in your platform? You can see the projections? Yeah. It's continuing. It's not starting. Oh, okay. I thought you said you were doing good a couple days ago. He was lying. That's what I was facing, Jason. Okay. We've got a great show for you today, Jason, and I. We'll catch you up on the latest news. We got hungry for more. We've got a Thursday night preview.

We got Saturday games this week as well. So there will be a trickle of points available to all players to tilt about. You know what I mean? Like every- I like that. Yeah. You want the maximum amount of blood pressure medication taken this week? Yeah, well, and you get, you know, doses. You know, we're like micro-dosing the football this weekend where it's like, okay, you get a game on Thursday. Yeah. All right. You know a little bit of information. A little bit. Saturday, here's another game. Just more information, but you still don't know all the way through the weekend. It should be a fun experiment.

Yeah. That'll be fun. Just got to take care of business this week. We're going to help you do it. That's what this show's all about. You can find the community at jointhefoot.com. I also wanted to let people know. We mentioned it late on the show. I was just reaching in. We got some mini helmets on shotballers.com now. We went with the white helmet on the set today. Oh, in the middle of the set. Yeah. We had some brand new helmets made for the set. And then we've got minis available now at shotballers.com. And you can check those out. They are pretty cool.

Yeah. We've been wanting those for a long time. So we finally got them up there and we'll have, you know, the Foot Clan title t-shirts coming up at the very end of the year. So we'll get the team working on those. It's championship season. Yeah. Two weeks away. All right. Let's move on to Hungry for More. Welcome to Hungry for More presented by Uber Eats. Okay. Well, Hungry for More, Jason. I think I'm going to let you start. I like the name. Yeah. I am hungry for More of a player who I think is very, very talented. And we have seen almost none of this year.

It's Tajay Spears, second year running back for the Tennessee Titans. He got injured in the middle of the year, has really been relegated to a full-blown backup. This is not like a timeshare where he's, you know, this is a guy who, for the most part on the course of the season, hasn't had many opportunities to touch the ball double-digit times. And for fantasy purposes, you pretty much have to touch the ball at least 10 times at the running back position in order to be relevant. Tony Pollard is super banged up. Tony Pollard exited the last game. We're not sure his health.

I expect that he will try to tough it out and play. But I also think that Tajay will be more involved. We have seen him in the past be kind of that 1B to the starter. Last year, you know, he was out snapping Derrick Henry when they had Derrick Henry as a rookie. The head coaching staff really likes Tajay. And now that he's back and healthy, he looked good last week. He got two touchdowns. I mean, he was the running back five last week. It was on the back of those two touchdowns. And it took Tony Pollard's injury. But the combination of him being healthy, Tony Pollard being unhealthy, and the matchup against the Colts,

who, you know, the last five weeks, they have just been, you know, a sieve to running backs. The only team, you know, you look at the Jets scored seven and a half points over their expectation. The Lions, over their average, which was already high, scored five extra points. The Patriots scored more points. The only team that hasn't really beat them down in the running game was the Denver Broncos. Yeah, they're not running backs. Yeah, exactly. It's like, okay, how can they? Well, and the other point to bring up is he had two five-zone carries before Pollard's exit last week, which was something significant, surprising.

Pollard had already scored. Then they got down on the goal line. Spears had the opportunity to score, got stood up. Yeah. They kept him out there, gave him a second carry. He rose into the heavens and scored. So, it makes sense. I imagine that was what it looked like when they brought in, when they boated in the Statue of Liberty. And it was just coming down the river with the arm raised high. That's how it happened, right? That's how it arrived? Yeah. I wondered if you really- I'm pretty sure that's- Down the river. The Atlantic river? You know, the ocean river.

Yeah. Gotcha. No. Yeah, but Todd J. Spears, huh? Uh-huh. Jalen McMillan is my name. We talked about him a lot yesterday, so I won't belabor the point, but- You won me over. He has been targeted on 24% of his routes in the last two games. He's scored three touchdowns. He's a third-round pick. He's got Dallas on the schedule, and they need his explosive ability in the game. I mean, they just do. They need it at the wide receiver position. You know, when you're talking about Sterling Shepard having involvement in the offense, it tells you everything you need to know about their need for Jalen McMillan.

And he's a rookie, so acclimation, route running. I'm curious- Dealt with injury. It's a slow burn, but he's here. Kyle, can you look up and see if there was any change in the last couple weeks of his slot utilization? Because when Chris Godwin went down, we were very, very excited for Jalen McMillan because he's- I think he's a talented rookie who was the slot guy in college and seemed like he could really step into that role. When Chris Godwin went down, he literally didn't move into that needed role. He was still playing on the outside where I don't think his talents align.

I'm just curious if the last couple weeks have coincided with them utilizing him in a better way or not. He looks actually the opposite. So, less slot the last two weeks. Yeah. Interesting. Maybe he's just leveling up as a rookie then. He's just capitalizing, too, on opportunities where earlier in the year he had targets and did not have a high catch rate and didn't take advantage. But the matchups are good. So, I'm hungry for more Jalen McMillan making an impact on fantasy teams. I was hungry for more. Presented by Uber Eats where you can get the best deals on game day food all season long.

Uber Eats, the official on-demand delivery partner of the NFL. Order now. News and notes from around the league. Presented by USAA Insurance. All right. Well, look, everybody's paying a little bit of closer attention to the news relevant to them. And what's relevant to you, Andy? Well, I think it's more than just myself in this case. But I know you're paying close attention to Joe Mixon. Yeah. Joe Mixon is the one I'm very, very concerned about. The matchup is not good. It's Kansas City. We looked extensively at the motivation factor for Houston yesterday. They have about a 1% chance of getting the two seed.

So, moving from the four where they're pretty locked to the two where Buffalo is. Because Buffalo would have to lose to three terrible teams. That's not going to happen. There is a higher chance to move to the three seed. That would be passing Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has Baltimore this week. Houston has the opportunity. If they beat Kansas City. If for some reason Mahomes sits. You know, if they take it easy. Whatever. If Houston can get by. That would be the motivation you want. At that point, Houston has a game with Baltimore down the stretch. There would be a realistic shot. If, you know, if Baltimore wins this week.

And Houston wins this week. Which means they want to win. If both of those things happen. Their odds of getting that third seed go up tremendously. More within their control. And so, all of this to say, like, what is the status of Joe Mixon? We've been looking into that. It was a hip drop tackle. They've come out again. This is the second time he's been injured due to a hip drop tackle on his ankle. And a penalty was not called. So, a lot of his discussion. I feel like I haven't seen a hip drop penalty the whole season. I've seen plenty of hip drop plays.

Yeah. No, there were other ones last week, too. But, we do have a clip of Joe Mixon yesterday chatting about the injury. And where he stands. I mean, the best thing is I'm up walking. Obviously finished the game. So, you know, just going to keep on trying to do whatever I can. Attack recovery. Get ready for Saturday. Do you feel good for Saturday, though? The way you're feeling right now. Do you feel like you're on that track? Yeah. I mean, at least start a playoff football right now. Like, I mean, I got a beater. I'm a beater. You know, I'm a beater for my teammates.

And, obviously, for myself. I mean, I just got to do whatever I can. Like I said, we're attack. Or to attack recovery today, tomorrow, Friday. And, you know, obviously, the game on Saturday. What was your reaction to hearing that, Jason? Because I was very curious. You hadn't heard that clip yet. I had got it ready before the show. Yeah. And I knew you'd hear it fresh. And I wanted to know if you were more optimistic, pessimistic. What was your... I think the takeaway there is a little bit more optimism in the sense that he is viewing it in the light of the playoffs have started.

They care about the seeding. I was looking it up because I knew that Baltimore plays on Saturday as well. And if Baltimore... If Baltimore... You know, if that game goes the wrong way for the Texans, then their motivation is gone. However, the Texans play first. So, when the Texans play, they are still playing for an increase in their seeding. You know, longer home field through the playoffs. Very important. So, the fact that he discussed it in the context of the playoffs starting, that it mattered. Because when you read the quote, I had read the quote. I had not heard it.

And it's just like, I'm going to be there. It's like, well, I know you're going to be there, but will your helmet be on? Like... I did wonder, you know, after our discussion yesterday, his comment about being there for his teammates. And then he said for myself. And then I'm thinking back to the contract incentives. He's had 910 rushing yards. He's got an 1100 rushing yard incentive. So, there is a being there for yourself aspect to it. But the reality of the Mixon situation is that if he's active, this is a Saturday game. You're not, you know, if you know he's active, how do you not play him?

He's the horse that got you here on Saturday. And just hope that you end up with the outcome you're happy with. Yeah, I mean, you're going to play. There's no world where you don't play Joe Mixon. And he can easily... I think Joe Mixon has a very down game. Yeah, like what? 10 points? 8 points? I think 10 points. I think that's kind of what you should be expecting. I'll bet he gets a lot of volume. It's very inefficient. You're praying they get around the goal line. I mean, they are playing against Kansas City. They're number one in the fewest fantasy points given up to the running back position.

And I expect that he is banged up. I mean, also in that quote, all he's talking about is, you know, hitting recovery. No, and he said he's not. I mean, he didn't practice. I think at best, you'll see a limited practice. So you'll have a hobbled Mixon against a great rush defense, you know, in a bad environment. The game is in Kansas City. So, yeah, I mean, you're hoping for 10 points. But I can't imagine you have someone better to start than Joe Mixon in the playoffs. Yeah. That's kind of where you're at. And if he didn't play, you also would know early, right?

Yeah. I mean, you would be getting that information quite a bit earlier. I'm looking at Kansas City, and I'm curious how they've performed against running backs in recent history. We'll have to take a look at that, too. I'm sure they've been shutting them down, just like they have most of the year. Miami last week. Yeah. We'll see. Yeah. They have Miami scored over their expectation last week, and that was the first time on the entire season that a team has even hit their average. They have not. I mean, they're fifth against running backs in recent history. Yeah. Okay. We got news, big news, that, you know, Kirk Cousins is getting sat down.

I mean, I can't believe that this is second in the news here. Well, that's my fault. Remember the bias I told you about? Yeah, yeah. The players you care about? I don't have a lot of dependency on Kirk Cousins, but the Falcons did financially. Holy moly. One touchdown, nine interceptions in the last five games. They're sitting him down. Michael Pennix Jr. taking over as starting quarterback. And here's what we know. We pointed and laughed at Kyle during draft day. Yeah. Now, now you're like, the mistake is either drafting Pennix or signing Cousins. It looks like the mistake was signing Cousins.

I thought about this. And there's only one thing to root for here. And that is for the Falcons to win the Super Bowl and everyone to just all the draft pundits and, you know, all the problems of why would you spend that draft capital on a player that can't help you win now? If he comes in and is good, gets them to the playoffs, wins a playoff game or whatever. It will be incredible. Now, for fantasy purposes, I'm terrified. You know, is this an upgrade for Drake London because of how bad Kirk Cousins was playing? It could be, certainly. Kirk Cousins threw one touchdown in the last, like, five games.

So, that's great. Historically speaking, rookie quarterbacks haven't been, you know, positive assets for wide receivers. But, I mean, this is the new NFL. We had that be different last year with C.J. Stroud. We've had that obviously be different this year with... Bo Nix. Yeah, Bo Nix and Jane Daniels. And so, also, Pennix has had time to sit behind the starter, to learn the system. And so, I guess we're going to see. What's your expectation? Like, Darnell Mooney, the guy who just goosed. Yeah, that's the biggest negative impact to me. Because, to me, Mooney was the one dissecting defenses, timing routes, where Cousins had picked him as a favorite.

I don't know. It's all... Like, can you play Mooney this week? Can you... Nah. So, Mooney is a full bench. No, the switch involves... I mean, he just came off a goose with Cousins. The variable here of a brand new quarterback going into semifinal week is too much for me. Mooney was not in a must-start category. He was a flex guy. Yeah. So, to me, I would be... I'd be trying to find somebody with more certainty. And, look, it could be the wrong call. I don't... You know, we just don't know what to expect from Michael Pennix. That's the reality of the situation.

And that variable freaks me out. Some people, maybe not. Maybe you're more risk-averse. Maybe you want to take the shot. I don't. I don't think it's good for Bijon. I don't think it's good for the offense. My initial... Predictability-wise. Yeah. My initial reaction was certainly that this is bad for Bijon, bad for the offense, bad for scoring opportunities. When you look a little bit deeper, though, they just scored 15 points against the Raiders. Yeah, they're not scoring. The week before, they scored 21. Right. The week before, they scored 13. The week before, they scored 6. The week before, they scored 17.

So... Can't get much worse. Pennix can score 20 points. Not that he will, but like... They're also heavy favorites this week against the Giants. Right. Yeah. So there's an opportunity. It's a great matchup. We're all curious. To get a start. So maybe you do need to throw in a, you know, a Mooney and Hope if... Sure. You know, maybe Bijon gets more scoring opportunities. You're just saying that the baseline's been so low for Atlanta for five weeks, it can't get much worse. The usual refrain is rookie quarterback coming in equals bad right now for offense. But offense has already equaled bad right now.

So nowhere to go but up. This is really good math analysis. Yeah. Here's where you go down. Browns are starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson. That sucks. James Winston was benched. It seemed like it was going that direction. So we said yesterday that we kind of expected that. But uh-oh. I mean... This is... So... Oh my gosh. He's never scored more than 13 points in a game as a starter. He is a terrible quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is one of those backups that shouldn't be a backup. He's a third string. Yeah. He's a third... I mean, he was a third string. So that's fair.