Fantasy Football Today - 🚨 2024 NFL Schedule Release! Playoff Path, Favorite Streamers, & More! (05/15 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Episode Date: May 16, 2024

Fantasy Football Today is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and wherever else you listen to podcasts Dive into the excitement of the NFL schedule release for the 2024 season and discover how it will impact your fantasy football season! Join us as we analyze key matchups, bye weeks, and prime-time games to help you gain a strategic edge in your fantasy league. Don't miss out on this essential episode for fantasy football enthusiasts! ... Email us at [e-mail] SUBSCRIBE to FFT Dynasty on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-football-today-dynasty/id1696679179 SUBSCRIBE to FFT Dynasty on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aHlmMJw1m8FareKybdNfG?si=8487e2f9611b4438&nd=1 Follow our FFT team on Twitter: @FFToday, @AdamAizer, @JameyEisenberg, @daverichard, @heathcummingssr, @ctowerscbs Follow the brand new FFT TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@fftoday Watch FFT on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/fantasyfootballtoday Get 20% off Fantasy Football Today merch: https://store.cbssports.com/collections/fantasy-football-today%20?utm_source=podcast-apple-com&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=buy-our-merch&utm_content=fantasy-football-collection Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/FantasyFootballToday/ Sign up for the FFT newsletter https://www.cbssports.com/newsletter You can listen to Fantasy Football Today on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast." To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kick off an exciting football season with BetMGM, an official sportsbook partner of the National Football League. Yard after yard, down after down, the sportsbook born in Vegas gives you the chance to take action to the end zone and celebrate every highlight reel play. And as an official sportsbook partner of the NFL, BetMGM is the best place to fuel your football fandom on every game day. With a variety of exciting features, BetMGM offers you plenty of seamless ways to jump straight onto the gridiron and to embrace peak sports action. Ready for another season of gridiron glory? What are you waiting for?

Get off the bench, into the huddle, and head for the end zone all season long. Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older. Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem? For free assistance, call the Connex Ontario helpline at 1-866-531-2600.

BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. When it comes to smart water alkaline 9.5 plus pH with antioxidant, there's nothing to overthink. So, while you may be performing mental gymnastics over whether the post-work gym crowd is worth it, if you'll be able to find a spot for your yoga mat, or if that spin instructor will make you late for dinner again,

don't overthink how you hydrate. Life's full of choices. Smart Water Alkaline is a simple one. All right, football fans. The schedule is out. We are here to react to it. You know, you can find some advantages by looking at the schedule

and seeing who has the difficult ones. Dave does a great job every year of breaking that down. Dave and Jamie are here. Alright, Dave, what do you think your first glance at the schedule? The audacity of these bastards. Last year,

we were incredulous because they booked two teams on by in week 14, the last week of the fantasy regular season. This year, six teams on by in week 14, Adam. If you don't have your playoffs clinched by week 14, you might have yourself a hell of a time and there are some good teams that are on by in week 14 the texans the ravens colts uh commanders broncos patriots all right so half the teams are really really rough man. Man, it's frustrating, though. Why not let everybody play?

Week 8, nobody's on by. How does that happen? I don't know what we're going to do about the FFT Open this year. Because last year, we only had two teams on by, and we played in Week 14. That was like a fine... I don't know. We're going to have to change things up there. Well, why would we change things there? But we

wouldn't say that people in their home leagues should change things in theirs? I don't think you can. I don't think there's anything you can do. No, because we were deciding the leagues in Week 14. It was like a playoff before the playoffs.

Or it was like the semifinals. Anyway... Look, I'm not going to say, well, now you can't draft Derrick Henry or forget about those Texans receivers because they have a bye in week 14, but I'm already going to put reminders in my phone, in my email calendar.

I'm going to tell my wife, hold on. Karen, take a note. We have six teams on a bye in week 12 too. We do, and that's's rough but week 14 is just man you got to be ready for that yeah but you could be in trouble like if you need those those wins week 12 well it's interesting week 12 or week 14 yeah but you're right six teams on by that too and more teams in week 12 that are like meaningful than in week 14. Yes. Okay. But here's the positive, right? If you're in just a casual league where, you know, people stop playing.

And even if you're not a casual league, by week 14, last week of the regular season, a lot of people are out of it. They're not going to be rushing to the waiver wire. It actually could be a little bit of a benefit to you to have your players be on by that late in the season. Go back to last year. How many teams rested in Week 18? Not as many as we might have guessed before the season.

Felt like maybe four, six. Because if you're really concerned about it, you can extend your league into Week 18. Oh, goodness, no. Don't do that. Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea well i mean if if teams are playing hey look it is what it is there's an advantage to not having a buy until late in the season you get you hopefully get a better record and then like i said you could be

facing a team that just doesn't care isn't making waiver claims maybe isn't even setting a lineup at that point we don't like that but it's a reality of fantasy football. I do think you're going to have less waiver wire competition in week 14 than you are in week six, for example. You'll have less, but it doesn't mean that you've just got this primrose path right in front of you with no one stopping you.

No, I didn't say that. At bare minimum, the team that you're playing, if they've got any scintilla of a playoff berth in front of them, they're going to make moves. And if this year is going to be like last year, there's going to be like one team with a playoff berth locked up in week 14.

And everyone else in the league is fighting for either a playoff position or a berth. All right. This is tough. This is going to make it really tough. I think we're overreacting to that. I mean, it's nuanced. It'll be fun. But do we look at the schedule here and look at any teams that have

really good playoff schedules, really tough playoff schedules, really good starts to the season, really tough, anything like that, guys? Haven't gotten that far with it. Patriots is pretty bad. Not that they have a lot of fantasy options, but three of their first four games are on the road. Yep.

They got since he's Seattle and the jets, San Francisco. So, you know, these two fairly decent defenses in there, maybe three. Yeah. I have a few takeaways.

Three of Tampa Bay's first four games are against teams that finished in the bottom six in scoring defense last year, Washington at Detroit, Denver, and Philadelphia. Detroit is expected to have a much better defense, but Denver, I think a lot of people are going to actually expect them to have a bad defense this year, which is unusual, but they don't have a lot of talent outside of Sertan.

So Washington in week one for Tampa Bay, then at Detroit, which maybe you could still throw on them, Denver and Philadelphia. Philadelphia, look, they had great defense two years ago, terrible last year, a lot of talent there. Could go either way. So not a bad start for Tampa Bay. I don't know.

I think Washington's defense will – I think they'll be close to the middle of the pack. They were so terrible last year, and Dan Quinn has already added a lot of nice talent, veteran-wise. But it's week one. I mean, I don't expect them to be great right out of the game. It's not a bad schedule.

They may not be great at all during the year, but they'll be better than they were last year. Colts' first four games are not easy. I do have, but look at their schedule. The Colts. They have no Thursday games. The Colts' fantasy postseason. It's great.

Is at Denver, Tennessee, and at the Giants. That could be a great fantasy playoffs for the Colts fantasy postseason is at Denver, Tennessee, and at the Giants. That could be a great fantasy playoffs for the Colts. Atlanta has a good fantasy playoff. Well, see, a lot of people think the Raiders might have a good defense. Their defense was pretty good after Antonio Pierce was hired. I think they have a terrible secondary on paper. I wouldn't say terrible, questionable secondary. Raiders, Giants, Commanders for Atlanta.

Let's talk about Dallas' start here. I don't know if it's going to matter to anyone, but they might get off to a slow start. At Cleveland, then the Saints, which, whatever, might be even good. Then Baltimore. Two of their first three games. Look at the AFC North having to face Cleveland and Baltimore. Baltimore did lose some players.

They lost Patrick Queen. They lost Stone. Geno Stone, sorry. But they still have a lot of talent on defense. Cleveland and Baltimore in two of the first three games for Dallas. Also at the Giants, but at Pittsburgh, then Detroit, then a bye. I could see four of their first, well, including the bye, five of their first seven games not being favorable

for the Dallas Cowboys, but we are expecting them to have one of the better offenses. I don't know. Does that matter for you guys at all? No. I don't think anybody's shying away from their top guys,

which would be Dak and Lamb and I guess Ferguson. No one's drafting Zeke or avoiding Zeke based on their schedule. But what if they acquire a running back that's of interest? Because we don't like Zeke. We think that they'll add somebody to their group.

Does this make you nervous about that running back? I don't think unless they're making a slam a significant trade that anybody's changing their opinion about who the starting running back is. It's at best a number three option. Okay. They also have two Thursday games that cannot be flexed, and they're both against the Giants. Really? They play

the Giants in week four on a Thursday, and Thanksgiving against the Giants. Happy Thanksgiving to the Cowboys. You're welcome. Josh Jacobs, let's take a look at his first four games. They're against the Eagles. Jacobs now in the Packers, in case you forgot. In Brazil.

Right. Eagles, Colts, at the Titans, home against the Vikings. Three home games. But those four teams ranked 9th, 13th, 7th, and 5th in yards per carry allowed to running backs. Two home games. Oh, right. I'm sorry. It's technically a home game, but it's in Brazil.

So Jacobs has, on paper, good run defenses to start the season. I'm not going to lie to you. If you want to get fantasy takeaways from the schedule release, you got to dig a little bit deep here. But I will tell you that Josh Jacobs, on paper, might be facing some good run defenses to start the season. Tennessee wide receivers. Look at the cornerbacks they face.

Week one, Jalen Johnson. Week two, Sauce Gardner. Week three, Jair Alexander. Week four, Jalen Ramsey. Week five, Abai. Those are the Tennessee wide receivers. Yeah, not pretty. Yeah, at least there's not like, oh, I'm going to shadow Ridley.

You know, right? Like, you got two guys there that are pretty significant. Bears wide receivers, first two weeks are the Jarius Sneed, who's now with the Titans, and Derek Stingley, who's, I think if you watched the playoffs last year, I mean, Derek Stingley could be, you know, the next shutdown cornerback. There's so much talent in their secondary.

The draft capital that they invested or acquired is very, at least on paper, very good. Yeah. So don't be surprised if the Bears' passing game gets off to a slow start. It gets easier, though, after the first two weeks. The Bears don't have a divisional matchup until week 11? Interesting. When you talk about the teams

that you want to avoid, the best defenses in football, who are you guys talking about? Cleveland. Niners. Jets. Jets, obviously. Jets, Cleveland, Baltimore, Niners. Baltimore still.

Yeah. I think the Texans. Would you put the Texans and going to be up there. Baltimore still. Yeah. I think the Texans. Would you put the Texans and the Chiefs up there? Chiefs will be interesting with the loss of Snead. Mm-hmm. Texans are, yeah, they're in the conversation. Okay. And the Cowboys, I think, are going to get a lot of love.

They're usually pretty good. All right. How about the teams? How about the matchups that you like? Arizona. Going right to Arizona. I'm real curious what the Buffalo defense will look like if they can't get to the quarterback. Miami, too. New safeties, yeah.

Miami's definitely got issues with their pass rush. At least the Bills have some names that you look at. All right, Von Miller, I don't think he's the same guy, but Rousseau's still there. They've got some guys that can get to the quarterback. It's just more like, can they do it at a high level? Can Matt Milano stay healthy? Can the new safeties replace the old safeties?

Can the new cornerbacks be as good as the older cornerbacks? Some of them are still there from last year. But that's a defense that I think might take a step back this year. So I'm a little worried about them. I'm a little worried about Dallas with Zimmer calling the plays because he's changing schemes. He refuses to use Dan Quinn's scheme. I know they've got some great pass rushers, man.

That defense has some great talent, but I'm a little nervous about them being as good as they were last year. You mentioned Denver. I think Denver's defense is in trouble. Giants still. Is the Colts' defense scary to you, or are they as good as long as they have their linchpin in Buckner? I mean, they'll be tough to run on,

but I don't think that's necessarily a defense that you shy away from. I don't think anybody's benching Joe Mixon in week one. Sure, sure. And the quarterbacks that they face right off the bat. Let me interrupt you. It's love. It's Caleb Williams. Let me interrupt you real quick.

So we're going to take a break. And when we come back, I just got to, maybe we'll look at week 17 and just what could be fun to decide fantasy championships, but also give me a defense that you want to stream to start the season. So take a look at that. Give me a defense that you want to stream and we'll be right back.

Seattle. We'll be right back on fantasy football today. I am so dreading groceries this week. Why? You can skip it. Oh, what? Just like that? Just like that.

How about dinner with my third cousin? Skip it. Prince Fluffy's favorite treats? Skippable. Midnight snacks? Skip. My neighbor's nightly saxophone practices? Uh, nope.

You're on your own there. Could have skipped it. Should have skipped it. Skip to the good part and get groceries, meals, you're on your own there. Could have skipped it, should have skipped it. Skip to the good part and get groceries, meals, and more delivered right to your door on Skip. Metrolinks and Crosslinks are reminding everyone to be careful as Eglinton Crosstown LRT train testing is in progress. Please be alert, as trains can pass at any time on the tracks. Remember to follow all traffic signals. Be careful along our tracks

and only make left turns where it's safe to do so. Be alert, be aware, and stay safe. All right, taking a look at the schedule here. So week 17, you know, we talked about the Cardinals. The Rams get the Cardinals in week 17, but here's actually, I think, pretty difficult, right? The Rams fantasy postseason. If you have the Rams and you want to get to the Cardinals matchup

at San Francisco in week 15, at the Jets in week 16. That looks like, on paper, one of the tougher fantasy postseasons. Yeah, but I mean, getting, you know, postseason stuff is always so tricky because of injuries. Of course, yeah. Yeah, just look early. Don't worry about late. I agree. Okay, week 17.

Let's see what's going to be like the Baltimore or Houston. That could be a disappointing game. Detroit and San Francisco. I love it. The Monday night game. The other thing that the league does is they throw fantasy a bone and the last Monday night game of the year is usually a good one. Ooh,

Philadelphia, Dallas could be great. That's got a lot of potential. Philly, Dallas has definitely potential. Yep. All right. Well,

give me a streaming DST to start my, my, to the draft with my last pick. Seahawks have the Broncos at home week one. That's Bo Nix's first start. You know that that team doesn't have a lot of talent on offense. Oh, but who do they have in week two, Dave? They've got the Patriots in week two.

Look at that, Seattle. So Brissette or May then, and then week three, it's the Dolphins. All right, I'll be cutting the Seahawks before week three since he's not a bad one for three of their first four games New England to open then at Kansas City obviously not good Washington who knows what Jaden Daniels look like and then at Carolina if Bryce Young's still struggling yeah the Vikings could have a they had a much improved defense under Brian Flores last year. They did lose Daniil Hunter, but they basically took a bunch of players from the Texans,

Jonathan Grenard, Blake Cashman. They also got Andrew Van Ginkle. They faced the Giants in Week 1. And then you're just closing them immediately. The last time the Giants faced the Vikings, Daniel Jones got a $160 million contract out of it, but maybe things will be different. Who's laughing now, right?

All right. Any final thoughts, guys? Chargers could be interesting if it's a no Connell, even if it's not. Chargers start with the Raiders and then at Carolina. So then at Pittsburgh. Yeah.

Pittsburgh. I don't know if that's a good matchup or not, but it's not bad. I don't know if any of those games will have a total higher than 42. Chargers were a terrible defense last year. Do you guys expect improvement? Yeah, I do. I think that the coaching change is going to be huge there. And, hey, it's the beginning of the season.

Mack and Bosa should be healthy. Those two are on the field, and they're playing like. Mack and Bosa should be healthy. Those two are on the field and they're playing like themselves and that defense should be better. Tampa Bay is also interesting for two of their first three. Washington to open, so Daniel's first start.

And at Detroit, not good, but then Denver at home. All right, guys, give me a week one matchup you cannot wait to see. Forget about fantasy, just a week one matchup you can't wait to see. I mean, the Thursday night game. Yeah, the opener. Baltimore, Kansas City. Okay.

Take out the low-hanging fruit. Fine. Rams, the Lions, the Stafford Golf Bowl, the Brazil game, Green Bay, Philadelphia. Chets and Niners. Does Aaron Rodgers last more than four snaps this year?

I think maybe the most, the most interesting fantasy game where we're going to draw a lot of conclusions could be Houston at the Colts. We're going to draw a lot of conclusions. Well, you know, we're going to be the game. We say,

Oh, we'll overreact. Let's change our mind. That's going to be, first of all, Anthony Richardson is, is the most, one of the most compelling players week, week after week. It's just going to be. Let's change our mind. Well, it's going to be, first of all, Anthony Richardson is one of the most compelling players. Week after week, it's just going to be amazing to see what he does.

I think the young quarterbacks, you know, looping him in with Williams, Caleb Williams, and Jane Daniels. But also, just seeing how the Texans' offense works with the three receivers and Mixon and all that. Yeah. I think that Chargers-Raiders game is going to be interesting just because again, you have whoever the quarterback is for Las Vegas and how that passing game

will look with the addition of Bowers and, you know, Devante Adams is going to be somewhat polarizing in, in the draft process. And then the chargers, you know, I mean, what if they come out throwing,

you know, and all of a sudden it's like, Oh, Justin Herbert is still going to be legit. And we just talked about how that secondary isn't very good for las vegas you could have herbert play well in that game and then i mean how many more games after that do they face off secondaries carolina at pittsburgh they got a little bit better and they got kansas city before yeah maybe herbert does get off to a decent start um I'm excited to see Taysom Hill on the Saints. I heard he was gone.

There's a very sick, tired person who told you that this morning. This person should probably get some sleep. So we're going to end it with the unsung storyline of week one. Arthur Smith revenge game. Man, Jacksonville's schedule is not very good to start. Jacksonville, what do we got here? We got at Miami, then Cleveland, then at Buffalo, then at Houston. I feel like Buffalo could have just a bad defense.

Am I crazy? They can, but it's still going into Buffalo. Yep. Yeah. It's good weather, though. It's a nice time of year in Buffalo. We should go to the game. We should go to a game this year, guys.

Okay. See you later. Bye, everybody. We'll talk to you tomorrow with the toughest players to rank in fantasy in 2024. Thanks for tuning in to our schedule. We'll see you soon.