Fantasy Football Today - Start or Sit (AFC) Plus 2024 Questions (01/04 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Episode Date: January 4, 2024

To display your continued support of the show, please vote for Fantasy Football Today in the Sports Podcast Awards in the "Best Fantasy Betting and Gaming Podcast" Category https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/fantasy-betting-gaming-sports-podcast/ 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 We've got some good 2024 debates about Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence and Dameon Pierce among others, but first Jamey and Heath talk about how they go about making Week 18 rankings and who is sitting this week (2:30). It's obviously a tricky week but we'll tell you who we love (10:40) and who to avoid (12:25) plus go over the news and notes (15:45) ... One Question for Each Game (22:35)! Is this a Calvin Ridley week? Can you trust Ezekiel Elliott? Najee Harris? Can you start any Chiefs, Browns or Ravens this week? ... Start or Sit and a 2024 question for Jaguars-Titans (28:15), Texans-Colts (36:50), Bills-Dolphins (41:45), Jets-Patriots (52:30), Broncos-Raiders (55:40), Steelers-Ravens (58:50), Chiefs-Chargers (1:03:10) and Browns-Bengals (1:09:05) ... 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

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Now, here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie, and Heath. All right, it's week 18, and we've got starts and sits. Maybe help you with some DFS if you want to play that. And we also have some 2024 questions for you on today's show. And welcome, everybody. Good morning. Happy Thursday to you. Hey, we have a free Thursday night.

We can do whatever we want tonight. What are you guys going to do? Thursday night? It's my 15th wedding anniversary, so you guys going to do? Thursday? It's my 15th wedding anniversary, so I'm going to take my wife out for dinner. Look at that. Thank you. Happy anniversary. 15. Heath, how many do you got?

I'm pretty sure 15. Really? We have this thing, my wife and I, where I always remember the date, and she doesn't. She always knows how many years we've been married wife and I, where I always remember the date and she doesn't. And she always knows how many years we've been married and I don't. But she told me the trick last year is that it's one year older than our son. The difficult thing is now I have to remember how old he is. That's exactly the trick I use.

One year older than our son. Absolutely. All right. So the eight games we're looking at today, a couple of Saturday games, Jacksonville at Tennessee. No, that's not a Saturday game. The Pittsburgh Baltimore game is,

but Houston Indianapolis is Saturday night. Also Jacksonville, Tennessee. Buffalo at Miami on Sunday night. Jets at Patriots. Denver at the Raiders. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Kansas City, Los Angeles. And out of the eight games, I think we have only three

where we're expecting backups for one or both of the teams. That two of them are playing each other. Which game? Two teams that are resting guys are playing each other. In this slate?

Yeah, San Francisco and the Rams. No, that's tomorrow, though. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you meant in the week. Yeah, so you know what? Why don't we do the players we love and players to avoid first, and then we'll talk about who's resting. We have updates on that.

We have a pretty clear picture at this point. Yeah, they did a good job. Yeah, very forthcoming. Appreciate that. First of all, weird week for you guys in terms of rankings? It's very weird for a couple of reasons. I think all of us, myself, Dave, and Heath, don't play in any Week 18 leagues.

So our interest level in the game is the game is is clearly uh not there to the same extent um but with all the players missing like it's it's a joke like who the guys we have to rank um you know it's it's as if we would do rankings for the preseason which we don't you know i mean like like preseason games right yeah i I generally try Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday night to really go through my rankings with a fine-tooth comb and like, did I miss anything here? Am I a huge outlier here? I don't feel like we're done with all of the news

about who's going to play and not going to play this week, so I've kind of postponed that a little bit, wait until we get a little bit more information. But there's some teams that are resting players that also have players who are chasing records and or landmarks. And I'm not sure those guys are necessarily going to rest. Yeah, like for example, I put Puka Nakua back in my rankings yesterday. That's a good one.

After the news of uh who the rams said they're definitely sitting and did not say him he is i believe three catches and 48 yards away from two significant rookie records i think once he gets those which will probably get five targets in the first quarter um he's done and so don't expect a big game but he could obviously score so i put put him 40th. To me, those are the worst ones because they will play. They will play with a backup.

They will not do much once they get their accomplishment, and then they'll be done. I think Beckham's got some things to get some incentives, but he's one I think that I could see resting because he's obviously earned his money. I'm sure he wants his money, but how much will they risk him that he's been banked up? That's a tricky one for me.

Kelsey? Yeah, I don't see him doing much. They asked Andy Reid, and he said Mahomes wasn't playing, and he had no comment on Kelsey. I think Kelsey needs 16 yards for his eighth straight 1,000-yard season, and he already holds the record with seven straight. But the problem is he needed four quarters to get 16 yards last week. He's got a quarterback upgrade this week.

I remember last year this time we were wondering about the Vikings and what they would do. They played their guys for about a half at Chicago. Kirk Cousins had 225 yards and a touchdown, I think in a half. Scored 15 points. It was a great matchup. So you just don't know. And then the other angle is, what about the teams that are facing these resting teams?

What about the Steelers? Are they just going to destroy the Ravens? I don't feel like it doesn't usually work that way. That's the other thing. It's very difficult to actually rest all 11 starters on offense. Well, it's not the preseason. They don't have the same roster. Sure. Right. There are going to be starters who play.

But for the Ravens, for example, I believe it was either Roquan Smith or Patrick Queen was holding his shoulder during the game last week. You know Kyle Hamilton's not playing. Those type of guys, anybody that's banged up or so immensely important, not that all 11 starters aren't immensely important, but you know what the deal is. So there are going to be certain guys that have to play, and there are going to be certain guys that are definitely not even seen the field.

Like, imagine what the backlash will be if Travis Kelsey gets hurt going for 16 yards. Oh, yeah. They'll blame Taylor Swift. Yeah, of course. For sure. But you get the point. Of course. Yeah.

Yeah. All right. So we'll get into it. Well, we might as well stay on this topic. All right. So what do we know about who is sitting this week? So the Ravens are sitting, almost every quarterback for a team that's clinched

has said they're benching their guy. So Stafford's out, Brock Purdy's out, Joe Flacco's out, Mahomes is out, and Lamar Jackson's out. So all five of those quarterbacks are sitting. That we know. Then the Rams have said they're sitting Kyron Williams and Cooper Cupp.

So that we know. Then you just got to sort of play Kyron Williams and Cooper Cup. So that we know. Then you just got to sort of play the guessing game. Okay, so who's in, who's out? Christian McCaffrey we know is out. Debo Samuel said, I believe it was on Kay Adams' show earlier this week, he said he's playing. Could that be a drive? Could that be a quarter?

Could that be half? How much is he going to play without Brock Purdy there? So I'm not ranking him. I don't know about you, Heath. Brandon Ayuk has got to be in a similar situation. Same thing with George Kittle. So forget those guys. Again, Puka may play a quarter.

He may play a half. He may play just until he gets his numbers. Who knows? But it's with Carson Wentz. He's probably just going to get force fed targets. I would not start him. And then everybody else for the Rams, we know. The Ravens, are they going to risk knowing their history of running backs,

Gus Edwards and Justice Hill? Probably not. Again, Beckham, Zay Flowers, what's the point in playing them? I'm going to sit them if I had them in a championship. Same with Isaiah Likely, knowing what he means to them. So those guys are probably out. Then you go to Cleveland. They lost Nick Chubb. They lost half their offensive line. Amari Cooper's already banged up. So those guys are probably out. Then you go to Cleveland. They lost Nick Chubb.

They lost half their offensive line. Amari Cooper's already banged up. So who's playing there? Probably nobody of significance. Elijah Moore. You're strong. Right. Elijah Moore is coming off.

I didn't want to start listing the guys who could play. But, yeah, Elijah Moore is coming off a serious concussion. He's not playing. So those guys are out. And then what other teams do we have? Well, there's one that has not confirmed that they're resting, but I would be surprised if either plays a full game, and that's the Cowboys and the Eagles.

Oh, well. Oh, no, the Cowboys have to win. They're playing a full game. Well, they have to win, but they're playing the Washington Commanders. So second quarter, they're up by 28. How much longer are the Eagles playing their starters against the Giants? That's very fair, but how'd they get up by 28 how much longer are the eagles playing their starters against the giants that that's that's very fair but how'd they get up by 28 that's the question for the cowboys sure yeah so i i would think that they're playing i'm not getting away

from the cowboys the the eagles is tricky because they'll be scoreboard watching right yeah yeah or is their game at one and the cowboys are at four? No, they're at the same time. No, same time, and they're both at four. But remember, I mean, the Commanders beat the Cowboys last year in Week 18. Crazy things happened. And the Eagles just lost what everybody thought was a layup game, too. Right. I mean, obviously, we expect the Cowboys to win, but you never know. The Eagles could probably use a little bit of momentum going into the playoffs.

Right. That could be half. That could be half. A little rest probably wouldn't hurt, too. I mean, you wouldn't expect Devontae Smith. could probably use a little bit of momentum going into the playoffs, but it's better a little bit of rest. A little rest probably wouldn't hurt, too. You wouldn't expect Devontae Smith. He didn't practice yesterday. I wouldn't even know if he's healthy enough to play. The way that I would approach it if I'm playing in Week 18, if any team has something to play for,

I would play those guys, to whatever extent. Or a team that's been just eliminated, like the Jets-Patriots game, you would probably expect the normal workloads from Zeke and Brees and Wilson, right? See, that, but I agree with you, but then it gets into the

tricky part of this. Belichick said they're playing everybody, so take him at his word if you want to. But in a situation like the Patriots, what incentive do they have? And I would start Zeke, but what incentive do they have to play Ezekiel Elliott over Kevin Harris besides just getting the win. And, and again, that, that makes total sense if that's the argument,

if they're just trying to get the win, which I get, because Belichick's chasing the coaching wins record, but a team like that, for example, that has an older player that is clearly not part of their future. And Kevin Harris might be like, if I'm, if I'm the Patriots, I'd want to see Kevin Harris get a full workload just to see what happens if he's our backup next year. By the way, not only is Bill Belichick

chasing a wins record, if they lose, he ties the loss record. He will tie Dan Reeves and Jeff Fisher for the most losses by a head coach of all time, except he has 302 wins and Dan Reeves has 190 and Jeff Fisher has 173. But a loss to the Jets will tie Bill Bowers.

What if he wins the game and retires and never loses that 165th game? All right, let's get into it now. Players we love. Jamie, you love anyone this week? Yeah, Kyler Murray's the start of the week. Didn't love that DJ Humphries was ruled out within the injury, their offensive lineman, but

it's a really good matchup. Three of the last five quarterbacks have been over 21 fantasy points against the Seahawks, and I think he'll be in that range. He's been over 22 points, I believe it is, in four of his seven starts since coming back from the ACL tear. You know he'll give you a little bit with his

legs. He hasn't been running to a huge extent, but basically 20 to 30 yards on a weekly basis. And I just like the fact that he's playing well. I like that Jonathan Gannon committed to him again. It's a weird week, you know, so he wouldn't normally be in probably the top 10 if everybody was playing, but he's a top five quarterback for me.

Just, I like the setup. I like the matchup. I like the fact that they could play spoiler. They played really well the last two weeks. They played really well the last two weeks. He played really well the last two weeks in some tough, tough situations. One, not so tough in terms of Philadelphia in terms of matchup wise, but how he played against Chicago I thought was impressive

in how he sort of rallied after a slow start. But I like that he's taking command of the offense. I like what the things are saying about him, and I just think that he'll have a 20-plus point game, which will put him close to the top five for this week. Okay, Kyler Murray against Seattle. Heath, how about you? Sherrod Taylor needs, I think, 37 passing yards

to be the leading passer for the Giants this season, needs 47 rushing yards to be the leading quarterback rusher for the Giants this season. He's averaged about 35 rushing yards a game and 260 passing yards a game. He's facing an Eagles defense that is just absolutely awful, and I'm not sure it could stop the four of us, three of us. So, yeah, top 12 quarterback.

All right, Kyler Murray and Terod Taylor. Jamie, player to avoid this week? I'm going to avoid Tua. I would start both the quarterbacks we just mentioned over Tua Tungvalu. It's a tough setup, man. He doesn't have a good history against Buffalo. I think it's one game over 20 fantasy points in seven career meetings

against them. One of those he only played a little bit, but still, every time he's taken the field against Buffalo, it's not been great for him. Jalen Waddell, probably not going to play. I know they're talking about it optimistically, but I think we sort of laid that out, how Mike McDaniel has been the last couple of years, or the last two years, when he's said things he's becoming a new Pete Carroll.

So I don't think we'll see Jalen Waddell. Offensive line's a mess. The Bills' defense has definitely played a lot better lately than some of the quarterbacks that they've shut down. Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, we've talked about that in their recent run. And so, again, Tyrod Taylor, better than Tuatunga Bailoa is something that you should buy into this week

because he's probably going to have a better day and certainly a much easier matchup. Okay, and Heath, who do you want to avoid? I would just be a public service announcement. I would like to avoid playing in Week 18. So if you're doing that this week, I'd try to change that for next year. But no, I'd like to avoid DeAndre Swift, despite the fact that he was really good against the Giants the last time they played.

I think he is someone who could really suffer from if they only play their starters for a half or for two and a half quarters, because he's already completely volume dependent, and he has to get that one touchdown. He doesn't do anything in the passing game. so i'd like to stay away from swift he's not a top 24 running back despite the great matchup all right would you start to say both steelers guys over him they've been better yeah yeah warren's got four to five catches i think four straight games and he's doing other than last week, doing nothing with it.

It's crazy. But Najee's got two good games in a row. He has zero catches in three straight games. So there's that. But then I look at that Steelers-Ravens game and it's just like, in my mind, I feel like the Steelers should win by seven or so. I think they're favorites now. But that's one of the games we'll talk about, so we'll get into it.

You know who I'd start over him is uh jordan mason there you go i will see that that that that i think you can get there on sunday because i think eliza mitchell is a very tricky part of this i would not play eliza mitchell i i think that's that's something that they might do you know but for a guy that's missed three of his last four games before his last five or whatever it is within the injury played last week, play great. Like you got your Eliza Mitchell game. Like,

you know, he's good. You know, he can handle it. Like Kyle Shanahan, be smart, sit him, play, play Mason and Tyrion Davis price.

Yeah. Well, there was a report that that's what they're going to do from Matt Barrows of the athletic Jordan Mason. He thinks we'll get a lot of work this week. Okay. Sports podcast, the words that come personal,

by the way, on today's show, when we preview the games, we're going to talk about the games. We're also 2024 question for each game, so we'll spin it ahead as well. But please vote for us right now at sportspodcastawards.com. Click vote now. Best fantasy betting and gaming podcast. That's the category. And yeah, vote for fantasy football today. We'd really appreciate your support. Thank you very much. Sportspodcastawards.com. Click vote now. And we're in the best fantasy betting and gaming category. There's a link in the episode description. There's a link on YouTube.

There's a QR code on YouTube. QR codes are so cool. I'm just blown away by it. I don't do a lot of QR coding, but it's very cool. All right, news and notes. Let's go. Zach Wilson is out so trevor simeon will start at new england nick mullins will start for the vikings and that could

be that could be good i mean that could be a lot of points at detroit um trevor lawrence could be good for the lions dst too definitely uh trevor lawrence is questionable they're at tennessee let's hope he plays uh samarnold starting for the Niners. Carson Wentz is starting for the Rams. Sam Howell is starting for the Commanders. Blaine Gabbert is starting for the Chiefs. Will Levis could start this week for the Titans against the Jaguars. Josh Allen and Tua, they're both beat up, but we expect them to play.

Taylor Heineke was limited, so we actually don't know right now who the quarterback will be for the Falcons at the Saints. It's a big game there. The winner of that game would win the division if the Bucs lose at the Panthers. And speaking of which, Baker Mayfield mispracticed. They say he's going to be fine. He's got injured ribs, but he did not practice on Wednesday there at Carolina. Cleveland will start Jeff Driscoll, and Baltimore will start Tyler Huntley. In five games last year, Huntley was just bad for fantasy. I think he scored single-digit fantasy points in four or five games. He had two touchdowns to three interceptions. Maybe he can do a little bit better this year. At running back, we know Kyron Williams won't play. I just told you the Jordan Mason report

that he's expected to get the work this week, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Alvin Kamara mispracticed. He is questionable with an ankle injury. We don't know yet about him. Jamal Williams got a pretty big workload last week. Raheem Most... Do you know that after 17 touchdowns last year to lead the NFL, he has zero?

Oh, wow. Now, I think... Oh, the rookie, I'm sorry. Kendrick Miller. Kendrick Miller did not play last week, right? He has not played in weeks. Yeah, I feel like he was working his way back. I don't know if he's going to factor. Yeah, he may be an option. It'll be interesting to see what they do.

Taysom could obviously get some work there as well. But they gave, like you said, Jamal Williams 19 carries last week. That's part of Kamara leaving the game. He was, he was obviously going to work with, with Kamara a little bit, but 19 carries was a season high. Well,

does that mean David Montgomery is not going to score any touchdowns next year? I tweeted that yesterday about the stat and somebody said, Oh God, wherever David Montgomery goes next, don't, don't, I don't think he's going anywhere next year.

Yeah. Raheem Mostert mispractice and Dev he's going anywhere next year. Yeah. Uh, Raheem Mostert mispractice and Devon HN now has a rib injury. Boy, it's a lot to think about for next year for HN. The guy's got a new injury every week. Zach Moss practiced in full. Do you think he'll interfere at all with Jonathan Taylor?

To the extent that Trey sermon did. Yes. Fair. Uh, Ken Walker mispractice, but actually is trending in the right direction to play at Arizona. Najee Harris mispracticed,

which has not been unusual for him. Josh Jacobs wants to play, and they won't rule him out. And Saquon Barkley says he wants to be a giant for life, but I think there's an expectation that this could very well be the last game that Barkley plays for the Giants. Speaking of Jonathan Taylor,

I saw a stat yesterday. He's 5-0 in his career against the Texans. Oh, wow. New Texans team, baby. I'm excited for that game. I really am. Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be fun.

Not a lot of games to be excited about this week, so I've got to get excited about something. Keenan Allen mispracticed. He's unlikely to play. Josh Palmer was limited, though. That could be a sneaky guy this week. Cortland Sutton was limited. Jamar Chase was limited.

That's one I don't understand why he would play, but maybe he does. T. Higgins mispractice. Told you he re-aggravated his injury last week. Devontae Smith mispractice. Cooper Cupps not playing. Three Packers wide receivers were limited. Christian Watson, Dontavian Wicks, and Jaden Reed, they all practiced. We'll talk about that game tomorrow.

Let's see if they get out on the practice field today. Noah Brown mispracticed. Zay Jones and Christian Kirk were both limited. Jalen Waddell, Jamie already mentioned it. He has a chance to play, according to Mike McDaniel, but he had a chance to play last week, too. Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham mispracticed. Rasheed Rice mispracticed.

Don't expect to see him out there. Tight ends. Luke Musgrave was limited, which would be annoying. I'm kind of feeling Tucker Craft right now. Can you trust Tucker Craft? Forget about Musgrave if the other receivers are healthy. Yeah. Not if all of them are, I don't think.

I mean, Jaden Reed is probably going to play about two and a half quarters anyway. He has left a bevy of games early. Do you know, I did this yesterday. It's going to publish at some point. I did, basically at the NBA, I did three all-fantasy teams, and then I did an all-rookie team. That Jaden Reed's points per game better than Zay Flowers, better than Rashi Rice, and better than Jordan Addison.

Wow. And he's like within 10 points, total points of them for the seasonay Flowers, better than Rashi Rice, and better than Jordan Addison. Wow. And he's like within 10 points, total points, of them for the season. Like, it's crazy. I was shocked. He's actually scored more points per game than Bijan. Well, he scored 10 touchdowns. It's crazy. It is crazy. Yeah, I mean, you

asked a couple weeks ago, Watson or Reid next year, I was like, Watson. A lot to think about there. Hopefully we can get a little bit of a sample size of them playing together. It's the new Debo Ayuk. Maybe. Cole Komet mispracticed. Michael Mayer mispracticed.

Juwan Johnson mispracticed with a shoulder injury. He's on the injury report a lot, and he usually plays. On defense, Jordan Davis, defensive tackle for the Eagles. He missed practice. Their run defense has been so bad. They can't afford to lose him.

And the Steelers got good news with Landon Roberts and Mika Fitzpatrick limited in practice. All right, let's take a break. We'll do one question for each game when we come back. And when we talk about the games, remember if you're not playing in week 18, we will have a 2024 question for each game.

We'll be right back on FFT. Did you know that across Ontario utility damage happens 19 times a day that's over 4222 incidents a year don't let your next dig be one that causes costly delays or safety risks before you break ground make it a point to request a locate it's not just the law It's a step to keep your team and community safe. Visit OntarioOneCall.ca and avoid unnecessary damages to get the job done right. Data sourced from the ORCGA 2023 Dirt Report. All right, one question for each game.

Jacksonville's at Tennessee. Is this a Calvin Ridley week? I mean, should be. Every week should be a Calvin Ridley week. Look, it's a Calvin really weak. Uh, look, it's, it's,

it's a great matchup. He had a great game against them the last time these two teams played, but you got a banged up Trevor Lawrence. I don't know how much he's, he's trustworthy at this point. So that, that Titans defense has been a different animal at home, right? They've been much better at home team yeah so uh again i'll say the same thing i said about my start of the week if this was a normal week calvin really is closer to 30 for me

but because of who's who's in and who's out like he's he's inside the top 20 yeah wide receiver 19 for me right now yeah this is exactly the kind of week of ridley usually does well this is the he has been is the, he has been, really the whole team has been so matchup dependent this year. And last week was a terrible matchup. I mentioned it, that when he has faced teams that don't give up big plays, he's awful.

And the Panthers were fifth best going into the week in big plays allowed, but the Titans are a different animal. But by the way, I mean, I can't just assume Lawrence is playing. Are you guys making that assumption right now? We have it ranked that way, but I'd say it's probably 50-50, coin flip. They said he's feeling better than he was last week.

Last week was the first time he's ever missed a game, and it's a must-win game to get into the playoffs. I would be absolutely... he might not play well. He may not be 100%, but I would be absolutely shocked if he didn't. It feels like this is win at any cost. Obviously, as he said, it's a must-win game. So it could be 30 carries for ETN, you know, and just hope that they limit Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry

and, you know, what's left of the Titans' offense. But it's hard to trust either scenario, I think, with Ridley because has he played well with C.J. Beathard? Right. He did against Tampa Bay. But again, do you want to trust that? No. I will say if you believe in contract incentives,

DeAndre Hopkins has a ton of them in this game. All right. Houston's at Indianapolis. Do you like Devin Singletary in a good matchup? Yeah. I mean, he's been fairly consistent. You know, it's, again, normal week. He's probably not a top 24 running back.

This week, though, he should be in that 11-point range, which is kind of where he's lived without a touchdown. And so given the matchup, it's hard to say it's a bad scenario to buy into Devin Singletary. I mean, the Colts are number three in most fantasy points allowed to the position, and that's been all over the place. Without Grover Stewart, with Grover Stewart back, he's been involved in the passing game.

Singletary has. So, yeah, I think he's a good number two running back this week. All right. Buffalo's at Miami. Heath, start or sit James Cook? Yeah, I think you have to start James Cook. If we're talking about this is the week that we're going to use Terod Taylor and Devin Singletary because of the way things are,

it's not a great matchup, but I'm starting James Cook. The Jets are at the Patriots. Who's a better flex, guys? Garrett Wilson or Ezekiel Elliott? I would go Zeke. Wilson, it's a small sample size, but two of three games against the Patriots, he's been bad.

They've just, in the last five weeks, take it for what it's worth. Shut down Keenan Allen. shut down Stefan Diggs. You know, I think that's an M.O. of Bill Belichick will be to try and take away Garrett Wilson as much as he can. And hasn't scored a touchdown since week two. So, you know, buy into at least what Zeke has done. Okay. Heath agrees.

We'll get into the Zeke rankings. They are once again a hot button topicton topic here in Week 8 Seed. Denver at Las Vegas. Any concerns about Devontae Adams going up against Patrick Sertan, potentially? Not this week. Is he better than Garrett Wilson and Ezekiel Elliott, Devontae Adams? Yeah. I'd go Zeke Adams-Wilson.

Pittsburgh's at Baltimore. Feeling another big game for Najee and Jalen Warren? I mean, Najee's running much better, 200 yards rushing in his last two games. You know, goal line options are certainly there for him. Like you said, they're favored now in Baltimore. They don't expect, clearly, a Baltimore defense to look the same. So, yeah, I would start Najee.

And like you said, Jalen Warren has – they've been working well together. You know, the formula has worked for the last two weeks. Like you said, three weeks in a row of four-plus catches, or four weeks in a row of four-plus catches for Jalen Warren. He's been the passing downs guy. You've got to be a little concerned about the touchdowns for him because just haven't been there. But 10 PPR points for three straight weeks.

So, I think, you know think borderline number two running back for him, safe number two running back for Najee. Yeah, I'd start them both. They're low-end number twos. Chiefs at Chargers. Is there one reliable starter in this game? Chiefs at Chargers. I'm starting Eckler.

He's got incentives to reach, but he looked so bad last week. Yeah. I would probably lean towards start in the start-sit discussion, but he's barely inside my top 24.

I would start DeAndre Swift over Austin Eckler this week. Cleveland and Cincinnati. Is this Jake Browning, SZN? If there is both... If there's one of Chase and Higgins, then I would consider Browning ahead of Tua. If both are out, there's no chance, obviously. Yeah, I would start, but I'd start Taylor over Browning.

I agree. All right. To the games. Jacksonville at Tennessee. Here's your 2024 question. Trevor Lawrence breakout? Question mark. I'm sure that that will be, he will be

on breakout lists. Not yours. I want to see what they do with their receiving core. He will not be a top 12 quarterback. I don't think of all the rankings that I've seen from everybody. He's not in the top 12 for anyone. So it's most likely without Calvin Ridley because of what they have to give up draft

compensation-wise to keep him. And then who's there? Because obviously Evan Ingram's great. Christian Kirk is solid. Is there going to be somebody better than Kirk? Because if it's a downgrade from Ridley, which you can dice that up however you want to, it's hard to say that Trevor Lawrence can get better

after what we saw this season. I've been working on my 2024 dynasty rankings as a way to avoid Week 18 this week. And I came upon a question that I never, ever thought that I would be asking myself. And I talked to Dave about it. Dave thought I was a little crazy. But Jordan Love or Trevor Lawrence in Dynasty? You mean like the number six quarterback in fantasy this year, Jordan Love or whatever he is?

Who is one year older than Trevor Lawrence? I'd probably go Lawrence. I'd go Lawrence. I'd probably go Lawrence. I'd go Lawrence. I'd go Love. I was going to say, Love's year this year is better than any year Lawrence has had. It's basically better than anything except for a month that Lawrence has had.

Those receivers are only going to get better. I'll tell you what, Lawrence needs a better offensive line for sure. I would like a new coordinator. I would like Doug Peterson to become a head coach and not do any coordinating. He doesn't do any coordinating right now. I was going to say, I thought earlier in the year

it was we needed Doug Peterson to call plays. Yeah. I don't, I am not really a big Doug Peterson guy. I just think after that first year in Philly, it just everything went downhill. And I, I, you know, Dan, Dan mentioned it on one of the beyond the box score episodes. They just don't have an identity on offense. I don't get them. And it took them like 10 weeks to figure out we need to throw the ball downfield. And that's when they finally started unlocking Trevor Lawrence a little bit.

But I'm not, I'm not trying to defend Doug Peterson, but how much of that has been the personnel that he's dealt with now? Because you have, you had a left tackle situation that was in and out because Cam Robinson, you had a new right tackle because they lost Jawan Taylor. The downfield throws to me are kind of tied to Zay Jones a little bit. And that I think is a defense and a negative because Calvin really

can certainly do those things. And it felt like they weren't using him in that capacity when Zay Jones was and wasn't there. And so that's, I think, an easy critique. But I think some of it was on who was healthy for them, because you've got to protect Trevor Lawrence to get the ball down field more. Yeah, I get that, but at the same time, they just flipped the switch.

He just started throwing down field more, and that is exactly when Trevor Lawrence started putting some good games together. The offensive line was a mess, a disaster, really bad, but at the same time, he had Ridley, Kirk, and Ingram for most of the year.

That's enough. He should have done better, I think. I have no idea if it's a Doug Peterson issue. I don't know. It's just a guess for me because I watch them and I just feel like they're really underachieving offensively. I think most people do. I feel like they could use

some fresh ideas or something like that. Yes. And but a lot of that is because of your perception of who Trevor Lawrence is. But not just but no, I mean, like ETN is a first round pick. Calvin Ridley is a first round pick. Evan Ingram is a first round pick. Trevor Lawrence, number one overall pick. I do. Yeah, but Ridley's approaching 30 and didn't play for a year and a half. So he's still he's 28. I do... Yeah, but Ridley's approaching 30 and didn't play for a year and a half. He's still... He's 28.

I mean, 28's not old, right? Like, he could... Obviously, Rust maybe, but how long does that add an excuse? I feel like there's enough talent on that team where they should have been better offensively. I think they were dramatically underachieved. I'm just glad that you're able to come up

with a conversation that didn't have anything to do with Week 18. Yeah, that's the goal. Most people, I think, thought they'd be running away with the division. And that's, you know, I think able to come up with a conversation that didn't have anything to do with Week 18. Yeah, that's the goal. Well, most people, I think, thought they'd be running away with the division. And that's, you know, I think credit to Houston and Indy, but also a lack of what they've shown. I got a sleeper in this game.

I'm going to ask you for a sleeper in each game, if that's okay. Does DeAndre Hopkins count? I mean, kind of. He's so, yeah, I like what you're saying there, right? Because he's coming off two bad games in a row. You know, I think people would have a lot of questions about DeAndre Hopkins.

You like him? Oh, yeah. Mustard guy this week. Borderline top 12. I would say Kirk if he plays. So Hopkins actually is not coming out. I'm sorry. Hopkins had 14 points last week.

He had two terrible games before that. So my bad. No, but he was good last. Seven for 70 is not coming out. I'm sorry. Hopkins had 14 points last week. He had two terrible games before that. So my bad. No, but he was good last seven for 70 is a great game. That's fine. Best wide receiver in this game, right? Yes. Okay. And if Lawrence plays, would you start him or to Rod Taylor?

Taylor. Yeah, I think I would. I mean, if, if Lawrence got in a full practice, I'd probably go him, but I'm going to go Taylor. Yeah, I think I would. I mean, if Lawrence got in a full practice, I'd probably go him, but I'm going to go Taylor. All right, do you like ETN this week? You love ETN this week? Love. Must start.

And, okay, you said Hopkins over Ridley and Kirk. I mean, would you start Kirk or Puka if Kirk played? Kirk. Kirk. Okay. Evan Ingram. So this is a tough matchup, and he's been not great in tough matchups

except for the Cleveland game. He had 32.5 PPR fantasy points. First time Ingram played, Tennessee scored 6.9 points, four catches for 29 yards. This team allows the fewest fantasy points to tight ends. They have allowed a touchdown to a tight end in two straight games, only two touchdowns to a tight end all season, the Tennessee Titans. So, Heath, are you feeling good about Evan Ingram this week?

I don't think I wouldn't consider sitting him. I would say this. If Kirk plays, I would probably drop him a spot in my rankings because he's really played to this level without Kirk. And you've got to throw out the Cleveland game because once Delpit got hurt, that defense was not the same defending tenants. But dropping him in your rankings, you have him third.

Right. Well, as bad as all the positions are, look who we're missing at tight end this week. Kelsey, likely. Kittle. Yeah. Njoku. Yeah, yeah.

Three good tight ends in Kelsey. Right, exactly, yeah. All right, sit the Titans quarterback. What about Derrick Henry this week, guys? Similar to Eckler for me. You know, this is probably his last game in Tennessee and so hopefully he can go out with with a strong performance and we've seen this Jaguars run defense be sort of hit or miss but I mean obviously he's been very hit or miss so he's

been better at home I don't think especially if Beathard plays they're running away from it you know with with a bad game script but But you kind of know what you're getting with Derrick Henry at this point. Well, I mean, I guess the case would be the best of Derrick Henry is always when they're in competitive games, right? Last week, they lost by 23 points against a tough run defense. Jaguars do have a tough, on the tough side, run defense. But at home, he's been really good at home for the most part, except for the Houston game where he scored five points.

Other than that, he's been over 16 points in every home game. And they're very competitive at home. So that's what kind of sets up like a good game for Henry. And I also think you can get away with Spears too because of just how bad Jacksonville defense, pass catch, and running back. So, you know, he should have a hand in this. I'm very curious what they're gonna do this offseason because i i would like to see if if henry leaves that spears gets a chance to be more of a feature guy i don't think it'll ever be what derrick henry

has been because clearly they're they're built differently and run differently but um it'd be it'd be fun to see what spears can do if he got that opportunity just bring in joe mixon put him in the david mont role, and give Spears 15 to 20 touches a game. That's a good call. Alright, Houston is at Indianapolis. 2024 question. Damian Pierce bounce back?

Anyone? No. Sad, right? Sad. That's another backfield also like what are they gonna do draft the guy do we have a sleeper in this game why isn't the 2024 question is gardner minchu a starting quarterback it's not a one-year contract for you gonna be a free agent

uh yeah i'm not sure he helped his case all that much go to the you're gonna be in the playoffs what do you mean i think he definitely helped this case um he didn't do quite as well as i was hoping but all right let me ask you this adam daniel jones is out until week five next year because the acl tear you have your choice i'm pretty sure i know what your answer is gonna be you have your choice of gardner minshu jake brownie joe flacco who's who's your five game starter starter? Or Tommy DeVito. Minshew. I'd rather have Minshew

than Daniel Jones, period. Wow, you're already done with Daniel Jones. I think the Raiders should go get Minshew. Already done. It took me five years to be done with Daniel Jones.

Yeah, maybe. All right, sorry. Do we have a sleeper in this game? Houston at the Colts. Schultz, I guess, if he applies. Gardner Minshew. Okay. He just hasn't produced very well with Taylor on the field.

It's sort of been tied together. When Taylor's played, Minshew just hasn't had a big game. He never throws the ball to Jonathan Taylor even before the thumb injury. Yeah, I guess. It's just weird. He'll throw the ball to Zach Moss five times. Never throws to Taylor.

What do you think about CJ Stroud this week? He has been also very matchup dependent. This is not a great matchup. What's that? Not even thinking about it. It's darkening. Yes, it's not a great matchup dependent. This is not a great matchup. What's that? Not even thinking about it. It's Jordan. Yeah, he's I mean, yes, it's not a great matchup. He beat them up in week two. Much different

team. He's obviously much better at home than he is on the road, but this is a must-win game. I think he's the type of guy I think that will rise to the occasion and play well. There's a difference here. Heath has a drought fourth. Jamie has him eighth. So that would mean Kyler

Murray, Jordan Love, Jared Goff. These are guys that Jamie has ahead of Stroud that Heath doesn't. I think they all have a higher ceiling than Stroud. Devin Singletary or Derek Henry this week?

Singletary. I've got those guys so close. I think I have Henry one spot or Derek Henry this week? Singletary. He's been better. I've got those guys so close. I think I have Henry one spot higher, but they're both low in number two running backs. Start Nico Collins. I guess, is Robert Woods a sleeper? Any interest there?

I'm not objecting him. He's banged up. All right. Well, Noah Brown's banged up, too. Maybe Dalton Schultz. Okay. Come on, Dalton Schultz. John Mechie. He's okay, isn't he right. Well, Noah Brown's banged up, too. So maybe Dalton Schultz. Okay. Come on.

Dalton Schultz. John Mechie. He's okay, isn't he? I think so. Yeah. They just don't use him very much. No. I mean, that's kind of it. We really have one reliable receiver here, it seems, for C.J. Stroud.

So against a team that's like... Well, two. Schultz? He's just faded. Yeah. You know? He's got six or fewer targets in five of his last seven healthy games. He had a big game a couple weeks ago

against Cleveland, 8-for-61. I guess he hasn't completely faded, but not like... Well, it's also... He was great. You know, and I think this is... We get this with several teams where the quarterback will make something happen with somebody else.

Like Brevin Jordan had a touchdown last week. So he'll – not anybody we want to start, but Stroud will make do with the weapons that he has at his disposal. The only ones that you would feel comfortable with are Nico and Schultz, at least for me. All right. Minshew is not a top 12 guy this week from what I saw. No, he's like 15. All right, Minshew is not a top 12 guy this week from what I saw. No, he's like 15. All right. Would you start Mason Rudolph at Baltimore or Gardner Minshew?

Minshew for me. I would start Minshew, but it would not surprise me if Rudolph was better. And then for Jonathan Taylor, any concerns at all going up against arguably the best run defense in football? Slightly. If Jacobs is out, I'd play Zamir White over Taylor, especially in PPR. I don't think

you're sitting him. Kind of like what he said about James Cook, I feel more comfortable with Taylor. I like Taylor better than Cook. Okay. Michael Pittman, start him, and that's it for this game i believe yeah dave likes the texans dst jamie and heath i don't unless i checked not fan they're top 12 for me but not not a slander all right uh next game is jackson nope next game is uh which one is it here it's

buffalo at miami there we go. 2024 question. Should Josh Allen be QB1 or QB2 next year if Stefan Diggs is not on the team? He's QB1. Who is replacing Stefan Diggs? Right. Probably not someone as good as Stefan Diggs. Could definitely be somebody better than Stefan Diggs the last two months. Yeah, and I think Allen's been very good lately,

but he hasn't been tearing it up. His fantasy points in his last four games, 22.5, this is in six-point leagues, 22.5, 18.2, 27, and 21.2. That's not great. Certainly not QB1 overall. And he has six rushing touchdowns in those four games. Yeah, he's actually, I was surprised,

he's tied with Jalen Hurts for most rushing touchdowns, which you think of the tush push and how much Jalen Hurts falls in the end zone. Like Allen's... Allen has 15? Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy, right? Crazy.

And Jalen Hurts is the only quarterback in football history to have three straight seasons with double-digit rushing touchdowns. I think he might be the only quarterback to do it twice in a row. I wonder if that streak gets broken next year. If they change the rules, yeah. I think they're going to change the rule. I think in terms of like the question would, the, the, the,

the question would be is if digs leaves, is it draft and replace? Because I think we've seen how that's gone from a homes. Right. Or is it sign and replace? Because that's what sort of unlocked Josh Allen was or trade replace is Stefan coming there. You know,

he was, he was a good fantasy quarterback the year before digs got there. He became a megastar. Sorry, they're mowing the lawn here. Don't you know I'm working? Come on now. But even with Diggs, like he said, the last two months, he's been getting by with moderate production from his number one receiver.

Kincaid will be a bigger part of this. They may lose Gabe Davis, too. He's a free agent. Jamie, did anybody have a different QB1 besides Josh Allen for next year? I haven't looked that closely, but I think Josh Allen was one from all the emails that I saw. And then... It's between Allen and Hurts. I think if Diggs is gone, I would take Hurts over him. Josh Allen was one from all the emails that I saw. And then who?

It's between Allen and Hurts. I mean, I think if Diggs is gone, I would take Hurts over him. What would hurt their fantasy value more? Diggs is gone. Tush Push is banned. Oh, Diggs gone. Like, they can still score. No, I think it definitely hurts. Not even close.

He scored 10 touchdowns three years in a row rushing. The thing about the tush push, all you're eliminating is the push behind him. It's still the offensive line and him diving into it. Is Jason Kelly there? Well, that could be a big deal too, but I think we should learn. Yeah.

Doesn't Mahomes this year teach you a lesson about potentially Allen next year if Stephon Diggs isn't there? What do you mean? He's got terrible receivers, and they've crushed his fantasy value. I mean, you can say the same thing last year. Sorry, you can say the same thing last year

about Mahomes was losing Tyree Kill, and he still was tremendous, so I get that. That's why it's not like Allen would be downgraded big time, but there's a possibility that he just has bad receivers and can't, you know, can't be QB one. Sorry, Jamie,

go ahead. No, I think if, if, if digs gone, Davis gone, no, no significant replacements. Like if it's just,

we're restarting the, the clock on a receiving court. He's like right there. Jamie's on a receiving court. He's like right there. Jamie's on a helicopter pad. The golf course is going to be going back and forth for a while. It's tough to say you could draft Josh Allen over Jalen Hurts. But I mean, like how far does he fall? Because the difference between him and Mahomes is his legs will save him.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think he falls to two. But I'm not saying, like, major downgrade or anything, but they're pretty close, Allen and Hurts. They were a point apart points per game. And very close in total points. So I did, like I said, first team, second team, third team.

How would you do the quarterbacks? I'm just curious to see what you guys would do. Because you're taking everything, not just, you know, their points. Like, who are the top three quarterbacks in fantasy for this year, in your mind? What's your question? Sorry. Alan Hurd's deck.

Alan Hurd's deck. Okay, that's exactly how I did it. How do you leave off Lamar Jackson? Like, it's crazy. You have Dak third in your rankings next year? I have... No. First team, second team, third team.

Oh, sorry. Sorry. All right, let's talk about this game here. Buffalo at Miami. Any sleepers in this game? Maybe like Cedric Wilson, Durham Smythe. Gabe Davis. Gabe Davis?

I love Gabe Davis. I actually do love Gabe Davis. Eli Davis? I love Gabe Davis. I actually do love Gabe Davis. Eli Apple versus Gabe Davis, baby. Okay. I get it. Is he a top 24 guy for you? He's top 20 for me. I started over Ridley.

Oh my gosh. I love it. Wow. You want me two lunches? I owe you two lunches. All right, let's go. If Lawrence plays Ridley versus Gabe Davis for lunch number three. Yes. Full PPR.

All right, it's on. Start Josh Allen. James Cook is like a mid-range number two. Wait, what did you say? If Trevor Lawrence plays? Yeah, if Lawrence plays Ridley versus Gabe Davis. You cool with that? Okay.

If you're okay with that, just cut the grass right now. Mow the lawn. James Cook is good, not great. He's got one catch in his last two games. Dolphins are a pretty good run defense. Start or sit Stefan Diggs, Heath? I'm probably still starting. Yeah, I'm likely still starting Stefan Diggs, Heath? I'm probably still starting. Yeah, I'm likely still starting Stefan Diggs. JB, Gabe Davis or Stefan Diggs?

Diggs. I think they both play well. I mean, Josh Allen's history against the Dolphins is amazing. You have no Bradley Chubb, most likely no Xavier Howard. I think he's already been ruled out. Ramsey's banged up. Are they going to move Ramsey around to shadow digs?

If not, you're on it's a keyhole. I think is, is, is his name there. Yeah. I know you're corner who, who will kick inside when they, they need a slot corner,

which means Eli Apple is going to be on the outside against one of these guys. That's where they're going to go all day. So they both have a chance for a big game. 11 games in his career against the Dolphins. Josh Allen is averaging more than 35 points per game in

six points per passing touchdown. It's insane. Dalton Kincaid had a good game last week. Anybody want to start him this week? Is Dalton Knox out? So that's the thing. He took off when Knox got the head injury.

And then here we go again. He's just been so bad since Knox has come back. So as Heath said, we're missing a lot of tight ends this week. So if I have Kincaid and I don't have – I'm trying to think of – I had one league where I had Kincaid and Schultz. That doesn't matter. But if I had Kincaid and Likely and I've been playing Likely, okay, I'll pivot to think of... I had one league where I had Kincaid and Schultz. That doesn't matter. But if I had Kincaid and Likely, and I've been playing Likely,

okay, I'll pivot to Kincaid. I would start to want Johnson over Kincaid, for example. Which is our Schultz over Kincaid? Not right now, no. But it's close. I probably should do that. All right. You guys obviously want to sit Tua.

Devon, give-Chan. Give me your thoughts on the Dolphins running backs. If Mostert plays, you start him. If Mostert doesn't play and A-Chan plays, you start him. If Mostert and A-Chan are out, you start Jeff Wilson. If they're both playing, Mostert and A-Chan, who are you going to rank higher? Mostert. Jamie, Mostert or A-Chan if they both play?

Yeah, no, same. I think the process for the Dolphins last week was Mostert not 100%. We need him for next week. Let's make sure he's 100% for next week. So I hope that he's able to go for anybody that's starting him. And he'll end up, if he scores, with the touchdown record because they're tied right now, him and McCaffrey,

because McCaffrey didn't score last week. So he needs one more touchdown to be the touchdown leader. Clearly, that's secondary to anything the Dolphins are trying to accomplish. Do you know the point difference per game between A-Chan and Bijan? Oh, no. A-Chan and Bijan? Oh, no. A-Chan's four points better? Four points better. 17.7 to like 13.5.

And you know what? I can't even do the headache game because A-Chan had one game where he played like one snap and left. So they both have to be Acer-statted for sure. I gave A-Chan the nod on the all-rookie team over Bij are statted for sure. I gave H&N a nod on the all-rookie team over Bijan.

Good for you. I think when you look at it, Bijan is somewhere around 18th per game or something like that. He's one of the biggest. He is 19th per game. He's one of the biggest busts for sure. He is on the all-bust team, yes. Start Tyreek Hill

and yeah, I mean like I said, Durham Smythe. He's been three straight games with 7.2 or more PPR fantasy points. Good luck starting Durham Smythe. I'm going to take a break here. We've got five games left, but a lot of them are kind of easy. Guys are sitting games. So we'll get to the Jets and the Patriots when we come back on Fantasy Football today.

2020 to 2024 question, pardon me, for the Jets and the Patriots. we come back on Fantasy Football today. 2024 question, pardon me, for the Jets and the Patriots. Will the Jets have two players? The Jets. Will they have two players drafted in the top 20 in 2024? Yes, absolutely. Yeah, I'm all about it. Maybe the first round. All right, good stuff.

Who's a sleeper in this game? Hunter Henry, if he plays. I have a stat of the game. I don't have a lot of stat of the games this week, but no running back has rushed for 50 yards in six straight games against the Patriots. That's Barkley, Eckler, Najee, Clyde, Javante, and James Cook.

None of them got to 50 yards against the Patriots. So you're saying ranking Breesall number one I think you guys have Brees Hall number one. Okay. He's been amazing. He's been amazing last week. He sure has. League winner.

Yeah, these two running backs have the lowest ratio of rushing yards to fantasy points. Maybe. That's funny. Especially PPR. I mean, here's another stat of the game. Zeke has had five games now without Ramondre or with Ramondre leaving with an injury.

He has not averaged more than 3.1 yards per carry in any of those games. I don't think he has a 10-yard run, or maybe that's his longest run in those games. He had a long run at the end of the Pittsburgh game. Did it get called back? No. It might be 10 yards, but it was a first down.

It was 12. 12 yards. There you go. called back? No. It might be 10 yards, but it was the first time. It was 12. 12 yards. Yeah, that's in his last five games, his longest run is 12 yards. Longest run all season is 17 yards. And he's also RB7 over that stretch. That's amazing. Let's have our little Zeke dispute here. Let me just see the rankings that I

saw. He's 10 for me. He's 22 for Jamie and He's 10 for me. He's 22 for Jamie, and he's 10 for Heath. 16th for Dave. I'll take Dave's side. Just play it safe. Go ahead, Heath. Top 10 running back, Zeke. Yeah, the Jets funnel targets to tight ends and running backs generally,

so I'm not as worried about the lack of targets last week. And we just talked about it. He's been bad as a rusher and still good as a fantasy asset since Stevenson went down. I could probably move him up a couple spots. I'm just concerned that, again, do they give the younger player a little bit more

of an opportunity? And if he doesn't catch a touchdown, his stat line is miserable. Yeah. Okay. And that's it. I mean, oh, Garrett Wilson. Yeah. Hopkins, Ridley,

over Wilson? All those guys. Gabe Davis over Wilson. Yeah, he's a mid-range number three wide receiver. What a shame. Okay. Don't worry about him. Next year's going to be stud. What a shame. Okay. Don't worry about him.

Next year is going to be a stud. Absolute stud. Unless they trade for Devante. What else? Yeah. Any interest in Demario Douglas? No. Tough matchup.

No. Okay. All right. And which DST do you like better, Jets or Patriots? Jets. Sure. They're both top five for me, though. Denver's at Las Vegas.

2024 question. Will Javante Williams be a top 24 running back on draft day? No. Probably not, but if... Probably not. Any sleepers in this game? Julian

Wolfe. Just so hard to bank on which of these guys are going to get more work. Still, Javante's getting too much work. How about Jacoby Myers, maybe? There's still a chance Sutton plays. Yeah, would he even be a sleeper or would he be a must-start? He'd be a must-start guy.

This is a revenge game for Jarrett Siddham. It is. Or maybe it's a thank-start guy. This is a revenge game for Jarrett Stidham. It is. Or maybe it's a thank-you game for giving me that showcase so I could get a contract. It's true. We don't talk about thank-you games very much on this show. Are you starting any Broncos, I guess? Do you think Sutton would be a must-start? I mean, look, Sutton with Wilson, we know, can be productive.

We have no idea if Sutton could be productive with Stidham. Not a must-start. I mean, look, Sutton with Wilson, we know, can be productive. We have no idea if Sutton could be productive with Stidham. Not a must-start. He would be a top 24 receiver for me, just given the matchup and the way that he played in this offense. Yes, Russell Wilson, I'm sure, is better for him than Jared Stidham. But, I mean, again, look at the players that were let down this week and what Sutton's accomplished. Who do you like better, Josh Jacobs if he plays or Zamir White if Josh Jacobs does not play? I mean, again, look at the players that were let down this week and what Sutton's accomplished.

Who do you like better, Josh Jacobs if he plays or Zamir White if Josh Jacobs does not play? Zamir. Zamir, because I think they'll play Zamir with Jacobs. Right. Zamir's been fantastic. I mean, he hasn't run well, but just what he's done for fantasy managers has been very good. I was looking at him on my Dynasty team,

and I guess I was never really considering dropping him. But I was just like, I could probably drop him. He's never going to be anything. That was how I felt a month ago. And good for him, man. A nice showcase. In our deep YOLO league, two times this season, I picked him up off the waiver wire. It's a 14-team league.

Wow. He was dropped multiple times, and I picked him up twice. Okay. And, yeah, so where would you rank Jacob? Everyone should be starting as a mirror white, basically. Look, also,

it is a championship week for some people, so you may not be starting as a mirror white. I understand you might have Brees Hall, and you're not going to have Kyron Williams,

but maybe, like, Rashad White. Ezekiel Elliott. But where would you rank Jacobs if he plays? 20? Jacobs would probably be like 15 or 16. Because I think, look, it's with guys like him and Barkley that are maybe leaving their teams. Like, is this their showcase game, you know,

for what another team might be looking at? I don't think so, because they've certainly put together enough of a resume that teams know what they're capable of. But you never know. Would you start Jacobs or James Cook? Cook. I'd probably start Cook. Start Devontae Adams.

Starter, Jacoby Myers. Number three receiver receiver Raiders DST is top eight Pittsburgh at Baltimore 2024 question who gets drafted first Mark Andrews or Zay Flowers Andrews probably Andrews but it will be

close do we have a sleeper in this game now we start to get into some more interesting sleepers here. We talk about these last three games with teams sitting a lot of players. Any sleepers in Pittsburgh and Baltimore? Melvin Gordon. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to say.

The Ravens receivers, Nelson Aguilar, maybe, if you're desperate. Charlie Kohler, if you need a tight end. Does Mason Rudolph count? Yeah, absolutely. He's played well. That's a fascinating decision, what they have to do with soft season. What Kenny Pickett said, did you hear this

earlier in the week? He said, if I was healthy, I was the starter. He said that. How could you start him at this point? Even if they make the playoffs, how could you start him? No. Now he is healthy, and he's not the starter. Right. And like, how could you start him at this point? Like even they make the playoffs, like how could you start? No, I mean, now he is healthy and he's not the starter.

So I think Rudolph proved it. I think my, you know, I think what we kind of see with DeVito and Dobbs, even like these quarterbacks, if we think they're not good at this stage in their career, they're probably not good. Well, I shouldn't say at this stage of their career. I mean, DeVito is a rookie, but they come back down at this stage in their career, they're probably not good. Well,

I shouldn't say at this stage of their career, I mean, DeVito's a rookie, but they come back down to earth. Most of them. So I really don't think the Steelers should make Mason Rudolph a big part of their plans. They've already tried that,

but I don't know that they should make Kenny pick at a big part of their plans either. No, they definitely need a quarterback, but if this is the, the, the, the,

the two that they go with, I mean, how do you not give Rudolph at least a chance to win the job? Sure. That would be a fun, fun season of Hard Knocks if they miss the playoffs and we get a Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, QB battle. That's what Hard Knocks is. I won't be watching. They'll just go back to the Dolphins. They'll figure out a way.

Stat of the game for Pittsburgh-Baltimore. The Ravens have allowed 100 rushing yards to a running back in three of their last four games. Kyron Williams, Christian McCaffrey, and Devon Achan. I think they're allowing, let's see, 4.5 yards per carry to running backs. That is crazy. And you would not expect all of their best players to play on defense. No. I like Najee a lot.

I think I've liked him the last three weeks, though. I like them against the Bengals without Reeder. I like them against the Seahawks. They're two great matchups. So what about Pickens this week? Start him. Must start. I mean, how do you go away from what he's done the last two weeks?

Like, you could say, okay, the Bengals game was an outlier because he only had six targets and four catches, and they were all just big plays. But then he comes back with a seven-catch game and over 100 yards again. It is amazing what the last two weeks have done. Like, when we just look back at this season for George Pickens in two or three seasons, two or three years,

and don't remember necessarily how it happened. Like, man, George Pickens was really good in 2023. He got 1140 yards already? Jeez, really? Yeah. Oh, that doesn't seem fair. He also had a big game against the Ravens when they were playing everybody in Week 5.

Obviously, he's always one play away, right? But I do wonder about the whole press coverage thing. Remember, he's a press coverage destroyer. I have no idea how much the Ravens play press coverage, but that's been the case. Well, Marlon Humphrey's not playing. Kyle Hamilton's not there. So you're already taking away two members that are secondary.

Pass rush is not going to be the same. So this should be a big game for him. How about Deontay? Borderline number two receiver, but better off using as number three. Yeah, number three for me. Friarmuth? No. No.

Who's your favorite Raven? Melvin Gordon. Yep. Ed Reed for me. Okay. Would you start Melvin Gordon. Yep. Ed Reed for me. Okay. Would you start Melvin Gordon? Ah, forget it. Who the hell is Ed Reed?

Who is the better hurricane at their position in the NFL, Ray Lewis or Ed Reed? Oh, it's a phenomenal question. I would probably say Ray Lewis. Probably Ed Reed. I'd say Reed. Yeah, I'd say Ed Reed. It's a great question.

The other fun question is who was better, Ed Reed or Sean Taylor? It was a college question. Most people would say Sean Taylor. He was amazing. Kansas City at the Chargers. 2024 question. Can Justin Herbert be elite in 2024? I'm very worried about Justin Herbert in 2024.

But let's see who the coach is, what the system is, what they do at wide receiver. Keenan Allen's going to be 32 or 33 years old. We don't know. Mike Williams, Quentin Johnston's nothing. Austin Eckler's probably gone.

I'm worried. Got to get the right coach in there. Any sleepers in this game? Chiefs at Chargers? Yeah. Clyde, if he plays. Justin Ross. Would it not be a different running back?

Do you think Clyde is sort of in the Elijah Mitchell category? It definitely could be another running back. I wonder. So we're now two games that McKinnon has missed, right? Yeah. He's been on IR for two weeks, right? I think so. So this will be the third week.

So he can't come back until the second week of the playoffs. So if they get there, um, I would, I would say it could be P Ryan or Keonta Ingram, but I don't, I don't put Clyde in the same category as Elijah Mitchell. I was talking about Clyde missed a game for illness. Mitchell was, no,

no. I mean, I mean, in that maybe he's just too valuable at this point. You're 100% right, but the reason I think Mitchell does not play is because he was dealing with a knee injury for a month. Do you think, okay, if the Bills lose, if the Dolphins beat the Bills,

and the Bills still end up making the playoffs, would they be the seven seed? TBD. TBD. They would be... Would they be behind? No, they'd be ahead of... Well, what happened?

The Colts and Texans have the tie, right? Would that happen? Let me see. No, because they have the same conference record as the Texans. So if the Texans won, I think they would be the seven seed, yes. If the Texans or the Colts wonans won, I think they would be the 7th seed, yes. If the Texans or the Colts won,

yeah, they'd be 10-7. Jacksonville would also be 10-7. Jacksonville could be 9-8 in that scenario. I think Jacksonville has to lose for Buffalo again, right? Buffalo's in with the... You're saying if Buffalo loses? That's what you said.

Buffalo's in with a win. They win the division if they win. If they lose to the Dolphins... The two teams could potentially have the playoffs. It's nuts. Right. And I think if they win,

then the Dolphins will play at Kansas City. That's what I was saying. So I think the Dolphins, if they win, they play the Bills again, potentially. If they lose,

they're at Kansas City. And I wonder if they'd rather be at Kansas City or home against the Bills. So in theory, they would have just City. And I wonder if they'd rather be at Kansas City or home against the Bills, who in theory they would have just beaten. Home for sure. The Bills are playing a lot better than the Chiefs. But if they just

beat the Bills, they feel much better playing them at home. And it could be like 20 degrees in Kansas City. Probably. Early January. On a neutral site right now, would you rather play the Bills or the Chiefs? Oh, the Chiefs. But you don't want to go into Arrowhead. That's crazy. The Arrowhead versus Miami

conversation might be 10 points for the Dolphins. Oh, no. They wouldn't play. The Dolphins are either playing at home or they're playing at Kansas City. They're either the two-seed or the six-seed. I believe that's correct. The Bills, I can't quite figure out.

There's Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville. I think if the Bills lose, they're almost virtually out. No. There's so many things that have to happen for them to get into the playoffs. But they will certainly know, obviously, they're the last game. Not if the Steelers lose. If the Steelers lose, they're in, no matter what. The Bills.

Yeah, the Bills. Right, right. Not the Steelers. Right? I believe that's accurate. I think for the Bills to miss the bills, right, right. Not the Steelers, right. I believe that's accurate. I think for the bills to miss the playoffs, they'd have to lose. Jacksonville would have to win. Pittsburgh would have to win and the Colts Texans game cannot finish in a tie.

So it's a Colts Texans game at finishing a tie. Those teams are both behind, right? They'd be nine, seven and one versus 10 and seven. So the tie would not hurt them. The tie would not hurt, but... 9-7 is worse than 10-7. No, I get that. But there's the Pittsburgh scenario.

Doesn't matter. Both those teams would be behind Buffalo. If Pittsburgh moved ahead of them, they'd still be the seventh seed. Buffalo. Then why did I think there's the Houston Texans tie? Buffalo Jack but what then why did I think there's the Houston Texans

tie thing hold on a second hold on one second if the Colts and Texans tie and Jacksonville

loses then Jacksonville's out of the playoffs okay for the Bills this is from CBS Buffalo clinches the AFC East with a win buffalo clinches

the playoff berth with a tie a pittsburgh loss or tie a jacksonville loss or tie or houston indianapolis tie that's the only way they get it so they clinch with a houston indianapolis tie that makes more sense yes yeah right okay right right right because if they don't tie that's what i'm saying if they don't tie one of those teams. Yes, for the Bills to miss the playoffs, they would have to lose. The Steelers would have to win. The Jaguars would have to win. And the Texans and Colts cannot end in a tie. Okay, there we go.

Back to this game. Chiefs and Chargers. Eckler or a Steelers running back? Steelers running backs for me. I've got Eckler. How about Josh Palmer as a sleeper? He would be a sleeper if he plays, yes. Yeah, he was limited.

And Everett, you can still put in the sleeper category too. And then do you want to start any Chiefs? No. No. Clyde if he plays. How about a DST? You want to start Chargers DST? Not really. No. They're, if he plays. How about a DST? You want to start Chargers DST? Not really.

No. They're terrible. Cleveland and Cincinnati, 2024 question. Who has the most dynasty value? Nick Chubb, Chase Brown, or Joe Mixon? Chase Brown. Chase Brown. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Who's a sleeper in this game?

Brown's at Bengals. Pierre Strong. who's a sleeper in this game? Browns at Bengals. Pierre Charon. I love Joe Mixon in this game. Should I not love Joe Mixon? I love him. I don't think it's a bad idea to love Joe Mixon, but does he get the majority of touches or do they give Chase Brown more work?

I mean, it's a good question. This is the first week they've been eliminated from the playoffs. If he gets the majority of the touches, I think he'll have a very good game against... I don't think anybody's sitting Joe Mixon. If he's on your team, you're starting him. In theory. You never know

just because we have probably champions, you know, championship game here, but I mean mean i feel like you guys don't have mix and rank that high unless you didn't yesterday i'm just concerned anytime you get these situations where there's a guy that's got his you know most likely foot out the door um whether team's pushing him that way or he's he's doing it himself um and there's there's a guy that clearly has the ability to maybe be their featured guy sitting behind him. Do they give him more work? That's a good point.

I think Zach Taylor has certainly proven that he likes Joe Mixon enough that if they know they're moving on, they may give him a showcase game, a thank you game. Okay. Jamar Chase or George Pickens? If Chase plays, would you start Chase or Pickens? Chase.

All right. How about Jake Browning or Tua? I think I may have asked you that earlier. I said that earlier. If one of Chase or Higgins plays, I would start Browning.

If both sit, then I'd go to him. Okay. Someone's asking Browning or Taylor. Taylor. Taylor. Any Browns to start? Again, Pierre Strong is a flex. All right.

None of the receivers. I think Cedric Tillman and David Bell would be the guys they're looking at with Jeff Driscoll, no cool, we are done here until tomorrow we have 8 more games to talk about and I think some fun 2024 discussions, I enjoy it

Heath, you're more than welcome to join the show tomorrow I'd really like to but I've got to be working on my week 18 rankings and projections. I can give you the all first, second, and third team tomorrow, too. Yeah, we need to save something for the offseason. But actually, we are never short of content in the offseason. It's amazing.

I mean, we could take a show like yesterday. We had, I think, five rankings disputes and had a good time with it. So, you know, it looks like we're going to be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday at maybe 10 a.m. Eastern for those of you who want to watch live going forward in the NFL playoffs and beyond. So that's what we'll start

our three episodes per week. But yeah, we'll talk to you tomorrow. And I think, I haven't told Heath this yet, so don't tell him. I think we're going to do a Sunday morning

FFT in five like any normal week so this week? yeah oh yeah? yeah I don't think it has to be at 830

but you know I think we should some people are playing we owe it to them so you're doing a YouTube stream? no no no just the five minute thing

oh okay I'm on it too you know it's not just you yeah that's great can't wait have a great day everybody you're doing a YouTube stream? No, no, no. Just the five minute thing. Oh, okay. I'm on it too, you know. It's not just you. Yeah, that's great. Can't wait. Have a great day, everybody. Enjoy your Thursday night of freedom.

Talk to you later.