Speaker 1: Welcome to Fantasy Football Weekly, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Time now for Fantasy Football Weekly from I Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: your weekly source for the nation's best fantasy football advice, speculation,
Speaker 1: and whatever stupid stuff they decided to drop into the show.
Speaker 1: Now here's your host. It's a playoff edition of Fantasy
Speaker 1: Football Weekly. I am Paul Charchy and my co host
Speaker 1: is Brian Johnson. This week, what's up charge, Great to
Speaker 1: talk to you. It's uh, yeah, you braved a lizard
Speaker 1: to get over here. Yeah, in Minnesota, this is nothing
Speaker 1: that isn't even a blizzard. This is like a C
Speaker 1: A C grade snowstorm C grade. I like it. Okay,
Speaker 1: it's like the It's like the c dart from the
Speaker 1: Old Show. Speaking of grades, we're gonna give letter grades
Speaker 1: for all the meaningful fantasy players coming up in Saturday,
Speaker 1: Sunday and Monday's games. I hate the Monday game. Some
Speaker 1: team has you know, to you know, some winner. The
Speaker 1: winner of this game has got a short week to
Speaker 1: prepare for next week. It's not fair. And then a
Speaker 1: chance they play a team that was on a by right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: which is they want that extra and it's Arizona, Los
Speaker 1: Angeles Rams which will get to but yeah, it's a deal.
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't like it. So two games Saturday,
Speaker 1: three Sunday and then the one Monday doesn't make it
Speaker 1: three and three? Yeah, I mean think about the advantage
Speaker 1: of football all day long. Yeah, totally. You know, what
Speaker 1: are you gonna do? I think it's a mistake, but
Speaker 1: you know, I don't. You're let's see your your Cincinnati
Speaker 1: and Buffalo, who are the favorites to come out of
Speaker 1: the Saturday games. They will have a two day rest
Speaker 1: advantage over some team that played Monday, and I realized
Speaker 1: a different conference, but still, I just I don't like
Speaker 1: it anyway. They like the the ad revenue they'll get. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I know that's that's that's the thing that matters the most.
Speaker 1: So this is a very traditional fantasy football weekly and
Speaker 1: that we're gonna break down the game's fantasy style letter grades,
Speaker 1: the whole bit. And um, let's start with Las Vegas Cincinnati. Brian, Uh,
Speaker 1: it feels like to me, the Raider just played their
Speaker 1: Super Bowl to get into this game, and I'm worried
Speaker 1: about a big letdown here. Yes, speaking of arrest advantage,
Speaker 1: Yet Las Vegas poured their heart soul into a five
Speaker 1: quarter game on Sunday night. All the Bengals arrested everybody,
Speaker 1: so that is why the Bengals are five and a
Speaker 1: half point favorite over under a forty nine points, so
Speaker 1: that there should be some points in this game. And
Speaker 1: weather won't be an issue. Thirty two degrees nine miles
Speaker 1: per hour wins, so nothing to be worried about there.
Speaker 1: These teams actually did play uh in Las Vegas in
Speaker 1: Week eleven. The Bengals rolled the Raiders thirty two to
Speaker 1: thirteen in that game. Uh, we'll get to how the
Speaker 1: Bengals score that many points. We will start with the
Speaker 1: visiting team. That's the Raiders here and Josh Jacobs can
Speaker 1: give him a B. Though the Bengals have allowed one
Speaker 1: plus rushing arts running backs and three of their last
Speaker 1: four games. Yes, the Week eighteen game the Bengals were
Speaker 1: arresting everyone, but still during that same span, opposing backs
Speaker 1: also averaged four catches per game, So pretty good numbers
Speaker 1: put up by opposing back X. And where would you
Speaker 1: guess Josh Jacobs finished in receptions among running backs this year? Well,
Speaker 1: I know it's receptions are way up, I'm and so
Speaker 1: many backs had got sidelined by injury. I'm Betty safely
Speaker 1: inside the top ten and maybe even top five running back,
Speaker 1: so he's proved he can catch the ball, so he'll
Speaker 1: see likely twenty touches in this game. He uh in
Speaker 1: that week eleven game, they did get blown out, like
Speaker 1: I said, Las Vegas. He had nine carries for thirty
Speaker 1: seven yards and no touchdowns. But he did catch five
Speaker 1: passes in that game. So hopefully a little more production
Speaker 1: from Jacobs. I'm gonna give him a B here. He's
Speaker 1: been playing better. I'm gonna give Hunter. Renfro would be
Speaker 1: as well. Amazing season. I mean everyone's saying Cooper Cup
Speaker 1: is Fantasy m v P, which he is is Renfro
Speaker 1: always second silver medalist in my opinion, people, Samuel's a
Speaker 1: settle silver medalist. Yeah, even though I saw over the
Speaker 1: last like five weeks he had more carries than targets
Speaker 1: or something like that, Deebo Samuel. But back to Renfro,
Speaker 1: one of six wider receivers with at least one hundred catches,
Speaker 1: one thousand yards and nine touchdowns, Deebo Samuel was not
Speaker 1: one of those six. It was. It was Renfro. Cooper
Speaker 1: Cup Davante Adams, Tyreek killed Justin Jefferson and Stefan Diggs
Speaker 1: talk about here, but Samuel said, you know, but the
Speaker 1: reason Samuel didn't fall into that is because the rushing
Speaker 1: isn't part of that. No, I understand, and no, not
Speaker 1: no knock on debil whatsoever. But i'mlike those guys, they
Speaker 1: had a DPS mostly really, I Rebro did not have
Speaker 1: an ADP. I like Rentfrow this week and give him
Speaker 1: a B. Cincinnati top twelve and most catches allowed to
Speaker 1: wide receivers on the season. Over their last four games,
Speaker 1: they surrendered a wide receiver touchdown and each one just
Speaker 1: four catches for thirty yards in that week eleven meeting
Speaker 1: for Renfro. But that's way in the past. When it
Speaker 1: comes to it was but he got so hot. I
Speaker 1: mean he was playing well before that, but he closed
Speaker 1: the season so hot. I expect more from Rentfroll out
Speaker 1: of this one. So a B for him in a
Speaker 1: starting sea grade for z Jones, who has seen more
Speaker 1: targets and to Renfro over the last four games. Back
Speaker 1: whoever thought Zay Jones would be a viable fantasy we
Speaker 1: were any player. We were shoveling dirt on his uh,
Speaker 1: the grave of his career, and just I think the
Speaker 1: Bengals will win this game. I think you you do too.
Speaker 1: But there's a chance that Za Jones will meet the
Speaker 1: Buffalo Bills down the line. How juicy of revenge narrative
Speaker 1: would that be? But uh again, pretty good numbers given
Speaker 1: up by the Bengals to wide receivers and z Jones
Speaker 1: is the clear cut number two. If you want, you
Speaker 1: could argue the number one option over the last four weeks.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna give him a C grade. And Darren
Speaker 1: Waller returned last week just two catches for twenty two
Speaker 1: scoreless yards. Did see nine targets though, and the Bengals
Speaker 1: are top five. We're top five in the most catches,
Speaker 1: yards and touchdown surrendered to tight end. So Darren Waller
Speaker 1: be great for him, he's expected to play. I don't
Speaker 1: see why he would not unless he suffers a setback,
Speaker 1: but he hasn't yet this week and unlikely too over
Speaker 1: the weekends. Would be for him. And based on all
Speaker 1: those three starting grades with those receivers, I will give
Speaker 1: Derek Carr's See the Bengals have allowed two touchdown passes
Speaker 1: and three straight their last three games. Josh Johnson case
Speaker 1: keen him in the mix there, so a two touchdown
Speaker 1: floor seems pretty uh feasible for Derek carr Al right
Speaker 1: over the Bengal side. I'll be a little quicker here
Speaker 1: because he's a pretty obvious Uh. Starting grades for most
Speaker 1: players started with Joe Mixon. Uh, he gets an a.
Speaker 1: He was practically the entire offense and that blowout win
Speaker 1: by the Bengals thirty carries a hundred twenty three yards
Speaker 1: two touchdowns. Uh. The Raiders have allowed of rushing touchdown
Speaker 1: to a running back in five straight games, nine total
Speaker 1: touchdowns to the position during that span. Love mixing fully rested,
Speaker 1: fully healthy, He's a full go and he needed it.
Speaker 1: It felt like he was wearing down at the end
Speaker 1: of for sure. Yeah, that that week off last week,
Speaker 1: it's gonna do him wonders. Uh. Speaking of doing wonders,
Speaker 1: Jamaar Chase been doing that most of the season. It's
Speaker 1: gonna give him a be though. Oakland has allowed three
Speaker 1: wide receiver touchdowns over the last two games, but they've
Speaker 1: been tougher against the position that than that stat suggests.
Speaker 1: Mike Williams did top a hundred yards last week against
Speaker 1: the Raiders, but that was thanks to the buzzer beater
Speaker 1: touchdown in the full extra quarter of play. Before that,
Speaker 1: no wide receiver had topped eighty yards against Las Vegas
Speaker 1: since Week twelve, and on the season as a whole,
Speaker 1: only four opposing wide receivers managed to top yards, so
Speaker 1: they've kind of held receivers in check in terms of,
Speaker 1: you know, hitting their their ceiling. Chase did score in
Speaker 1: the Week eleven matchup, only caught three passes over thirty
Speaker 1: two yards. It was mixing all day, uh in that game.
Speaker 1: As we just discussed Tee Higgins and give him a
Speaker 1: b as well. Uh like, I like Chase just a
Speaker 1: little more. But Higgins virtually has the same prospects here
Speaker 1: against against the Raiders. UM just two catches for fifteen
Speaker 1: yards against the Raiders of meek leven. But again, that
Speaker 1: was all about mixing, and it was a reminder before
Speaker 1: Chase's Week seventeen explosion, the Tee Higgins was getting notably
Speaker 1: more work, more balls and was more reliable than Chase was.
Speaker 1: And speaking of reliable, UM, taking out Week eighteen, none
Speaker 1: of the star wars played for the Bengals. Tyler Boyd
Speaker 1: had scored in three straight games from weeks fifteen to
Speaker 1: week seventeen, um, so he got hot towards the end
Speaker 1: of the year. He had six catches for forty nine
Speaker 1: yards in that first meeting, So I didn't give him
Speaker 1: a C and one more seed to give out c
Speaker 1: j Uzoma. Uh I guess that's almost two seeds I
Speaker 1: gave out to the listeners there. The Raiders were one
Speaker 1: of three teams to surrender double digit touchdowns to tight ends.
Speaker 1: They were also top eight in the most catches and
Speaker 1: yards surrender to the position, so that would be bottom eight. Then,
Speaker 1: uh well, top eight in most catches. Well, they're top
Speaker 1: eight and the most there, which is a good thing
Speaker 1: taking would put them at the bottom aid if you're
Speaker 1: gonna rank him. But if we're in terms of the
Speaker 1: most catches in yards off putting most at the top,
Speaker 1: the worst is ranked number one, then they are top eight.
Speaker 1: You're making this more confusing. It's it's a good thing
Speaker 1: for cj us almost important. Raiders top eight in the
Speaker 1: most catches in yards allowed tight ends, and Joe Burrow
Speaker 1: tempted to give him an A. I'm just a little
Speaker 1: worried this turns into more of a mixing games or
Speaker 1: just to be here, but a very very safe b
Speaker 1: And of course there's a upside with Burrow. There is reiving,
Speaker 1: there is, But I still think I'm with you. I
Speaker 1: still think this game is largely solved on the ground.
Speaker 1: Do believe there's a chance that Vegas is a kind
Speaker 1: of a no show for this game. Patriots take on
Speaker 1: the Bills is the second of the Saturday games, and
Speaker 1: the key storyline here, without a doubt, is the weather.
Speaker 1: Four degrees a kickoff? That's it is the is the
Speaker 1: current forecast? Um? Not much wind? Fortunately, now, New England
Speaker 1: beat Buffalo in the earlier bad weather game. That game
Speaker 1: was a little bit different than that. It was a
Speaker 1: wind game. It was cold, it was like five degrees,
Speaker 1: but it wins. So this is a different kind of
Speaker 1: cold weather game. UM. In that game, as you'll remember,
Speaker 1: they only threw the ball four times and they ran
Speaker 1: the ball thirty four times. And this is gonna be
Speaker 1: a little bit different. But let me warn people, when
Speaker 1: you get to single digits, that's when the game really
Speaker 1: turns into molasses, and the passing game effectively is effectively
Speaker 1: UH is particularly affected by the cold weather. The average
Speaker 1: passing game in single digit temperatures going back eight years
Speaker 1: is sixteen completions for one hundred sixty yards and zero
Speaker 1: point two touchdowns. That's it, and that's going to shape
Speaker 1: a lot of what you're going to hear here. Now,
Speaker 1: you may remember the Packers, like three weeks ago, played
Speaker 1: a cold weather game against Minnesota. That game went off
Speaker 1: at ten degrees, so it did not factor into our
Speaker 1: the looks of what we saw here, although Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 1: did put up a good fantasy game in that game. Okay,
Speaker 1: so let's talk about the Patriots side first. I'm the
Speaker 1: whole passing games on the bench. You have the cold weather,
Speaker 1: You've got Mac Jones with no cold weather experience, and
Speaker 1: then you've got a very good Buffalo past defense even
Speaker 1: without Tradavious White. Since Week six, the average passing game
Speaker 1: against Buffalo is two heard one yards and zero points
Speaker 1: six touchdowns. That feels like if you told I don't
Speaker 1: even think I don't even think Mac Jones is gonna
Speaker 1: get to the two one yards in this cold of
Speaker 1: weather and about a coin flips chance of one touchdown
Speaker 1: sounds right for Mac Jones, and that just that means
Speaker 1: I don't like any of his receivers anyway, and I
Speaker 1: wouldn't anyway, even without the weather, I wouldn't like any
Speaker 1: of them against this defense. So all that Mac, the
Speaker 1: prop is roughly for Mac Jones passing yards. Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, but definitely not gonna hit two. Okay, So
Speaker 1: let's go over to the running game. You know, we've
Speaker 1: seen Ramandre Stevenson and Damian Harris run the ball a
Speaker 1: lot and the other the other bad weather game. Harris
Speaker 1: has been battling this hamstring injury for months now, and
Speaker 1: he's expected to play in this game. He's on the
Speaker 1: probable side of questionable, and when he does play, he's
Speaker 1: pretty bankable. If he can just get through the game,
Speaker 1: he's got get this for Stevens or Silver Harritt. Damien
Speaker 1: Harris touchdowns in five straight games and touchdowns in nine
Speaker 1: of his last ten. That's Damien Harris. By the way,
Speaker 1: Can I peacock for a minute? Absolutely, there's peacocks in
Speaker 1: the off season or postseason fantasy football. We'll get it there.
Speaker 1: Always in the last one. It's always the last. It's
Speaker 1: a different board than the regular season. So you may
Speaker 1: recall that we had a tough question in the preseason.
Speaker 1: I think it was our final preseason tough question of
Speaker 1: the year was brotting backs, who can get to fifteen touchdowns?
Speaker 1: The correct answer that I gave you, guys was Damien Harris.
Speaker 1: I was not on that show, but you may not
Speaker 1: have been. I'm not saying you didn't get it right.
Speaker 1: I am saying I did. There you go. I think
Speaker 1: he had fifteen. I think he had fifteen on the nose,
Speaker 1: although I could be wrong anyway. So back to back
Speaker 1: to Stevenson and Harris. I believe Stevenson comes into this
Speaker 1: on the injury report at all, and that muddies up
Speaker 1: the works a little bit here, and Stevenson may end
Speaker 1: up getting more work and he might be the safer play. UM.
Speaker 1: You may remember that Harris had to leave the previous
Speaker 1: Buffalo bad weather game early, and maybe scenario like that
Speaker 1: plays itself out here. Harris topped one hundred yards in
Speaker 1: both of the matchups of Buffalo this year, although Stevenson
Speaker 1: did not play in the second one. UM and throughout
Speaker 1: the season, just looking back through Buffalo's run defense, good
Speaker 1: backs and and power running teams, seems that really tried
Speaker 1: to run the ball almost always succeeded against Buffalo. They're
Speaker 1: a middle of the pack run defense, and that's how
Speaker 1: they're gonna That's how the Patriots are going to attack
Speaker 1: with Stevenson and Harrison, that's why they're both be grades.
Speaker 1: My main concerned with Stevenson is he's gotten himself in
Speaker 1: the doghouse pretty quick several times this season, like it
Speaker 1: was earlier in the year, at least two or three times.
Speaker 1: He's don't fumble, don't fumble them, and even in four
Speaker 1: degree weather, don't fumble balls and ice cube, don't fumble.
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk about the Bill's side. I want
Speaker 1: to go back to the running game, which I believably
Speaker 1: emphasized for both teams. Devin Singletary gets a b game
Speaker 1: even though very quiet games, and both of the regular
Speaker 1: season matchups with New England right in the ballpark, it
Speaker 1: was ten carries and twelve carries in the two games.
Speaker 1: That's it, and in and only in the thirties for
Speaker 1: rushing yards. But I think you can see a lot
Speaker 1: more rushing here. Nobody else is doing is really getting
Speaker 1: any consistent usage outside of Singletary, not our guy Zack Mosson,
Speaker 1: not certainly not. And the Patriots run defense has been
Speaker 1: gashed down the stretch. Duke Johnson just ran for a
Speaker 1: hundred seventeen yards to Tennessee Backs. In the same game,
Speaker 1: top to one hundred yards, Jonathan Taylor put up a
Speaker 1: hundred seventy yards, d Arnest Johnson hundred fifty seven total yards.
Speaker 1: So yeah, this is a Patriots run defense that is
Speaker 1: not that good. And that's why I'm giving Singletary the
Speaker 1: B grade. Josh Allen, even though I warned you on
Speaker 1: how these single digit temperatures affect the passing game, He's
Speaker 1: just running so well right now. Get this. He's averaging
Speaker 1: sixty eight rushing yards per game over the last five weeks,
Speaker 1: and I think with the bitter cold weather, he's gonna
Speaker 1: just I think he's gonna run as much as he
Speaker 1: always has and maybe more. And if you throw out
Speaker 1: the wind game, Um, when these guys met in the
Speaker 1: second game, he had a hundred. He had a hundred
Speaker 1: hundred and fourteen yards and three passing touchdowns in that game.
Speaker 1: So just one way or another, I think Josh Allen
Speaker 1: cobbles together B level grade game here. The only receiver
Speaker 1: I'm starting is Stefan Diggs and only a C grade.
Speaker 1: I worry about the cold weather. Also, Buffalo allowed the
Speaker 1: fewest wide receiver yards just one hundred twelve per game,
Speaker 1: and the fewest wide receiver touchdowns at just six. That's
Speaker 1: half of the next closest team half. Diggs runs from
Speaker 1: all over the field, but he most often runs from J. C.
Speaker 1: Jackson's side of the field, and Jackson is excellent, allowing
Speaker 1: just twenty yards per game in his coverage. He's given
Speaker 1: up just three scores all year. As for any of
Speaker 1: the other Buffalo wide receivers, well, the problem is the
Speaker 1: Patriots rank number two and wide receiver yards allowed at
Speaker 1: just one per game, and they've given up the six
Speaker 1: fewest wide receiver touchdowns. And I'm worried about Sanders, Mackenzie,
Speaker 1: Davis Beasley. How do they all get fed in bitterly
Speaker 1: cold conditions. One of them probably does something, but you
Speaker 1: can't know who's kind of One of them needs to
Speaker 1: be out all healthy for this game, so I think
Speaker 1: you set them all. Same with Dawson Knox. Patriots have
Speaker 1: been fantastic against tight ends. Only one tight end is
Speaker 1: cracked twenty nine yards all year. Knoxes two games against
Speaker 1: New England just fourteen yards and eleven yards with a
Speaker 1: score in New England only allowed four tight end scores
Speaker 1: all year. Yeah, Dawson Knox, that Goo sag in Week seventeen,
Speaker 1: that that stung me in many many He's he's become
Speaker 1: a little touchdown dependent, whereas pre injury he was getting
Speaker 1: like the five catches, the six catches, chipping in some
Speaker 1: yardage and he was scoring. Now you're just you're just
Speaker 1: looking to get the touchdown out of Dawson Knocks. At
Speaker 1: least it's been that way of light. And I think
Speaker 1: it's that way this game too. If you're like picking,
Speaker 1: if you're playing daily to Saturday only, i'd like use
Speaker 1: Oma overall. Of course, Yeah Waller really and of course
Speaker 1: at this stage not a big game last week, Yeah
Speaker 1: I did. I don't know Waller was coming back. But anyway,
Speaker 1: we don't like Dawson Knox. If there's gonna be other
Speaker 1: tight ends, you can pivot too, and we'll tell you
Speaker 1: about them when we come back in a moment. As
Speaker 1: Fantasy Football Weekly resumes and just a matter of seconds,
Speaker 1: welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly. Paul Charching Brian Johnson with
Speaker 1: you the Sunday slate. Brian. Three games, Let's start with
Speaker 1: Philadelphia Tampa as our next game. That's the first one
Speaker 1: on the docket. Ye windy Airton campaign and wins like
Speaker 1: high winds almost pushing twenty miles Pever, that's not that's
Speaker 1: not high winds. Twenty miles is not a factor. That
Speaker 1: isn't if not for not for NFL arms, not for
Speaker 1: NFL arms. I'm not worried. I am not worried about
Speaker 1: that part at all. The rain um sometimes works the
Speaker 1: advantage of the offense. Uh, slick fields can be better
Speaker 1: on the offense than the defense. These teams met Philadelphia
Speaker 1: and Tampa met in weeks six. Philadelphia has I think
Speaker 1: one viable pathway to upsetting the Bucks. It's not a
Speaker 1: running back by committee. It's not Jalen Hurts throwing the
Speaker 1: ball to Quiz Watkins. It is Jalen Hurts running. That's
Speaker 1: the special thing. If lightning has to strike to get
Speaker 1: the Eagles to do it, I think Hurts has to
Speaker 1: have a big rushing games at rushing yards and one
Speaker 1: or two touchdowns. I'm with you now he scored two
Speaker 1: touchdowns in the earlier meeting. Can do it, and so
Speaker 1: he can do it now. Two weeks ago, on his
Speaker 1: still gimpy ankle. Hurts ran for forty four yards. You
Speaker 1: remember he rested last week, so I think that ankles
Speaker 1: in really good shape, near one percent probably at this stage.
Speaker 1: And Tampa's a great run defense, but not against quarterbacks.
Speaker 1: Over the past five weeks, Tampa's allowed the most quarterback
Speaker 1: rushing yards, including a one hundred yard game to Josh Allen.
Speaker 1: So that's why I'm giving Jalen Hurts a B gride.
Speaker 1: I don't like the passing. I think he's sitting in.
Speaker 1: He threw for a hundred fifteen yards in the first game,
Speaker 1: and I think he's sitting in another game like the
Speaker 1: mid one fifties here passing. But and by the way,
Speaker 1: check the status of cornerbacks Jamal Deane and Sean Murphy Bunting.
Speaker 1: They both got hamstring injuries. Their status is not yet clear.
Speaker 1: Um if they don't both don't go. I like Hurts
Speaker 1: a little even more than this, and you can even
Speaker 1: upgrade him to an A. But I think the rushing
Speaker 1: is gonna be there for him, but not the passing.
Speaker 1: And that's why I've only got B. A B grade
Speaker 1: in Dallas Goddard and a C grade and Devanta Smith
Speaker 1: and nobody else gets a grade out of the passing game.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about got it for a second. He has
Speaker 1: scored in just two games since the opener. I didn't
Speaker 1: realized that had been so bad. For Goddard. That's not good,
Speaker 1: but by far the safest of the Eagles receiving targets.
Speaker 1: He has topped seventy one yards in three the last
Speaker 1: four games, and his average game since zach Ertz was traded,
Speaker 1: there's a solid sixty one yards, which is good by
Speaker 1: tight end standard. Yeah, you'll take that. Tampa is Tampa
Speaker 1: is the middle of the pack tight end defense, but
Speaker 1: Goddard's better than basically any tight end they faced all season.
Speaker 1: Long B grade in Dallas, Goddard C grade and DeVonta
Speaker 1: Smith um. He may have just completely hit the rookie
Speaker 1: wall Bryan. Over the past seven games. His average games
Speaker 1: three catches, forty four yards and zero point one touchdowns.
Speaker 1: That's not good. So that's it for DeVonta Smith and
Speaker 1: everybody else I've got on the bench. Tampa's run defense
Speaker 1: is fantastic. No back his top to eighty three yards
Speaker 1: since Week seven. Nobody's stopped one hundred yards all year.
Speaker 1: Tampa's allowing just three point nine yards per carry on
Speaker 1: the season. Um, And then you've got the backfield by committee.
Speaker 1: Miles Sanders is going to try to play through a
Speaker 1: broken hand. I don't expect him to be able to
Speaker 1: catch the ball, so he's not gonna help you that way.
Speaker 1: He probably lands in the fifties rushing yard area. But
Speaker 1: then Jordan Howard um is expected to return from COVID
Speaker 1: and he's out lady. He's been out carried by Boston
Speaker 1: Scott and appears to me third in the pecking order,
Speaker 1: So I'm starting great at him either, but he's going
Speaker 1: to be in the mix and they might give him
Speaker 1: goal line news. Then there's Boston Scott. His role has
Speaker 1: been all over the been all over the place, but
Speaker 1: he's gotten more carries than Howard lately has and he
Speaker 1: has scored touchdowns recently, so you know, but that was
Speaker 1: also in a mop up game last week. So I
Speaker 1: just I'm just putting him all on the bench. And
Speaker 1: they like Kenny Gainewill in the past game too, And
Speaker 1: that's really the the best angle for running backs against
Speaker 1: against Hamper. It is, but you're not gonna trust and
Speaker 1: that's that's part of the reason why I don't have
Speaker 1: Sanders with a letter grade is because if the broken
Speaker 1: hand means he can't catch, that's the one thing that
Speaker 1: backs can do against Tampa and in past protection, broken
Speaker 1: hand not I deal, you know, probably not so uh.
Speaker 1: Let's go to the Tampa Bay side a great and
Speaker 1: Tom Brady. He's been a huge fantasy factor the past
Speaker 1: two weeks, even with Godwin and Brown out like they
Speaker 1: will be in this game. The Eagles past defense looks
Speaker 1: okamp paper, but they they've played insanely soft series of quarterbacks.
Speaker 1: Get this here, I'm gonna go going backwards in time.
Speaker 1: Most recently it's a bad list like Heineke, Glennon, jil Bert,
Speaker 1: Zach Wilson, Daniel Jones, Trevor Simmey, and Teddy Bridgewater. You
Speaker 1: gotta go that far back before they get a good quarterback.
Speaker 1: Justin Herbert three hundred fifty six yards in that game
Speaker 1: for Justin Herbert. I would contest it's the easiest schedule
Speaker 1: for a defending Super Bowl champion. It's not like those
Speaker 1: are the Eagles, Oh my bad, my bad, those are
Speaker 1: the Eagles opponent. Got you, got you um. And that's
Speaker 1: one of the reasons why a lot of people think
Speaker 1: the Eagles are going to get destroyed in this game.
Speaker 1: Is they've They're wins have come Acrost have come against
Speaker 1: those quaw caliber of quarterbacks. Mike Evans is also in
Speaker 1: a grade. He's top ninety nine yards are scored in
Speaker 1: eight of the last ten games. Normally a lower volume
Speaker 1: guy Mike Evans, but Brown is out, Godwin's out, Cyril
Speaker 1: Grayson's out. Evans simply has to be a bigger part
Speaker 1: of the game plan here. He runs from all parts
Speaker 1: of the field, but will likely see shadow coverage from
Speaker 1: a sleigh ride. Darius Slay, but the Slaves really operate
Speaker 1: better than snow. Slay has been great this year. He's
Speaker 1: allowed one touchdown since Week three and just twenty eight
Speaker 1: yards per game in his coverage over the last seven weeks.
Speaker 1: He was looking pretty cooked last year. At time he
Speaker 1: he's bounced, he has bounced back nicely. Rob Gronkowski also
Speaker 1: in a grade. He also has to be a big
Speaker 1: part of the passing game. With everybody else heard he's
Speaker 1: playing huge minutes averaging the snaps. No other tight end
Speaker 1: by the way as a factor anymore. You know those
Speaker 1: days of Cameron Braid and O. J. Howard hopping up
Speaker 1: and stealing stuff from that's all dead ten plus targets
Speaker 1: in three of the past four games for Rob Gronkowski,
Speaker 1: and the Eagles have allowed the most tight end touchdowns four.
Speaker 1: I love Gronk in this game, the the easiest matchup
Speaker 1: for tight ends this season by far. The Eagles were
Speaker 1: Leonard Fournett's expected to play. He's been activated from injured
Speaker 1: from injured reserve. Um, we know that Ronald Jones has
Speaker 1: already been ruled out, so I'm assuming four NET is
Speaker 1: going to be able to go. If it's not four NET,
Speaker 1: then you're gonna get the one two attack of Levian Bell,
Speaker 1: who is totally cooked, and Keyshawn Vaughan Gross. Hopefully it
Speaker 1: will be four NET here. I believe he'll play through
Speaker 1: his hamstring injury, but it is a tough matchup against
Speaker 1: a good Eagles run defense, giving up just four yards
Speaker 1: per game. No back has topped eighty five yards since
Speaker 1: way back in Week five against the Eagles. For Net
Speaker 1: could be great through the air, though the Eagles have
Speaker 1: allowed the second most running back receptions, and four Net
Speaker 1: topped six receptions in five of his past six games,
Speaker 1: so I think for Net is gonna between running okay
Speaker 1: and a pretty good passing game. He'll get you to
Speaker 1: a B grade. It's worth mentioning though Jie Vonnie Bernard
Speaker 1: was designated to return. Not like you should start him,
Speaker 1: but they do like they have another receiving option right right, Um,
Speaker 1: all the other receivers are on the bench. You could
Speaker 1: throw a dart at Tyler Johnson or Brigade Perriman or
Speaker 1: Scotty Miller, but they've all proven themselves to be totally
Speaker 1: unreliable even when the team needs them. And there's receivers
Speaker 1: have missed so much time but it hasn't mattered. Those
Speaker 1: guys have done nothing, So we're not starting any of them.
Speaker 1: Sounds good to me. Let's go to the second game,
Speaker 1: which is Pittsburgh. It's actually the third game on on Sunday,
Speaker 1: but for our purpose is second game, uh, Pittsburgh taking
Speaker 1: on Kansas City. Brian. This game has got to believe
Speaker 1: a twelve and a half points spread. Most people expecting
Speaker 1: this to be a one sided affair. Yeah, that spread
Speaker 1: might be a little light on the Kansas City side,
Speaker 1: considering these teams played just in Week sixteen and the
Speaker 1: Steelers got spank. So have a repeat performance expected there,
Speaker 1: but that's why they play the game. We'll see, but
Speaker 1: not liking a whole lot on the Steelers side. Uh.
Speaker 1: Started with Naji Harris, who did practice in full on Friday,
Speaker 1: now listed as questionable, His status was pretty uncertain earlier
Speaker 1: in the week, so assuming he's gonna play, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go under the assumption he plays on Sunday. Just gonna
Speaker 1: give him as see though, Uh, not a good matchup
Speaker 1: the Chiefs. The Chiefs have allowed just nine total touchdowns
Speaker 1: to running backs all season, rushing and receiving. Harris did
Speaker 1: manage to scrape together one and ten combo yards in
Speaker 1: Week sixteen, no touchdowns he did. He didn't have five catches,
Speaker 1: just seventeen receiving yards, so kind of a safe one
Speaker 1: hundred combo yard floor touchdown would be nice, but again
Speaker 1: he didn't do that week sixteen, and the Chiefs don't
Speaker 1: allow a lot of those to running backs. Uh. The
Speaker 1: Chiefs have surrendered the sixth most wide receiver touchdowns though,
Speaker 1: with nineteen, and one of those went to Deonte Johnson
Speaker 1: in Week sixteen, who I'm giving a b two Uh.
Speaker 1: Also at six catches fifty one yard in that game
Speaker 1: and Uh, I would expect positive game script for the
Speaker 1: Steelers past game, even even with Ben Roethlisberger a quarterback
Speaker 1: who we will mention very briefly in a few moments. UH.
Speaker 1: For the rest of the receiver's Chase Claypool pretty down
Speaker 1: here for him. I will give him a cee though,
Speaker 1: averaging seven plus targets over his last three games, so
Speaker 1: we should have opportunities produced in again, the likely positive
Speaker 1: game script for the past game. Just four catches for
Speaker 1: forty one yards for Claypool in Week sixteen, but hopefully
Speaker 1: that's a floor for him here. And it feels like
Speaker 1: he hasn't had a good game and forever. And for
Speaker 1: a guy who last year was a very safe touchdown scorer,
Speaker 1: Chase even running the ball right, where are the touchdowns
Speaker 1: this year? I, you know, I don't have it in
Speaker 1: front of me. I'm guessing he's got it. He's had
Speaker 1: a three touchdown season. I feel it's more Rothlisberger's fault
Speaker 1: than Claypools, but both pretty pretty disappointing. How about how
Speaker 1: about here, you know his fault, it might be Pat
Speaker 1: Friar Moose fault because they that guy's turned into an
Speaker 1: end zone beast. I was about to I was gonna
Speaker 1: go to Friar Muth. Uh, he's listed next in my notes,
Speaker 1: But then I wasn't aware that Juju Smith Schuster he's yeah,
Speaker 1: act expected to be active for this game, but I
Speaker 1: don't think he's I bet he doesn't get a ton
Speaker 1: of time. He's missed half a season. Yeah, I don't
Speaker 1: think he gets ton of a ton of play. It
Speaker 1: was a shoulder injury, though, so he's probably been staying
Speaker 1: in shape, not not game shape. So I like him
Speaker 1: more with the upper body injury than returning from the
Speaker 1: lower body injury. But a bench grade for Juju, We'll
Speaker 1: see what he does here. We will consider him next
Speaker 1: week if the stealer in the unlikely event they advanced.
Speaker 1: And now, speaking of Pat Friar Muth, you just brought
Speaker 1: up he did not play in that Week sixteen game
Speaker 1: that he had the concussion the week before. The Chiefs
Speaker 1: have not allowed a tight end touchdown since Week eight,
Speaker 1: and durning that same span, only Dalton Schultz managed to
Speaker 1: top thirty five yards in terms of alone tight end
Speaker 1: Shultz had fifty three, So a tough matchup for tight ends. Uh,
Speaker 1: the Chiefs are Uh, it's worth noting. I guess that
Speaker 1: when Friary Muth sat out, I never never even heard
Speaker 1: of these guys. Uh. Zach Gentry and Kevin Rader are
Speaker 1: a d er uh combined for five catches for thirty
Speaker 1: eight yards. So that's probably a safe floor for for Muth.
Speaker 1: But you would you'd want to touchdown from him. But again,
Speaker 1: the chiefs of not be giving a lot of those
Speaker 1: out to tight ends in second half of the season.
Speaker 1: And lastly, for so I'm gonna put a bench grade Okay,
Speaker 1: I mean it's tough to gauge these grade suits. It's
Speaker 1: not like we have the whole week we're dealing with,
Speaker 1: So he's not really a bench but I'll see he's not.
Speaker 1: He's not as popular to play as you would think
Speaker 1: based on name alone, because this week I would pay
Speaker 1: for Rob Gronkowski if I'm playing, you know, if I'm
Speaker 1: in DFS, I think if there's a if there's a
Speaker 1: tight end, I'm gonna splurge on. I think it's Gronk
Speaker 1: based on the matchups. Uh, And there's a pretty good
Speaker 1: tight end on the other side of this game as well.
Speaker 1: So we'll get to him in a second. After I
Speaker 1: say Ben Roethlisberger on the bench. He was in a
Speaker 1: presser earlier this week, and I thought I had heard it.
Speaker 1: It was taken out of context him saying we don't
Speaker 1: have a chance, but literally said tongue in cheek. I'm sure,
Speaker 1: I don't know. I think he's I think he had
Speaker 1: was pisted. He had to cancel his Cobo vacation or
Speaker 1: whatever put it off. But he's on the bench. Just
Speaker 1: one Tomlin falling asleep during the Sunday night game, that
Speaker 1: would be that would decide whether you're in or out
Speaker 1: of the playoffs. How do you do that? He probably
Speaker 1: was just assuming they were gonna do the tie thing too,
Speaker 1: and didn't maybe make the extra effort to stay awake.
Speaker 1: But that was pretty funny to hear. Uh he did
Speaker 1: that all right over the chief side. Clyde Edwards a layer,
Speaker 1: Uh not gonna play and uh that that definitely clears
Speaker 1: uh unmuddies the water at running back. So Darryl Williams
Speaker 1: gonna give him a b with that news. In week sixteen,
Speaker 1: I think this is the game where c. E. H
Speaker 1: got hurt. He had nine carries for twenty seven yards
Speaker 1: in a touchdown. Then Williams came in. He had eleven
Speaker 1: carries fifty five yards and then three catches thirty yards.
Speaker 1: Give that all to Williams and that's a solid B
Speaker 1: grade in my opinion. In a game of the Chiefs
Speaker 1: are probably gonna control of the clock for the most part. Um. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's pretty much it for the running running game for
Speaker 1: the Chiefs over the past game. UM Tyreek Hill just
Speaker 1: obviously only two catches for nineteen yards in that Week
Speaker 1: sixteen game, but he was coming off of they rest
Speaker 1: and they got up early and they just rested Hill
Speaker 1: the rest of the game. UM. Pittsburgh has been tougher
Speaker 1: against wide receivers as of late. Over the last five weeks.
Speaker 1: Their bottom five in yards allowed to wide receivers. That
Speaker 1: means the least amount of yards allowed to the position.
Speaker 1: But during that top five don't do that. But during
Speaker 1: that same pan pan span, h kans are up. Sorry,
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh has surrendered five wide receiver touchdowns. Three of those
Speaker 1: went to Kansas City's Byron Pringle and me Cole Hardman,
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna give both. Know I always prefer Pringle
Speaker 1: over Hardman whenever I like decided to roll with one
Speaker 1: of these guys. And daily or something. I'm always on
Speaker 1: the wrong always the rocks, or you know, choose the
Speaker 1: wrong side of the coin, however you want to put it.
Speaker 1: So then they both get to see. I'm not sure
Speaker 1: who's gonna produce here. Odds are both of them won't
Speaker 1: again now that Tyreek Hill is fully healthy. But I
Speaker 1: like Pringle a little more, just like you. Pringle had
Speaker 1: to catch two touchdowns in that game, Hardman had the one.
Speaker 1: Pringle also had also had twice as many catches as
Speaker 1: Hardman in that Week sixteen games. So uh, we'll give
Speaker 1: him a stronger see out of those two. Uh. Travis Kelsey,
Speaker 1: we were talking about a pretty good tight end on
Speaker 1: the other side of this game. That is him. He
Speaker 1: did not play in Week sixteen. He had COVID He
Speaker 1: was um a COVID list for that one. But still
Speaker 1: in a for him? Are you gonna say something? Okay? Uh?
Speaker 1: Still in a despite the fact the Steelers have only
Speaker 1: allowed two tight end touchdowns all season. Um, I'm sorry,
Speaker 1: four tight end touchdowns all season, but two of those
Speaker 1: came in Week seventeen, recently against Cleveland. Uh. Noah Gray
Speaker 1: and Blake Bell combined for three catches in twenty three
Speaker 1: yards for Kansas City in Week sixteen with Kelse on
Speaker 1: the shelf. You know Kelsey will do much better. He
Speaker 1: he's an obvious A grade. And of course, so it's
Speaker 1: Mahomes who had to eight and three in that Week
Speaker 1: sixteen game with no Kelsey. Yeah, and a limited Tyreek Hills.
Speaker 1: So you gotta love Patty Mahomes here. When we come back,
Speaker 1: we'll get to the other Sunday game San Francisco and Dallas,
Speaker 1: and then the Monday night er, which is Arizona taking
Speaker 1: on the Rams. When we returned Fantasy Football Weekly, final
Speaker 1: segment Fantasy Football Weekly, uh Niners take on the Cowboys
Speaker 1: in the middle of the Sunday slate of games. And
Speaker 1: I believe, so, just to be transparent, I'm not a
Speaker 1: believer in the Cowboys. I And I'm gonna give you
Speaker 1: some reasons why you're gonna hear me leaning you towards
Speaker 1: the Niners. And you can decide if you think I'm
Speaker 1: right or wrong. It's it'll be you. You can make
Speaker 1: that call if you want to. I want to start
Speaker 1: with the Niners side, beginning with the running game. I
Speaker 1: love Elijah Mitchell here, Samuel don't me Yeah, the running
Speaker 1: game because he does siphon off about five carries a game.
Speaker 1: But you know the funny thing is Mitchell is still
Speaker 1: a freaking workhorse whenever he's active. Not only do they
Speaker 1: play him, they pound him, averaging twenty four carries per
Speaker 1: game in the second half of the season in twenty
Speaker 1: four Dallas season average of twenty five carries per game.
Speaker 1: So the volume is going to continue for Mitchell, and
Speaker 1: even in losses like the loss in Seattle in Week thirteen,
Speaker 1: twenty two carries. Even when the Niners are behind early
Speaker 1: like last week against the Rams, twenty one carried. So
Speaker 1: there's no game script in which Mitchell flops. He gets
Speaker 1: tons of work. He's averaging almost five yards per carry.
Speaker 1: He runs behind the NFL's number one ranked run blocking
Speaker 1: offensive line. A grade for Elijah Mitchell in this game
Speaker 1: on volume alone, Elijah Mitchell. So Deebo Samuel's I mentioned
Speaker 1: siphons off some work and between what he's art, what
Speaker 1: he's proven he can do in the passing game, to me,
Speaker 1: it's just an obvious A And I'm just gonna move
Speaker 1: on and let's move to other parts of the passing game.
Speaker 1: And I think are more sailing including Jimmy Garoppolo one
Speaker 1: of two one or two touchdowns in nine straight games
Speaker 1: for Garoppolo, So he gives you the safe floor, but
Speaker 1: the limited ceiling top three hundred yards and back to
Speaker 1: back games coming into this week. The thing about Garoppolo
Speaker 1: is that he needs to get the ball. Just all
Speaker 1: you gotta do, just get the ball in the hands
Speaker 1: your playmakers Deebo, Samuel and George Kittle and Brandon. I
Speaker 1: can just let them go. That's all he's gotta do,
Speaker 1: and he could put together a decent game here, which
Speaker 1: is why I've got to be great on him. The cow.
Speaker 1: He's have played a lot of just middle the road
Speaker 1: quarterbacks Sam Donald, Bridgewater, Glenn and twice Ryan Heinichy twice
Speaker 1: good quarterbacks, almost always fairwell. Garoppolo to me is a
Speaker 1: average too good quarterback. That's it. And he's gonna be
Speaker 1: fine and he's gonna get his yards in this thing.
Speaker 1: George Kettle be great. Dallas is a very good tight
Speaker 1: end defense, only two tight end touchdowns allowed in the
Speaker 1: last ten games. No opposing tight end his top forty
Speaker 1: eight yards in the last seven games. But he's George Kettle,
Speaker 1: so I'm still putting to be grade on him even
Speaker 1: in a tough matchup, because he's great when he's healthy.
Speaker 1: And he is right now, Brandon I, who also be great.
Speaker 1: He runs from every spot on the field and his
Speaker 1: plus matchups and all of those spots, including against tray
Speaker 1: Von Digs, ostensibly Dallas's best cornerback. You know where I'm
Speaker 1: going to this, Brant. So we say it pretty much
Speaker 1: every Fantasy Football weekly. Trayvon Diggs has the most interceptions
Speaker 1: in the league and the most yards allowed in his coverage.
Speaker 1: He's the only player in the NFL that's given up
Speaker 1: a thousand receiving yards in his coverage. Trayvon Diggs does
Speaker 1: not worry me. Anthony Brown, another cornerback, he's allowed the
Speaker 1: fourth most yards in his coverage. So Brandon I is
Speaker 1: gonna be fine to be great on him. And a
Speaker 1: C grade on Juwan Jennings an increasing snap count in
Speaker 1: four straight games or twice last week. And I don't
Speaker 1: trust Dallas to defend the wide receiver position. So if
Speaker 1: you need a dart throw, Juwan Jennings is somebody you
Speaker 1: can use. Now I'll talk about why Dallas worries me.
Speaker 1: Dak pre Prescott feels like he's rolling into this game
Speaker 1: red hot Brian, But his four touchdown game three games
Speaker 1: ago was against Washington's COVID ravage defense, does not count.
Speaker 1: His five touchdown game last week was against Philly Scrubs.
Speaker 1: They didn't play any starters. That does not count. This week,
Speaker 1: I fear that he reverts to the guy he was
Speaker 1: in November and December, which was very inconsistent. San Francisco
Speaker 1: has allowed one or two touchdown passes in six straight games,
Speaker 1: and no more than two touchdowns in any game since
Speaker 1: the opener. I feel like the upside on Doc is
Speaker 1: two touchdowns. The downside is zero. Only one quarterback his
Speaker 1: top two forty three yards against San Francisco since the
Speaker 1: opening game to forty three is nothing. The San Francisco
Speaker 1: past defense is sneaky good. And that's why I've got
Speaker 1: just a C grade on Dak Prescott and a C
Speaker 1: grade on his receivers. So you've got a Marie Cooper
Speaker 1: finally healthy. He's got an eleven seven and seven targets
Speaker 1: the last three games, but again, two of those three
Speaker 1: games don't count, and the games surrounding the Washington COVID
Speaker 1: game and the Philadelphia backup scrub game, Marie Cooper had
Speaker 1: a two catch eight yard game and a three catch
Speaker 1: eighteen yard game, and his downside is terrible. Opposing number
Speaker 1: one receivers have had consistent success against the Niners. But
Speaker 1: who is the number one receiver for Dallas? You wonder?
Speaker 1: Seems alright, I would to see. Lamb is also a
Speaker 1: C grade seven games scoreless stree for Ceedee Lamb gross,
Speaker 1: during which his average game is four and half catches
Speaker 1: fifty three yards, obviously scoreless with gallop out. He's running
Speaker 1: from the outside, which is better because that's where he
Speaker 1: played in the first half of the season when he
Speaker 1: was electrifying, So he's back outside now. Cedric Wilson's on
Speaker 1: the inside. Wilson runs from the slot almost exclusively. He's
Speaker 1: been pretty reliable with gallop out three scores in the
Speaker 1: last two games. Um, but he needs touchdown because touchdowns
Speaker 1: because his volume is pretty low. But he's a dart
Speaker 1: throw in a C grade for Cedric Wilson as well.
Speaker 1: And lastly, Dalton Sheltz. San Francisco is a fantastic tight
Speaker 1: end defense on average, giving up just three catches for
Speaker 1: twenty nine yards and zero point two touchdowns per games,
Speaker 1: So I can't like Sheltz here, and Schultz has got
Speaker 1: to share some of those twenty nine yards with Blake
Speaker 1: Jarwin and that's not good. So there's your passing game
Speaker 1: for Dallas and why I'm nervous about Dallason's game, and
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna lose even though they're favored by four.
Speaker 1: Let's talk Zeke and Pollard and then I'll wrap up
Speaker 1: this game. Um, like all season, you need a touchdown
Speaker 1: from Zeke because his yardage again teams who are playing
Speaker 1: their starters again, which was two of the last few
Speaker 1: games nobody was, is terrible. Since Week eight, his average
Speaker 1: game in those games thirty nine rushing yards and nineteen
Speaker 1: receiving yards. That's forty. Niners finished sixth against the run.
Speaker 1: Aside from the Travis Homer fake punt, no runners top
Speaker 1: fifty eight yards since Week nine against the Niners. I
Speaker 1: don't much like Zeke, just a C grade wall for
Speaker 1: a touchdown and for Tony Pollard completely off the injury
Speaker 1: port so that's nice with the foot injury. Um, you
Speaker 1: could use him as a wild card, just knowing that
Speaker 1: he's gonna get some touches and he's got more big
Speaker 1: play potential than Zeke has. But again San Francisco is
Speaker 1: good against the run. Just to see, great for Tony Pollard.
Speaker 1: All right, you get to wrap it up, my friend. Alright,
Speaker 1: Monday nighter, Arizona taking on the Rams, first Monday night
Speaker 1: football game in NFL history, and we hated layoff game,
Speaker 1: playoff game, of course, Uh, Arizona at the Rams. These
Speaker 1: teams divisional rivals, so that means they played twice, of course,
Speaker 1: once the first game in Week four l A one
Speaker 1: thirty seven to twenty. But I'm sorry, Arizona one in
Speaker 1: l A three, seven to twenty. Then in Week fourteen
Speaker 1: l A one in Arizona thirty twenty three. So we'll
Speaker 1: reference both those games here. Of course, we'll start with
Speaker 1: the running backs for the Cardinals. Very dicey situation right
Speaker 1: now with James Connor pretty much a game time he
Speaker 1: hasn't practice all week. He's a game time decision. With
Speaker 1: this registractice all don't practice all week, have got like
Speaker 1: a five ten percent chance apply. Yeah, it's probably unlikely
Speaker 1: he plays. Uh. He and Edmonds did both play in
Speaker 1: week In the Week four game, uh, Edmonds had twelve
Speaker 1: carries a hundred and twenty yards uh, no touchdowns. Connor
Speaker 1: had fifty yards on the ground two touchdowns. Um. So
Speaker 1: if Connor's Connors somehow manages to play, I'll give both
Speaker 1: a C. But we're kind of going under the assumption
Speaker 1: Connor is out. So if Edmonds is the loan back,
Speaker 1: I'm not too worried about Eno Benjamin or whatever that
Speaker 1: other dude's name is. I'm gonna give him a B
Speaker 1: in this game because I think it's easier. Rams are
Speaker 1: a great defense, but they're a little easier to run
Speaker 1: on than than to pass on. So I'll give the
Speaker 1: Edmonds a B if Connor is out, which is looking
Speaker 1: like that will be the case. UM over to the
Speaker 1: past game Christian Kirk, just to see for him. The
Speaker 1: Rams are really thin at safety. So thin they've lured
Speaker 1: Eric Weddle out of retirement for like two years something
Speaker 1: like that. I wonder if he's kept his beard growing
Speaker 1: all that time. Probably not any better shaved that but anyway,
Speaker 1: but the Rams not fin at cornerback with Jalen Ramsey
Speaker 1: and company. But that said, l A has surrendered three
Speaker 1: wide receiver touchdowns over the last two weeks and to
Speaker 1: one yard wide receiver performances. Uh. Those went to just
Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk, and neither of them scored
Speaker 1: any of the said three touchdowns that I just or
Speaker 1: just mentioned. So production has been coming from the wide
Speaker 1: receivers against the Rams, but Kirk hasn't produced really against
Speaker 1: l A this season. In Week four, just one catch
Speaker 1: for five yards. DeAndre Hopkins was probably healthy for that game.
Speaker 1: In Week four teen, Kirk did manage eighty six yards,
Speaker 1: but just on three catches, So I'm not a very
Speaker 1: high ceiling for Kirk in this one. I think Kirk's
Speaker 1: had a bunch of positive matchups in December that he
Speaker 1: has not really cashed in on unfortunately, not at all. Uh.
Speaker 1: And AJ Green, I mean, he's he been the corpse
Speaker 1: of a J. Green most of the season, but likely
Speaker 1: he's two best games of the year have come against
Speaker 1: the Rams. In Week four, he had five catches, sixty
Speaker 1: seven yards and a touchdown. Week fourteen, he had seven
Speaker 1: catches a hundred and two yards. So a C grade
Speaker 1: for a J. Green based on those numbers, and Kirk
Speaker 1: probably draws Kirk and zach Or It's probably draw more
Speaker 1: attention than a Green will in this game. So I
Speaker 1: like green with the sea. Uh. Speaking of zach Ertz,
Speaker 1: gonna give him a C as well. The Rams have
Speaker 1: allowed the third fewest tight end touchdowns all year, just four,
Speaker 1: but opposing tight ends have averaged more than five catches
Speaker 1: and fifty yards against l A this year, so Art's
Speaker 1: should have a fairly safe uh floor in PPR. He
Speaker 1: did have in Week four he was still on the
Speaker 1: Eagles and not facing the Rams and that one, but
Speaker 1: he did have five catches forty two yards in the
Speaker 1: week four TEENA games, so that's about nine ten PPR
Speaker 1: points tight end any day. And lastly, for the Cardinals,
Speaker 1: Kyler Murray's gonna give him a b uh. He will
Speaker 1: need just like Jalen Hurts. He's gonna need threat game,
Speaker 1: but he wasn't running earlier in the year, but he
Speaker 1: has uh run a lot more since returning from injury
Speaker 1: in Week thirteen. Since then, Murray has averaged forty six
Speaker 1: rushing yards per game, and that number is heavily suppressed
Speaker 1: by his three rushing yards and that Flukey lost to
Speaker 1: the Lions, so um really averaging closer to sixty seventy
Speaker 1: rushing yards over the last five six weeks. So I
Speaker 1: like Murray with a B here. He has had good
Speaker 1: games on both meetings with the Rams uh to six
Speaker 1: eight and two. Added thirty nine rushing yards in week
Speaker 1: four then he threw for three yards in Week fourteen,
Speaker 1: had sixty one rushing yards and that one against l
Speaker 1: A so B. For Kyler Murray, it's all gonna be.
Speaker 1: He's gonna have to carry the team on his shoulders
Speaker 1: for Arizona have any chance, all right, man Thorny games
Speaker 1: that we're getting, this is like a full episode. It
Speaker 1: really is. Um, we're gonna say something. Sorry, No, it's
Speaker 1: just got The parallel with Kyler Murley Murray and Jalen
Speaker 1: Hurts to me is very It really is very similar.
Speaker 1: I think they have to be special and a lot
Speaker 1: of it has to come on the ground. Now, Murray
Speaker 1: it's a far better passer than Jalen Hurts, so he
Speaker 1: can be special through the air. But mostly for the
Speaker 1: last months, I don't know, since how Thanksgiving, he hasn't
Speaker 1: been that special to the air. They've been letting him
Speaker 1: run more. And I do like Murray on the ground
Speaker 1: to have a pretty nice game here. I'm with you, um,
Speaker 1: speaking of on the ground, let's talk about the Rams
Speaker 1: running back starting with Sony Michelle. Uh, you can give
Speaker 1: him a C. Because cam Acres is back. We'll mention him,
Speaker 1: we'll talk about him. I don't think makers Acres is
Speaker 1: gonna get much work, do you. We'll talk about him
Speaker 1: in a second. Let's talk about Sony first. Arizona has
Speaker 1: allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns and running backs this season,
Speaker 1: just six and just one receiving touchdown to the position
Speaker 1: as well, so that's not great. But uh, opposing running
Speaker 1: backs are averaging nearly a hundred and forty combo yards
Speaker 1: per game against Arizona, so it's not the worst matchup
Speaker 1: for Sony Michelle. I would be given a B. But
Speaker 1: I'm a little worried about cam Akers, who says he
Speaker 1: feels of course he's gonna say that, Yeah, but he
Speaker 1: didn't have five carries last week and three catches. That's
Speaker 1: you know, eight opportunities, eight touches taken away from Sony
Speaker 1: taken away from Sony, and one would think he's gonna
Speaker 1: ten to twelve. So that's a significant amount of work
Speaker 1: that Sony is gonna concede the cam Akers, who is
Speaker 1: the better running back, went went healthy when healthy, but
Speaker 1: that's a big the achilles injury normal, it takes a
Speaker 1: long time to get right. This is not like other
Speaker 1: kinds of injuries. So bench grade for Acres. See what
Speaker 1: we got there, But uh, I think we do see him.
Speaker 1: He's bumping Sony down from a B to a C.
Speaker 1: Though for me, um Cooper Cup though, he's in a
Speaker 1: as as he has been all year. Uh the week
Speaker 1: four meeting the first meeting might have been his worst
Speaker 1: game of the year when he had five catches for
Speaker 1: sixty four score of the yards. Uh yeah, eleven point
Speaker 1: four points his worst game of the year. That's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1: But then in Week fourteen went off thirteen catches, one
Speaker 1: yards and a touchdown against the Cardinal So easier for
Speaker 1: Cooper Cup. Uh oh b j Odell Beckham Jr. Gonna
Speaker 1: give him a ce. The Cardinals surrender the most wide
Speaker 1: receiver touchdowns this year, seven, but they allowed just thirteen
Speaker 1: catches a hundred and fifty yards per game to wide
Speaker 1: receivers as a whole, which is not awful in terms
Speaker 1: of fantasy production, but it's not very good either. It's
Speaker 1: pretty much middle of the road and uh oh b
Speaker 1: J and Van Jefferson kind of the same player at
Speaker 1: this point and then in their career at least with
Speaker 1: O b J. You know, limited time with the Rams,
Speaker 1: so I gonna give he and Van the c Van
Speaker 1: Jefferson scored in both meetings UH with against the Cardinals.
Speaker 1: In Week four he had six catches ninety yards and
Speaker 1: a touchdown, and I believe Robert Woods was still healthy
Speaker 1: in that game. And then a Week four teen fifty
Speaker 1: eight yards and a touchdown for Prevne Jefferson. So like
Speaker 1: him with the Sea and do not like Tyler Higby
Speaker 1: though he is on the bench. The Cardinals allowed just
Speaker 1: two tight end touchdowns all season, and only two tight
Speaker 1: ends managed to top fifty yards against them all year.
Speaker 1: George Kittle had a hundred and one and then Dalton
Speaker 1: Schultz had fifty four. Two tight ends the top fifty yards. Uh.
Speaker 1: Higgby did not play in the Week fourteen game, and
Speaker 1: Week four he had four catches thirty six yards. That's
Speaker 1: probably his four ended ceiling in this game. What a
Speaker 1: disappointing season for Higbee ye people. We spent the whole
Speaker 1: offseason talking about if you put Higbie and Gerald Evert together,
Speaker 1: you've got a top five tight end. Ironically had a
Speaker 1: better year. He probably did. He probably did. And you know, Higbee,
Speaker 1: it I don't understand how that passing game and Cooper
Speaker 1: Cup was so good, But that should have all come
Speaker 1: out of Tyler Higbee. You know, I just I don't
Speaker 1: know how it happened that Higby wasn't able to be
Speaker 1: a bigger part of this offense. Yeah, he was a
Speaker 1: disappointment for sure. And lastly, Matt's effort kind of got
Speaker 1: this toe issue going on. I think you should be
Speaker 1: fine to play Monday night. You can give him a b.
Speaker 1: He had two eighty and two in Week four to
Speaker 1: eighties seven and three touchdowns in the Week four team game.
Speaker 1: He's got a Cooper Cup, he's got Odell Beckham, He's
Speaker 1: got He'll be just fine from a fantasy perspective. Safe.
Speaker 1: You know, he's been playing. You know, Stafford has made
Speaker 1: some bad mistakes in the last months, some really bad passes.
Speaker 1: He almost gave the Vikings game away ugly ugly passed
Speaker 1: against Baltimore interception pick six. It's you know, it'll be
Speaker 1: fascinating to see what Stafford does. Is there any player
Speaker 1: with more pressure in the playoffs than Matthew Stafford. You
Speaker 1: were brought in to be the guy who would elevate
Speaker 1: a playoff team to a super Bowl team. They gave
Speaker 1: up first round picks to get you. It is. There's
Speaker 1: a lot on and you know matthe It's not like
Speaker 1: Matthew Stafford's got a big track record in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: That one one year when caught it, it was it
Speaker 1: has caught it yere right when he didn't catch it,
Speaker 1: I believe correct. Yeah, Calvin Johnson, and we love Cooper
Speaker 1: Cup and Odell Beckham, but neither of them were Calvin
Speaker 1: Johnson Cup is. I mean, look, Calvin Johnson is amazing.
Speaker 1: Really the comparison with Cooper Cup, but I just like output.
Speaker 1: It's actually very similar. And I think the last receiver
Speaker 1: to hit the Triple Crown was Calvin Johnson that year
Speaker 1: from Matthew Stafford. Now here's Cooper Cup from Matthew Stafford.
Speaker 1: So he, like you said, a lot of pressure on him.
Speaker 1: I'll get it done, and I think he will. Though,
Speaker 1: this should be a good game, even though it's on
Speaker 1: Monday night, which is still and we don't like that part.
Speaker 1: Thanks Brian, I appreciate everybody. Listen. You got to the
Speaker 1: end of the a long episode, and it did. We
Speaker 1: we thought that, I thought this is going like thirty minutes,
Speaker 1: are going an hour? Good? Heavens well, six games, that's
Speaker 1: almost that's almost half our slate fantasy Yeah, all right,
Speaker 1: what are the three tough questions now? Exactly exactly. Thanks
Speaker 1: for getting to the end of a long show. We'll
Speaker 1: talk to you next week. We'll break down another six
Speaker 1: games as we get into the divisional round next week.
Speaker 1: Talk to you then, everybody, Best to luck. Fantasy Football
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