PodcastFrom Fantasy Football Today
Week 2 Fantasy Football RANKINGS & Tiers: QB, RB, WR, & TE + Starts & Sits (09/17 Fantasy Football Podcast)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
45 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 17, 2026
Published
Thu, September 17, 2026
45
Player insights
42
Players mentioned
Topics
D.J. MooreKyle PittsParker WashingtonAaron JonesBaker MayfieldBryce YoungCaleb WilliamsChuba HubbardColston LovelandDalton KincaidDavante AdamsDe'Von AchaneDK MetcalfDrake London
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Jones
PositiveUsage13:57
With Jordan Mason placed on IR, Aaron Jones is positioned for a significant increase in touches. The source highlights his historical success against the Bears, averaging nearly 15 PPR points per game against them, making him a top-20 RB for Week 2.
Insight pageBaker Mayfield
PositiveProjection34:03
Mayfield is the source's start of the week for Week 2. Despite three fumbles in Week 1, he is projected as a top-10 quarterback against the Browns, citing his strong home performance last year (20 PPG) and the fact that the Browns' defense allowed four passing touchdowns to Trevor Lawrence last week.
Insight pageBryce Young
PositiveProjection39:06
Young is coming off a strong game against the Bears and has a history of success in Atlanta (699 yards, 6 TDs in last two games there). The source notes his recent consistency, with six of his last nine games exceeding 20 fantasy points, and suggests he could be a must-start if he performs well again.
Insight pageCaleb Williams
PositiveProjection50:01
The source ranks Caleb Williams as the number two quarterback, citing his impressive Week 1 performance and his ability to run. They are unconcerned about his history against Minnesota and believe the sky is the limit for his fantasy production.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
PositiveUsage10:37
Chuba Hubbard is a top-20 RB play for Week 2, bolstered by a 70% snap share in Week 1 and dominance on third downs and inside the five-yard line. The source expects a favorable game script against Atlanta to keep his volume high.
Insight pageColston Loveland
PositiveProjection40:23
Despite a zero-catch performance in Week 1, the source maintains Loveland as a top-three tight end for Week 2, expecting his usage to improve significantly.
Insight pageD.J. Moore
PositiveUsage26:45
DJ Moore is a must-start following a strong Week 1 performance. The source was encouraged by his downfield usage and believes he has more upside than his current market credit suggests, despite the potential for the Bills to lean on the run.
Insight pageNegativeProjection27:16
The source notes that while the matchup is favorable, there is hesitation regarding his Week 1 performance, noting that without a fluky touchdown, his stat line would have been a modest four catches for 60 yards. The source suggests he is a must-start but remains cautious about his ceiling.
Insight pageDalton Kincaid
PositiveProjection42:06
Coming off a strong 5-catch, 130-yard performance, Kincaid is a must-start. The source notes that Detroit struggles to defend tight ends and is currently missing safeties, creating a high-ceiling matchup.
Insight pageDavante Adams
NegativeProjection38:24
The source acknowledges the disappointment of Adams' Week 1 performance (three catches, 26 yards) but expects a bounce-back game against the Giants, whose secondary may be exposed. The source emphasizes that fantasy managers are essentially counting on a touchdown.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
PositiveUsage3:36
Despite a disappointing Week 1, the source is encouraged by Devon Achan's usage, specifically his 78% route participation on Malik Willis' dropbacks. He remains a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 candidate if he maintains this target share and touchdown efficiency.
Insight pageDK Metcalf
NegativeMatchup42:20
The source recommends avoiding DK Metcalf due to a projected low-scoring game against the Patriots and the potential for Christian Gonzalez to shadow him. Despite 10 targets in Week 1, the source is concerned about the overall volume of the Steelers' offense.
Insight pageDrake London
NegativeProjection30:08
The source expresses significant concern regarding Drake London due to the Atlanta quarterback situation, which they describe as a 'disaster' with Cooper Rush. The source admits to ranking him too high at 15 and suggests he should be lower, noting that game script and quarterback play are more critical than the matchup against Carolina.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeProjection36:26
The source is avoiding Maye this week, ranking him outside the top 15 quarterbacks. Concerns include the absence of A.J. Brown and a tough Steelers defense that is getting Joey Porter back, leading the source to prefer starting Bryce Young instead.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
NegativeUsage42:36
The source advises sitting Kittle until he shows more involvement, noting he played less than 50% of snaps in Week 1 and is currently touchdown-dependent, especially with Cooper Rush at quarterback.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
NegativeBust42:36
The source is sitting Fannin until further notice due to concerns about the Browns' offense and suggests he may be a drop candidate soon.
Insight pageHunter Henry
PositiveSleeper40:32
Henry is a recommended start and a great sleeper option. With A.J. Brown out, Henry is expected to be a primary pass catcher for the Patriots, building on his history of success against the Steelers.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
PositiveValue44:16
The source prefers Likely over Sam LaPorta for this week's start, though they recommend trading one of them if you roster both.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveRole12:04
Jadarian Price is viewed as the most talented back on his team, and the source expects his workload to increase in Week 2. He is preferred over Jeremiah Love for this week due to a more favorable matchup as a four-point favorite.
Insight pageJames Cook
PositiveUsage0:51
Despite a disappointing Week 1 performance, the source expects James Cook to see increased volume in Week 2 against a potentially exhausted Lions defense. The Bills are expected to feed him more than the 16 touches he received against Houston, with the source projecting at least one or two touchdowns in a high-scoring game environment.
Insight pageJameson Williams
PositiveUsage32:19
The source is encouraged by Jameson Williams' nine targets in Week 1. While he is viewed as a 'boom-bust' number three wide receiver, the source states they will start him continually if he continues to see north of six targets per game.
Insight pageJared Goff
NegativeProjection52:05
The source is nervous about starting Jared Goff on a short week against Buffalo, citing his poor track record in Thursday night road games and the fact that his offensive line is missing three starters. They would prefer to start Baker Mayfield over him.
Insight pageJaylen Waddle
NegativeUsage33:36
The source advises a 'hands-off' approach to Jalen Waddle until the Broncos' offensive line, play-calling, and quarterback confidence improve. Despite playing two-thirds of snaps in the slot, the source only recommends using him as a flex option until he sees more than three targets.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
PositiveValue7:10
The source is highly encouraged by Jeremiah Love's talent and recovery from a preseason high ankle sprain, suggesting he is a prime trade target. While he is a sit for Week 2 due to a tough matchup and current workload, the source expects him to dominate snaps later in the season.
Insight pageJordan Addison
PositiveSleeper45:20
The source likes Jordan Addison as a sleeper/flex play, noting his explosiveness and the hope that he and his quarterback develop better timing. They believe there will be opportunities for him to produce in a high-scoring game against the Bears.
Insight pageJordan Love
PositiveProjection54:08
The source is encouraged by Jordan Love's efficiency and increased passing volume due to the team's struggles in the run game. They project him as a top-12 quarterback for the season.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
NegativeUsage34:36
The source advises sitting Herbert due to concerns about the offensive line and his tendency to pass up open receivers like Quentin Johnston. The source fears a low-scoring, turnover-prone performance against Las Vegas, preferring other quarterbacks with higher upside.
Insight pageKaelon Black
PositiveSleeper23:30
Kaelin Black is highlighted as a potential flex option for Week 2. He saw 14 carries and some passing game work in Week 1, and the source expects him to benefit from fourth-quarter opportunities in a game where the 49ers are heavy favorites.
Insight pageKenneth Gainwell
NegativeSleeper20:22
Kenneth Gainwell is considered a deep sleeper for Week 2 based on a favorable matchup against the Browns and his 50% snap share in Week 1. The source expects him to provide a floor of around 10 fantasy points in a blowout scenario.
Insight pageKyle Pitts
NegativeProjection29:19
The source views the Atlanta quarterback situation as a major negative for Kyle Pitts, suggesting that fantasy managers should be out on him until the situation improves, potentially with Michael Penix taking over.
Insight pagePositiveUsage40:13
Pitts is coming off a disappointing Week 1 with only one target and zero catches. The source remains concerned about the quarterback situation affecting his production.
Insight pageLuther Burden
PositiveProjection36:42
The source expects a bounce-back performance for Luther Burden against Minnesota, noting that the Bears' defense may force a higher-scoring game, leading to more pass attempts for Caleb Williams and increased targets for Burden.
Insight pageMalik Willis
PositiveSleeper37:21
Willis is highlighted as a deep-bench stash rather than a starter. The source believes he has significant rushing upside (12 points on the ground) and could become a valuable fantasy asset if the Miami offense clicks as the season progresses.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveSleeper22:27
After a disappointing Week 1, the source expects a better performance from Marshawn Lloyd in Week 2. He saw 62% of the team's rush attempts, and the matchup against the Jets is viewed as significantly more favorable than his previous outing.
Insight pageMichael Mayer
NegativeUsage41:16
Mayer saw seven targets in Week 1, which the source views as a positive indicator for future opportunity, even though the yardage and fantasy production were disappointing. He is considered a top-12 tight end for Week 2.
Insight pageNico Collins
NegativeInjury43:52
The source is worried about Collins' hamstring injury for Week 2 (rated 8 or 9 out of 10), suggesting it is better to sit him to ensure he is healthy for the rest of the season.
Insight pageParker Washington
PositiveSleeper35:10
The source identifies Parker Washington as a must-start, highlighting his 42.9% target per route run rate in the first half of Week 1. They note Trevor Lawrence's trust in him and expect him to continue seeing high volume in short and intermediate areas.
Insight pagePositiveValue43:42
The source prefers starting Parker Washington over Jameson Williams in full PPR formats.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
NegativeBust18:50
Quinshawn Judkins is labeled a 'trap back' due to the Browns' likely negative game scripts and lack of consistent goal-line opportunities. The source views him as a flex option at best and recommends avoiding him if possible.
Insight pageRashee Rice
PositiveValue28:51
The source defends starting Rashee Rice for at least one more week, noting he has a favorable matchup against the Indianapolis Colts compared to his Week 1 game against the Broncos. The source indicates they are not even thinking about benching him yet, though they will be concerned if he performs poorly this week.
Insight pageSam LaPorta
NegativeValue44:16
The source suggests that if you have both LaPorta and Isaiah Likely, you should try to trade one of them to capitalize on their value.
Insight pageTre Harris
PositiveSleeper47:34
The source suggests Trey Harris as a potential dart throw if Ladd McConkey is out, noting that Harris would see a bump in targets and opportunities in that scenario.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveProjection35:13
Despite the source's skepticism regarding the matchup against a talented Denver pass defense, they acknowledge Lawrence's recent hot streak, including a 37-point performance against them in the playoffs last year, and decide to ride the hot hand for one more week.
Insight pageTyler Huntley
PositiveProjection38:03
The source is encouraged by Huntley's performance in Week 1 and the second half of last season. Despite a tough matchup against Baltimore, the source believes Huntley has huge upside, especially given the team's willingness to pass frequently when trailing.
Insight pageZay Flowers
NegativeInjury25:08
Zay Flowers is ranked lower than usual due to injury concerns and the potential for a limited snap count. The source advises playing it safe if he misses practice on Thursday.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It's Rankings Time here on Fantasy Football Today. Welcome to the show.
0:03I'm Jamie Eisenberg, that's Dave Richard, that's Heath Cummings.
0:05We're breaking down all of our Week 2 rankings and getting you set to dominate your fantasy leagues.
0:10It was a crazy Week 1. A lot of people are overreacting, panicking.
0:13Don't do it. It's gonna be fine in Week 2.
0:16And if you go to 0-2, you'll still be okay because it's a long season.
0:19You can still make the Fantasy playoffs over. You didn't panic over.
0:22You didn't get your lineups right for this scoring period.
0:25You didn't panic over anybody? No. Anybody? Not even one player?
0:28Panic. Not even one player? No. Just cut them.
0:30Good for you. Oh, I mean, that's what you do.
0:33You're just scared of them. See you later. Let's talk about running back rankings here.
0:36That's what you're here for to see what we're gonna do with our rankings and players that you should be starting and sitting as well.
0:43We'll give you some sleepers on top of that.
0:45Here's the rank list 1 through 12 for the running backs.
0:48And got a game tonight between the Bills and the Lions.
0:51James Cook, one of the rare first round running backs that did not perform at a very high level despite his team playing well.
0:57When you look at James Cook taking on a Lions team that played 91 plays last week and could be tired coming off of an overtime win.
1:03Do we like, love, or just starting James Cook because he's James Cook-y?
1:07I'm just trying to figure out who hates James Cook that he's all the way down at RB7.
1:11I'm at 10. Okay, so you hate James Cook.
1:14Of course I hate some more. I've got him at RB4.
1:16I think he's going to get more work. I think he's facing a much better matchup in the Lions versus the Texans.
1:22And this game, the over-under, every time I say what it is, I'm wrong because it's gone up again.
1:27It's up to 55 now. Lots of touchdowns. Cook will get at least one of them, maybe two of them.
1:32I agree 100%. This is really a great opportunity for the Bills to feed him after they only gave him 16 touches in the game at Houston.
1:39And you said it. Detroit's going to be exhausted after playing into overtime on Sunday.
1:42I just hope we get the James Cook that we were hoping for, you know, because Josh Allen looked awesome.
1:47DJ Moore, a big part of what we saw.
1:50Dalton Kincaid was great. And it was just like, okay, here, there's James Cook.
1:53Go, go do your thing. You know, so like let's get the James Cook that we all drafted as a top five running back.
1:59Again, you're starting James Cook, no questions about it.
2:02Let's show you the list 13 through 24. Some of the more questionable running back decisions that you might have to make.
2:07And we're keeping an eye on some injuries. Hopefully DeAndre Swift's going to be fine.
2:11No real concern there, but maybe some concern. And going to your question, Dave, about panic, fantasy managers may be panicking a
2:16little bit about Devon Achan and Omari and Hampton.
2:19And both guys did not perform up to the level that they were drafted to.
2:22Achan was very disappointing taking on the Raiders, although you can look at the four catches and say that's nice because we were concerned with Malik Willis.
2:29But Hampton scored the touchdown, had the fumble, no work in the passing game.
2:33How are we approaching those guys? I'll give you Hampton.
2:35Heath, you can take Achan. I'm nervous about Hampton from the aspect of the offensive line for the Chargers looking really, really bad.
2:41And I know that they have to address it.
2:43It might just mean more edge runs for Hampton.
2:46And he won on a couple of those last week and against the Raiders this week.
2:50He should be all right. And it would make sense for the Chargers to kind of go back to basics, not put
2:55it all on Justin Herbert's shoulders here and let Omari and Hampton run.
2:59The end result could be good. I don't know if it's necessarily going to be great.
3:03I'm looking at him as a number two fantasy running back, but a good one.
3:06One of those top half of the RB2 range running backs.
3:09I think I dropped Devon Achan two spots. I was encouraged, actually, that Malik Willis does possess the ability to throw the ball to his running back.
3:16He ran a route on 78% of Willis' dropbacks.
3:18That was the second highest number for any running back, only behind B.
3:22John Robinson, who has a 53% target share somehow.
3:24I think when I looked at his line totals for rushing and receiving, they're expecting about 75 yards and about a 50-50 chance to score a touchdown.
3:31I think that's probably right. If he scores eight touchdowns this year, he's probably a borderline number one, low-end number one this week for me.
3:37Were these the two guys that looked the worst from the top-end running backs for you?
3:41Does Saquon count? Yes, James Cook kind of counts just because James Cook didn't have a lot of work.
3:46So that's somebody who would make the list but probably wouldn't be on the list.
3:50I thought Achan looked good. I just don't think, you know, he made the point that he got a lot of targets and that's good.
3:56Two of the first three targets that Malik Willis threw in the game went to Achan.
4:00And then he forgot about him until the fourth quarter.
4:03I wish he was more involved in the offense.
4:05And there were opportunities for him if Malik Willis had just checked down to him against Las Vegas.
4:09His numbers would have been better. I'll say Hampton is the one I'm most nervous about.
4:13Okay. We'll see if these guys can rebound in Week 2.
4:16Tough matchup for Achan. This was one of the more winnable games for the Dolphins.
4:20Now we'll see taking on a 49ers defense that should definitely be rested after playing last Thursday night.
4:25All right, let's show you the list, 25 through 36.
4:27And again, this is where the flex options come into place.
4:30Some maybe more questionable starting options. You got Jeremiah Love on this list.
4:33Are we encouraged by Jeremiah Love or discouraged by Jeremiah Love after what we saw in Week 1 where the Cardinals won
4:39the game, but he was out-touched and out-snapped by Tyler Algier?
4:41I would love to trade for him. I'm very encouraged by Jeremiah Love.
4:45The workload is going to come for him. The opportunities, the snaps, that's going to be there too.
4:49This is not going to be a backfield where Tyler Algier is dominating snaps in the fourth quarter of their wins.
4:55We're going to see Jeremiah Love get some work.
4:57And he did not look like a running back that suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason.
5:01He looked great. He was bouncing all over the place, had that acceleration in speed.
5:05This will sound a little funny. He would turn negative runs into zero-yard runs, and they would impress me.
5:10So I think that there's absolute upside for Jeremiah Love, and people should trade for him.
5:14Encouraged for rest of season. Discouraged for Week 2.
5:16Agreed. Where the workload is right now and the fact that you're now facing the Seahawks, I don't want to start Jeremiah Love this week.
5:23I would love to have Jeremiah Love on my roster in the second half of the season.
5:27Yeah, I think if you are trying to make a trade, you could probably get him for a good price.
5:32You might get him for a better price after this game because you take away the touchdown last week, and it wasn't a great stat line.
5:39So he did perform well. He did look good.
5:41But then again, you would like to see, hey, Cardinals playing with a lead.
5:44Let's give Jeremiah Love some work. And it was, we're going to Tyler Allgeier maybe to protect the ankle.
5:49But I don't think we're out of the woods yet from what we know how this is going to look for these guys.
5:55A couple of injury notes. You can show the list 36 through 48.
5:58But a couple injuries that we're keeping an eye on.
6:01R.J. Harvey mispracticed Wednesday with a – or would have mispracticed Wednesday with a hamstring injury.
6:05They were estimating that. Kyle Mononga, DeAndre Swift, both dealing with injuries.
6:08We expect both those guys to play. And one note, which we'll talk about when we get to the starts and sits,
6:13is Jordan Mason is out for this week. He's actually been placed on IR with that thumb injury.
6:18So something to keep an eye on there. If you're looking for maybe a dart throw eight, DeMond Claiborne, their sixth-round rookie,
6:24maybe he gets some opportunities to share time with Aaron Jones.
6:26But we'll talk about how much we like Aaron Jones right now when we talk about some starts and sits.
6:31Let's talk about the start running backs that we're looking at.
6:34Dave, for you, it's Chuba Hubbard. Heath, for you, it's Darian Price.
6:37And for me, it's Aaron Jones. I'll start with Chuba Hubbard and tell you that I think he's a top 20 running back this week.
6:43I really do. I love that he had nearly 70% of the snaps for Carolina.
6:47Dominated on third down. Had all three other snaps inside the five.
6:50Should have a favorable game script this week against Atlanta.
6:53That Falcons team did not impress me very much against Pittsburgh.
6:56I think they stayed in that game because Pittsburgh allowed them to there.
6:59And I think that we will see Chuba Hubbard continue to get opportunities to score.
7:03Certainly get a few opportunities in the pass game.
7:05And get a lot of carries. He's the number two running back.
7:08Are you dropping Jonathan Brooks yet in a 10-team league?
7:11No. Oh, in a 10-team league? I don't want to.
7:13Let's put him on that list of guys that I'd like to keep on the bench and not necessarily part ways with yet.
7:19We do know that this coaching staff does have a tendency to flip running backs at some point in the year when
7:24they're unhappy with whoever their lead back is. Jadarian Price looked great in Wednesday's season opener last week.
7:29Does he get more work? I think he gets a little more work.
7:32I think it's a very similar situation to Jeremiah Love.
7:35It was pretty obvious watching both of those guys.
7:37They are the most talented running backs on their team.
7:40They also didn't get as much work as we would like.
7:42I think they both get a little bit more this week.
7:45The big difference for me is that Jadarian Price is playing against the Cardinals defense as a four-point favorite.
7:50Jeremiah Love's playing against the Seahawks defense as an underdog.
7:52So I would like to start Price. I would like to sit Love this week.
7:56I think both of them will just continue to get better, except that when Zach Charbonnet comes back, I'm not sure that's
8:02going to be great news for Price. Yeah, it's funny how the NFL works, that everybody wanted Jeremiah Love.
8:07They settled for Jadarian Price, NFL-wise, draft-wise. I don't think they settled for him.
8:10I think they kind of reached for him by taking him at the end of the round.
8:14Well, I mean, I think they realized they needed something to help their run game, and they went out and got somebody that they like.
8:21That being said, here we are. I'm with you.
8:23I think you probably like Love more than Price.
8:25I do. I'm with you, Heath. I would start Price over Love if I had the choice to make between the two of those guys.
8:32I'm just guessing Seattle, backup quarterback, favorite. Defense should be good.
8:34Lean on the ground game. Lean on the better player.
8:37Hopefully he gets those touchdown chances. Aaron Jones, we'll see how much work he gets now that Jordan Mason is out.
8:42This is a great opportunity for him, and he loves, loves, loves playing the Chicago Bears.
8:46He's played them 17 times in his career. 14 of those games, he's been 10 PPR points or more, but he averages
8:52just shy of 15 PPR points per game, and he's had some dominant games.
8:55I put in a lot of the mediocre performances there.
8:58What you see on the screen hasn't been updated.
9:00He's a top 20 running back for me. I know he's top 20 for you.
9:04It's just exciting to see what this could go, and we were talking all offseason because Jones, you know, in his early
9:1030s, Jordan Mason, 27, that Mason got great. Could be awesome if Jones missed his time.
9:14He missed five games last year. Well, here's the reverse now, that Jones will hopefully get the majority of the touches.
9:19We don't know, again, what the split will be.
9:21It could be DJ Dallas. It could be Claiborne, but this is just a great opportunity for Aaron Jones to hopefully take
9:27advantage of a matchup that he has had a lot of success against, and as we know, despite the fact that the
9:32Panthers got obliterated defensively, Chuba Hubbard did have a very good game running the ball, scored two touchdowns, so maybe that happens for Aaron Jones.
9:39All right, sit running back for this week. You got Basial Tootin for you, Heath.
9:42Dave, you're staying away from the entire Steelers' backfield, and I'm going to try and sit Quinston Judkins, but let's start with Basial Tootin.
9:48Yeah, I don't think people should look at what Kenneth Walker did in week one and think Basial Tootin's going to do the same thing in week two.
9:55I do not think those are the same types of running backs, and I think there's something actually kind of discouraging for Tootin in Walker's data.
10:02He had negative yards before contact. This Broncos defense is still very good.
10:05They had their worst tackling day probably of some of their lives.
10:08That is not something that I think is predictive for this week.
10:11In fact, I think it probably means they show up just a little bit more focused on the fundamentals of tackling in week two.
10:17Tootin's a fine flex. You may have to start him.
10:20I don't really want to, and I don't really think he's the most likely Jacksonville running back to score a touchdown if they get inside the five-yard line.
10:27We talked about Jadarian Price and what he did last week, and he looked good doing it.
10:31He just didn't have huge numbers with it. He went up against the Patriots, and that run defense, as long as they've
10:37got Milton Williams on the field, that's going to be a unit that's going to be formidable.
10:41We saw Warren and Dowdle pretty much rotate drives last week.
10:44So Warren started. He had the first drive. Then it was Rico.
10:47Then it was Warren. So you're going to need the luck of the draw on which back will be in there when the sealers actually go.
10:54Warren's the one who passed the eyeball test. I'd be a little bit more encouraged with him, especially since on passing downs
10:59when he was on the field, he didn't do any pass blocking.
11:02He was running around, and Aaron Rodgers was looking for him.
11:05Rico and pass protection struggled in week one against Atlanta.
11:07Of all teams, that's a bad team to struggle against.
11:10The matchup further enhances Warren's chances to get some decent numbers.
11:13He's the one I would flex out of the two, but I really don't want to start either one.
11:18I would agree with both those calls, except maybe a little bit more encouraged by Basel Tootin.
11:22But we'll see. You know, I think just Donathan Cooper not being there is a big boss for that Broncos defense.
11:27So we'll see what happens moving forward in this game.
11:30For me, Quinshawn Judkins, I think we were all somewhat excited about him coming into the season.
11:34And then you see the downfalls when this Browns offense actually takes the field and has to play real games.
11:39We'll see what they do without Dylan Sampson there.
11:41My guess is going to be Raheem Sanders or Julian McLaughlin are both working on passing downs.
11:46Now, we did get some work in the passing game for Judkins last week, but this is the game script that you
11:51fear, is that they're going to be chasing points and probably chasing points a lot, not having a lot of time and
11:57possession, not having a lot of fourth quarter opportunities.
11:59And Judkins could definitely be the definition of a trap back if he's not getting goal line chances or touchdown chances.
12:04He'll get goal line chances when they're there. But if he's not getting touchdown chances and not catching the ball.
12:09So I think Judkins is at best a flex, someone you might want to avoid.
12:13All right, let's talk about some sleepers that we're looking at here.
12:16Maybe some options that can help fantasy managers that are stuck.
12:19We know there's a lot of injuries at the wide receiver position.
12:22Dave, you got Kenneth Gainwell. Heath, you're going back to Marshall and Lloyd.
12:25And for me, I'm going to go Kalon Black.
12:28So what do we like about Gainwell after a disappointing game last week?
12:31It's the Browns. Thank you. No, there's more to it than that.
12:34I mean, obviously the Browns defense is going to be putting some tough spots by their offense and that could open the door.
12:40But Gainwell played nearly 50% of the snaps last week.
12:42All that was in a negative game script. Positive game script.
12:45He had the edge on snaps inside the 10-yard line as well.
12:48And the Bucs should run away with this one.
12:50So I'm really just saying the Browns. Gainwell had a decent amount of work last week.
12:54And it's the Browns. But it really just comes through where Gainwell, if you're in a pinch at running back, I think
13:00he can be around 10 fantasy points. Do you think the one who benefits, though, as the backup is more Sean Tucker or more Kenneth Gainwell?
13:06I think it could be Gainwell just based on what we saw last week.
13:10Well, Tucker didn't play last week. Right. So if Tucker comes back this week, are we sure he's going to have that role?
13:16Or does Gainwell have it? More importantly, Bucky doesn't have it.
13:19That makes me a little worried. I'm just thinking blowout situation.
13:21Because it sounds like that's where you're going. If it's a blowout, is it Tucker more than Gainwell because they just decide to sit at the top together?
13:28If it's the last five minutes of the game, that's where you'll see Tucker.
13:32I'm not starting Kenneth Gaird. I'm not calling Gainwell a sleeper.
13:35I'm not saying he's a starter either. But he's not a sleeper.
13:38You are calling him a sleeper. I'm calling him a sleeper, not a starter.
13:41He's a sleeper because of what he does in the first 55 minutes of the game, not the last five minutes of the game.
13:47Marshawn Lloyd, obviously disappointing last week. We get a better version this week?
13:51I think we get a better version. I was actually encouraged by the fact that he had 62% of the team's rush attempts.
13:57I think this is a much better matchup against the Jets.
13:59Tony Poehler just averaged five yards per carry against them than they had last week against the Vikings.
14:04I kind of think they might have a decent-sized lead in the fourth quarter of this game, and you get a few more carries for Lloyd.
14:10A good high influx for me. I like what I saw from Kaelin Black last week.
14:14You know, we'll see how this game goes, but there are nearly two touchdown favorites against the Dolphins.
14:19Christian McCaffrey should dominate this game. But Black last week in the early part of the game when it was still very
14:25much, you know, in question, 14 carries overall, 65 yards, did have a couple catches.
14:28I think we'll see him just get these fourth quarter opportunities.
14:31We'll see if Jordan James is inactive once again.
14:33But Kaelin Black could be a very nice flex for you in week number one.
14:37All right, we're going to take a break. We come back and get into the wide receiver rankings.
14:42We'll talk about Parker Washington, Luther Burden, Devontae Adams.
14:44A couple of those guys were disappointing last week.
14:46We'll see if they bounce back in week number two.
14:49Time for your wide receiver rankings here on Fantasy Football today.
14:52We're talking about the players that may be very impactful because there are a lot of injuries that we're monitoring.
14:57We have Zay Flowers, Lad McConkie, Nico Collins, all questionable as of Thursday for week two.
15:01And we know A.J. Brown, De'Jawn Stribbling, and Jacoby Lane are out as they have all been placed on IR.
15:06Here is the list of rankings one through 12.
15:08And we have a guy on this list in Zay Flowers that, as of now, we don't know if he's going to play.
15:14I haven't seen the Thursday update yet, so I apologize for anybody that's watching this.
15:18Does it make sense to play Jamison Williams over Zay Flowers in Thursday's game?
15:21If we know that... He misses practice. If he misses practice on Thursday, yeah, you've got to play it safe if those are your only two options.
15:28Well, I think most people have at least one more wide receiver.
15:31The Zay Flowers guy always says yes to play the Thursday night guy, except Zay Flowers.
15:35Well, who's your fourth wide receiver? It's like, Jamison's not your fourth.
15:38What if it's Romeo Dobbs? If it's Romeo Dobbs, then I would play Jamison.
15:42Right. By the way, you're not the Zay Flowers guy this week.
15:45If it was Quentin Johnston, then I would wait it out.
15:47I only have Zay Flowers ranked where I do because I'm concerned that he's not 100% and going to be on a limited snap count.
15:54So that's the reason why he's a little bit lower.
15:56And by the way, if sports lines down on Zay Flowers, you should be a little concerned knowing who does the projections there.
16:02Obviously, if he plays your starting, then that's the good thing.
16:05Let's talk about DJ Moore, who's now gone from a guy we were concerned about last week, has five for 100 and a touchdown.
16:11Must-start guy now in tonight's game? I think so.
16:13I was so encouraged by his usage in week one.
16:16The fact that he went up against Houston and Josh Allen just took it to that Texans secondary, threw downfield to DJ Moore.
16:22The touchdown was fluky, but all the other targets that were downfield, I think that's something that the Bills can lean into if they so choose.
16:28I don't know how much they're going to need to lean into it against Detroit in this game, but DJ Moore just
16:34has way more upset than he has credit for.
16:36It is a better matchup, but I also think that they can run their way to victory.
16:40My only little bit – he's definitely a must-start this week.
16:43Yeah. My only hesitation is if the touchdown was fluky, we're looking at like four for 60 without it.
16:48So that made the difference between us being really excited about DJ Moore and us thinking, well, DJ Moore is DJ Moore.
16:53Right. Well, it's also – and again, they ran a lot of plays, but Chris Olave and Devon Vele took advantage of
16:59the secondary, and you've got to assume that DJ Moore will have an opportunity.
17:02This week, for sure. As well. All right, let's talk about Rashi Rice and Drake London as we show you the list
17:0813 through 24 here, and two receivers that are coming off some disappointing performances.
17:12We know about Rice, what's more about the run game there for Kansas City and just how great Ken Walker was, but got lucky with the touchdown.
17:18And for Drake London, it's a quarterback situation right now for Atlanta where we don't know who's going to be the starter against Carolina in week two.
17:25Could be Cooper Rush. We're hoping it's maybe Michael Penix or Tua Tungabailoa, but it's not trending in the right direction.
17:31So, Heath, Rice, I know you've kind of defended him on our podcast the last couple of days because Adam Azer has
17:36been a little bit more concerned maybe than most.
17:38Just easy to start him? I'm not really even thinking about it.
17:41I'm starting Rashi Rice for at least one more week.
17:44He's one of several guys who just has the polar opposite matchup of what he had in week one.
17:49Going from the Broncos to the Indianapolis Colts after what we saw from their defense last week.
17:53If he's bad this week, then I will start really being concerned about Rashi Rice, but I'm not even thinking about it this week.
17:59Dave, the quarterback situation is bad in Atlanta. It's bad for Drake London.
18:02It's bad for Kyle Pitts. We saw it against Pittsburgh.
18:05Is it going to be bad once again in this matchup against Carolina?
18:08I think I've got him ranked too high. I'm looking right now and I see him at 15, and I don't feel good about that at all.
18:15I think he should be considerably lower. Scott Turner on reality versus fantasy this week said that if he had Drake London
18:21or Kyle Pitts on his team, he would be out on them because of the quarterback situation, hoping that maybe when Michael
18:26Penix comes back, that'll be the guy that gets them unlocked a little bit.
18:30This has nothing to do with the matchup. In fact, with both of these receivers, I don't think the matchup has nearly
18:35as much to do with it as you think it does.
18:38It really comes down to game script and who's throwing them the football.
18:41The game script for Kansas City, obviously very run heavy.
18:44That led to minimum targets for Rasheed Rice. That was something that I was worried about.
18:48And then Cooper Rush under center is just a disaster for Atlanta.
18:51Even if they put Tua there, yeah, that might mean more catches for Drake London, and you can feel a little bit
18:56better about that, but I don't think he's going to get a lot of downfield work.
19:00I don't know how well they're going to be able to move the ball through the air.
19:05I think Carolina's going to be able to put some points on them both on the ground through the air.
19:10It makes me nervous about Drake London. Let's just call him a number two wide receiver, but there could be some really bad games coming up for him.
19:17Yeah, well, unless the quarterback situation changes. Penix needs to play.
19:20Yep, I think it does come down to Penix, but we'll see what they decide to do.
19:24For week number two, let's look at the consensus rankings 25 through 36 and some names that we didn't expect to be in this range so soon.
19:31One in particular is Jalen Waddle. The other one is Jamison Williams.
19:34So we talked about Williams maybe versus Dave Flowers or any of the other injured guys, Neal Collins as well.
19:39So, Heath, nine targets last week for Williams. Very encouraging.
19:41Production, not so much. Do we get the production in this game against Buffalo?
19:45I think where he is ranked is almost exactly where I have him, and this is kind of where he best fits.
19:50When I think of number three wide receivers, I think of boom bust.
19:54He's the very best of those guys. And his booms might be bigger, and his busts might be a little bit smaller,
19:59but he's still, for me, a boom bust number three wide receiver.
20:02You tell me anything north of six targets for him, and I'm starting him almost continually.
20:06So hopefully we get nine targets again. Again, a lot of plays were ran last week in that overtime game, but still
20:12the emphasis was on getting Jamison Williams involved. That was not the case for Jalen Waddle, Dave.
20:16Are we going to get a bounce-back game against a very good Jacksonville defense?
20:20I want to say yes, but you were right.
20:22That Jacksonville defense was better than expected, and their pass rush is really good.
20:26And I kind of want to take a hands-off approach to this Broncos offense until they can figure out how they can
20:31be better in terms of play calling, better in terms of pass protection, and better in terms of just scheming up ways to get Jalen Waddle the ball.
20:38I was encouraged that he was playing in the slot a lot, about two-thirds of the snaps.
20:43That's good. And he looks great, Jamie. There's no injury to talk about.
20:46He's definitely quick and all that stuff. But, man, until that offensive line can get fixed and until Bo Nix plays with
20:51a little bit more confidence and the play calling is better, I don't want to use him unless it's as a flex.
20:57And that's just where I'm going to stand on Jalen Waddle.
21:00This is a big game for Davis Webb as the play caller, big game for hopefully Bo Nix, and you'd like to
21:05see Jalen Waddle just get more than three targets.
21:08All right, let's go to the starts and sits.
21:10We'll just stick with Jacksonville here, Dave, because Parker Washington, I said this on our podcast today, the number that stands out
21:15to me the most is his start percentage. It's under 60%.
21:18I'm just shocked based on what he did last year and what he did in Week 1 following the hype.
21:23You're calling him a must-start guy. He is absolutely a must-start guy.
21:26You tell me, Jamie, is a 42.9% target per route run rate good?
21:30Very. Yeah, that's what he had in the first half against Cleveland.
21:33And I think we're going to continue to see him get a lot of targets.
21:36It's those short and intermediate targets over the middle of the field, certainly in the red zone.
21:41And against Denver, yeah, you think about Denver and you think about a tough defense and a strong secondary, their best cornerback
21:46probably will not be lined up on Parker Washington very much.
21:49Patrick Sertan plays the outside. Washington plays inside. Trevor Lawrence has complete trust in him.
21:53Their chemistry is great. I think he's a must-start.
21:55I would start him over Drake London easily. Yeah, 6 for 145 and a touchdown on 10 targets in Week 16 against them last year.
22:01So that's good. Luther Burden, not the best of games last week, but does get a better performance against a tough defense in Minnesota.
22:07Yeah, I think it's a tough defense. They also gave up more fantasy points to wide receivers in Week 1 than any other defense.
22:13So I don't think the Bears will have near as much success running the football as they did in Week 1, which
22:19will mean a few more pass attempts for Caleb Williams.
22:22Hopefully he doesn't just run on all of those, which should mean more targets for both Luther Burden and Colston Loveland.
22:27I think what we saw with the Kalief Raymond nonsense, hopefully it does not repeat itself in Week 2, or we're all
22:32going to be panicking just a little bit. But yeah, must-start wide receiver.
22:36Basically ranked exactly where I had him ranked last week.
22:38I hope because of Chicago's defense we get a shootout.
22:41Yeah, I think we will. I hope so. I mean, look, it's hard to say, oh, Carson Wentz.
22:45Hey, you're going to be encouraged by that. But, you know, he does give his receivers chances to make plays, and we'll
22:51see Aaron Jones and what he does against his defense.
22:53But it's really just about if Chicago can't stop anybody, they're going to have to score.
22:57And maybe just knowing Ben Johnson, he gets a little bit more creative with the passing game, as we saw last week with the run game.
23:04I'm going to go back to Devontae Adams. I know it was disappointing last week.
23:08Three catches, 26 yards on six targets. The thing that was the most discouraging was the goal line opportunities.
23:13That's usually where he's had a lot of his chances.
23:15At least last year he's had a lot of his chances.
23:18And then the 13 personnel package, it was much more heavily favored for Pukunikua, which we saw toward the end of last season.
23:24But we've got to see a little bit more of that for Adams.
23:27He only went two times, only had two games.
23:29There was only two instances last year where he went back-to-back games without a touchdown.
23:33So hopefully he scores. That's really what you're counting on here.
23:36I do think that the Giants' defense, because they were not on the field as much last week, we didn't see how maybe their secondary can get exposed.
23:43And so while they did do a good job collectively against C.D.
23:46Lamb and George Pickens, I think this is a bounce-back game for the Rams after what happened last week.
23:51So I expect the Rams back in America to look more like the Rams.
23:54Let's talk about some sit-wide receivers. Dave, you kind of already covered it a little bit with Jalen Wallen.
23:59If there's anything you want to add? I don't think there's anything else you need to add.
24:03Let's just see it before we start him again.
24:06Heath hates fun. So everybody, the most added player in CBS Sports Leagues is Devon Vele.
24:10You're calling him a sit-wide. I don't even want to start him in a three-wide receiver league.
24:14Wow. I know. It's just I don't think we should take very much at all from last week for them.
24:19I mean, you could take his target share if you'd like.
24:22It was 17%. That is not a wide receiver that we start unless they are one of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL.
24:28I don't think anybody's arguing that Devon Vele is.
24:30They played overtime. They ran 86 offensive plays. He had nine targets.
24:33They're probably going to run right around 60 offensive plays like normal teams this week.
24:37Maybe it'll be 65. So you're probably looking at six targets from Devon Vele.
24:41So you probably need a touchdown for him to reach double-digit fantasy points.
24:44So you don't even like him as a low-end flex?
24:47A low-end flex? Yeah, he's my – I think he's – because he's not – his list is not ranked here, and that sounds worse than it is.
24:54We rank 48 wide receivers. Yeah, right, right. He's 50th.
24:56He's within a point of wide receiver 41. So, like, he's a wide receiver four.
25:00He's a flex. That's fine. And maybe he'll score a touchdown.
25:03What's your threshold? Because you do your own projections.
25:05What's your threshold for a wide receiver three? How many fantasy points?
25:08PPR. PPR, we've got that for this week is right around – just right around 11.
25:12Okay, so perfect number for him because when he got involved, he was averaging 11.9.
25:16Yeah. You know, so – That was last year?
25:18That was last – it's four of his last five games, you know.
25:21So when he became involved last year after the Rashid Tee trade, that's kind of what I'm looking at is that 11 to 12 point threshold.
25:28I'm not expecting 19 like he got. So I do think that they're going to have to throw in this game because they're chasing points.
25:34That's kind of why I like them on melee, but I can understand you want to take a little bit of a wait-and-see approach.
25:40I love that DK Metcalf had 10 targets last week.
25:43It was awesome. The production, however, was not. And now he's got to face Christian Gonzalez, who I think is going to shadow him.
25:49I'm expecting a very low-scoring game between the Patriots and the Steelers.
25:52I don't think we're going to get a lot of points.
25:55The only player in this game that I would start with any confidence will be Ramondre Stevenson, and even that's questionable now that Trevion Henderson is back.
26:02So if you can avoid DK Metcalf, that's something I would try to do.
26:05That's a sleeper for you, though, so make a counterpoint.
26:08The counterpoint is what you said. He had 10 targets.
26:10It wasn't just 10 targets, though. He was second amongst all wide receivers and air yards.
26:14Aaron Rodgers attempted to run the Mike McCarthy offense in week one.
26:17It didn't work out, partially because of DK's fault, partially because of a couple of pass interference penalties.
26:22But still, I don't think they're going to change that entire philosophy because in one game it didn't work out.
26:27And I actually, connected to this, is we have a disagreement on Drake May.
26:30Drake May's a top-10 quarterback for me. I think Drake May's going to put up points this week.
26:35I think the Steelers are not going to be able to just run the football.
26:39And DK's the clear and obvious number-one wide receiver.
26:41And Christian Gonzalez didn't follow last week, so I'm not entirely sure he's going to follow this week.
26:46He's not going to follow JSN. Yeah. When you typically see guys follow, it's big physical receivers because those are the guys
26:51they can lock up and take out of the game.
26:54And no one can think he got 10 targets last week.
26:56Listen, he didn't play in the game last year, so we don't have an idea of what this looks like.
27:01And DK had three catches for 32 yards, happened to find the end zone in week three in that game.
27:07Different offense, but we'll see. I hope he still gets the targets.
27:10I just don't think we're going to get a lot of volume for the Steelers' offense in general.
27:14They had the ball a lot last week because Atlanta stinks.
27:17Hopefully the Patriots show up and play a little bit better this week.
27:20Dave, you like Jordan Addison. Why is he going to get a catch?
27:23I thought the film showed that he's still plenty explosive.
27:26He didn't have his timing down with Carson Wentz.
27:28That was one of the things I actually liked about Addison with Kyler Murray was that they seem to have their timing down.
27:34At least that's what reports said. And then, of course, Kyler gets hurt and Carson Wentz comes in and Wentz just hyper-targets Justin Jefferson.
27:40I am hoping that that changes this week. We've already talked about how we think the Bears and the Vikings will be a high-scoring game.
27:46I'm not a big fan of what this Bears defense can do.
27:49You saw the two wide receivers from Carolina. One had a good game.
27:53One had the game. Jalen Coker having the game.
27:55And part of it, I think, is because Jalen Coker was just able to elude defenders and had a little bit more
28:01speed than somebody like Ted Arroyo McMillan had. So I think that there is going to be opportunities for Jordan Addison to come through.
28:07And as far as sleepers go, I think he makes the cut.
28:10He's not exactly – he's like a borderline flex play or a number three receiver for me.
28:14But I still think that there's some upside in DFS.
28:17I would absolutely take the chance. Oh, I think it's a great bet.
28:20I mean, you know, you said there wasn't chemistry.
28:22Last year there was great chemistry between these two guys.
28:25There was, but that was last year. He had three of his five touchdowns or four touchdowns with Carson Wentz.
28:30And, you know, you hope to see that continue.
28:32I just wonder – again, you know, you get the quarterback thrown in, no game plan there.
28:36Right, sure. A week's worth of practice. It was a TJ Hawkinson game, which we don't often get or we haven't often gotten lately.
28:42Well, he had the touchdown. It was both tight ends.
28:45But what I'm saying is, you know, we're used to seeing these two receivers do well when there's competent quarterback play.
28:50Hopefully that happens this week. For me, Trey Harris, we talked about this on our podcast.
28:54There are a lot of wide receiver scenarios that could be unfolding this week.
28:58You have the situation with Nico Collins, so it could be pick your favorite Texas receiver.
29:02You have the situation with the Patriots, no A.J.
29:04Brown, pick your favorite Patriots receiver. But we do know that if Ladin McConkie is out, Trey Harris will see a bump in production, targets, opportunities, et cetera.
29:11So just keep an eye on what's happening there.
29:13I don't think this Cardinals defense is very good despite what they showed – excuse me, this Raiders defense is good despite what they showed last week.
29:20I think we'll see opportunities for both Quinton Johnston and whoever the second receiver is.
29:24We'd love it to be McConkie, but if McConkie's out, Trey Harris could be a good dart throw to put in your lineup.
29:30All right, we're going to take a break right now.
29:32We come back, got quarterbacks to cover. Still tight ends to get to, still your questions to get to as well.
29:38But we're going to talk quarterbacks next here on FFT.
29:40You may or may not like this segment depending on how you feel about the Patriots quarterback.
29:44We're going to talk about quarterback rankings, and one of the more big topics is obviously Drake May.
29:49And can you start him or sit him coming off last week's disappointing loss against Seattle as well as A.J.
29:54Brown being out. Let's see where Drake May ranks when we look at the quarterback rankings, 1 through 12.
29:59And as you see, not in the top 12.
30:01We'll talk about that in a second. But one guy that is flying up draft boards – or not draft boards, rankless,
30:07excuse me – but probably should have been flying up draft boards is Caleb Williams, who comes in at number two for us.
30:12Is it just, hey, he looked awesome. They scored.
30:15He had 40 points. I don't care who they're playing.
30:17It's the Minnesota Vikings. I'm starting Caleb Williams. No hesitation?
30:20Yeah, that's pretty much it. I mean, his history against Minnesota last year isn't very good.
30:24He had one decent game, one bad game, only one passing touchdown in two games combined.
30:28They really tried to get after him with the pass rush, and in some ways they definitely succeeded.
30:32But the way that he played last week, the way that this offense has been restructured – I don't think Kalief Raymond
30:38is a silly thing, by the way. I think he's going to end up being, unfortunately, like an integral short area target
30:44and an option for Caleb to go to. Plus, he was running a lot more, and he was running faster.
30:49He was a little bit leaner. I think that the sky's the limit.
30:52You're right. We should have been higher on Caleb Williams.
30:54I do wish he'd stop running out of a clean pocket when Colston Loveland's 20 yards downfield went wide open.
30:59You could just throw it to the open guy.
31:02But, no, for fantasy purposes, we love it when he runs.
31:05It's awesome. It's going to be fun. This is a – you know, Jordan Love destroyed this defense last week.
31:10We'll see if maybe, you know, the changes that the Vikings made, they got rid of some older players and, you know, working in some younger guys.
31:16We'll see if that eventually clicks for Brian Flores' group.
31:19But, yeah, you're starting Caleb Williams. No hesitation. And you look at the list, 13 through 24, this is where you see Drake May.
31:25You also see Jared Goff, who was the start of the week last week and had a little bit of a disappointing performance.
31:31Got to 20 fantasy points but needed that touchdown in overtime for it to happen.
31:35Is it just easy to go back to Jared Goff taking on the Bills and what we hope to be the shootout tonight, Dave?
31:41I don't think so. I'm nervous about him. Okay.
31:43It's Thursday night. It's a short week. His offensive line is down now three starters from what they were hoping for when the year began.
31:49And Buffalo's pass rush did eventually get to C.J.
31:52Stroud. And what's he doing? He's playing outdoors on grass on the short week.
31:55This has not been a great tracker for him.
31:57Do you know what his career best fantasy point total is on a Thursday night road game?
32:02No. In his career, 13.4. No. Okay. And I get it.
32:04It should be a great matchup and he should have put up a ton of points.
32:08He should have done that last week too. And he didn't get there until overtime of 20 fantasy points.
32:13I think I can find a dozen other quarterbacks with more upside than Jared Goff.
32:17The offensive line worries me, but how many yards and touchdowns did C.J.
32:20Stroud have while the Bills? He had a bunch.
32:23He had a bunch. I think it was about 360 or 330 and three or something.
32:27So if I had Goff in my starting lineup, unless there was somebody else that I paired him with that we just
32:32hated week one that's now moved ahead of him.
32:34Well, Baker Mayfield is one of those guys. I would start Baker over Jared Goff.
32:38I would too. I wouldn't drop Jared Goff to go pick up Baker Mayfield.
32:42That's just the thing. You know, when you get to the situation of you love your bench, I'm not going to make a lot of changes.
32:48I get that. Listen, for the last three years, Jordan Love has been a remarkably efficient passer who just does not get to throw the ball.
32:55And then now they can't run the ball very well, so he gets to throw it more.
32:59And surprise, he scores a bunch of fantasy points.
33:02I think he's probably just going to keep doing that for most of the season.
33:05Very encouraged. I don't think it's going to be quite as good as last week, but a top 12 guy.
33:10Yeah, agreed. You know, I said this when the Josh Jacobs situation unfolded, that give him 30-plus attempts, he'll be a very good fantasy quarterback.
33:17Let's hope this continues until at least the run game gets situated.
33:20You were down on Jackson Dart last week. You're in on Jackson Dart.
33:23I love that they let him run. Let's just start right there.
33:26All training camp long, we're hearing about how Jackson Dart isn't somebody that the Giants coaching staff wants running the football a lot.
33:32And then what happens in week one? He's off to the races.
33:35He gets numbers that way. He also threw the ball very well.
33:38And it was Dallas' defense, and maybe I overrated Dallas' defense.
33:41I'm not going to overrate this Rams' defense. I didn't think that they looked good last week.
33:45We know there's no Miles Garrett. Big question mark on Aaron Donald playing in the game.
33:49Secondary did have some holes in it. I think Jackson Dart's a pretty good start this week.
33:53Let's keep it going, and we'll get better Malik Nabors, who played well.
33:57Obviously, Isaiah likely looked great. Yeah, if Jackson Dart runs, he's got a chance to be a top 10 fantasy quarterback, if not more.
34:03This week, I like Baker Mayfield as a top 10 quarterback.
34:05He's the start of the week for week number two.
34:08We love the revenge game narrative, taking on the Browns.
34:10And last week was a bad Browns defense, which I think we'll see more times than not, allowing four passing touchdowns to Trevor Lawrence.
34:17Lawrence did whatever he wanted to. Mayfield did not have a great game, had three fumbles in that matchup.
34:21But at home last year, despite some of the struggles, averaged 20 fantasy points per game in Tampa Bay.
34:26So I think we get a top 10 finish for Baker Mayfield, somebody that I would start over Jared Goff, and I
34:32would definitely start over Drake May, as well as Justin Herbert, a guy that you're going to sit, Dave.
34:37I hated what I saw from that offensive line.
34:39I love the way that the game started for Justin Herbert, but that was really almost all Ladd McConkie.
34:44And if McConkie's not playing, there's something wrong with Herbert to Quentin Johnson, Herbert to Trey Harris.
34:48He was passing up Quentin Johnson wide open in the middle of the field against Las Vegas.
34:52Or, I'm sorry, against Arizona. Now he's playing Las Vegas.
34:55If he does that again, I don't know where the numbers are going to be.
34:58I think they go to run the football. I don't want to take the chance on Justin Herbert knowing that he could
35:04be a couple of turnovers away from like a 15-point fantasy game.
35:07There's going to be more upside with a bunch of other quarterbacks.
35:10You heard me talk about how much I didn't like Goff.
35:13I'd rather start Goff than Justin Herbert. And you don't like Trevor Lawrence this week, which is a little bit of a surprise.
35:19I don't like Trevor Lawrence this week. And any time that I'm kind of the outlier, which I was on Trevor Lawrence,
35:24the thing that I like to go look at is the Vegas lines.
35:28Like, what's the passing yardage over under? What's the touchdown odds?
35:30Am I the weird one here? And no, I'm not.
35:33Trevor Lawrence has a passing yardage over under one yard higher than Bo Nix, well behind Justin Herbert, Drake May, all of those guys.
35:39Trevor Lawrence, you can get plus money on Trevor Lawrence throwing multiple touchdown passes this week.
35:43And if you want to bet on him throwing more than 220 yards and two touchdowns, it's 3-1.
35:47So I do think that this Denver defense, and particularly the pass defense, is still very, very good.
35:52They've still won the battle at the line of scrimmage more often than not last week.
35:56And good grief, could a team that is this talented be more embarrassed by what they just showed against Kansas City and
36:02what they showed against Trevor Lawrence in the playoffs?
36:04I don't want to start any Jacksonville Jaguars except for Parker Washington.
36:07Yeah, the narrative definitely makes sense. But this is a quarterback that's as hot as anybody that we've seen.
36:12The last nine games, he's averaging 23.1 fantasy points and destroyed this defense, which might have been better.
36:16Last year, in week 16, you've been fantasy playoffs.
36:19Right. In week 16, 37 fantasy points in that game.
36:21So I'm going to ride the hot hand. I think Trevor Lawrence still has one more good game.
36:26Now you're going to go back to Drake May.
36:28I'm avoiding Drake May this week. I just think, again, we're not going to get a lot of points.
36:33No A.J. Brown. We'll see who steps up and helps in the passing game.
36:36We'll see if he uses his legs again. The Steelers defense, I know you can't judge anything based on what they did
36:42last week, but they still have really good players there.
36:44They're going to get Joey Porter back in the secondary.
36:47I don't have Drake May as a top 15 quarterback this week.
36:50I'm going so far as I would rather start Bryce Young over Drake May.
36:53Bryce Young's history against the – we'll talk about that in a second – is absolutely amazing.
36:58I just don't like Drake May, but make your case for him.
37:01Well, first off, just in comparison to Trevor Lawrence, he has a higher passing yardage line.
37:05He has a higher rushing yardage line. He has a higher touchdown line both for passing and for rushing.
37:10I just think that he played this defense last year.
37:12He did not have a receiver that reached 30 receiving yards, and he scored 23 fantasy points.
37:16Hopefully he gets back to – listen, a lot of people drafted him to be a top five guy.
37:21I just can't trust it right now. Malik Willis, are you going to go back to him as a sleeper?
37:26Well, as a sleeper. And this is a pretty big desperation sleeper.
37:29It's more to say that Malik Willis is still the backup quarterback that I would like to have on my roster because
37:35I do think that there is a chance – this is new to everybody in Miami, what they're trying to do offensively.
37:40I think this is an offense that could be improving throughout the year.
37:44Caleb Douglas has been very encouraging as a rookie.
37:46Chris Bell I expect to continue to emerge. And Willis gives you 12 points on the ground upside every single week.
37:51So I'm not going to start him this week, but I do want to have him on my bench because if things
37:57start to click just a little bit with maybe one of the worst defenses in the NFL, Willis could be a fantastic fantasy quarterback later.
38:03All right, so Dave, the narrative clearly with the Saints.
38:06A lot of plays, overtime, Tyler Suck looked great.
38:08Is he going to do that against Baltimore? I think he's going to have to.
38:12And I know that the matchup is – you hear Baltimore, especially in Baltimore, and you get nervous about the matchup.
38:17And you saw what the Ravens did to the Colts last week, and it was Jonathan Taylor and not really a whole lot else.
38:23I'm encouraged by what I saw from Tyler Suck last week, just as I was encouraged from Tyler Suck in the second half of last season.
38:30It's why I'm personally inclined to start Devon Vele as a flex and why Chris Olave is a top-ten type of fantasy wide receiver.
38:36He's willing to take shots downfield. He's also willing to move out of the pocket.
38:40I think the Ravens' defense is good. I don't know if they're amazing.
38:43I don't know if they're going to be able to get enough pressure on Tyler Suck to turn him into a dud.
38:48And this team went pass crazy starting in the second quarter last week when they were down 7-0 against Detroit.
38:5370% pass rate from that point on throughout the rest of the game.
38:57And it's the reason why they were still in that game.
39:00Suck made some unbelievable throws there along the way.
39:02So I kind of like him this week. I think he's got some huge upside.
39:06Bryce Young, in his last two games in Atlanta, 699 passing yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions at least, and excuse me, two rushing touchdowns on top of that.
39:1337.8 fantasy points or more in those two games.
39:15Atlanta's defense just lost another defensive lineman. Young is coming off an amazing game last week against the Bears.
39:20Six of his last nine games, he's been over 20 fantasy points.
39:23That coincides with Jalen Coker becoming a thing for the Panthers.
39:26So hopefully Coker plays dealing with a little bit of an ankle injury.
39:29I think Bryce Young has another good game. And it's going to be fun to talk about this next week of coming
39:34off two strong games, strong finish to last year.
39:37Can you buy into him as a must-start fantasy quarterback?
39:39That's a conversation for another day, but obviously something that we can keep an eye on this weekend if Young plays well.
39:45All right, we're going to take a break. We come back, talk about some tight end rankings for week number two here on Fantasy Football Today.
39:51Welcome back to Fantasy Football Today. We're taking a look at our tight end rankings for week number two.
39:56They show you the list one through 12, and really a lot of shakeup because still no Brock Bauer is not expected
40:02to play in week two dealing with that knee injury.
40:04And we don't know what the status is yet fully for George Kittle.
40:07You see, not a top 12 tight end for us.
40:10We'll talk about him when we look at the starts and the sits.
40:13Kyle Pitts, very disappointing game for him, knowing that he did not have a catch, only one target.
40:18So the quarterback situation matters there. And as you see, we're going right back to Colston Loveland as a top three tight
40:23end, despite the fact that he also did not have a catch.
40:26We're expecting that to change in week number two.
40:29All right, let's get into the starts and sits that we're looking at here.
40:32Heath, you've got a fun one. He's a sleeper for me, he's a starter for you, and Hunter Henry, must-star guy?
40:38He might be the number one wide receiver, or pass catcher for the New England Patriots.
40:42Last year I mentioned how good Drake May was against the Steelers with no wide receivers.
40:46It's because Hunter Henry had eight catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns against this defense.
40:50He averaged 10.5 PPR fantasy points per game on a team that had Stephon Diggs and Kayshaun Booty.
40:54They don't have those guys or A.J. Brown right now.
40:57Hunter Henry should be a start. Let's hope he has a, you know, I just want some clarity.
41:01I want to see somebody step up. You know, last week it was Eli Raritan with the touchdown.
41:06Henry was more of a blocker, but great sleeper if you're looking for just somebody to find a replacement option.
41:11If you're worried about Pitts, if you're worried about anybody else in the position, Kittle with his playing time.
41:16Dave, Michael Mayer looks like he's going to be the starter again for the Raiders.
41:19Is it a must-start situation? Because seven targets were great, but the production was not.
41:23Yeah, the yardage was terrible. You're disappointed in that if you're playing in a half PPR or a non-PPR league.
41:28And frankly, you're probably a little bit disappointed if you only got you 9.2 PPR points also.
41:33But you said it, seven targets, that means something.
41:35I think the Raiders are going to have to continue to throw at a decent rate against the Chargers.
41:40Don't think that this is going to be a blowout the same type of way that it was for the Raiders in week one against Miami.
41:46So there should be more opportunities for Michael Mayer.
41:49And if he's lined up against Derwin James, man, two years ago, that would have made him a no-go.
41:53But Derwin James, and it's Trey McBride, but he got absolutely whooped by Trey McBride.
41:57And I wonder if Michael Mayer can replicate that to, I mean, like maybe half of that.
42:01But I would take half of that if I'm Michael Mayer and I'm starting him this week.
42:06Top 12 tight end for me. Seven catches, 87 yards, two touchdowns, 15 targets.
42:09That's what the Saints' tight ends did to this Lions defense.
42:12And this is what Dalton Kincaid is facing coming off a very strong game for him.
42:16Five catches, 130 yards on six targets. So team that struggles to defend tight ends, we know the safeties are still out for Detroit.
42:22I think Kincaid has an opportunity for a big performance.
42:25Start him, don't even question it. And hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
42:29Let's talk about the Sid tight ends here. Dave, you're going away from George Kittle.
42:32Heath, you're going away from Kyle Pitts. And for me, I'm sitting Harold Fannin.
42:36So is it just Sid Kittle until we see something better?
42:39Didn't even play 50% of the snaps last week.
42:41I love that they got him involved early. They tried to give him a touchdown early.
42:45And then after that, he might as well have been a ghost.
42:48I don't know how much they're even going to have to throw in this game because they should be able to run the ball effectively against Miami.
42:55Kittle, to me, more of a touchdown or bust tight end.
42:58Heath, is it quarterback dependent? Cooper Rush. Yep. Cooper Rush.
43:00Are you actively carrying two tight? Like, do you see Hunter Henry on the waiver bar?
43:04You're dropping somebody to pick him up. Yes. You're not cutting Kittle, obviously.
43:08Not cutting Kittle. No. Cooper Rush. Yep, all right.
43:10He was this close to having a big play last week.
43:13Yeah. Cooper Rush. Let's get a better quarterback performance for the Falcons.
43:16For me, I'm going to say Harold Fannin. Just don't like what I see from the Browns.
43:20This is my concern about Fannin going into the year, and I'm going to sit him until further notice, and he may
43:26be somebody, unfortunately, that we're dropping very soon. All right, we're going to take a break.
43:30When we come back, it's your questions to wrap up the show.
43:33That's next on FFT. We're back with your questions.
43:35Thank you for sending them to us using the hashtag AskFFT.
43:38And we got one here. Do you like Parker Washington or Jamison Williams this week in full PPR?
43:42So I know Dave's answer. Heath, who are you going with, Washington or Jamo?
43:46Washington. There you go. I think we all agree on that.
43:49Next question? In sweep. On a scale of one, not worried to ten, worried.
43:52How worried are you about Nico Collins' hamstring injury?
43:54Hey, I'm worried about, it's like an eight or a nine for this week, but maybe like a three for the rest of the season.
44:01Maybe that should be higher. Maybe like a five.
44:03I would rather sit him week two to have him rest of season than have him go out and get re-injured.
44:08So just something to keep an eye on. Thanks for the question, Rob.
44:12All right, last one here. Which tight end would you start this week, Sam Laporta or Isaiah Likely?
44:16Laporta. I'll take Likely. I'll take Likely too, but I'd try and trade one of these guys if you can.
44:21All right, thanks for watching. Thanks for listening to Fantasy Football Today, our podcast, which you can find wherever podcasts are available.
44:27For Heath Cummings, for Dave Richard, for our wonderful production staff, I'm Jamie Eisenberg.
44:30This has been Fantasy Football Today. Welcome to Fantasy Football Today.
