Fantasy Football Today - Week 14 Start or Sit (12/10 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Episode Date: December 10, 2023

Our thoughts on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, Austin Ekeler, the Saints passing game, the Jaguars passing game, the Seahawks offense and a lot more as you get ready to set your lineups for Week 14.  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 Follow our FFT team on Twitter: @FFToday, @AdamAizer, @JameyEisenberg, @daverichard, @heathcummingssr, @ctowerscbs. You can listen to Fantasy Football Today in 5 on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today in 5 podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today in 5 podcast." 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 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

Week 14. Starter set. Let's do it right now on Fantasy Football Today in 5. What's up, everybody? Good morning. Welcome to Week 14. Time to set your lineups, and we've got some updates for you on the weather. It's a crazy morning, actually, with all the players who are expected to play and expected to miss it.

I'm Adam Azer with Heath Cummings. What about the weather? Are we dodging a bullet here, it seems, with weather? I think there are two games that we still have legitimate concern about. The games in the Midwest seem to be fine. The games on the East Coast are still a concern. So Houston at the Jets.

And listen, I'm not a weatherman. I generally listen to Kevin Roth, so that's the guy I'd suggest you follow on Twitter. And he's got that one as an orange with off and on rain, sustained winds around one as an orange with often on rain, sustained winds around 15 miles an hour with gusts to 30. And then the Rams at Baltimore, I think the same system with a little bit less wind,

maybe a little bit more rain. Yeah. And I, Kevin also, as of now expects the giants game on Monday night to not be a problem. So hopefully all that rain is out by Monday night. But it is going to be a wet Sunday in New York and on the East Coast for sure. All right.

With that said, we've got a lot here. First of all, Clyde Edwards-Elair stepping up here. He's only rostered about 56% of leagues, I think. And there's a possibility that Pacheco does go on IR. It was not ruled out. So keep that in mind, even if you don't want to start him this week. Worth a stash. McKinnon being picked up, too. And there's a possibility that Pacheco does go on IR. It was not ruled out. So keep that in mind, even if you don't want to start him this week. Worth a stash.

McKinnon being picked up too. But what do you think about with Pacheco out for this game against Buffalo? What do you think about the Chiefs running backs? There's a huge blob of running backs. The Bears running backs are in there. Chuba Hubbard is in there. The Vikings running backs are in there. I think the Texans running backs are at the back of the group. The Ravens running backs are in there. I think those guys are almost indistinguishable. They're certainly neither of the Chiefs running backs I would rank as must

start running backs. They're both between RB 25 and 35, depending on the format for me and full PPR Clyde and McKinnon, both as highend flexes in that RB 25 to 30 range. I think what I've seen in terms of reaction is a lot more people seem more excited about adding McKinnon than they do Clyde. I would expect Clyde's going to have more touches. McKinnon's probably more likely to score a touchdown and is definitely going to catch more passes. Yeah, that's the thing. I mean, Clyde Edwards-Zeller has struggled near the goal line. Pacheco has five one-yard touchdown runs this year.

Who gets those? You know, Clyde actually got in near the goal line. Pacheco has five one-yard touchdown runs this year. Who gets those? Clyde actually got in near the goal line last week. So who gets... Oh, but McKinnon wasn't playing. But that's a big question. I think the most likely answer is that they don't have a one-yard rushing touchdown. They probably are just going to throw the ball inside the 10 even more than they already normally do, which plays into McKinnon's favor.

But this actually could help Patrick Mahomes. You said you loved Austin Eckler on Thursday. That was before this report about them maybe divvying up the work a little bit differently. Do you still love Austin Eckler? I'm still starting Austin Eckler. I'm slightly less excited about him, but I'm still not

considering sitting him. It's a fantastic matchup. I don't think that Joshua Kelly or Isaiah Spiller is actually better as a rusher than Eckler. I'm hopeful that maybe they take him off the field on obvious running downs a little bit and give him more targets, but I'm starting him. Would you start Kyron Williams over Eckler?

I would not. I think the matchup for Williams is pretty awful. All right. Aaron Jones is questionable. Are you expecting him to play Monday night? And what does that mean for Dylan and Jones? Yeah, we're having this debate in our chat right now. We've not decided whether to rank Aaron Jones.

I voted no. Jamie voted yes. So depending on what Dave says will determine whether I say that I'm expecting Aaron Jones to play. As of right now, I would like to not start either one of those running backs. I certainly don't want to hold out hope for Aaron Jones to play. As of right now, I would like to not start either one of those running backs. I certainly don't want to hold out hope for Aaron Jones. We've seen him come back from an injury when he was questionable. We can touch the ball three or four times. We should have no confidence at all that he's going to have a big role. This makes Dylan less appealing as a low-end number two running back. I think what I'm going to do when we get off this call is probably move Dylan behind McKinnon and Clyde. Okay.

Both. When we get off this call, I like that. I didn't know these shows felt so boring to you. Anyway. What do you mean? It's a call. It's a work call. Yeah, we're zooming.

I know we have a lot to get to. It's going to be a little bit longer than five minutes, so I apologize, everybody. Both Seattle running backs are expected to play against the 49ers. Are you starting any Seahawks? Because it looks there's a 50% chance it's Drew Lockett quarterback.

Yeah, I've got Walker ranked as the best running back, definitely in the blob with the Chiefs running backs. I'd probably start Walker over those chiefs running backs. But in that 25 to 30 range, but Charbonnet more at the end of the running back blob and the, and the RB 36 range and DK Metcalf is still a borderline number two wide receiver for me. Even if lock plays,

I don't think we're probably going to know that before we have to make our lineup decisions, but yes, no, but you know, you could, you could have Romeo Dobbs or Jaden Reed and, and and i'm not i might jayden reed is also a borderline number two so i might start reed over him if i'm not dropping down to dobbs okay if if

luck plays all right quarterback bruce hall is expected to play heath has him top 12 or right around there jamie and dave are a little bit lower on brrees Hall. Derek Carr is going to play. Chris Olave is going to play through an illness. Taysom Hill is out. Rashid Shahid is out. Do you like anyone other than Kamara on the Saints offense, including Olave, who's got this illness, the flu he's dealing with? I'm going to start Olave.

He's playing. He's a number two wide receiver for me. A top 24 guy for sure, probably top 20. I think Juwan Johnson's interesting as a streamer in that Tyler Conklin, Gerald Everett range, not as somebody that you want to start over a guy you've been starting. Trevor Lawrence, what do you think he's going to play? It seems right now. How much faith are you going to have in the Jaguars passing game?

Lawrence is going to be ranked as a number two quarterback for me. I'm probably not going to play him over Gardner Minshew. I think there's enough risk there and maybe not enough upside there. And so put him in the QB 15-ish range right next to Baker Mayfield. Good luck making that decision. I feel a little more confident now

in Evan Ingram as kind of a must-start tight end. And Ridley's going to stay right in that DK Metcalf borderline number two, high-end number three range. Yeah, I told Heath I have to decide between Lawrence and Mayfield. So thank you for wishing me luck in making that decision in a game I need to win. Cleveland has not announced a starting quarterback yet. It's a one o'clock game, so we'll know. But we obviously want Flacco there.

But Amari Cooper is going to play. If it's Flacco and Cooper, is's a one o'clock game, so we'll know, but we obviously want Flacco there, but Amari Cooper is going to play if it's Flacco and Cooper, uh, is he a must start? Is he a top 24 guy? I've got him right around 30. So I would not call him a must start guy. I don't, I don't think Joe Flacco was actually good throwing the ball last week. So while I do think he would be the best option to play quarterback, he still has that connection with Elijah Moore and they're still going to throw the ball to David Njoku a lot. So he's a number three wide receiver. Cooper is for me. Christian Watson is out.

You already heard Heath talk about the Packers wide receivers, and then three tight end notes. Dallas Goddard is playing. Dalton Schultz is out. And Dalton Knox, or Dawson Knox, excuse me, is in. So did you downgrade Kincaid? I'm going to move him. This is probably a situation where I might go Ingram over Kincaid now,

but Kincaid's still going to be a must-start top 12 guy. All right. Yeah, sorry, we will not be answering questions this morning. This was our longest one yet. We had a lot of news to get to, but thank you for watching and listening. Good luck, everybody. If you want your question answered, hey, don't worry about it. 1130 a.m. Eastern. Come back to youtube.com slash fantasy football today. That's the only place you can find our live stream. We have a lot to discuss. YouTube.com slash fantasy football today from 1130 a.m. right up until kickoff Eastern. And we will talk to you then. Thanks to Heath. I'm Adam. See you, everybody.