Fantasy Football Today - Start or Sit (NFC); 2022 Top 5 (01/07 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Episode Date: January 7, 2022

Did Christian McCaffrey make our early Top 5 for 2022? Is he actually in consideration to be the #1 overall player? And how many WRs cracked the Top 5? ... News and notes (10:00) as we take a look at the Steelers WRs and update you on key RB injuries ... Start or Sit for Seahawks-Cardinals (15:40), 49ers-Rams (30:30), Saints-Falcons (39:00), Panthers-Bucs (46:40), Cowboys-Eagles (55:00), Bears-Vikings (58:00), Packers-Lions (1:03:00) and Football Team-Giants (1:06:00) ... Email us at [e-mail] Follow our FFT team on Twitter: @FFToday, @AdamAizer, @JameyEisenberg, @daverichard, @heathcummingssr, @ctowerscbs, @BenSchragg Watch FFT on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/fantasyfootballtoday 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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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. This is Fantasy Football Today from CBS Sports. On his way to the end zone. Tell you what, that was a spectacular play. It's time to dominate your fantasy league. What a play. Off to the races.

Touchdown. Oh, he's done it again. Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie, Heath, and Ben. One more day. Our last start or sit episode for the 2021 season. And it's, yeah, hooray. But I can do better than that. Where's the applause?

Hey. Congratulations, guys. You did a great, you had a great year. You! Congratulations, guys. You did a great, you had a great year. You guys worked so hard. You deserve some rest and relaxation. Of course, we're going to be podcasting three times a week

going forward, by the way. We already have our schedule for next week. Yeah. We already had to change our schedule for next week. Kudos to you for a great season,

and I hope you get some sleep this weekend. You deserve it, fellas. You too. Thank you. Thank you. And I'm going to ask you for your top five for 2022. That's what we're going to kick off the show with. Should we talk about the Thursday night game?

Start with that? No, no, no, no, no, no. RJ Barrett, you didn't see that shot. Oh, my gosh. Did you see it. RJ Barrett, you didn't see that shot? Oh, my gosh. Did you see it, Jamie? No. You didn't? Oh, go on Twitter.

Go on Twitter. Look at that shot. Thursday night basketball on TNT. It's been an exhilarating sports week for me. So we got eight NFC home games to talk about, and I'm optimistic that the two NFC West games will be normal and competitive and interesting and not week 18.

One of the NFC West games, too. I don't care about AFC. I'm on NFC. I don't care about those games. The only game that's going to be really, really exciting is going to be that AFC West game. We'll see about that. I think the NFC West games will be good.

I hope they're good. How think the NFC West games will be good. I hope they're good. How about the NFC East games? Oh, yeah. I mean, that Washington Giants game. Today we are this week. We'll finally learn the answer. Who's the worst quarterback in football? Jake Fromm or Ian Book?

Who is going to be worse? I'll take my chances. Ian Book being the worst. Don't be so sure. All right, let's do our 2022 top five. How about it? And if you watch CBS Sports HQ today, you'll see the top 20. But, Jamie, I'll give you the first word here.

Give me your top five for 2022. And this cannot change for the next nine months. Sure. Ian Book is one. Jonathan Taylor is one. Jonathan Taylor is one. This is PPR. Austin Eckler is two. Dalvin Cook is three. Derrick Henry is four.

Christian McCaffrey is five. Dave? Taylor is one for me. I'll take Derrick Henry second, Cook third, Kamara fourth, Eckler fifth. That was very fast. Jonathan Taylor, Derrick. For Jamie, it was Taylor, Eckler, Cook. Third, Kamara. Fourth, Eckler. Fifth. That was very fast. Jonathan Taylor, Derek. All right, so for Jamie, it was Taylor, Eckler, Cook, Henry, McCaffrey. For Dave, it was Taylor, Henry, Eckler, who?

Cook, Taylor, Henry, Cook, Kamara, Eckler. Kamara, Eckler. Yes. Okay, so let's dive into it. Jonathan Taylor, one for both of you. Derek Henry, two for Dave, four for Jamie. I was trying to do this last night, you know, who's the top five, whatever. I came to the thought, Jamie, if Taylor's one, why wouldn't Henry be two?

You know, because Taylor's not going to catch a bunch of passes. Henry was better on a per-game basis was better than Taylor. He did get hurt. Why wouldn't he be two for you? He's four for you, Derek Henry. I will probably change that once I see what he looks like. I want to make sure that the foot is not a problem. He's a big guy.

Yes, he's a big guy. He might have lost some weight while he was on IR. We don't know. It could be down to, you know, Darren Sproles, something like that. Okay. Eckler, two for you. Eckler, five for Dave. Dave, what gives?

I'm just worried that Eckler is going to continue to share to a degree in this offense. He's still awesome. But I'm looking for a bounce back year from Alvin Kamara. I think Cook has earned the right to be considered one of the best running backs in fantasy. And it's not to say that I don't like Eckler at all, but I think that there's certainly an opportunity for Kamara with a potentially a new quarterback bouncing back in a big way next year.

I wonder if they stay with Jason Mill though. I mean, he's under contract. They win with him. Did you guys both have... I know you both had McCaffrey in there. Oh, no, Dave, you did not have McCaffrey. I did have McCaffrey.

And I didn't have Cook. I had Cook eighth or ninth because I think he's potentially breaking down. I mean, last year he managed to miss, I think, only two games, but he left a lot of games early, and I was nervous about potentially breaking down. I mean, last year he managed to miss, I think, only two games, but he left a lot of games early, and I was nervous about that this year. And this year, it's just one thing after another. I'm interested in talking about him for this week because I haven't seen much on him,

but he left last week's game with an injury and didn't really play that much, I don't think, after. They didn't have the ball that much in the fourth quarter, and it was a mess anyway with the backup quarterback. But Cook just scares me. the workload is so enticing the talent is so good but i'm i'm concerned that he's ezekiel elliott and is just going to be dealing with injuries um he's not quite zeke but you know he's like a year ahead uh so i don't know i i guess i guess, it does make sense

because McCaffrey has obviously missed a lot more games. But McCaffrey and Cook, Dave, to me, don't feel that different. They feel different to me. I see Christian McCaffrey with four notable injuries that cost him a lot of time over the last 14 months. And not only do I get nervous about that as a first-round investment in fantasy, I wonder if the Panthers coaching staff is going to do something about that and say, all right, listen, this guy's great.

We've got to have him in there when we're passing the ball. Do we take some of the work off of him when he's running? So when it's first and 10 or second and short, why do we even have him in there? Let's take him out of there. I wonder if they start to limit how much he's running so when it's first and 10 or second and short why do we even have him in there let's take him out of there i wonder if they start to limit how much he's on the field it's not say he's not a first round pick he's definitely a first round pick but one that i think you've got to look at and say i need a plan b for the two to ten weeks that he'll miss in 2022 and we might have to say that with cook too.

I don't know if it's going to be 10 games for cook, but we could also say that for any running back. Derek Henry is my number two running back. He missed half the season. So that's the nature of running backs in fantasy football. I think everybody who's played for a long time knows that it's a fragile position. And Jamie being that,

you know, that it is a fragile position. And Jamie, being that it is a fragile position, who do you think will be in full PPR number one per game? Is it McCaffrey or would it be someone else? If I had to pick somebody not Taylor, I mean, McCaffrey's got the best chance to do it. I think you should include Taylor in there because I think a lot of people might say,

hey, I think McCaffrey in full PPR would be the best running back in fantasy. I just can't trust him to stay healthy. Yes, if you tell me right now McCaffrey's playing 12-plus games, he's the number one running back on a per-game basis. So I almost feel like five is too low. Yeah, well, five's going to feel low probably for anyone. You have five, right?

And no wide receivers for you guys in the top five. No, but I mean, just to give you a sneak peek, because I've obviously compiled all yours. I think it's, here, I have it for you. So just guessing. So Dave has three wide receivers in his top 10. Adam has one wide receiver. And Kelsey in your top 10.

And I have four wide receivers in my top 10. So we did it for this show on HQ by 10s just because it's easier for their graphics as opposed to doing it by 12. So when you see the stories, we'll have stories on these starting next week. So of the three of us, Heath, Chris, and Dan, I think those are the only people that have sent me stuff. So I'll compile everybody's lists, and that will be top 12s for all the positions and top 24. But in just terms of the top 10,

you have the least, Adam, in terms of non-running backs. I have eight running backs in my top 10? Yes, and you're the only one with a tight end in your top ten. Interesting. Okay. I guess I'll have to defend it. Dave has no tight ends in his top 20. What, Dave Richard?

None. What? I believe Chris has four. Yeah, well, he did last year, too. He had three in his top 12. Chris was a big fan of three in his top 12. Right. Yes.

And I think only one of them panned out, right? No, I don't think he even had the one that truly, I mean, if you're saying Kelsey panned out, sure. He was pretty good. Kelsey did. So let's say he panned out.

Yeah. All right. Well, we're going to get into the NFC home games now. And remember, each game will have a 2022 question to kick it off and then we'll break it down.

We also have a mailbag show this week, so it won't be as many questions, but as per usual, we will have a mailbag that airs Friday on YouTube, Saturday morning on the podcast feed. And if you want an edge setting, your DFS lineups,

what better time to play some DFS, okay? The Fantasy Football Today DFS podcast gives you all of the expert advice you need, so listen to the Fantasy Football Today DFS podcast wherever you listen to FFT. Time for your news and notes. Justin Fields is on the on the reserve COVID list. It's going to be Andy Dalton at Minnesota. Clyde Edwards-Elair is out. Deontay Johnson and center Kendrick Green and cornerback joe hayden they're all on the list so we talked about that game yesterday you know i'll say ray mcleod's getting a ton of targets and he's got the third most

red zone targets in the last three weeks that was with deontay johnson davis chase claypool definitely the best steelers wide receiver and are any Steelers wide receivers must starts now with Deontay Johnson likely out? I haven't taken a look at Ray Ray McLeod's usage over the last couple of games. Last time I saw him, he was a short area target for him who really came in handy when Pat Fryermuth was on the concussion list. I think he's going to continue to play that role. That's my assumption based on what I saw. I don't know if he's going to turn into a big play downfield guy. But the short targets are obvious there because the offensive line is terrible.

Roethlisberger can't throw the ball with velocity down the field. And I think you're going to look at McLeod as someone who could pick up a lot of targets and be decent for PPR. I'm going to look up what his price is on DraftKings. He could definitely be someone that comes into play as a cheap buy this week, but it's Claypool. It would be the guy that we'd like.

I think so. I look, I'm not super excited about it because he's been such a mess this year, but 30% of the target share is gone with Deontay Johnson. And I'm not exact. I'm exaggerating by like 2%. He really was a humongous part of the passing game. share is gone with Deontay Johnson and I'm not exact I'm exaggerating by like two percent he really was a humongous part of the passing game those targets are going to go elsewhere they're

not all going to go to McLeod or Friar Muth or James Washington it'll be spread around but I bet Claypool sees a slight uptick we've seen it this year when he's had a bunch of targets usually the numbers we see it with every receiver when they get a lot of When they get a lot of targets, they get a lot of numbers. Except for Ray McLeod. He has 29 targets in his last four games, and he has about 90 yards. He is priced at $3,800 on DraftKings, which means if he gets you 11.4 PPR, he gives you three times value.

That is realistic. James Conner was limited in Chase Edmonds' missed practice. That's going to be one of the first games we talk about the Cardinals and the Seahawks will break down that backfield. Jimmy Garoppolo was limited, but we still expect Trey Lance at this point. Darren

Waller was limited. Do you guys feel like... Well, you're ranking Waller. You expect him to play, right, Jamie? At this point, yes. Today's practice report will be telling, but I think you've got waller you expect him to play right jamie at this point yes i mean today's practice report will be telling but i think you know you got to be excited about him being out there in the raiders biggest game of the season so just a matter of how healthy is he and how much will he be leaned on as per usual but i think if you have him and you're playing week 18 you're probably starting marquise brown missed practice and so did lamar jackson would

assume that marquise Brown has a better chance to play. I mean, he misses practice a lot and ends up playing. Lamar Jackson, on the other hand. Lamar Jackson's birthday today. Oh, happy birthday, Lamar Jackson. Hope it's a special one. I hope you play. I'd love to see you this weekend, but right now we're expecting it to be Tyler Huntley.

What'd you make of this comment, Dave? DeAndre Swift expecting a similar role as what he had last week? Yeah, that's gross. What'd you make of this comment, Dave? DeAndre Swift expecting a similar role as what he had last week? What is that? Yeah, that's gross. I'm nervous to trust him as anything more than middle to low end number two running back. Okay. Nick Chubb was limited.

How much do we trust him, Jamie? Nick Chubb going up against the Bengals. If he plays, I trust him. So I think you look at it right now. Kareem Hunt still limited in practice. We'll see if he goes. Dearness Johnson, as I think you look at it right now. Kareem Hunt, still limited in practice. We'll see if he goes. Dearness Johnson, as of now, still on the COVID list. So he might be seeing a ton of work.

And so it's just a matter of how much they want to run him out there in a meaningless game, knowing that he's such a big part of their future. So it's just a matter of, obviously, who you're comparing him to if you're doing a start-sit scenario. But I think if he's on my fantasy team in Week 18 and you tell me he's starting, I'm playing him. Antonio Gibson was limited. Dave, do you expect Antonio Gibson to play?

Do you expect him to be a start this week at the Giants? I do expect him to start. I do wonder how much he'll actually play since it is the last week of the season. I don't know if I would do it if I were Washington. I'd want to get him healthy and ready to go for next year, but they're obviously viewing it a different way, and I certainly don't dislike the matchup.

Kadarius Tony mispracticed. He's likely going to be out. Braxton Berrios mispracticed. We'll see if he can get back on the field today. Michael Carter, though, he practiced in full. So again, we covered this game yesterday. Talked probably pretty briefly about Michael Carter here. But where is he going to end up in your rankings, Jamie?

Michael Carter at the Bills. He'll be on the border of a number two running back in flex. I think it's a tough matchup, obviously. He's going to get a lot of work, I would assume. So that factors into that's in his favor. And he had a tough matchup last week. You know, he still started to, he looked good clearly before he got concussed. So

it's just depending, again, who you have to compare him to. But don't love the matchup, but the workload's going to be fine. Alright, if Antonio Gibson and Michael Carter play, who's ranked higher? Gibson by a lot. Same. Damian Harris was limited in practice. If you have denver kicker brandon

mcmanus on your team he's on the coveted list they play saturday so do something about that both starting offensive tackles for the lions remain on the coveted list they'll probably see a lot of backups though against the green bay packers and they could come off they were on the coveted list i think monday uh tyron smith, he's on the COVID list. He's probably not going to play on Saturday. Kyle Pitts said he will play, and I believe he has the most yards. Yes, he does. He has the most yards of any tight end

tied with Dallas Goddard against the New Orleans Saints, who have been very good against tight ends. Robbie Anderson mispracticed, could free up some targets for DJ Moore at Tampa Bay. We'll go to Seattle at Arizona. We start with our 2022 question of the game. DK Metcalf or DeAndre Hopkins.

Metcalf. I think I'll say quarterback. Same quarterback. Sure. Right. We don't, we don't know who Metcalf's quarterback is going to be, but,

or what that offense will be like, who knows how big this blow up is going to be. Or what that offense will be. Who knows how big this blow-up is going to be in Seattle this offseason. And I feel like Hopkins has fallen into touchdown-dependent receiver territory. So you're both going Metcalf? Yeah. I was actually surprised when Heath sent me his top 12 tight ends.

He still has Hopkins as a top 12 guy. He also has Metcalf higher. But I was very surprised to see that. I will not draft DeAndre Hopkins as a, probably even a top 15 tight end. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah. You know, I don't know.

Is he just destined to be this low target guy? Because he actually, let's see, he averaged 8.9 yards per target. That's terrific. I mean, that's his third best mark ever. Yeah, I don't know. All right. Well, it was obviously a weird year for him.

Let's see what the rest of the receiving core looks like. I believe Christian Kirk's a free agent. I believe that's right. He could move on. A.J. Green, I think, is on a one-year deal, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. So he can move on. Yeah, Christian Kirk's, is on a one-year deal, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. So he can move on. Yeah, Christian Kirk's a free agent. Is he restricted? No, he's unrestricted.

No, I think he's free to go. And Green, he might sign a two-year deal. Right. So that leaves them with Hopkins, Rondell Moore, and... No, he's a free agent, too. So if they move on from both of those guys, from Kirk and Green,

then Hopkins is probably in a better spot, but depending on what else they do. Okay, let's talk about this game. Week 11 they played, and the Cardinals with Colt McCoy throwing for 328 yards. Zach Ertz was a superstar. 23-13, Zach Ertz was a superstar. I think 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Tyler Lockett had 115 yards and only five targets and this was one of the bad DK Metcalf games and bad Russell Wilson games. 207 yards, eight fantasy points

for Wilson, 31 yards for Metcalf. Here's your stat of the game. In the last five games, opponents are averaging, opponents in running backs are averaging 3.75 yards per carry with only one rushing touchdown

against the Arizona Cardinals. So they've been really good against the run and that's David Montgomery. That's the Rams guys. Actually, Craig Reynolds had the best game of all the running backs. They did a really good job on Jonathan Taylor and then they crushed the Cowboys running backs

last week who only had 12 carries. So Penny, if you look at him, I mean, what he's done is amazing. 135 or more yards in three of his last four games, but tremendous matchups. And then he had Houston, Chicago, Detroit. He had one bad matchup and he had 39 rushing yards and two catches at the Rams. So I think this will be a bit of a litmus test for Rashad Penny. Although I will point out that Cardinals good run defense lately, not so much for the full year, but is if, if Connor,

well, actually let's do it in all scenarios. Is Rashad Penny the best running back in this game? Not if there is one Cardinals guy. Okay. Cause the Seahawks have a, have a great run defense, a terrible in the passing game. But no Bobby Wagner though. Yeah. No Bobby. That's a great run defensive, terrible in the passing game.

But no Bobby Wagner, though. That's a great point. And also, you know they're going to catch a lot of passes. Okay, so fair enough. If both Cardinals running backs play, though, is Penny one? Yes. And Dave, do we like Penny this week? Do we love him? Are we nervous?

I think you've got to start him. At least 15 touches, three of his past four games. I think the Seahawks are going to lean on him and certainly let him shoulder the workload. Arizona's been a little bit giving to running backs in terms of fantasy points, touchdown, or 100 yards total to a running back in six of nine games. It's not the best stat, but I think he's got a shot

to get you double-digit fantasy points. Will it be a 20-point blow-up? That worries me a little bit, but the potential is there for him because he gets the opportunities. Start or sit Russell Wilson, Jamie? Start, given the scenario of what quarterbacks are this week and what probably, in his mind, could be his last game as a member of the Seahawks. So he has got nothing to lose.

Each of the last four quarterbacks to take on Arizona has put up at least 21 fantasy points. Including Jerry Koff. Wilson's been 20 or more in each of the last five games he's played with Tyler Lockett, I believe, right? Lockett missed the Rams game. Yeah. Even though Lockett hasn't done anything the last two weeks.

Which brings us to the Seattle wide receivers. Who do you like better, and are they both starts this week? They are both starts. I like Lockett there. Well put. I agree. All right, Lockett. Look at these.

Look at how Tyler Lockett he's been. He's got 30 yards and 24 yards in his last two games. He did catch a touchdown last week, but Metcalf, it's now in eight straight games with 63 or fewer yards. So DK Metcalf, it's now eight straight games with 63 or fewer yards. So, DK Metcalf or Devante Adams? Metcalf. Metcalf. We don't know how long Adams is going to play.

Yeah. All right, DK Metcalf. I'm going to think of it this way with any of the Packers guys. Half of him, whoever it may be, versus full game of somebody else. I would honestly say that that's usually going to favor the way it's been lately, Adams over Metcalf. Probably so, but that I think is taking the optimistic side of what the Packers can be.

Because it could be a quarter, it could be a drive. How about Gerald Everett? Cardinals give up the third fewest fantasy points. Start or sit to tight ends. Start or sit Everett? Sit for me. You're hoping that he scores a touchdown and maybe sees a slight uptick in targets. If he has a good game,

then I worry what that means for Rashad Penny. I've got him as a top 12 tight end, but he's 10th. I don't think he's seen an uptick in targets at all this season based on where he's been the last few weeks. So I wouldn't expect that. He could score, but I think they've only given up two touchdowns to tight ends on the season. So not something I would bank on. All right.

Well, I would start Austin Hooper over him. I would start Tyler Higby over him. I would start Jared Cook over him. A lot of better options out there than Jared Everett. Can you name the two tight ends who have scored on them on the cardinals uh george kittle yes was one and then it was a backup tight end named uh ian from no it was jimmy graham right jimmy graham yeah oh so wrong backup tight end sorry yeah so how many big time tight ends have they faced this year?

And I'm not saying that Everett's a big-time tight end. Oh, well, I'll tell you. I mean, have they just taken on a bunch of scrubs? Yes. Okay. Including Everett, who they sat down. Dalton Schultz last week was the second-best tight end they faced, and he had six catches for 54 yards on 10 targets.

Everett had three for 37 on four targets in week 11. But they have had a very easy tight end schedule, no doubt. Tyler Higbee, four for 36. What about the other Higbee game? Did he make it? Oh, he didn't play. Yeah. All right.

That's right. He didn't have Kittle in that one game. Okay. Good stuff. Kyler Murray, the Seahawks, allow the fifth fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Five straight quarterbacks have scored 18 to 19 fantasy points. That would be Garoppolo, Mills, Stafford, Foles, and...

Hold on. Wait, am I wrong about that? And Tim Boyle. But I don't want you to ruin my trivia question. Oh, okay. Can you name the last quarterback to put up 20 or more fantasy points against them? It wasn't Aaron. Colt McCoy.

Colt McCoy. Nice pull. Well done, sir. Thank you. Anyway, how do you feel about Kyler? If Colt McCoy can get to 20 fantasy points, I think Kyler can too. And it's just a gotta-have-it game for Arizona. I'm encouraged think Kyler can too. And it's just a gotta have a game for Arizona. I'm encouraged

by Kyler. He's got so much upside, particularly in a week where there are so many quarterbacks that you just don't know how long they're going to play. He's a must. So the running backs are tough because if one of them is out and at this point it looks like that would be Edmonds, then it's an easy call.

You got a must start. But you've got one of the best run defense. Now, no Wagner is a big deal. You do have a good run defense, though, and they're terrible in the passing game. And I don't even know who that would be because I think Connor had more targets than Edmonds the last time they both played together.

I think that was Edmonds' first game back, though. But, yeah, I don't know. Jamie, break it down for me if both running backs play. I think both are startable based on the situation. I like Conner better in non- or half PPR. I like Edmonds better in full PPR. This team is the worst

against pass-catching running backs in terms of receptions and yards allowed to the position. They've allowed 116 catches and over 1,000 yards receiving to running backs. So Edmonds should have an opportunity for a big game if, in fact, he stays in that current role.

I also think it's important if Rondell Moore is out because I think that's kind of benefited Edmonds in his current role without Conner there as well. But I think Conner would come back and take the short yardage opportunities. I think he'd be the guy running between the tackles, probably on first and second down, at least the majority of the time.

And so without Wagner in there, he has the most touchdown potential. So I think you just kind of approach it depending on the format that you're playing in. But give me Edmonds in PPR, give me Conner in the rest. If they both play, would you start Samaj P. Ryan or a Cardinals running back? I would start a Cardinals running back because I'm not sure how much Samajay Pirine is going to play. I would go in PPR, Edmonds, Pirine, Connor. In non-PPR, I'd go Connor, Pirine, Edmonds. Okay.

And just for the record, Seattle in their eight games since the bye, nine total touchdowns to running backs in those eight games, eight running backs with at least ten non-PPR fantasy points. They've seen a ton of high-vol to running backs in those eight games, eight running backs with at least 10 non PPR fantasy points. They've seen a ton of high volume running backs. That's been a big helper for those players. So I think, I think we're nailing it with these running backs. If they're both in there,

they're going to cannibalize each other to a degree. If there's only one of them, you'll love starting them. And I really love the idea of Edmonds or Connor. If the other one doesn't play. and if Rondell Moore's out. How about the wide receivers, Dave? Is it just Christian Kirk? How much do you like him?

I think it's just Kirk. And I think I might have him ranked as a top 24 receiver in PPR. But I really feel best if he's used as a flex. I know that A.J. Green's had a bunch of 10-point PPR games lately. Maybe if you're desperate, you go in that direction. I do think Antoine Wesley is interesting for daily and if you're desperate at wide receiver. Maybe even desperate enough to say, not desperate,

maybe good enough to say that he's a flex because of all the end zone opportunities that he's had with DeAndre Hopkins on the shelf. He's auditioning to try and take one of those spots from Kirk or AJ Green next year. And he's looked OK. Yeah, Kirk's top ten receiver for me in PPR. You can't get away from what the volume has been. Three straight games of at least nine targets, three straight games of at least six catches.

He's a touchdown away from being a top ten guy. He had one touchdown over that being a top 10 guy. He had one touchdown over that span. It was against Detroit. So I think it's easy to start him and trust him this week. At least 11 PPR points in each of those games. Seattle in their last 10 games, three wide receivers to 80 plus yards, five touchdowns to wide receivers.

I would not lose sight of the fact that Seattle's past defense has been okay. Yeah, it's four touchdowns to wide receivers in 11 games now, the last 11 games, and that would be two to Cup, one to St. Brown, and one to Jamal Agnew, of course. They're an interesting team. This is kind of an interesting game for two teams that have such different records. It's opened at Arizona minus five. It's up to six and a half now. I don't know.

I think the Seahawks can certainly keep it close. Yeah, I don't know. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this game. I'm also looking forward. Oh, Zach Ertz. Zach Ertz is a must start. Jamie has him ranked ahead of George Kittle. Yep.

Dave doesn't, but still, he's a must start guy. He's getting, let's see, nine to 13 targets in three straight games, six to eight catches in three straight games, all without Hopkins. Okay. The only thing better than Zach, the only thing Zach Ertz needs, because he knows how to play football.

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by using the promo code FFT at Indochino.com. That is $50 off a purchase of $3.99 or more at I-N-D-O-C-H-I-N-O.com. Promo code FFT. On to our second game on the slate, the other NFC West game, the Rams hosting the 49ers. 2022 question of the game, Cam Akers or Debo Samuel? I feel like it's too soon to answer these.

So for now, I'll say Debo. But if Cam makes it through the offseason improving and gets his explosiveness back, which you don't always see from players that tear their Achilles. I think it will be a pretty easy pivot to go to Akers over Samuel. So I believe both of you guys have Cam in your top 24. Cam Akers is top 24 from what you sent me. So you have Akers over Debo right now.

I would probably do that as well just based on the hope that he's the guy now Sonny Michel most likely is gone he is a free agent so I doubt they're going to invest heavily in him because he's probably going to earn himself a decent contract for the position I hope he's

if he's right he's got top 20 upside by far so I'll take my chances with what Cam Akers could be. I worry a little bit about the offense passing-wise with Trey Lance because it could be a little bit of a downgrade for Debo Samuel as a pass catcher. Absolutely. So let's get into that offense for this week. And starters hit Trey Lance, and we'll go Trey Lance or Russell Wilson.

It's sounding like it's going to be Jimmy Garoppolo. Really? The more you see the practice reports, unless they're just ramping him up if they make the playoffs. But by all accounts, he's throwing the ball fine. And so if he's close to full strength, they're going to play him, I would assume. I would start Russ over any 49ers quarterback. I would as well, yeah.

I don't have any faith in Trey Lance in this game because I think he's going to struggle against his defense on the road. But Garoppolo makes it a little bit more enticing for the pass catchers. And how do you feel about the running backs in this game going up against very good run defenses? Well, I mean, the last time these two teams met, I think the Rams were a little shell-shocked because remember it was they lost Robert Woods on Friday

to a torn ACL. They just brought in Odell Beckham, so their offense was all kind of out of sorts. And San Francisco just had the ball all game, it felt like. And so Mitchell had, I think it was like 21 carries for 97 yards. Didn't score, but just grinding out yards. And I think he's a safe number two running back. I think Michelle's volume makes him a safe borderline number one,

number two running back. 49ers deal with a lot of COVID situations right now. So we'll see what happens. Their secondary is a mess. They're missing four guys, and that's not including Mosley. So it could be a game where, I mean, Cooper Cup is 11 catches, and I think it's 100 and something yards away from two significant records. One is Michael Thomas' catch record. The other is Calvin Johnson's yards record.

It would be pretty remarkable if he got to both or at least one. But my guess is they're going to throw it and give him every opportunity to do so in the course of the game because he's going to see so many targets anyway. So does that leave enough for Michel to still have the volume that he's been getting if Stafford's throwing all over the place? Would you guys start Rashad Penny

over the running backs in this game? No, I have Mitchell ahead of Penny. I have both ahead of Penny. Okay. So, you know, they're interesting. They have tough matchups that they get so much volume. Their passing game role is kind of maybe in the two-catch range, something like that, most weeks.

But it's hard to get away from Mitchell and Penny. And you just look at Michel last week in that tough matchup, and he came through with 19 carries, 74 yards, and a touchdown, three catches for 25 yards. All right, so if Garoppolo is going to play, no matter what, I think everyone's going to start Debo Samuel, even if you're worried about the touches and you're worried about the roll, he just keeps coming through.

But what does that mean for Brandon Ayuk if Garoppolo plays? I assume that Ayuk is a sit. He did have 94 yards last week, but he only had six targets. What does it mean for Ayuk if Garoppolo plays, Dave? I think it's an upgrade if Garoppolo plays, Dave? I think it's an upgrade if Garoppolo plays, provided that Garoppolo... Look, they're not going to put Garoppolo out there if he's going to be terrible

throwing the football. I like the idea of IUK having a couple of explosive plays. I'm not sure if I have him ranked as a top 24 receiver. I would call him a high-end flex. I don't like the fact that he doesn't get a ton of targets from game to game.

I think the Rams matchup is difficult for him. I think it's only eight receivers that have scored on L.A. all year long. Yes. So you're hoping for 80, 90 yards, three or four catches, hopefully a touchdown on top of that. He bucks the odds there. He's got a better chance to do that with Garoppolo than he does with Trey Lance.

He has scored in one of two meetings with the Rams in his career. So take that into account. So with a touchdown in PPR, he's only averaging seven PPR points against them in two games. That's right. That's wild, man.

All right, so that's Ayuk. Then how about Kittle? He has two straight games with fewer than 30 yards and two to three targets. One with Garoppolo, who was playing hurt, and gave an end zone target, for that matter, and one with Trey Lance. Is he an automatic start?

I mean, again, it's like Waller. If you have Kittle on your team, you're not benching him. If you made it to your championship game with George K kittle you know kudos to you for surviving the last two weeks but um i'm not going to pick up austin hooper because david the joke was out i'm not going to play um gerald everett who's got a tough matchup i'm not going to play tyler higby who's you know got a safe floor but not a very high ceiling so i'm sticking with george kittle so it's just a matter you, when you see these rank lists, that's not saying start or set.

You know, that's still start these guys. So if you have Zach Ertz, then yes, you could have a tough choice to make. You have Dalton Schultz, you have a tough choice to make. But for that small percentage of fantasy managers, they're most likely sticking with Kittle anyway. Dave, are you sticking with Matthew Stafford after three kind of lousy games in a row and the interceptions have been way up? He's actually thrown six picks in his last three games. The Niners have seven interceptions all season and the aforementioned secondary situation, you know, the COVID, the injuries that Jamie mentioned. Are you starting Matthew Stafford? I believe that there's a chance Emmanuel Mosley does come back. He's been their best corner all year.

More importantly, their pass rush is still pretty good. I really was disappointed in what I saw from Stafford last week. I thought he was just getting over an outlier game the week before, but the interceptions, especially against Baltimore, really surprised me. I still think he's got great potential. And even if Mosley's back, that's one guy. There's still going to be another half of the field that they can go ahead and attack. And I think the middle of the field

could be really wide open for them. That's helped Cup in the past. That's where Higby can make an impact. I definitely think that Matthew Stafford can come through with another big game. I've got him seventh among quarterbacks. As does Jamie, and Heath has him fourth, which just brings us to Odell Beckham

and, well, I guess the passing game other than Cooper Cup. So, Jamie Beckham, a touchdown in five of six games, but fewer than 40 yards in four of six games and three straight. The Niners do have the secondary concern, so that should help. So, Beckham, Jefferson, Higby, who's a go?

Who's a start? Beckham is still a must start guy. It's hard to get away from the touchdowns and he's, he's played very well, you know, and, and what we've seen, I said this last week, if they can't run, you know, so not in terms of trying to run, because we've seen this, but the two times that they've tried to run and had some failures since Beckham has been on the team, that's when his yardage has been at its best. It's like the Jacksonville game, for example, when he had his biggest,

I think it was like 71 yards. So he's not going to have like 100 in touchdowns, but I think he's got such obvious touchdown potential based on what you've seen. The secondary concerns are obvious. The one thing about it, though, is the guys are probably going to clear the COVID protocol as long as they're healthy, based on the new rules. So they were placed on the COVID list,

I believe it was Monday or Tuesday, so they should have enough time to be cleared. That should help San Francisco. But I think you just look again at what this game should be, and it has the potential to be a track meet. Beckham is clearly the number two receiver. He's past Van Jefferson, who was reportedly either hurt or benched. I don't know what the final verdict was, but McVay never said he was hurt

and not on the injury report this week. So he might have been pulled for a series or two based on some drops last week. So I think Beckham is safe. Higby, very safe floor. I believe it's like three straight games with at least nine PPR points. Scored against San Francisco the first time.

It's not an easy matchup, but he's coming off a game with 12 PPR points, which was a nice performance for him. And I think he's still kind of just riding with the momentum of where he's at right now. Okay, Rams DST is a low-end starter, and that brings us to New Orleans at Atlanta. New Orleans at Atlanta, 2022 question of the game.

Is Calvin Ridley a top 12 wide receiver? Yeah, but I don't know why you're asking that about this game. It's a 2022 question that he asked before everything. wide receiver. Yeah, but I don't know why you're asking that about this game. It's a 2022 question that he asked before I read. No, I don't know if Calvin Ridley's staying in Atlanta. Oh. I think there's a chance. Why?

I think there's a chance that they part ways. There's been a report on it, and I think there's an opportunity there where he might move on from the Falcons. Well, he's under contract, isn't he? He is, but maybe they make a trade. Interesting. All right. Well, I can still ask the question i mean you know of course you can uh well one of the problems for calvin ridley is that matt ryan has been horrible in his last eight games he has four touchdown passes and his 16 game pace in his last eight games is 3,190 yards, eight touchdowns, 10 interceptions,

and he's averaging just 28.3 pass attempts per game. So that's a problem, too. So he's obviously a sit, but, you know, OK, just to sum this game up, Ryan is a sit. We do not trust, correct me if I'm wrong, we do not trust the Falcons running backs in this game. I don't trust any Falcons player in this game. Well, yeah, so Gage and Pitts, because Heath is very high on Gage as of right now. He has him 13th in PPR. You guys are nowhere near that,

outside the top 30, basically 35th or lower. And then there's Pitts, who is on kind of a roll. This is going right now, 61 or more yards in four straight games. So Jamie, you don't trust any Falcons? No. I mean, look, the running backs are obviously a mess.

Mike Davis is better than Patterson last week. You wonder if Patterson's just run out of steam, never had this type of workload, obviously, so most career touches for him. Plus, I don't know who brought it up, but maybe I think it was Chris Towers earlier this week, that maybe we just kind of overlooked that high ankle sprain that he's been playing through and, you know,

kind of discounted that he's, you know, just gutting it out and still trying to, you know, be there for his team. But the, the running backs, you can't trust, especially against his defense. Then you have pits at clearly not a hundred percent, you know, still limited practice. He says he's going to play great for him. And obviously it's like Kittle and Waller. If you have him, you're probably still starting him, but soft tissue injury, hamstring problem. You know, how quickly is he, uh, re injure that? And then he's

out of the game. Plus it's a tough matchup. And then you have a gauge who, you know, I think maybe we got a little enamored by the performances a few weeks ago, but the broader picture of who he has been for his career has obviously been a little underwhelming. And so now you're taking on a defense that has been really good against wide receivers for the most part the last five weeks. The one guy that has beat them, which could help Gage if he's playing more inside with Pitts

there, was Jalen Waddell. But outside of that, I mean, you think about it. They did a great job against Godwin. They did a great job against Devontae Parker. Well, they tore Godwin's ACL. That was that game? Yeah. Both Evans and Godwin got hurt in that game. Oh, maybe I was thinking of something else.

No, but you're right. In their last seven games, only three wide receivers have more than 61 yards against the Saints. Really, they've done a great job against Cooper Cup. Well, DJ Moore last week, too. Why did I say Cooper Cup? DJ Moore is what I meant. I don't know why I said that.

They did a great job against DJ Moore. They did a good job against Amari Cooper, but he came back, he was limited, he barely played. So, yeah. And the thing with Gage, his last two games have been terrible because Matt Ryan has thrown 23 to 24 passes

in his last two games. Gage actually has probablyyan has thrown 23 to 24 passes in his last two games gage actually has about a probably about a 22 percent target share in those games yes but still what i mean what's the best case scenario is is probably still probably in the 60 to 70 yard range right you don't expect yeah you're not going to be thrilled with it no you're hoping for seven for 60 right all right That makes him a flex, and I put him toward the low end of my PPR flex range. David, I think you're a little more optimistic. I don't know.

A little more optimistic on Pitts, but is it just basically what Jamie said? I moved him down a notch just now because he's not playing at 100%. The more I think of the matchup and just the state of the Falcons right now, I'm not excited. He's still a start.

He's still a top-ten tight end. Give me Earth. Give me the studs. Give me Waller. Taysom Hill. Like him. Love him. Got to have him.

Love him. I like him. I like him this week because I think the Falcons are going to be a mess on the defensive side of the ball. They've been pretty bad against the run lately. Hill will do plenty of that. I think this is a are going to be a mess on the defensive side of the ball. They've been pretty bad against the run lately. Hill will do plenty of that. I think this is a huge game for Kamara. I think he ends the season on a very high note,

and I think Taysom Hill can run for a score and throw for another. He's been passing better over the last few weeks. Falcons allow a high completion percentage rate against opposing quarterbacks, and he shouldn't be pressured too much. He should be able to put one more nice game on tape to try and establish himself as the leader in the clubhouse to start for the Saints in 22.

This is the team he knows best. He started against them twice last year. He had 50 fantasy points in the two games combined, 23 and 27 points. Two solid games for him throwing the ball, 232 and 233 in those two games. Had a 232 and 2 game at Atlanta with 14 carries for 83 yards so matchup that he's somewhat familiar with obviously different coaching staff but still

I think you'll like what you get from Taysom Hill this week I don't know if the defense is necessarily better than what it was last year either can't look at the Falcons and say that they're a better defense than they were last year and they've struggled against mobile quarterbacks too. Josh Allen just had 81 yards

and two touchdowns. Hurts had 62 yards. Yeah, so Camaro's an obvious start. Marquez, Callaway, or Russell Gage? Callaway for me. He's been great. Two of the last three games. Two games all year, basically. Well, the last two games with Tase Mill. The one that I seen with me in book against the Dolphins. That was one of the last three games. Two games all year, basically. Well, the last two games with Tase Mill. The one with Ian Book against the Dolphins.

Yeah. That was one of the only reliable things that came out of Ian Book was that I think Callaway had four catches in there. I don't know how many passes Ian Book completed. That's true. But he's been playing better. And it's just a shame that it happened this late in the season because this was obviously somebody that we liked coming into the year

based on the preseason and Michael Thomas' injury. I hope this is the springboard going into next season, depending on who the quarterback is. But think about where we were with Taysom Hill last year, when he was just leaning on Michael Thomas so much. He's now turning his attention to Marcus Callaway in the same vein. So I think it's nice to see Callaway in this scenario. And again, depending on what happens to Michael Thomas,

should be encouraging for next year. And with that said, we're going to take a break. You can start the Saints DST as well. When we come back, we'll talk about the Panthers and the Bucs. And then we've got a lot of games with a lot of players who might either sit or just be bad. So that's how we'll finish out the 2021 season. We'll be right back with Carolina at Tampa Bay.

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He has that passing downs role. Brady is so good for running backs. I didn't put him in my top 24, but that's because I don't know where he's going to be. But if I'm just assuming that he's back, then he certainly earned it. He certainly played like it.

Played like a first-round pick. How old is he going to be? I'm going to look that up. He will be 26. Is that right? Wow. That can't be right. He was a McCaffrey-er.

So after Henry. Henry's 28th yeah it makes sense um no that's a good point adam i i think you know you always got to fear when these guys get paid because that's typically when the breakdown happens um yeah he might be it would be interesting he'll definitely go in the third round he's not going to escape the third round right so i agree thinking about him as a second-round pick just makes me a little bit nervous. But we are going to see in 2022 prep

that there aren't a lot of running backs that you can look at and say, that's a guy that's going to get 15 carries and three or four catches a game and work the goal line. Okay, let's talk about this game here. Can't wait for it. Not going to start Sam Darnold. Not going to do it.

And Chuba Hubbard did have 17 carries and a touchdown and three catches. I think, you know, Darnold's probably good for Hubbard. He's not going to steal the goal line touchdowns. He's good for Abdullah too. Is he? I mean, he had four catches in that game. All right, great. Yeah, it was against the Saints.

So, whatever. I can see by your rankings you don't want to start a Panthers game. Well, the thing that helped the Panthers last week was that the Saints kept them in the game. And so that allowed Hubbard to still get a lot of work on the ground.

If they get away from... If the Bucs get away from the Panthers, then I think we'll see more of Abdullah. So I don't mind Abdullah if you're desperate for a flex and PPR.

You've got to be desperate to use either one of them, though. Okay. What about DJ Moore? Start or sit? I would try and PPR. You got to be desperate to use either one of them though. Okay. What about DJ more start or sit? I would try and sit him. Start in a receiver league, sit in a two receiver league. I mean,

it depends on who else you have in a three receiver league, but yeah, he's getting targets from Donald. Donald was off target last week. He was terrible, especially on their last drive. And it's, I don't know how tough of a matchup it is,

but we've seen the Bucs do a pretty nice job again against wide receivers over the last several weeks. We know he doesn't score. He hasn't scored a touchdown since September. I think he has three games this year with 90-plus yards. Maybe he gets you to 15 PPR points. The Bucs have been such a weird matchup because they were really good probably midseason,

overall eighth best against receivers. But we have seen Russell Gage had 112 or more yards. Russell Gage and Callaway both went over 100 yards. Three Buffalo receivers had good games. Braxton Berrios had a good game last week. So it's been very inconsistent. But, you know, Moore was so bad last week against the Saints with three catches for 29

yards. It's just Darnold, you know. He's been bad with Darnold for, I think, like six straight games with Darnold. And that is the only Panther you are considering. So, Tom Brady, you guys have in your top three. You know, I wonder about that. The Panthers are not a bad defense, although they're not going to have

Gilmore, most likely. And he's got only one reliable receiver that hasn't typically been a good thing based on a little bit of last year and week 16 this year. He scored 16 points against the Panthers with no Evans and no Godwin. Now it's no

Godwin and no Brown. That's an aggressive ranking, I thought, for Tom Brady, Jamie. But I guess you're good to go with him. I don't think the run game is going to carry them this week without Ronald Jones, without Leonard Fournette, leaning on Keyshawn Vaughn and Le'Veon Bell and maybe Giovanni Bernard. I think this is also a Bruce and Brady game where it's like, middle fingers to the sky, Screw you, Antonio Brown.

We're down Chris Godwin. We could still have success against anybody going into the playoffs. Fear us still because we have the greatest quarterback and greatest player of all time still. And I'm still no risk it, no biscuit. So Cyril Grayson comes into play. I would not be surprised if there's a Brashad Perryman or Scotty Miller play that's significant. Tyler Johnson's worth a look in deeper PPR leagues. But obviously Gronk and Evans are touchdown potential,

multiple touchdown potential. He is four touchdowns away from 44 to match his age. Brady is. He is, I forget how many yards away, but within striking distance of 5,000. You know, second time in his career, obviously 17 games. But I think he's going to get to both of those potentially. Touchdown's a little bit harder.

But it's going to be a big game for Tom Brady. I'm going to look and see how close he is to getting to 5,000 because I bet that's something that would be of definite interest to him. If I'm looking at this correctly, he's 10 yards away. Yeah, I thought he was. I think he's going to get there. So, you know, what's his career high? 52-35?

Oh, there we go. Well, I certainly could be out there to get 245 yards to match his career high. Here's what I see. They've got to figure out what they've got at wide receiver a week before they play a playoff game. That's true. So this could be an opportunity for, I would rank them Grayson, Tyler Johnson,

Rashad Perryman, see what they have in those guys. Grayson, 80 plus yards in each of his last two, I believe. Exactly. Including the game against Panthers. And one of them,

he only had like three catches. And that's the other thing is that they played the Panthers two weeks ago. Brady did not have a great game. And so I wonder if they are motivated to try and go back to the drawing board against the defense. That's probably not going to be very changed from that game. Yeah, but why didn't he have a great game? That was the first game without Godwin, the first game without Evans, and they gave Ronald Jones 20 carries. They had a running back that they could align with.

I'm acting by—that's a good argument. I just—I don't know that he's Brady. The wide receivers have a lot to do with it. I love Tom Brady. He's amazing. He has bad... I don't know about bad weapons. He's capable of having a bad game. He doesn't have

bad weapons, but he doesn't have great weapons right now. Again, he didn't have Evans in that game. He did have Antonio Brown. He did have Antonio Brown. Yeah. He did have Antonio Brown. And that was Brown's first game back, right? That was Brown's first game. But Brown was great. I mean, Brown had 10 targets, 7 catches.

He was fine. No, he had... Didn't he have 15 targets and 10 catches? I'm sorry, 15 targets. You're right. But he had half of Brady's targets that game. I think this is, again, they don't have the fallback option

of leaning on somebody to run the ball. Now, the flip side of that is, they may also look at it and say, we don't know if we're going to have Fournette next week. We don't know if we're going to have Jones next week. We better figure out who we have in our backfield, because at least they know they have Evans and they have Gronk, so you can go about it that way and think they're trying to establish their running game.

If they go in that direction too much, they might find themselves trailing or in a closer-than-they-want-to-have game in the fourth quarter. I agree with you, James. I think that they just have a huge output offensively. I think Brady takes control. And look, they could be up two scores

by a defensive touchdown, however they get ahead ahead and pull these guys because yeah they play next week that's right that's another factor now what about i just look at i mean you know again we're looking at the quarterback landscape here um you know so heath has stafford for i don't know if he has stafford over brady but um stafford's been bad kyler's been inconsistent um i moved tason hill up a couple spots, but you're trusting Taysom Hill or Tom Brady and you're in your fantasy championship. That's kind of where we're at right now.

Okay, so last question. We've got to talk about Keyshawn Vaughn and Le'Veon Bell. Where'd you rank the highest guy? Whoever it is, where's he ranked? Vaughn is the highest for me. He's 23 in PPR, 24 in non-PPR. It'd be the same in half. And Bell's not far behind.

Bell's still a top 30 guy. All right, let's go to Dallas at Philadelphia. 2022 question of the game. Miles Sanders or Ezekiel Elliott? Sanders. It's by default. Okay. Then 2021 question of the game.

You know what's funny is I was looking at busts for this year. Zeke was drafted as the fifth running back off the board, and he's currently sixth. He was so good before the knee injury. And that's why— You consider him a bust because he feels like a bust. Yeah. But it's been a tale of two halves.

But he didn't feel like one earlier this year. But if he finishes where he was drafted, how is he a bust? Yeah, it's a good point. It's a good point. So who's a start in this game? Dak's a start. The top two receivers are a start. Schultz is a start.

Zeke is a start by default. I'm just not sure how much they're going to play. That's the one thing that keeps me from ranking them highly is that do they just get off to a fast start? The offense puts up a couple of touchdowns, and then they say, okay, let's pull back. We've got a game next week. Eagles, I think they haven't said as much,

but I think they're not going to play their starters very much, if at all. Usually when that happens, the first team offense will go out there for the Cowboys. They'll do their thing, and then you'll see a lot of Cooper Rush. Yeah, I'm worried about Zeke, too. I mean, what's the incentive of playing him a lot? Agreed.

The same thing they've been saying all season long. We've got to get him right. Okay, and then yeah, I mean, you guys basically the same thing they've been saying all season long. We got to get them right. Okay. And then, yeah, I mean, you guys basically have the Cowboys ranked as if they're playing, and they've said they are. So this will take them at their word. This is why we don't play in the weekend.

They'll probably be doing some scoreboard watching to see what's happening with the – No, they're playing Saturday. Oh, they play Saturday. Never mind. So they won't be doing scoreboard watching. They'll be playing – They'll see Chiefs 55, Broncos 3.

That's the only score that they're really going to see. Now, they might be like Twitter watching to see what else is going on on the other teams, but I would be surprised if we saw Dak and company, the starters, play three quarters. What about Kenneth Gainwell? I think he's a Minshew and Gainwell and whatnot. I mean, look, Gainwell has a big opportunity,

especially if they are going to start pulling guys. There's no Michael Parsons already, so at least one key defender is off the field for Dallas. So I don't mind Gainwell as the number two running back. I think he's the best running back in the game. Ooh, all right. Okay. I get nervous about trusting him just because we don't know if he's the

only guy for Philadelphia. Like it makes sense that he would be the first guy up for them, but do they have somebody else on the bench? They just roll out there to keep him healthy for the playoffs. And listen, if Boston Scott and Jordan Howard clear the COVID list and they play, send us an email, fantasyfootballatcbsi.com.

We'll update, or obviously check the updated rankings, but we'll update you on the game. But, you know, they have the Saturday game, less time to come off the COVID list, so right now that's why we're talking about the game. They could be off today, based on the schedule. All right, let's go to Chicago at Minnesota. 2022 question of the game.

Kirk Cousins, the always reliable Kirk Cousins or Justin Fields? Well, Fields is on the COVID list. No, no, no. Next year. 2022. 2022. This is a serious question. You know, Cousins is pretty reliable year after year, you know, or Fields?

I feel like. What'd you say? I feel like. Oh, go ahead, Jamie. I'd like to see the coach for both these guys. Alright, well, you know. Who would you take? Who are you ranking right now? Fields. I'm taking Fields because

I bet I would need to draft him first, and I can wait till round 72 to get Cousins. This game... That's a good point, Dave. This game is... I'm sure people are going to start David Montgomery,

even though he is just running into brick walls, but you're going to start Montgomery. Darnell Mooney or KJ Osborne? Who do you like better? I think I like Mooney better. They're so... I've got to remember how it ranked. They're back-to-back.

Dalton seems to really have eyes for Mooney. I'll bank on that. It's not a bad matchup. It's a fast surface. I know this much. I'm playing both in DFS wherever I can. It's a great matchup. Vikings give up the most fantasy points to wide receivers.

And the Bears aren't far behind. And Osborne's been so good. He's had one bad game in his last five. It was the Bears game, but that was Monday night Kirk Cousins. So other than that, he's been 14 more PPR points in his last four. Before the last five, excuse me. So great opportunity for him also. Look at this.

Look at this comment here. Oh, Scott Fish is in the chat. I want to give you guys a heartfelt thank you for an awesome year of helping people. Us helping people? You guys are the best. You are the first. From Scott Fish? You are the first I check with when I have questions

and how my process evaluated a situation or a player. Thank you, Scott, who helps more people than any fan channel. That's awesome. You want to know how nice Scott is? So I don't have Venmo, but my wife does. And so I sent out, you know, collecting our fantasy dues for entry fees because I'm so bad at this.

And he sent my wife payment for our IDP league and he said, Jamie's the best. And she's like, why would he say that? I don't know why you lie to your wife. Also, it's 2022. What does Jamie not have? What is on the list of things that every adult should have that Jamie doesn't?

Venmo? You're three or four years late on Venmo here. It's time to get with the program. You'd be surprised how many people tell me that they don't. Venmo? You're three or four years late on Venmo here. It's time to get with the program. You'd be surprised how many people tell me that they don't use Venmo. You don't use Slack. I don't know why. You're the only person I have to Gchat. I do use Slack. I just don't like using Slack.

You've got to come around to these things. I didn't want to use Slack at first, but now it's a lot better. It's a good program. Program? I was just saying that because Jamie's old. I was just trying to relate to him. I just like avoiding people. Okay, I see that.

I don't know who Fantasy Football HQ is, but he says Adam Azer is the most handsome fantasy analyst in the world. Wow. If I could look like this. The world is 100% on our account. And you say that, yeah. Somebody hiding in the woods thinks you're handsome. He also says Scott Fish is the GOAT.

So we know he's legit. All right, Mooney and Osborne are starts. This game, you know, you could feel pretty comfortable about these teams playing. But I am, I guess, I don't know. It's just personal. I'm a little worried about Cook. Of course, I'm starting him. I want to know how you guys feel about him.

I'm avoiding him in DFS. Like I said, he hobbled off the field last week. I don't know really. He's not in the injury report, you've got to trust he's okay. Yeah, I guess. Right, alright. So then let's just go with that. Start Dalvin Cook and Jefferson and Cousins is Cousins. He's been bad against the Bears, though.

This is the one team that has the number. Really? Oh, yeah. Boy, they were so bad against the Bears a few weeks ago. 87 yards for Cousins. Wow, was that a bad night for him. And still had two touchdowns. Yeah, always.

Okay, so Cousins is top 10 for you guys. Cousins or Wilson? Cousins. Cousins, Wilson, I'm sure they're close. Cousins, so would you go Cousins over Dak? Yes. If you're concerned about Dak's playing time, then yes. But I over Dak? Yes. If you're concerned about Dak's playing time, then yes. But I think Dak's

better. Would you start a tight end in this game? Oh. I don't think Komet's bad. He had 6 for 71 in the first meeting. So PPR, he's at the tail end. I can start him over Everett, for example, in PPR. Cool. I wouldn't. I'd rather

have Everett because Everett scores touchdowns. I'd rather have Higby. I'm sure Jamie would agree with that. I just don't see a lot of upside. When they get near the goal line, they're looking for Jimmy Graham. They're not looking for... Yeah, I'm not starting him

in non-PPR or half PPR, but he's proven that he can get you north of 10 PPR points. Everett hasn't done that very often. Let's go to our next game. It is Detroit and Green Bay. What do we do here? For Detroit... north of 10 PPR points. Everett hasn't done that very often. Let's go to our next game. It is Detroit and Green Bay. What do we do here?

For Detroit, oh, sorry, 2022 question of the game. Is Amonra St. Brown a top 24 wide receiver? No, but he's close. Dave, it is your turn to answer. About St. Brown for next year? Yeah, top 24? I guess he's a top 24 receiver. I wonder if he's going to get double-digit targets every single game next year.

We sure about this? I do not think he's going to average double-digit targets, but he's been a number four wide receiver over the last five weeks. Do you think he gets even... Do you think he averages eight targets a game next year? No, I think he's going to be Hunter Renfro. Normal Hunter Renfro.

I would still qualify him as close to a top 24 wide receiver. Not someone who's going to be drafted. But if he would be closer to 24, then it would be to even 20. But like I said, I mean, they are raving about him. He might just be really good. Yeah, he will be. Okay. I don't know if he'll be the only guy there.

Let's see what they do this offseason. It's just a matter of like this receiving class is okay. It's very top-heavy. The free agent class stinks. You talking about the draft class? Yeah. I'm trying to remember Renfro in his rookie year. I know he had at least two huge games late in the year.

Oh, yeah. I don't think Renfro had a really great fantasy year until this year. Well, Renfro in the last two games... The end of his rookie season was great. The last two games of 2019, he had 107 yards and a touchdown and 102 yards and a touchdown.

That's nothing compared to St. Brown, but it did give him a little momentum that he did not carry over. Anyway, Green Bay at Detroit. St. Brown is an obvious start. DeAndre Swift, start or sit? Number two. And any interest in Jamal Williams?

Flexing on PPR. Yeah. Okay. And then for the Packers, are you starting anyone? I wouldn't be opposed to taking a flyer on Patrick Taylor and DFS. That's fair. And I think Rodgers and a half can still be a pretty good fantasy quarterback. Rodgers or Goff?

Rodgers over Goff. I don't think Goff's playing yet. Oh, yeah. There's a chance that Goff doesn't. Yeah, I thought he was sort of... They're hopeful that he plays, but I don't know if he's definitely going to be out there. Okay. Swift or Aaron Jones or A.J. Dillon? I have Swift higher. Swift. Okay. So try to Jones or A.J. Dillon? I have Swift higher. Swift.

Okay. So try to sit the Packers. Same Brown over Devontae Adams. How about Devontae Adams? You can believe that, but yeah. Devontae Adams or Amari Cooper? Cooper. I'd go Adams over Cooper.

All right. One vote for each. And who's the better DST in this game, Lions or Packers? Still Packers. I might take the Lions if the Packers are going to sit their guys for a portion of the game. I wouldn't trust either one. Washington at the Giants.

2022 question of the game. Saquon Barkley or Antonio Gibson? Gibson. I had it ranked that way, this way. I don't know why I would change it next year. Or this year, I'm sorry. That's a good call if you did that this year. What did I say?

Gibson. I have Barkley a spot ahead of Gibson for 2022. Gibson fourth in carries in the NFL. Was it fourth or fifth? I think it was fourth. I think it was fourth, I think you said. Amazing. It's pretty good.

Oh, boy. I mean, his YPC is yuck. Yuck per carry. All right. Yeah, that's a team you'd like to see a big quarterback upgrade. Yes. How many carries per game did Saquon average? Because he's had at least 15 now, I think, four straight, five straight games. I think it's four straight. How many carries per game did Saquon average? Because he's had at least 15 now, I think,

four straight, five straight games. I think it's four straight. How many carries per game? If you remove the Dallas game? I don't know. I have no idea. Yeah, 151, subtract two for 149, 149 divided by 11. It's not as high as I thought it would be. 13.5?

13, yeah. So who are we starting in this game? it would be. 13.5? 13, yeah. Who are we starting in this game? You know who we're starting in this game? We're starting Terry McLaurin. Oh, love it. I'm excited to talk about him. Dave, you know it.

Talk about his wonderful history against the New York Giants. I don't know anything about his history. Oh, really? I thought that's where you were going. I'll tell you. He was great earlier this year. 11 catches in week two. Jamie, come on.

Go to his page and hit the last five tab. That's right. Seven or more catches, 74 or more yards in every game he has played against the Giants. That's four games. Two 100-yard games. He destroys the Giants. I think it's, what, 14 PPR points or more in all four.

Yeah, but I fell into this trap with DJ Moore last week because he owned the Saints, and he was crap. McLaurin's been bad for seven straight weeks, basically. I think maybe six straight weeks. Yeah, but last week he was good. No, he was not good. Seven for 61. He was good for him.

For him, yes. He was good for the season, yeah. And part of that is, I mean, look who they faced, certainly the last three weeks. I mean, they who they faced, certainly the last three weeks. I mean, they faced either teams that hold the ball a lot or good defenses with good corners. I think just getting back to Heineke, hopefully 100%, and matchup good, I think he's worth it.

He's a top 15 receiver for me. Wow. Dave? He's a top 20 receiver for me. In the Dave? He's a top 20 receiver for me. In the last five weeks, the Giants have allowed six touchdowns to wide receivers, four wide outs with at least 75 yards against them, a couple of them on volume, a couple of them on the deep ball. McLaurin can beat them both ways.

You mentioned it, Jamie, last week. Eight targets, seven catches for McLaurin. That's a step in the right direction. I think he is this week's, oh, now you're going to play big guy, where people that have McLaurin in their fantasy. Oh, I don't think it's that guy. This is like an Allen Robinson week. That's what I was going to say.

That's a great question. Who is that guy? I don't think it's going to be Robinson because he's just been horrible. Who is the guy? I agree. I think it's McLaurin. I think he potentially is like a monster game. I think DFS fantasy managers.

McLaurin is arguably the biggest bust at wide receiver. And one of the biggest busts at running back is Barkley. And I could see him having that kind of game because I don't know who Washington's going to play. They talked about playing their younger guys. Their run defense is so good. It really is. But if they're using some backups,

Barkley's probably going to get a ton of carries. They're probably going to wildcat him again like they did last week when they decided we're not going to run the ball. It's been weird with him. They've given him at least 15 carries in four straight games, and he hasn't even played 60% of the snaps

in those games. I wonder why are they putting him out there? Why are they, you know, risking a further injury to a guy that's theoretically a part of their future? Well, be that as it may, I mean, you don't have him. You guys have him about 20th. And he's finished higher than 19th once in his last six games, seven games in PPR.

I like how they were celebrating his 100-yard game last week. Were they celebrating it? Yeah. Barkley said it was a load off his shoulders to finally get one. Oh, yeah. That was their Super Bowl. Yeah, look, a lot of former players called Joe Judge and said, hey, congratulations on Saquon Barkley's 100-yard game.

I wish our running back was doing that. They celebrated by running laps. Which of those guys, Adam, do you think it was that he was talking about? I don't know, but what did we decide? It was Kyler Fackrell or Dalvin Tomlinson? Or Wayne Gallman? Yeah, or Wayne Gallman. I don't know that he had more money.

I forgot who I sent you. So it was probably none of them. So Gibson is the best running back in this game? Yeah. Could be Patterson. I mean, if they sit Gibson, I would start Patterson over Barkley. I would too.

For now, though, it looks like Gibson's going to play. And Patterson's not a bad flex if you're stuck. Yeah. I mean, commanders have themselves some decent running backs. Starters sit John Bates. I'm not interested. Slightly below

Everett, but in that same range. Aaron Jones or Saquon Barkley? Barkley. I think Saquon will play more. DeAndre Swift or Saquon Barkley? Swift by a touch.

Swift and Pete. No, I'll take Barkley and Bo. All right. And Jake Fromm. Let's see if he can outdo himself. Last time he started, he threw for 25 yards. We are out of here. We'll get to 50.

I cannot wait for this stupid giant season to end. Oh, my gosh. You still want Joe Judge back? Yeah, I do. Well, not if you can get Mike Zimmer. I mean, that's a guy. I'm serious. That's a guy I would take.

I would take an established coach. You wouldn't take McDaniels, but you'll take Zimmer? Yeah. What if you get McDaniels and Zimmer? What if Zimmer comes to the D.C.? That'd be fine. You would love that. No, I don't want McDaniels. I'm so if Zimmer comes to the D.C.? That'd be fine. You would love that. I don't want McDaniels. I'm so sick of these Patriots failures. I'm sick of it.

McRable's been pretty good. Yes, he has been good. How many years did he spend as a coach in New England for Able? None. Is he really a Belichick disciple then? I'm tired of these. Is he a Romeo Cornell discipleick disciple then? No. I'm tired of these.

Is he a Romeo Cornell disciple? Patriots. Yeah. Yeah, I guess. Yeah, anyway. Okay. I think I've made my point on that. Yeah. I think Joe Judds talked himself out of the job after. Just to be clear, you'd rather have Joe Judds than Josh McDaniels. That's on record.

Sure. You know what, man? It doesn't matter. They need better players. There's no coach that can make them good. They need better players. I wonder if we're going to start getting to a point where Adam realizes he'd be a happier person if he wasn't a Giants fan.

I was there 10 years ago. I've had some amazing memories thanks to them. And, you know, I can't. It's an addiction, Dave. I can't. Yeah, but you've seen your team win two Super Bowls. Right. It's incredible.

I'd be, you know, I was thinking about this because the Hurricanes are kind of making some noise. They're getting a ton of good recruits now. They're going to probably get two more this weekend at the Army All-American Bowl. And they got a new coach. I could see them being really good. And I thought, I'm going to be a happier person. And then I thought, no, I'm not.

Because now I'm going to have super high expectations. And if they go, say, 10-2, I'm going to be so mad for those two games. You kind of accept losing. I don't care when the Giants lose now. You know, if they get good, then I'm going to be even more upset when they lose. So, no, sports is misery. And thank you for being here.

You should be happy. You ain't going to get Carlos Correa in shortstop. Oh, no, I would hate that. All right, everybody, thank you hate that. All right, everybody. Thank you for watching. Next year in the mixing finals. All I'm saying is expectations breed more misery

unless you win the championship. It's like you're going to be pissed. Yeah, I'm sure as a Yankees fan you really missed out on that. They make me very angry when they don't win every game. I get mad. All right.

We're out of here, folks. We'll see you on HQ at noon. The Yankees are rough for you. Giants won two Super Bowls. Yankees. All of our listeners in Cleveland are just crying for you, Adam. What was rough for me? The 80s, you said?

No, I was going to say the 80s were good for you because of Giants and Kings, but I forgot the Yankees were bad in the 80s. Also, I was born, I was six in 1980, so in 1990, so the 80s were nothing for me. We're out of here, folks. We'll talk to you on the Mailbag Show.

Take it easy.