PodcastFrom Fantasy Football Today
Week 1 Start Sit Advice (Part 1) | MUST-Start Players & Big Names to AVOID (09/10 Fantasy Football Podcast)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 18 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 10, 2026
Published
Thu, September 10, 2026
48
Player insights
42
Players mentioned
Topics
Parker WashingtonA.J. BrownJosh DownsKenneth GainwellMichael MayerBaker MayfieldBo NixBrenton StrangeBrian Thomas Jr.Bucky IrvingCarnell TateChris GodwinChristian WatsonCooper Kupp
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
NegativeInjury3:45
The source reports that AJ Brown was not having a great game before suffering an injury, and the prognosis does not sound good for him to return quickly.
Insight pageNegativeInjury70:28
A.J. Brown is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain, with an MRI pending to determine the severity and expected time missed.
Insight pageBaker Mayfield
PositiveProjection45:58
The source highlights a 28-game stretch from 2023 Week 14 to 2025 Week 6 where Baker Mayfield averaged 24.7 fantasy points per game, outperforming Drake May. He is viewed as a decent start in the QB12-16 range.
Insight pageBo Nix
NegativeProjection47:03
The source expresses skepticism about starting Bo Nix against the Chiefs, citing the Monday night environment at Arrowhead, uncertainty regarding his rushing usage following an ankle injury, and a low team implied total of approximately 20 points.
Insight pageBrenton Strange
NegativeBust63:21
The source explicitly advises against starting Brenton Strange, noting he is ranked no higher than 18th.
Insight pageBrian Thomas Jr.
NegativeValue62:29
The source suggests Brian Thomas Jr. is worth trusting in three-receiver leagues but advises caution in two-receiver formats; he is considered less safe than the Pollard/Tootin-Judkins running back group for Week 1.
Insight pageBucky Irving
PositiveRole43:52
Bucky Irving is considered a borderline-to-mid RB2. The source notes his projection will improve if Sean Tucker is out, as it removes competition for goal-line carries, though Kenneth Gainwell remains a threat for that role. The source remains optimistic about his potential given a healthy offensive line.
Insight pageCarnell Tate
PositiveBust21:59
The source advises sitting Carnell Tate against the Jets, noting that while they remain hopeful for his season, his target volume is threatened by Wan'Dale Robinson's role in Brian Daboll's offense. He is considered a desperation flex play only in deep PPR leagues.
Insight pageChris Godwin
PositiveValue14:04
Godwin is a recommended start with top-20 upside, similar to Parker Washington. The Buccaneers are expected to throw frequently while chasing the score against the Bengals.
Insight pageChristian Watson
NegativeMatchup25:21
The source advises sitting Christian Watson against Minnesota, citing a difficult matchup against Brian Flores' defense. They note that Watson has historically struggled against the Vikings, with his best career performance against them being only 9.9 PPR points.
Insight pageCooper Kupp
PositiveUsage8:22
The source notes that Cooper Kupp looked good on a few plays and had a touchdown called back, suggesting positive underlying usage.
Insight pageD.J. Moore
NegativeBust23:35
The source recommends sitting DJ Moore against Houston due to a tough matchup against a dominant secondary and pass rush. Despite 10 targets in their 2024 meeting, he failed to produce. He is viewed as a WR3 at best for the week, with the source noting they would prefer starting Kenneth Gainwell in PPR formats.
Insight pageDalton Schultz
PositiveProjection35:18
The source prefers Dalton Schultz over Dalton Kincaid for Week 1, citing a higher median projection and a safer floor in a low-scoring game environment. He is viewed as a reliable, safe play for the Texans.
Insight pageDavid Montgomery
PositiveUsage68:30
The source prefers Montgomery over other Texans running backs for Week 1, noting that running downs and goal-line opportunities should favor him in a projected low-scoring game.
Insight pageDK Metcalf
PositiveProjection64:42
The source views Metcalf as a high-end WR3 and prefers him over DJ Moore for Week 1, citing optimism from Aaron Rodgers' recent quotes and the expectation that Atlanta's pass rush will struggle, giving Metcalf time to get open.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeBust0:58
The source notes a negative reaction to his performance, with listeners joking about dropping him, though the source advises against dropping him from fantasy rosters despite the poor showing.
Insight pageEmeka Egbuka
PositiveProjection41:08
The source views Emeka Egbuka as a low-end WR2, ranking him ahead of Chris Godwin for the week. They note that while he may face shadow coverage from DJ Turner, his role in the offense makes him a strong start.
Insight pageGreg Dulcich
PositiveSleeper72:52
Dulcich is recommended as a dart-throw tight end option, with the source noting positive reports on his rapport with Malik Willis and strong efficiency metrics from limited action last year.
Insight pageHunter Henry
PositiveUsage8:03
The source suggests Hunter Henry could become more relevant in the offense following the recent game, noting he played a lot of snaps last year.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveUsage2:14
The source describes Price as a 'trap back' who looked awesome when he had the ball, but notes significant role concerns as he played zero third-down snaps and is behind others in short-yardage situations.
Insight pageJared Goff
PositiveProjection9:48
Jared Goff is a top-tier start for the week against the Saints, with top-five upside. He averaged 23.9 points in his last five home games and faces a defense that allowed multiple touchdowns to nine QBs last season.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
NegativeInjury24:00
Jeremiah Love is trending toward playing in Week 1 following an August ankle injury, but the source expresses concern over his snap count and overall performance. They fear the team will limit his usage if chasing points, making him a risky flex play at best.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
NegativeUsage20:39
The source advises avoiding Panthers running backs because their touch distribution is unpredictable, making them flex plays at best until more clarity is provided.
Insight pageJosh Allen
NegativeProjection67:18
Despite a poor historical record in Houston (0-4, including playoffs) and low fantasy output in recent meetings, the source maintains that Allen is a must-start player.
Insight pageJosh Downs
PositiveRole33:29
The source prefers Josh Downs over Alec Pierce for Week 1, noting that Pierce is still ramping up from a foot injury. They believe Downs has the potential to be the Colts' leading receiver for the week and potentially the entire season.
Insight pagePositiveUsage55:58
The source is optimistic about Josh Downs, suggesting he is a viable flex play in PPR formats. He is viewed as having more upside than DJ Moore and is preferred over players who rely solely on touchdowns, such as J.K. Dobbins.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveProjection15:20
Justin Herbert is a top-two quarterback start against Arizona, as the Chargers are expected to have high offensive output against the Cardinals' defense.
Insight pageKenneth Gainwell
PositiveUsage23:34
The source highlights Kenneth Gainwell as a viable flex play, particularly in PPR formats, due to his expected involvement in the passing game. They suggest he could potentially outperform DJ Moore in PPR scoring if the game script forces the team to chase points.
Insight pagePositiveUsage64:04
The source highlights that in the final eight games of last season, Gainwell served as the primary third-down back, maintaining a pace for 94 catches on 108 targets, suggesting potential PPR value if that role continues.
Insight pageLuther Burden
PositiveBreakout11:41
Luther Burden is a high-confidence start who could finish as a top-10 receiver if Rome Odunze is out. He has a strong target share projection and is a favorite of Ben Johnson.
Insight pageMark Andrews
NegativeUsage52:42
The source views Mark Andrews as a low-end starter who is currently 'touchdown or bust.' He has struggled historically against the Chargers, and the source prefers starting Michael Mayer or Juwan Johnson over him.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveRole16:03
Marshawn Lloyd is an RB2 start for the week. Despite a committee expectation, he is projected for 14-15 carries and should see passing game work.
Insight pageMichael Mayer
PositiveValue29:53
The source strongly recommends picking up Michael Mayer, noting he averaged 13.9 PPR points in the three games he played while Brock Bowers was out last year. He is considered a top streaming option against a Dolphins defense that ranked 30th against tight ends.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper71:19
With Brock Bowers out, Mayer is highlighted as a strong tight end replacement option; he is only 21% rostered and has shown past production in games without Bowers.
Insight pageParker Washington
NegativeProjection6:59
Heath Cummings ranks Washington 30th, noting that Jacksonville may not have high pass volume if they lead early; he remains a startable option in three-receiver leagues, though he faces uncertainty regarding how Cleveland's new defensive coordinator will deploy coverage compared to last year's man-heavy scheme.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout10:43
Parker Washington is a recommended start with top-20 upside. The source expects him to lead the team in targets and maintain a constant role in the offense.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup62:06
The source notes that Parker Washington was highly effective against man coverage last year. While the Browns have a new defensive coordinator, they return their entire secondary, which was the most man-heavy unit in the NFL last season.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
NegativeBust19:54
Mahomes is ranked 22nd by the source, who advises avoiding him due to the tough matchup against Denver's pass rush and the absence of his left tackle.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
NegativeProjection34:35
The source ranks Quinchon Judkins slightly ahead of Baisin Tootin, though they acknowledge the two are very close. They fear a negative game script for Judkins as a heavy underdog, but hope his usage in training camp translates to passing game involvement.
Insight pageRome Odunze
NegativeInjury13:01
The source notes that Odunze is expected to play, though his status is being monitored, which directly impacts the fantasy outlook for Luther Burden.
Insight pageRomeo Doubs
NegativeUsage1:42
The source highlights that Doubs was barely playing before AJ Brown's injury, running fewer routes than Dontayvion Wicks and playing fewer snaps than Malik Collins, indicating he did not impress in training camp.
Insight pageSam Darnold
NegativeInjury3:52
The source indicates that the initial prognosis for Sam Darnold's injury sounds slightly more optimistic than that of AJ Brown.
Insight pageTony Pollard
NegativeRole36:56
Tony Pollard is considered a low-end RB2 for Week 1. The source notes that when the Titans are competitive, Pollard is a more comfortable start, citing his strong finish to the 2025 season where he averaged 100 yards per game over his final five outings.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
NegativeProjection27:38
The source views Travis Etienne as a solid RB2, though they express some concern regarding whether he has lost a step following his injury. They maintain he is a reliable starter but question his ceiling as a 'great' versus 'okay' RB2.
Insight pageTre Tucker
NegativeUsage73:53
Tucker is identified as a potential pickup for those needing receiver depth, especially with Bowers out, though he remains difficult to trust as a consistent starter.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveProjection59:13
The source confirms there is no doubt about starting Trevor Lawrence, noting his streak of scoring 23 or more fantasy points in eight straight games dating back to last season.
Insight pageWoody Marks
NegativeUsage68:30
Marks is viewed as a deeper option who may have an advantage if the Texans are forced to chase points, but he is generally ranked behind other depth running backs.
Insight pageZach Charbonnet
NegativeDepth Chart4:57
The source mentions that Zach Charbonnet is expected to return to the lineup at some point, which could impact the backfield rotation.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is Fantasy Football Today from CBS Sports. Swat play!
0:03Can you believe this? He had no idea. It's time to dominate your fantasy league.
0:08Off to the races! And he stays on his feet!
0:11He's just gonna go the distance! Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.
0:16Hey what's going on? Welcome to the show! It is Thursday, September 10th and we are recapping a football game.
0:22Are you all thrown off? I definitely, like yesterday gave me major Thursday vibes.
0:26We decided we're never doing that again, right? The Wednesday night football thing?
0:31Yes. Yeah, I... This has been the worst start to the season of all time.
0:35The worst, the last 24 hours. Bowers, Darnold, A.J.
0:38Brown. This just stinks. By the way, we did a Brock Bowers episode yesterday, so we're...
0:43Just listen to that. I'll recap it briefly later, but I'm not gonna get into that whole thing today.
0:49It'll save us some time. But yeah, it's been a...
0:52Been a rough day in the fantasy world, huh?
0:55Yeah, and I don't think people are going to react reasonably.
0:58No. I don't... Ooh, here's a comment. Drake May, more like drop May.
1:02Well, don't drop him from your teams, but yeah, that Romeo Dobbs drop certainly changed the game quite a bit.
1:09Seattle 13, New England 10. Today on the show, start or sit for eight AFC home games.
1:14Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, highest projected total of the week.
1:17Denver at Kansas City. Baltimore at Indianapolis. Cleveland at Jacksonville.
1:20Atlanta at Pittsburgh. Buffalo at Houston. Miami at Las Vegas.
1:23And of course, the Jets at the Titans. The Jets used to be the Titans.
1:28Did you know that? I'm sure you did. Is that your fact?
1:32That's stat of the game. Stat of the game.
1:34Did you... What did you say about Romeo Dobbs?
1:37That his drop really changed the game. That was your response to a discussion about how bad Drake May was?
1:44No, it was just a separate... Oh, okay. Because the next play was an interception, right?
1:48Yeah, pretty sure the very next pass he threw was intercepted right after the Dobbs drop was...
1:54I think anyway. Which was it the first or the second or the third or the fourth quarter?
1:59That was in the third quarter, I believe. Rolling...
2:02You don't remember the play? Beautiful... No, I remember he dropped the pass.
2:06Yes, I just didn't think it was one of the big moments of the game.
2:11I thought, well, I could be wrong about the interception, but I think it was followed up by a Julian Love pick in the middle of the field.
2:20Anyway, all right, the injuries are a major story here.
2:23Jadarian Price basically defined a trap back last night.
2:26Hopefully that changes going forward, but Jamie... And he looked awesome.
2:29Jamie, what are your major takeaways here from an injury standpoint with Seattle and New England?
2:34Well, I think it was good that you still got a great game out of Jackson Smith and the Jigba, and hopefully
2:41he'll be fine with Drew Locke if that's going to be the option moving forward.
2:46I can't imagine that it would not be. So, you know, there was a little bit of panic for a good portion
2:52of the game, obviously, when you're watching Drew Locke play.
2:56But still a great player, you know, comes through with a strong performance at the end.
3:01I think he kind of just alluded to this, like they have to give Jadarian Price more opportunities and touches.
3:07Like he's clearly their best running back. It was never, ever, ever about George Helani being good.
3:12It was, this was the issue was that they were going to try and force somebody else on the field and give
3:19somebody else more touches and some high value touches.
3:22And that's a concern clearly for where Jadarian Price's ceiling can go.
3:25But, you know, I think just the bottom line is like, this is kind of what we expect going in.
3:32These are two great defenses and, you know, you lose the best receiver on one side and you lose the quarterback on the other side.
3:39Like it's not great. Now, AJ Brown was not having a great game before he got hurt.
3:45So hopefully he's not going to be out for an extended period of time, but it does not sound good for him.
3:52It does sound a little bit better for, for Darnold at least what we got last night in terms of a first
3:58prognosis on, on what his injury could be. I thought Price was the one guy from last night that everyone could say they were right.
4:06Because if you watched him when he had the football, he looked awesome.
4:10And the role concerns that people that didn't want to draft him also looked correct.
4:15The problem is not so much for me that Helani played as much as he did, as it looks like Price might
4:22be third in line for short yardage touches. They, they use Emmanuel Wilson there.
4:26I think Helani might be, he just, he has a little bit, or at least he showed in that game, a little bit of the same Ken Walker.
4:35Ooh, look, let's bounce outside. I thought on a couple of those.
4:39Price or Helani? Yes. Yeah. Price. Yeah. He, he, he, he, um, and that's, that's what got RJ Harvey in trouble last year.
4:46So I think you, if you drafted Price, you can be encouraged cause he looks so good.
4:51And if you faded price, you can feel like you were right because the role is not very good.
4:57And here comes Zach Sharpenay. I think, you know, it just with, with the Patriots run defense, it just continued the theme
5:04with Milton Williams when he's on the field. Like they're just really tough to run on in general.
5:10And so to see him do that, you know, to average five yards per carry is, is encouraging.
5:15But at the same time, like this is a run defense.
5:19You probably want to avoid if you can as a fantasy manager, you know, if you're seeing the Patriots on the schedule,
5:25like if you have another option, you go the other way.
5:29And Janarian price did not play a single snap on third down.
5:33We didn't see any goal to go, but we mentioned the short yardage stuff.
5:37He was in on second and short twice, but he was not in on the two third and short opportunities they had.
5:44Obviously that could change. But again, as he said, Zach Sharpenay should be back at some point.
5:49It'll be at least three more games there at Arizona next week.
5:53That should be a much better matchup for them.
5:56Um, I could go through, you know what? Why don't we should probably wait till we get an update on Sam Donald,
6:03but I went and I, I looked five superstar receivers and what they've done in recent seasons without their starting quarterback Tyreek
6:09Hill in 2022, Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson in 2023, Jamar Chase last year and CD lamb in 2024.
6:15And basically three of them, three of those, which, which sample size of Jefferson last year did you use?
6:21No, two years, three years ago. I thought you said last year too.
6:25Jamar Chase last year. Oh, Jamar Chase. Yeah. And, and I was gonna say Jefferson was good with the backup quarterback.
6:32Jefferson and Chase were both great with the backup quarterbacks.
6:35Chase once was once was not as good as he was with Burrow, but last year he was with Flacco.
6:41He was on pace for over 200 targets, but CD lamb had a pretty big drop off.
6:47Tyreek Hill had a, had a pretty big drop off and Jamar Chase.
6:51One of the two times that a pretty big drop off.
6:54So it could happen, but you know, hopefully it's not that long of an injury.
6:59And also you've got Arizona and Washington as the next two games.
7:02And that's really favorable for a JSN stardom. Um, Ramond Ray played almost every snap had five catches.
7:08That's exactly what we want to see while, uh, while Travion Henderson is out now with, then we'll finish on this.
7:15I think with the AJ Brown injury, it let's say he misses some time.
7:19I mean, people might want to drop Romeo Dobbs and he's 75% rostered.
7:23I believe. Um, what, like, what do we do here?
7:26Heath? Is there any player that you like for the Patriots?
7:30Um, can they give Kyle Williams another chance? Um, no, I, I don't.
7:34It was such a weird thing because before AJ Brown got hurt, Romeo Dobbs wasn't hardly playing.
7:39He ran fewer routes than tomorrow. Douglas. He was out there for fewer snaps than Mac Collins.
7:44Like he, he clearly did not impress them in training camp in the preseason.
7:49And then to have that type of performance when he was on the field, um, I, I'm probably not going to drop
7:55Romeo Dobbs, but if we get somebody who's a big waiver wire ad and that's your worst player, I understand if somebody would.
8:03Maybe Hunter Henry becomes more relevant. I know Raritan had the touchdown, but Henry had a decent year last year and played a lot of snaps.
8:11So, all right, we can talk about that on the waiver wire show.
8:15Someone asked if they can drop Rashid Shahid. You can.
8:18He did nothing. Cooper cup looked pretty good on a few plays last night.
8:22And he had, uh, did he have a touch?
8:25He had a touchdown called back Cooper cup. Yep.
8:28By the way, it was a fourth quarter when Dobbs had that drop in on the next play.
8:33There was the interception and that will wrap up our recap of Thursday night football.
8:38No, no, no, no, no, no. Today we have.
8:41Oh, oh, Wednesday. Oh gosh, it was Wednesday night.
8:44I shouldn't have done the song. Oh my gosh.
8:47I'm sorry. All right. I'll do it tomorrow. Uh, we usually have our show on CBS sports network, noon, Eastern Tuesdays, Thursdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
8:54Neither of those shows are airing. Well, obviously the Tuesday one didn't or today, today's show not airing on CBS sports network,
9:01but it's still going to air on CBS sports HQ.
9:04And you can still see it at youtube.com slash fantasy football today.
9:08So Tuesday is a waiver wire show. Thursday is a rankings start or sit episode.
9:13And Dave did a great interview with Scott Turner.
9:16Please check it out. He's going to do that every Wednesday on our YouTube channel.
9:20Again, it's youtube.com slash fantasy football today. Now here's what we do on Thursdays.
9:25We give you three players. We love and three players to avoid three from Jamie and three from Heath.
9:31So let's get into players. We love brought to you by stitch fix.
9:35If you're like me and clothes shopping is not your thing stitch fix has you covered get styled today at stitch fix.com slash football.
9:42Jamie players. You love Jared golf against the saints Parker Washington against Cleveland and Luther burden at Carolina.
9:48Let's start with Jared golf golf is the start of the week.
9:51Uh, love the setup for him taking on the saints.
9:55I think again, anytime he's home, we're going to be excited about it.
9:59He scored at least 21.2 fantasy points in four of his last five home games in Detroit.
10:04Last year and average 23.9 points over that span.
10:07This game is expected to be one of the higher scoring games of the week.
10:1148 and a half points was the last projected total that I saw and nine quarterbacks had multiple touchdowns against the saints
10:18defense last season, including four with at least three total touchdowns.
10:22So I think Jared golf has an opportunity to get off to a great start.
10:26We've been hyping him up as one of the best late round quarterbacks.
10:30I think for week one, he's got top five upside.
10:33I see Heath is right there with me at number six sports line at number six.
10:38Dave's a little behind. So excited just about Jared golf ceiling for this week.
10:43It wouldn't surprise me if he's QB one based on how things can go.
10:47Parker Washington against Cleveland. Does it bother you at all that Cleveland was second or third best against receivers?
10:53No, no, it's a much different defense without miles Garrett there.
10:57I know Jared versus a good pass rusher, but he's not miles Garrett.
11:01And so I think we'll have Tara Lawrence with more time and look what Washington did last season, not sustainable, but coming
11:07off that stretch that he had at the end of the year going into the off season, the way that he performed
11:14in training camp, still chasing a new contract. I think it sets up for him to lead the team in targets and
11:21I do expect him to have a big role.
11:24I don't think he comes off the field. So as they cycle in Travis Hunter for whatever offensive snaps he plays, as
11:31we see Jacoby Myers and Brian Thomas, I think Washington should be the constant and a guy that Trevor Lawrence leans on.
11:38So he's got top 20 upside for this week, if not more.
11:41And finally, oh, I'm sorry. Who is your third?
11:44Luther Burton. Um, for, for burden, we're waiting to find out what's going to happen with Romo Dunez.
11:50I think I said this yesterday. There's two scenarios here.
11:53One where burden is really good. One where burden is an absolute superstar.
11:57So you're starting him no matter what happens with Odundze.
12:00I think we could see maybe a top 10 finish for burden last year when there was no Odundze on the field.
12:07I think it was only three games that burden played of the five that, uh, or four, excuse me, four games that
12:14Odundze missed at the end of the season. And burden was fantastic.
12:18So the target share will be there. The opportunity will be there.
12:21We know that he was headed toward a big season.
12:24We know that he has an opportunity to be a go-to guy for Caleb Williams.
12:29Ben Johnson loves him. And I think fantasy managers got a discount because of the groin injury.
12:34And now you're going to just start him with confidence.
12:38I was surprised the start percentage wasn't as high as it probably will be by the time we get to Sunday.
12:44But this is somebody that you may have drafted in some cases as a third receiver, get him in your lineup, no
12:51matter what, if you got to play him as flex, you got to play him as a starting receiver.
12:57Again, if Odundze is out, he may be a top 10 receiver this week.
13:01I was looking at some receiving lines yesterday and they already, they do have one for Odundze.
13:07So I think they're probably expecting him to play, but Luther burden has the highest.
13:11Um, yardage over under on the bears 56 and a half.
13:15So it's a pretty good sign. This is a pretty interesting game to me.
13:19This, and we'll talk about it more tomorrow, Carolina and Chicago, because Carolina had us had an average defense last year and they should get a lot better.
13:28They spent a lot of money. They got Jalen Phillips, uh, on the defensive line and they've got JC horn who sometimes shadows guys.
13:35It's not going to be Luther burden. He shadows.
13:38If he does shadow anyone, it's going to be Romo Dune.
13:41I would almost, I would think with, you know, confidence there.
13:45So, all right. So who do you like better Parker Washington or Luther burden, man?
13:50It, I mean, it's easy burden. If there's no.
13:52Oh, Dunez a, uh, with Oh, Dunez a expected to play as of now, I probably still would lean burden, but it's close.
14:00All right. Here's a tough one that'll transition into Heath's players here, Parker Washington or Chris Godwin.
14:05So I think that one's probably tougher for me than it is for others.
14:09Cause I've, I've got Godwin one spot ahead of Parker Washington or two spots ahead of Parker Washington.
14:15I think they're in very similar spots. Um, this is a bigger move for Godwin than it is for Washington for me,
14:22because I had Washington kind of in this range all along, but I think very, very good number three wide receiver.
14:28Jamie said top 20 upside. I believe that exists for both Godwin and Parker Washington bucks should be thrown.
14:34Throwing a lot, chasing the score against the Bengals.
14:37I believe that game has the highest over under on the slate.
14:41Um, and we don't know that a Mecca book is 100% all the way.
14:45Certainly expect him to play. Okay. So if you have these guys, Luther bird and Chris Godwin and, um, Parker Washington, you can start them over.
14:53DJ Jamie's going to tell you, DJ more, you might want to get away from any backfield.
14:58That's kind of iffy. Like you'd start those guys over the Steelers running backs, right?
15:03Even though they have a good setup. And PPR easily.
15:06Yes. Yeah. I'm going to, I think I, uh, had doubt on my, uh, well, he's not on this list.
15:12He's on my later list, but I I'd probably start doubt all over them.
15:17Not burden. Okay. All right. Heath, um, Justin Herbert against Arizona.
15:20You're like, look at you loving. Yeah, I was, I, I, then I think I'm the only person that could put this
15:27on my list because everybody else just kind of viewed him as a starter during draft season.
15:32I was a little bit more skeptical and will be probably again later in the season, but against the Arizona Cardinals with
15:39the second highest, um, over implied team total on the slate.
15:43He is my number two quarterback. I am the Justin Herbert guy.
15:46Um, thank you. They will be able to do whatever they want against this Arizona defense.
15:51So I, um, this doesn't mean I'm down on him wearing Hampton.
15:55He's a top 10 running back. I'm happy to start lad McConkie and Quentin Johnston.
16:00Um, wheels up for the chargers. All right. Yeah.
16:03You've got Herbert second. Jamie has him third and Dave has actually him ninth.
16:07Everyone has Herbert as a start. Look at this.
16:10Heath's profile on X. Now chiefs fan chargers hater, but Herbert QB to my homes, QB 22.
16:15I love it. That's a typo. It says chargers realist.
16:18Um, can't be a chargers hater. Just a realist.
16:21Oh, okay. Just being real about the chargers is hating on them.
16:25Okay. And I guess you're sitting Patrick Mahomes as well, but there's one other guy that you want to start.
16:31And this one, this one, I really struggle with cause you know, I have a lot of him.
16:37Um, but I hate the fact that he's at Minnesota, but Marshawn Lloyd you're saying is a start this week.
16:43And I know there's been talk about the committee and I expect there will be a committee there.
16:49Most teams have some sort of a committee, but this was a team that had 22 running back rush attempts per game last year.
16:56I think we see Marshawn Lloyd be at probably 15 of them, maybe 14 of them.
17:01And while he may not, he may give up third downs to Chris book Brooks.
17:06I still think he probably catches a few passes.
17:08They liked his profile and early down passes for Marshawn wood.
17:12So he he's an RB two for me this week.
17:15He was one of the guys and listen, we just saw it with you, Darian price.
17:20So it may be the same thing where he looks good, but it doesn't have enough touches, but he was one of
17:27the guys that I had ranked kind of as an RB three or flex and draft season that week one, the guy
17:34they're mostly going to be sharing with isn't there.
17:37I'm starting them. Yes. What's interesting is that, um, Emmanuel Wilson last year on the Packers had two games as a feature
17:43back and both of them were against Minnesota. And one time he had 28 carries 107 yards and two touchdowns and two
17:50catches for 18 yards for a 26 and a half point game.
17:54And the other time was week 18. He had 18 carries for 44 yards.
17:58I'm, I'm thinking maybe he didn't have his starters with him.
18:02Maybe the backups were playing 18 carries for 44 yards, one catch for four yards, but you know, 18 or more carries in both games.
18:10Uh, all right. So again, Jamie loves golf, Parker Washington and Luther burden.
18:14He has Herbert. Hmm. We're going to pin that, uh, Marshawn Lloyd and Chris Godwin.
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18:40That's stitchfix.com slash football. When we come back, we'll tell you who we're avoiding.
18:45We'll go through the news and notes. We'll do one question for each game and we'll get into it on fantasy football today.
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19:54Heath, you have Patrick Mahomes as a sit. Who's the most shocking name that's ahead of Patrick Mahomes in your rankings?
20:01The most shocking name. Um, I don't think Malik Willis counts.
20:04I think so. That's, I think it counts. Okay.
20:07Malik Willis against the Raiders. Okay. Yeah. Mahomes is 22nd for you.
20:11Uh, he's facing Denver without his left tackle. I'm the high guy.
20:14Oh man. What do you have him 20th or something?
20:17Mahomes 20th. Yeah. I just, I just think against this defense and this pass rush to already be, I mean, we've all,
20:24we've seen from Justin Herbert last year, what an impact not having an offensive tackle can have on a quarterback.
20:30Um, I just think he's back folks. This is too much to ask of my homes magic.
20:36Um, I, I do not want to start. Okay.
20:39You're also avoiding the Panthers running backs. It looks like Jonathan Brooks is going to play the Panthers running backs against the Bears.
20:46It looks like both of them are going to play.
20:49And honestly, anybody that's doing a projection on how many touches these guys are going to get in week one is guessing.
20:56And that includes me cause I do projections. And so I think you just have to kind of guess a 50 50 split.
21:03Maybe one of them gets into the end zone.
21:06Maybe one of them gets hot in the first half and they get a two to one ratio in the second half.
21:13But until we get more clarity on how the touches are going to be distributed, they're both flexes at best.
21:19Carnell Tate against the jets is a sit for you.
21:22Another one. It's just kind of like, let's see it.
21:25I think you've got enough of a, I think that the concerns about the preseason for the Titans, the commanders and the giants probably overblown.
21:33I'm still hopeful for Carnell Tate this year, but the other thing we don't know is Brian Dables got his guy in one Dale Robinson.
21:41If we're going to throw him the ball eight times a game, it's going to be hard for Carnell Tate to be good.
21:48Yeah. You know, the, if you look at the, the worst secondaries in the NFL, according to PFF, just their guests at
21:55the five worst secondaries, uh, four of them are facing each other.
21:58The jets Raiders and the dolphins tight. Sorry. The jets Titans and the dolphins Raiders.
22:03And it's like, I wish the quarterbacks were better so we could stream those quarterbacks.
22:08The best matchups arguably have, have these Malik Willis is someone we could use, but it's also it's Gino Smith and it's
22:15Kirk cousins and it's cam Ward and whatever. And I'll say like, if you're in a three, and we all agree based
22:21on the rankings, but if you're in a three wide receiver PPR league and you start a flex tape might be the
22:28perfect guy to throw into the flex and just hope that we're wrong, but you don't want to be trusting him.
22:35All right. And Jamie, how about DJ more? This is a higher end guy that we're trying to get it.
22:41I don't know if we're trying to get away from it.
22:45Might have to, but might have to start DJ more, but he's at Houston.
22:49Just a tough matchup. You know, he faced them in 2024 when he was doing well with the bears six catches 53 yards on 10 targets.
22:57So opportunities were there and he did not perform.
23:00The secondary is just amazing. You know, he's, I don't know if he's going to get shadowed by Stingley, but you got Lasseter, you got Petrie.
23:08You got just a good group there. You got a very dominant pass rush.
23:12Josh Allen, not the best history against the Texans.
23:15So I just think DJ more is a good number three receiver for this week.
23:20So in two or C really, cause I would sit him.
23:23Um, and I'll give you just a, you know, scenario here, you know, Heath mentioned, or one of you mentioned, you know,
23:30just in terms of, I think you're talking about, um, Chris Godwin chasing points.
23:34Like I wouldn't be surprised if Kenneth gainwell has a better game than DJ more in PPR, just because I think just
23:41the catches that he'll have in that shootout would not surprise me.
23:45Like that's one I'm struggling with myself. Cause I think Daniel is gonna have a good game.
23:50So, um, just a little bit nervous about DJ more start of season schedule could be a little tougher.
23:56Definitely. Oh, so you're struggling with Kenneth gainwell versus DJ more.
24:00How about Jeremiah love versus Kenneth gain? Well, would you go that far?
24:04So we, we gotta figure out what the, we gotta wait to see what the status is for Jeremiah.
24:10Love sounds like he's trending in the direction of playing how much he'll play remains to be seen coming off the ankle injury that happened in early August.
24:18So the timeline put him on schedule to play in week one.
24:22And as we know, this is not going to be an easy matchup for him.
24:27Heath already talked about this, that the Cardinals chasing points, like, why would you run him out there full for too many
24:34snaps after what you did to him in, in the preseason game against Raiders when you played him too many snaps and what was a meaningless game.
24:42So if they're chasing, I would imagine Jeremiah love doesn't see a lot of time late in the game.
24:48I'm just concerned about his overall performance and health more so than I think the matchup and the matchup is not great.
24:55So, uh, Jeremiah love at best is a flex.
24:58I would probably still start him over gain well, but that's another close one.
25:02Yeah. By the way, that's an AFC home game, but that one we're going to save for tomorrow.
25:08There are more AFC home games and NFC on the slate this week, especially since two of the NFC home games are yesterday and today.
25:15Um, so we've got as sits, we've got Jeremiah love DJ more and Christian Watson at Minnesota.
25:21That must be tough for you. Cause I know how much you like Christian Watson.
25:25Yeah. I just don't love the matchup here against the Vikings.
25:29This is, you know, Heath was talking about Marshawn Lloyd and, and kind of what I fear, which sort of is going
25:36to sound like I'm, I'm being a little hypocritical here.
25:39I'm concerned about Lloyd because I think we're going to see a bad green Bay defense to start the season and not
25:46that this Minnesota offense is dominant, but it's a little surprising that they're favored, even though they're at home.
25:52Um, if they're chasing points here, that's going to, I think it's going to hurt Lloyd.
25:57But I also think that this secondary is just so amazing.
26:00Now he hasn't played them very much in his career because he's missed a lot of time, but his best game against them was 9.9 PPR points.
26:08And so I just fear that if he does not score, we're looking at a little bit of a disappointing stat line.
26:15So just not really loving the Packers offense general in this game.
26:19I know the Vikings defense is turning over a little bit, some different faces over there.
26:24It's still Brian Flores. They're still going to create a lot of havoc.
26:28They're still going to make things tough on Jordan love.
26:31So I love the Packers passing game for the majority of the season.
26:35I don't love them in this week, one game at Minnesota.
26:39And it's absolutely amazing that the Minnesota Vikings gave up one touchdown pass in their last eight games to end the season.
26:46And that was two games against the Packers, although week 18 was Clayton tune.
26:50So yeah, going back to that Emmanuel Wilson thing, but that was Jared golf through it.
26:55The only touchdown Dak Prescott didn't throw a touchdown.
26:58Jordan love didn't throw a touchdown. Caleb Williams didn't throw a touchdown weeks, 11 through 18, one touchdown pass against the Vikings.
27:05All right. So it's a recap players to avoid for Heath and for everyone.
27:09Patrick Mahomes against Denver. Heath wants to avoid it kind of a wait and see mode for the Panthers running backs and Carnell Tate.
27:16Jamie is would like to get away from DJ more.
27:19If he can Jeremiah love at the chargers and Christian Watson at Minnesota, your news and notes here.
27:25We'll update you on some week one stuff. Ashton Gentty practice in full Sean Tucker.
27:30Miss practice Alvin Alvin Camara and Kendry Miller. Heath, they both practiced.
27:34Um, yeah. Is this like, Oh, I took Travis a chance too early.
27:38I am not there yet. Cause part of my concern was not just how much time Camara was going to miss, but he had already lost a step.
27:46It seemed. And if he's coming back from this injury, is he still the same guy?
27:51So I think Travis a chance and RB two, it's just whether he's a great RB two or an okay RB two.
27:58Mm-hmm. And I've actually gotten like a lot of, not a lot of, but some criticism for the H and pronunciation.
28:05I don't really know what to say at this point.
28:08Like that's just how he pronounces his name. I think there was a lot of people who kind of tuned in late
28:15August for the first time and heard it. And we're like, what is this guy doing?
28:20That's just, that's how he pronounces it. I I'm not going to disrespect the guy.
28:24I'll do my best to sometimes I say Travis ETN H and just to make sure we're all on the same page,
28:31but that's why I thought my team name was so great.
28:35What is it? Zay H and like H and yeah, that's horrible.
28:38I, I saw it and I was like, what is this?
28:42This is your money. Why is that horrible? Tomas problems again.
28:45Somebody actually said it's the greatest name since that since your money money Tomas problems.
28:50Why is that a bad one compared to what you've wanted to?
28:54So you're telling me there's a chance. It's just, but spelled like ETN with a C E at the end.
29:00That is brilliant. It's smooth. What's yours again? Uh, say H and like H and but it's ETN and then H and
29:07so people it's where I'm trying to educate the masses with my team name.
29:11Yeah. He's is much better than yours. No, mine is clever.
29:15Mine is clever. He's just, he's just a sentence like a normal.
29:18There's nothing. What? Okay. Wide receiver. And you're saying Zay, right?
29:22Not say. Yeah. Zay for Zay Fliers. Oh, okay.
29:25Then it's great. Uh, Malik neighbors practice in full, but John Harbaugh did not commit to him playing Sunday night.
29:31Let's let's find out before Sunday night. He's probably going to play.
29:34I would think at this point, a Mecca Buka practiced in full.
29:38Jaylen McMillan was limited. Alec Pierce expected to play.
29:41Romo Dunze was limited. Kenyan Sadiq practiced in full.
29:44I wonder if he gets out there. Rookie tight end first round pick for the jets.
29:49And we talked about Brock Bowers yesterday. Heath and Jamie really like Michael mayor.
29:53You can pick him up. Jawan Johnson, of course, is an option, but he's not that available.
29:58Um, Dalton Schultz is 51% rostered. Greg Dolcich as of yesterday was about 26% rostered.
30:03I know we said this yesterday. Bowers missed five games last year.
30:07Mayor played in three of them. He averaged 13.9 PPR points in those three games.
30:12Yeah, it's pretty good. And they've got, uh, the dolphins who were 30th against tight ends last year and have arguably the
30:18worst secondary in the NFL on the offensive line.
30:21We think that Josh Simmons for the chiefs is going to miss this week's game.
30:26And I won't get through the, uh, I won't go through any, there's not a lot of defensive stuff here, but Nnamdi Manabuke might play.
30:34He was limited in practice for Baltimore. That'd be big for them.
30:37All right. Some weird streaks. Will they continue? Trevor Lawrence has scored 23 or more points in six point per passing touchdown leagues in eight straight games.
30:46Going back to last season, Tampa Bay allowed a touchdown to a tight end in four straight games.
30:51Okay. Cincinnati, Eric, all you're up. The jets did not have an interception last year.
30:56How about this for if you have Garrett Wilson, Tennessee allowed 15 or more fantasy points to a wide receiver in nine of their last 10 games.
31:05And how about this? If you have Tyler Warren, Oh, in Baltimore's last nine games, only one tight end had more than
31:1135 yards and it was Pat Friermuth. Mostly easy competition though.
31:15So those are some stupid streaks and we'll see if they continue in 2026.
31:19Well, time now for one question for each game.
31:22Tampa Bay at Cincinnati. Are we starting everyone? I'll send this to you, Jamie, including Kenneth Gainwell.
31:27I mean, it depends on, you know, it's week one, so you don't necessarily have to start a player like Gainwell, but
31:34he's going to be involved in the passing game and this run defense could be great for Cincinnati.
31:40So if they're chasing points, my guess is we see a lot of Kenneth Gainwell.
31:44So he is a definite flex play. Obviously like Bucky better though.
31:48I do like Bucky better. Yeah. Okay. And Baker Mayfield certainly over my homes.
31:53Any other quarterbacks that you'd start Mayfield over? That might be surprising.
31:56Pretty pretty. He's a good one. I had him ranked ahead of May.
32:00Okay. Denver at Kansas City. He's starter set JK Dobbins.
32:03I'm would rather he's kind of right in the Gainwell range for me.
32:08I wouldn't mind flexing him. I don't really want to start him.
32:11I think he should have an opportunity to have probably 16 carries in this game.
32:16I'm not sure if he will catch a pass and I'm not sure how efficient he will be against the chiefs defense.
32:23Would you start Dobbins or a Panthers running back?
32:26Dobbins for me. Baltimore's at Indianapolis. Jamie, Josh Downs or Alec Pierce?
32:29Downs. You know, I don't know how much Pierce will play his usual snap count just getting still ramped up from the foot injury.
32:37So my hope is that Downs is the leading receiver for the Colts this week and maybe their leading receiver all season.
32:44Not necessarily pass catcher because of Tyler Warren, but I think Downs is just a safer play this week.
32:50Cleveland's at Jacksonville. Bayeson Tootin or Quinchon Judkins, Heath, who's the best running back in this game?
32:55I mean, the true answer is you could flip a coin.
32:58I think they are two spots apart in my rankings and a quarter or a point apart in my projections.
33:05But if I had to start one, I would go with Quinchon Judkins.
33:09I think that you're probably not going to get a good rushing average from Judkins in this game.
33:14But what we're hoping is that some of the training camp and preseason talk about we don't really want to take this
33:21guy off the field comes to fruition. Maybe he catches three passes and make us feel a lot better about him rest of season.
33:29Yeah, the answer to who's the best running back in this game is obviously going to be Chris Rodriguez just to stick it to all the fantasy managers.
33:37But two very good run. You know, Jacksonville actually had one of the best run defenses in football last year.
33:44You know who the best rookie running back in week one was last year?
33:48Dylan Sampson. It was Dylan Sampson. So yeah, Judkins was coming back from the off field issues.
33:53Didn't get a lot of snaps or did he maybe even play?
33:57I forget anyway. Oh, Basil Tootin, Quinchon Judkins versus let's say Marshawn Lloyd.
34:01Who do you like better? Who's your favorite? Lloyd for me.
34:04Jamie? It would go Tootin, Judkins, Lloyd. How about Chris Godwin and Parker Washington?
34:09Those guys, those wide receivers that we like. Would you start them over these running backs?
34:14All of them. Over the running backs. Okay. I just fear game script for Judkins the most because they're such heavy underdogs
34:21and he scored one touchdown in losses for them last year.
34:24Ooh. Atlanta at Pittsburgh. Which Steelers players are you confident in in this game, Jamie?
34:29Their defense. Okay. Uh, confident is tough with this team because the backfield both could be great.
34:34Both could be, you know, or one could be terrible.
34:37I think some, one of the two will have a, a solid stat line could be the touchdown probably because I don't think they're chasing points here.
34:46Um, I would lean toward Dattel if I had to pick one of the two running backs for this week, I'd lean
34:52toward Metcalf over Pittman just because of his familiarity with Aaron Rodgers and the fact that he got back at least to
34:59practice a little bit sooner than Pittman did with both battling injuries.
35:03But none of them are must start guys. I just think that they're all good flex options, meaning both running backs and Metcalf has flexes.
35:11I would probably sit in Pittman unless you're just stuck.
35:14Buffalo at Houston. Who is the better Dalton tight end in this game, Heath?
35:18Um, so I prefer Dalton Schultz in terms of a median projection.
35:22I think like if you wanted to dream about Dalton Kincaid playing 75 to 80% of the snaps, then he might have
35:29a little bit more upside, but Schultz is my favorite.
35:32And does, does anyone care when you look at last year's stuff?
35:36Does anyone care that Buffalo was the best team against tight ends?
35:40If they hadn't changed their entire defensive system, I would care a lot more.
35:44I still care just because the personnel for the most part is the same.
35:48And I would, if this was, I liked Dalton Schultz.
35:51I think he's got a great opportunity about Jaden Higgins there.
35:55If this was a better tight end, no offense to Dalton Schultz, uh, I'd be a lot more confident in, you know,
36:02I, I just think that this is a low scoring game where we don't get a lot of production and it's start the guys that feel safe.
36:10And to me, the only guy that feels safe for the Texans is really Nico Collins, maybe David Montgomery, but that's about it.
36:17Yeah. Do you like David Montgomery better than the, the tootin and Judkins?
36:21Yes. Okay. This was a terrible run defense last year, but it did not have at Oliver.
36:27He only played two games. It was terrible with at Oliver, but that was against Derek Henry and Bijan Robinson.
36:33But this is one of the worst bills are one of the worst run defenses last year.
36:38But again, they should be healthier this year. Miami's at Las Vegas.
36:42Would you start Trey Tucker over DJ Moore? Not there yet.
36:45I'm so close. I think I have them back to back.
36:49Wow. At what point in your rankings? Right around 30.
36:52And the jets are at the Titans starters at Tony Pollard, Jamie.
36:56Flex right in the same range as the Steelers guys.
36:59You know, it's a game that they have a chance to win.
37:02So hopefully he's going to get a lot of carries.
37:06I guess I would guess that the Titans try to take some pressure off of Cam Ward and not make him have
37:12to throw and just kind of get some comfortable, comfortable throws and comfortable opportunities, you know, based on how the preseason went for them.
37:20So Pollard coming off a game, uh, end of season stretch where he averaged a hundred yards per game in his final
37:27five, uh, scored two touchdowns over that span. I think anytime that they have a chance to be competitive or win a
37:34game, you're going to feel more comfortable with Tony Pollard.
37:37So low end number two running back at best.
37:40Yeah. So I think when you look at the running backs that were drafted and you'll say rounds five and beyond, but Texans, let's say Montgomery Pollard.
37:48Obviously we saw price and Stevenson last night. Bayfield tootin.
37:51Yeah. Um, the Steelers guys, the Panthers guys, or at least Jonathan Brooks, maybe you throw Marshawn Lloyd in there.
37:57Do we want to mostly wait and see what that group?
38:01Who are you confident in that group? Confidence the wrong word.
38:04Yeah. I, I, I rank them Lloyd Steelers, Pollard toot in Montgomery.
38:08Roughly the same. Okay. Yeah. So if you have a wide receiver that you took, like maybe a Quentin Johnston, obviously a Chris Goddard.
38:15Much better than those guys. Yeah. Yeah. You're not worried about the game script for Quentin Johnston and like the, you know, Justin Herbert throwing 23 times.
38:24I would worry more about that for lad because he needs the higher target volume than Johnston does to have a good day.
38:31All right. All right. Well, let's go to Tampa Bay at Cincinnati.
38:35A lot of starts in this game. Baker Mayfield 12th for Jamie 14th for Dave 16th for Heath.
38:40And I, you know, honestly, I kind of talked about this game.
38:44What are we going to say? Like, you're going to start all your bangles.
38:48You're not going to start Eric all. Is anybody going to start Kate Otten against the team that has been bottom three
38:55against tight ends, three straight seasons and the worst team against tight ends, two straight seasons.
39:00He's a tougher sell. I think to people that are looking at Michael Mayer because of what the projections will say when
39:07you go to your, you know, free agent, however you pick up your free agents.
39:12You know, if you look into projections, Mayer is going to be the highest ranked guy, understandably so.
39:17And then you look at Dalton Schultz and maybe Juwan Johnson still available and, you know, the sliding scale.
39:23But yes, if you're just chasing matchups, the problem is that we've seen what Kate Otten has been when everybody's healthy and
39:30it seems like everybody's going to be healthy. Will they play a Mecca, Buka, a full snap share, Jalen McMillan, a full snap share?
39:38That's the question we don't have an answer to yet.
39:41So I think if you're just saying, oh, bleep, I don't have Bowers and I couldn't get Mayer because somebody was a
39:48jerk in their league, me, that didn't need Mayer and still pick them up.
39:52You can take a chance on just matchup. And you're right.
39:55The matchup should still be very good, even though they've made some great changes, you know, mostly on the defensive front.
40:02That being said, you know, it's still going to be a secondary that you can have some success against, especially at this position.
40:09Yeah. So they lost Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati, but they added Dexter Lawrence.
40:13And John and Allen. Don't forget that, too. Yeah.
40:16Yeah. And he was a big part of the Vikings last year.
40:19So, all right. Just for this game, you know, I'm not going to go through.
40:24Like, we have enough games to get to start your bangles.
40:28But I will just say that I could see the Bucks run defense being a lot better than it was last year
40:34because Kalijah Cansey had a normal snap share in one game last year.
40:39It was week one and they held B. John Robinson to two yards per carry.
40:43So he's an important player for them. And they could, you know, Chase Brown, if he gets off to a slow start,
40:50don't panic because the Bucks could have a good run defense.
40:53They did, however, allow the most receiving yards per game in running backs.
40:58So start your bangles. You know that. We've already talked about Chris Godwin.
41:02Is Chris Godwin your favorite Bucks receiver this game?
41:04Yes. I still have a Buka hire. Where do you have them, Heath?
41:08Buka is a low end wide receiver, too. And Godwin is a high end wide receiver, three.
41:14And Jamie, you have a Buka 28th. Dave has a Buka 38th right now.
41:18But he could be one that people have a lot of questions about.
41:22There's the DJ Turner thing. I mean, he could get shadowed by Cincinnati's best cornerback, Emeka Buka, that I'm talking about here.
41:29Tell me. So I think just in the case of somebody like a Buka and Jeremiah Love and, you know, for me,
41:36like a DJ Moore who I just don't love.
41:39But you drafted high. Any of these players that you drafted in the first four or five rounds, maybe six or seven
41:46rounds, depending on how far you want to go with this.
41:49It's hard to sit those players. So unless there's just significant injury news or overwhelmingly great roster, you're probably going to see these guys start.
41:57And so, like, it was surprising when I referenced earlier, and I think you saw if you're watching on YouTube, Luther Burden's start percentage is 67%.
42:05I'm going to guess he might still have an injury tag next to him just because, oh, no, the injury report ran.
42:12So he practiced in full, I think. So that should not be the case anymore.
42:16You're most likely playing these players. Jadarian Price, right?
42:19You drafted him in probably the fourth or fifth round.
42:22I have him in about seven leagues. I think I started him in four of them reluctantly.
42:28I have him as a sit and start sit.
42:30You know, so it's not like I was confident in Jadarian Price.
42:34It's just hard to get away from these players early in the season, you know, until we see, like, you see Trey Tucker go off against Miami's defense.
42:43Next week, Trey Tucker is probably starting over somebody that's in a questionable spot.
42:47You know, so DJ Moore, for example, those type players.
42:50It's just a matter of, you know, I think what your team looks like more than anything else.
42:56But it is. So I don't think Abuka, he's 88% started right now.
43:00But it's worth noting, like, the Seattle, Cincinnati is allowed the second fewest fantasy points to wide receivers last year.
43:06Everybody ran on them, though. Not only that, everybody threw the tight ends on them.
43:11They saw the fewest wide receiver targets per game and the most tight end targets per game.
43:16They also only faced two top 12 wide receivers last year.
43:20Amon Ross St. Brown and Zay Flowers twice. So they had pretty easy competition.
43:24But I would say, again, if Abuka doesn't have a big game and DJ Turner's on him, then, again, don't panic.
43:31It can be a tough matchup, this game. You like Burden or Abuka better?
43:35Burden. Burden. All right. By the way, if you're in the chat right now and you have questions about these games, like
43:42this one, Chris Godwin or Ja'Cory Kroski Merritt or Jonathan Brooks.
43:45I mean, that's definitely Godwin. Godwin. Yeah. Easy. All right.
43:48We got to talk Bucky. What'd you say? We got to talk Bucky.
43:52Yeah. Bucky for sure. And Baker. And we'll take a breaker after that.
43:56But what do you think about Bucky? He's a low end number two running back basically for everyone.
44:02He's a low end number two running back. He will move up a few spots because it's really crowded in terms of the projections there.
44:10He will move up a few spots for me if Sean Tucker is out because that will remove one of two guys
44:17that could steal carries inside the five. Now, last year, Sean Tucker had nine of those.
44:22Kenneth Gainwell had eight of those. And Bucky Irving had zero of those.
44:26So it doesn't guarantee us that Bucky's going to get those goal line carries.
44:30It could be Gainwell. But I will bump him up just a little bit.
44:35So a borderline RB2 right now, probably a mid RB2 if there's no Sean Tucker.
44:39I think the few things to take into account, this may end up being a run defense we want to avoid in Cincinnati as the season progresses.
44:48Because I do think the additions that they made are going to be significant and change how this team looks.
44:54I also think, as Heath just alluded to, Sean Tucker not being there is huge.
44:59Bucky last year got off to such a great start that everybody that drafted him early was rewarded.
45:04And then he got hurt after week four and was never the same player.
45:08This offensive line is definitely better because they're healthy.
45:11And so given the point total, given the Tucker most likely absence, because it sounds like that's the way it's trending.
45:18And I think the fact that he's in a good standing right now in terms of where he's at, this should be
45:25one of the more fun games that you want pieces of.
45:28So hopefully you get the Bucky Irving that a lot of people were starting to draft in round four.
45:34We were moving up as the offseason progressed. And I think he could be really good, even though the matchup may not be great.
45:42All right. Bucky Irving. I have a Bucky Irving question here in the chat.
45:46Bucky Irving or DeAndre Swift? Oh, Swift. Kenneth Gainwell or Rashad White?
45:50Gainwell. Yeah. Chris Godwin or Christian Watson? Godwin. Emeka Abuka or Christian Watson?
45:54Abuka. Abuka. Okay. And Baker Mayfield. I see you guys have him again.
45:5812th for Jamie. 14th for Heath. 12th for – no, wait.
46:01Sorry. 12th for Jamie. 16th for me. 16th, yeah.
46:0412, 14, 16 for Jamie, Dave, and Heath. So he's back-to-back with Purdy for you and Dave Heath.
46:10So he's right in that range. He's – Jamie's got Jaden Daniels one spot ahead of Mayfield.
46:15That's a tough one there. Anyway, he's a decent start if you got him.
46:19You guys like him better than Tyler Shuck? Yes.
46:22I prefer Shuck. Prefer Shuck. Okay. All right. Baker also, similar to Bucky.
46:26Got off to a great start last year. Yeah.
46:29I mean, again, I'll give the stat one last time.
46:3228-game stretch from 2023 week 14 to week 6 of 2025.
46:35Baker Mayfield averaged 24.7 fantasy points per game. That's better than Drake May last year.
46:40That's a 28-game stretch of him being really, really good.
46:43All right. That is Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. We're hoping for a lot of points there.
46:48When we come back, Denver at Kansas City. I don't think we're going to get as many points there.
46:54We'll take a break and get to more games after this.
46:58Okay. Bo Nix against the Kansas City Chiefs. You definitely like him better than Patrick Mahomes.
47:03I remember the Chiefs, you know, good defense last year, but they lost both of their starting cornerbacks.
47:08And Sharp Football Analysis and PFF have the Chiefs secondary ranked 23rd or worse.
47:13Which, of course, they're just projecting. We don't know, but that's the perception right now.
47:17Would you start Bo Nix or Baker Mayfield? Baker.
47:20So I do not like Bo Nix more than Patrick Mahomes.
47:23You don't? What? No. Really? I'm sorry. I figured Mahomes was so low for you.
47:28You don't like Nix this week? No, I don't like Nix this week.
47:32Well, why? I mean, it's different Chiefs defense. He's got Jalen Waddell.
47:36He's going to Arrowhead on Monday night. First game where we get to find out if he's going to run as much coming off of the ankle injury.
47:45And his team has an implied total of like 20.
47:48Okay. What bet can we make on this one?
47:51No. I'm not interested. So who are the... Okay.
47:53You're starting Rice, even though it's a tough matchup.
47:56You're starting Kelsey most likely because of the position that he plays.
48:00You're obviously starting Ken Walker. Well, you start Mayer or Kelsey.
48:03And by the way, Denver, as good as they were last year, they were just fine.
48:08The last two years, they've been an elite defense.
48:11They've been average against tight ends. I am most likely starting Mayer over Kelsey.
48:16I am. Yeah. And Rasheed Rice was really pretty bad in tough matchups last year.
48:20But it's like you have to start him. You're starting Rasheed Rice.
48:24Not starting with him. Ken Walker, too. What's that?
48:27Ken Walker, too. Right. Again, if Ken Walker has a bad game because he's playing the Denver Broncos, so be it.
48:33You deal with it. Jalen Waddell. How about Jalen Waddell versus Chris Godwin and Emeka Abuka?
48:38Who do you like best? I like Jalen Waddell the best.
48:42I do have Waddell. I got Abuka, Waddell, Godwin right now.
48:45Nothing that the Chiefs did last year against wide receivers I think even is relevant.
48:50Well, it just depends on how much of it you think.
48:53The Chiefs have changed corners a few times in the last four years.
48:57It's pretty often their best corner goes and gets a big mega deal somewhere else.
49:02One of them is back on the team now, LeJarius Sneed.
49:05Yep. So you got to give Spag some of the credit.
49:09So I think it matters a little bit. Okay.
49:12Plus their pass rush should be better. I mean, you know, all the capital that they spent on it.
49:18And we'll see how the Denver offensive line holds up.
49:21This just feels like a low-scoring game. You know, like we kind of got an example of it last night with, you know, two great defenses.
49:29You know, I think the Chiefs are a work in progress, obviously.
49:33But like he said, it's in Arrowhead. Instead, it's typically going to be a tough place to play.
49:38I think they'll keep the game close enough that it's not easy for the Broncos.
49:43And that's the thing is like, I feel the same way Jamie did when he said, I think they'll keep the game close enough.
49:50I want to make sure this is still true.
49:53But last I looked, the Broncos are two and a half point underdogs.
49:57Yeah. Someone texted me yesterday and said, what's wrong with Heath?
50:01Ten points. A ten point win is stomping. I think that's what I said.
50:05I think they're going to stomp. The Broncos are going to stomp the Chiefs and win by ten.
50:11That's a stomp. A stomping is at least a three score win.
50:14Okay. You got to. Yes. Ten point win is not a stomping.
50:18Cortland Sutton or Brian Thomas Jr. Good question there.
50:21I would go BTJ, but it's close. BTJ for me.
50:24Rasheed Rice or Parker Washington? Right now it's Rice, but I may change it.
50:28Rice for me. Justin Herbert or Bonix? That's QB2 and QB24.
50:32Pretty easy for me. It's Herbert for both of them.
50:35RJ Harvey, Mark Andrews, Jokori Krosky-Meritt, Kyle Monongai. Pick one.
50:38I probably take a chance on Andrews here. I believe I have Bill.
50:42Okay. So Cortland Sutton or J.K. Dobbins? I'll ask you that.
50:45Who's a better flex? Sutton and PPR, Dobbins, and anything else.
50:49Agreed. If you have a wide receiver or a player that you just don't like, DJ Moore, Jonathan Brooks, they're probably on a different scale.
50:57But where does Sutton factor in with those guys?
51:00Is Sutton a guy you can throw in there as a flex if you don't like someone that you're usually starting?
51:06I would not. No. Okay. Okay. Travis Kelsey or George Kittle tonight?
51:10Kelsey. Kelsey, but neither one of them are top 12.
51:13Travis Kelsey or Juwan Johnson? Johnson. Still Kelsey, but that's close.
51:16Is there anything else you want to say about J.K.
51:19Dobbins before we move on? This is one of these discovery games, right?
51:24Heath kind of alluded to it. We don't know what we'll get from Dobbins if the goal line work is still going to be his.
51:31He didn't score a lot of touchdowns last year, which kind of capped a lot of great performances for him.
51:38He's not going to be in obvious passing down situations.
51:41And so if we're getting three guys touching the ball here, it could be just frustrating across the board.
51:47So if he scores, you'll be okay. If he does not score, my guess is you're getting maybe seven or eight points.
51:53Can we get a YouTube poll? Is a 10-point win a stomping?
51:57I'd love to see what the people think. Start the Broncos DST and try to avoid the Chiefs DST.
52:03They're outside the top 12. Baltimore is at Indianapolis.
52:06Stat of the game that might be meaningless but might not.
52:09The Ravens allowed the most completions of 20 or more yards last year and the most completions of 20 or more air yards.
52:17They have what honestly has been one of the most overrated secondaries in the NFL.
52:21There's a lot of talent there, but two years in a row they just get shredded.
52:26So Baltimore is probably pretty easy here. It's Jackson, Henry, and Flowers that you're starting.
52:31What did the Chargers allow last year? In what?
52:34Big plays? Yeah. I'll look for you. But Mark Andrews, you want to just hit Baltimore real quick with Mark Andrews, Jamie, and how you feel about him?
52:42He's a low on starter. You know, we didn't really hear much this offseason about Mark Andrews looks great or Mark Andrews is struggling.
52:50I think just the likely absence and really sort of the reshuffling of their number two receiver.
52:55And I say that even though Rashad Bateman is probably the number two receiver, but just the guys behind, I guess maybe
53:02number three receiver is probably safer to say. With Jacoby Lane, like it's still, for me at least, touchdown or bust with Andrews.
53:09He's played them three times in his career. He had one amazing game, 147 yards like four years ago.
53:15And then just two mediocre games. So there's really nothing you can take away from this in terms of a historical thing.
53:22I would start Mayer over him. I would start Jawan Johnson over him.
53:26If he scores, you'll be okay. If he doesn't score, you're probably looking at an empty stalling.
53:31Okay. And by the way, so Baltimore, the most big plays allowed last year, the Chargers, the third fewest, second fewest, tied
53:38for the second fewest big plays last year allowed.
53:41And in terms of big pass plays of 20 or more air yards, the fewest in the NFL for the Chargers.
53:48And obviously bringing up the Chargers because of Jesse Minter.
53:51Oh, yep. Yep. Jesse Minter. By the way, there's a team that was bad defensively, but didn't give up big plays.
53:57That was the Raiders. The Raiders gave up the second fewest big plays in the NFL last year.
54:03They actually weren't that bad from a yards per play standpoint.
54:06They just were probably on the field all the time.
54:09But back to this game. Yeah. Their defensive coordinator is somewhere else too, right?
54:14Oh, I'm not sure. I want to say who their defensive coordinator is, but now you're making me think I'm an idiot and I don't know.
54:22Let me just check here. Oh, yeah. No, I did not know that.
54:26Yeah. Is it Patrick Graham? Yeah. He's not there anymore.
54:29Right. That's who I thought it was. He is now the...
54:32Oh, he's on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah. He's in Steelers staff.
54:36Oh, he's the coordinator for the Steelers. Okay. Good stuff.
54:39I should have known that. Let's go to the Colts.
54:42Are we... Heath, are we confidently starting anyone other than Jonathan Taylor?
54:46Oh, and Tyler Warren? We're going to start him.
54:49Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren are the two guys...
54:51I think you gave a good reason to feel a little bit scared of Tyler Warren, but there's no question you're starting him.
54:59There's no question you're starting Jonathan Taylor. I think both Alec Pierce and Josh Downs are outside of my top 36 wide
55:05receivers, but if you need a wide receiver three...
55:08They're kind of in that same... You asked if Cortland Sutton was somebody you could start over a wide receiver you drafted as a starter.
55:16I wouldn't do that with Dallons or with Pierce either.
55:19They're just in that kind of desperation wide receiver three range or flex in a three wide receiver league.
55:25Yeah. There's a lot of wait and see in week one, but I really can't wait for this game from the Colts standpoint.
55:32Like, what do they look like? Daniel Jones last year was the king of first reads, and it really worked for him.
55:39He scored 24.8 or more points in five of his first eight games, including games against the Broncos and the Chargers.
55:46He was just awesome. And can he go out and do it again?
55:50And I kind of want it. I don't know.
55:53If we're worried about Alec Pierce, I kind of want to get Josh Downs in my lineup.
55:58So I think the Ravens are going to score.
56:01And I think, you know, someone's going to have to have a good game in the receiving core.
56:06It could just be Warren. I'm a little bit more optimistic on Downs than Heath is.
56:11Again, looking at Pierce's situation, and he did not play well with Daniel Jones last year.
56:16A lot of his production came at the end of the season when Jones was out.
56:21Now, that's not saying you should worry about that this year because hopefully Pierce does some more things and there's no Pittman, etc.
56:28But I guess just looking at how you laid it out, Adam.
56:32So I wouldn't start Josh Downs over a lot of, you know, players you drafted ahead of him, receivers you drafted ahead of him.
56:40But kind of how you frame Cortland Sutton, I think Josh Downs fits that more so than Sutton does as somebody, like
56:46if you are concerned, should have an opportunity to catch a bunch of passes.
56:51Okay. So we'll just keep going back to DJ Moore.
56:54Start Josh Downs over DJ Moore? I'd still start Moore, but that's kind of getting to that point, you know, similar to Trey Tucker.
57:01Like anybody that you have some feeling of upside for, Downs one of them.
57:06Then DJ Moore may not have that type of upside.
57:09Yeah. I think when you look at, say, Josh Downs versus a J.K.
57:13Dobbins. I'd take Downs. Heath? I would probably take Dobbins.
57:16Yeah, those are tough ones. Definitely. And if it's not full PPR, full PPR, I have Downs just ahead of him.
57:23So like that whole group of running backs you said, probably not Steelers guys, but like the Panthers guys, Krosky Merritt, Dobbins,
57:30like those type of players where you don't think they're going to catch a lot of passes and relying on touchdowns.
57:36Like I'd rather take Downs. I'll read a few questions from the chat here, even though we've answered some of them.
57:43Kelsey or Andrews? Kelsey. And then, oh, go ahead, Heath.
57:46Sorry. Yeah, no, I agree. Mayer over Andrews, right?
57:49Yep. Luther, Burden, or Zay Flowers? Heath, pick one of your favorite kids.
57:53It's Zay for me. Flowers. Yeah, I'd be interested to see if Sauce Gardner lines up on him a lot.
57:59Likely or Johnson? Juwan. Yeah, why is that? Okay, that's not for this.
58:03I'd go Likely, but I'm sure that's the Johnson they're referring to.
58:07Yeah, probably. Tyler, Warren, or Luther, Burden at Flex?
58:09Burden. Ooh, those tight end versus wide receiver Flex questions always make me look for the projections, and I think it would be Burden for me.
58:18Pick two, Luther Burden or Parker Washington or Josh Downs?
58:21This isn't one of those scenarios where Downs is better than the other two.
58:25And are we starting Keenan Allen as a wide receiver three or a Flex?
58:29I hope not. I agree. Yeah, he got off to an amazing start last year.
58:34But yeah, let's... That's like the darkest timeline is if Keenan Allen scores 11 PPR points on seven targets.
58:40Yeah, it could be him. Ravens DST is a low-end starter for Dave, Jamie, and Heath.
58:45On to our next game, Cleveland at Jacksonville. It's that of the game.
58:49The Jaguars held Chase Brown, Kamani Vidal, Kyron Williams, Breeze Hall, the Seattle running backs combined, and James Cook to 9.4 or fewer PPR running backs.
58:57A PPR fantasy points. To PPR or golf cart.
59:00Yeah, they are really good. Jacksonville run defense is really, really good.
59:04All right, here's the question of the game. Does this streak continue?
59:07What I mentioned earlier. Trevor Lawrence, 23 or more points in eight straight games dating back to last season.
59:13Does he get there in this game? No. Yes.
59:16Ooh, okay. Is there any doubt that we should be starting Trevor Lawrence?
59:20None. Not really. Okay. No Miles Garrett. Also, no Alex Wright.
59:24There are other starting defensive end out for the season.
59:27But yes, they have Jared Verse. They have Mason Graham.
59:30They have really good players on defense. And the Jaguars were actually eighth in defense last year.
59:35And they are a great streaming DST. They didn't face a lot of good competition last year.
59:40Sit to Sean Watson. They're not facing good competition in week one.
59:44Correct. Sit to Sean Watson. Quinchon Judkins is a number two running back, like right on the border.
59:50We're not starting Dylan Sampson. Yeah, Harold Fannin Jr.
59:53How about Harold Fannin Jr. versus Michael Mayer? I'd lean Mayer, but it's close.
59:57Yeah, I would too. Okay. Fannin is 10th for Jamie, 8th for Dave, and 11th for Heath, or at least he was yesterday.
60:04And he might be your only tight end, so just go ahead and start him.
60:09And Dave, by the way, is the high guy on Trevor Lawrence.
60:13He has him fifth. We talked about Bajal Tootin and Chris Rodriguez.
60:16Oh, we didn't talk about Chris Rodriguez. But, Jamie, your expectations for the Jaguars running backs against a, I don't know, maybe a neutral matchup?
60:24Game script matters here. So I expect the Jaguars to be playing with the lead and kind of getting an opportunity to
60:31see what they have with their backfield. And that would, for me, lend itself to seeing more Tootin.
60:37And I also think that with LeQuint Allen not expected to play, we get a few more passing opportunities for Tootin, which should matter here.
60:44Could be a trap back. Could see goal line opportunities going to Rodriguez.
60:48I think Rodriguez is an interesting flex play because of how this game could unfold.
60:53But I would take Tootin over Judkins simply because of how this game should go.
60:58If Jacksonville shows up, I think that this is a stomping.
61:01And the Jaguars win this game rather easily. You think it's going to be a 10-point game?
61:06I think it could be a three-touchdown game. That's a stomping.
61:10You said stomping. So, you know, I mean, just trying to stay consistent.
61:14How's the poll going? I have no idea. I will check.
61:17Parker Washington. So, Heath, you have... Oh, we've got an update.
61:21Go ahead. What is it? As of 943, 85% no for a 10-point game being a stomping.
61:26Oh, come on! Is that a stomping? Yes, you're getting stomped.
61:30No, do you think it's a... If the team comes in as an underdog and wins by 10, is that a stomping
61:36compared to the Jaguars who are 8.5-point favorite? All right, fine.
61:40Heath, you have Parker Washington 30th, so a little lower than Jamie, who has him 23rd and Dave 20th.
61:46Yeah, I am not sure that we get a big pass volume game for Jacksonville.
61:50I think we'll probably see them run quite a bit with a 10-point lead, and maybe even it's a stomping and a three-score lead in the third quarter.
61:59So that's really the only concern. And 30th is very close to where I had him in my full season rankings, so
62:06this isn't really much of a change. So Cleveland returns its entire secondary, but they have a new defensive coordinator.
62:12They were the most man-heavy team in the NFL last year, and Parker Washington was great against man coverage.
62:18We just don't know if they're going to do the same thing this year with the new coordinator.
62:24But Washington, I think at this point, people are going to start him over Brian Thomas Jr.
62:29Should we start Brian Thomas Jr., Jamie? Three receiver leagues.
62:32I think he's worth trusting. Two receiver leagues, not yet.
62:35So we'll see how all these guys sort of mix and match together with whatever Travis Hunter does offensively.
62:41But I just think looking at it as you most likely drafted Thomas as a number three receiver.
62:47So three receiver leagues start him, two receiver leagues and a flex, depending on who your flex is.
62:52Because you keep referencing that group of running backs, I think.
62:56I would probably start. And I'm referring to the Tootin-Judkins group more so than the Steelers guys.
63:01That's where it's questionable. The Tootin-Judkins, Pollard, I think are a little bit safer than Brian Thomas this week.
63:07Yeah, I'm deciding between him and, well, I think I'm going to have to start DJ more over him.
63:13Yeah, I'm not there with BTJ. But Evans, how about Evans or Brian Thomas Jr.?
63:18Evans. Would be BTJ for me. Okay. Tough calls there.
63:21And don't start Brenton Strange. He is no higher than 18th in the rankings.
63:25Sit the Browns DST, start the Jaguars DST. Did I miss anything?
63:29Oh, yeah. Casey Concepcion, Denzel Boston. Anyone there that you want to start?
63:33Nope. I don't think you should, but make sure that they're rostered.
63:37Okay. Atlanta's at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. I mean, pretty easy for Atlanta, right?
63:40Yep. You just start the three main guys and don't watch the game.
63:45How about Pitts or Mayer? Pitts. How about on the Pittsburgh side?
63:48Which running back do you prefer? Based on game script, I think Dowdle, but wouldn't shock me if Waddle's the better.
63:55But it's probably, again, going to come down to who gets the touchdown.
63:59Maybe they both do. Yeah. And I would say, look, they didn't have Pittman last year.
64:04I get that. But in the last eight games of the season, Kenneth Gainwell was their primary third down back.
64:10And he was on pace for 94 catches on 108 targets.
64:14And Pittsburgh went five and three. Right. So the game script didn't matter.
64:18That's just what Aaron Rodgers did. He so, in the last couple of years, he's just been throw the ball to the
64:24running backs basically as much as any quarterback in football.
64:28I know, Heath, you want to see what it looks like with Mike McCarthy because it wasn't like that when he was with Mike McCarthy.
64:35So we shall see. Yeah. The McCarthy thing is kind of, and Rodgers' recent quotes are what have me more optimistic about
64:42DK Metcalf, who is a high-end wide receiver three for me.
64:46I would start him over DJ Moore. And I'm probably starting at DK Metcalf in most leagues this first week.
64:52I don't know how much you care about this, but Metcalf to me, if AJ Terrell follows him, I think it's going
64:59to be a tough day for Metcalf. But I went back, I watched a lot of tape, and he doesn't, there aren't that many cornerbacks that always shadow.
65:07Like, I can feel pretty confident Sertan will. If, you know, if he was playing like a good outside receiver.
65:14Terrell, you just never know with him. Like, one game he shadowed Mike Evans and Evans struggled.
65:19One game he didn't shadow Evans and Evans had a big game.
65:23So, they're inconsistent with that. Well, it's also a new coach.
65:26It is, yeah. So, that matters. I think you just look at it as the pass rush could be awful for Atlanta.
65:33Yeah. He'll have plenty of time to get open.
65:36Yep. He sure will. This could be one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL.
65:41All right. So, Metcalf. Who's the best starter on the Steelers?
65:44Is it Metcalf or is it Warren Dowdle? I would put both running backs out of Metcalf just because I'd flip a question.
65:51Which one, again, could be good? Yeah. I do have all three of them projected for 12 fantasy points.
65:57Oh, this is annoying. I don't even know, like, what to do with the Steelers.
66:02I mean, yeah. The Steelers running backs are obviously a headache.
66:05I want to see if we have any questions.
66:08Because this game, actually, I feel like a lot of people are going to have Metcalf, Pitman, Dowdle, Warren questions here.
66:15You want to start them against Atlanta. I feel like this could be an opportunity for them to do well.
66:21But I don't see any questions in the chat.
66:24So, I'll just have to do it myself. And I'm going to look at the most activated list.
66:29And would you start any of the Steelers guys over Quinton Johnston?
66:33Three of them. Three of them. Okay. That was a big difference.
66:37Yeah. Wow. Would you start them over Wondale Robinson?
66:40Yes. Four of them. No, three of them. Not, not Bittman.
66:43Oh, Bittman. Bittman would be the fourth. Okay. How about Trey Tucker?
66:47No. Three of them. I'm sorry. I would start, I would start the Steelers over Tucker.
66:52Excuse me. Would you start them over? Um, one more.
66:55Jalen Coker. All of them. I would start Coker over Metcalf.
66:58And I would start DK over DJ Moore. I'm not sure if I said that.
67:03No, you didn't say that. Okay. Now I do.
67:06Oh, here's one. Dowdle or Josh Downs at Flex?
67:09Uh, Downs and PPR. Dowdle for me. Waddle or Dowdle?
67:12PPR. Waddle. Dull. Waddle. Would you like the Steelers DST?
67:15Love. Okay. Love, love, love. Buffalo is at Houston.
67:18Boy, Josh Allen's got some bad history against the Texans the last two years.
67:228.1 fantasy points at Houston. What about Josh Allen?
67:25What'd I say? Touchdowns. Come on, dude. Be better than that, Adam.
67:29Come on. Josh Allen, 8.1 fantasy points last year.
67:32Two years ago, 16.6 fantasy points. But he had the worst completion percentage of his career.
67:36He was 9 of 30. He has never won in Houston.
67:400 and 4 on the road at Houston, including in the postseason.
67:44Two of those games very early in his career.
67:46Starter said Josh Allen. Wasn't the Houston, his first playoff game or his second playoff game where it was going so awesome
67:53and then he had just a ridiculously dumb fumble that ended the game?
67:57I don't remember. Sounds right. I don't remember. You're going to start him.
68:01Yeah, start him. I'd start. If you drafted him and Justin Herbert, I'd start Justin Herbert over.
68:07Start James Cook. DJ Moore. Yeah, we've talked a lot about him.
68:10I'm not going to go over it here. But yeah, the Texans were just terrific against wide receivers.
68:16They have great cornerbacks. Dalton Kincaid and Dalton Schultz we talked about in one question for each game.
68:22So just please rewind to that. CJ Stroud is going to be a sit.
68:26So yeah, I do want to talk more about these Texans running backs, Heath.
68:30And what do you expect from Montgomery and Marks again against the team that allowed 5.1 yards per carry to running backs last year?
68:38But I think they will be better than that this year.
68:41Yeah, I don't. Again, I think the Bills changed enough players and systems that I'm not really.
68:47I'm just kind of viewing them as average until we see something different.
68:51I think this is a pretty big split. And so I don't really want to start either Texans running back in what
68:58should be a pretty low scoring game. Montgomery is right behind the Steelers for me.
69:02Woody Marks is down there in the Panthers running back range behind Jonathan Brooks, behind J.K.
69:07Dobbins, behind Kenneth Gainwell. I don't really want to start either, but I'd rather flex Montgomery if I had to.
69:13I guess I'm a little bit more confident in Montgomery, mostly because I think this could be a low scoring game.
69:20I think any time, which isn't going to be rare because the Texas defense is so good.
69:25But if you think they're chasing points, I think that's where Marks has a little bit more of an advantage.
69:32So this should be a situation where running downs and goal line opportunities favor Montgomery.
69:36And I think that helps him in this matchup.
69:39So I think Montgomery is number two running back.
69:42Like I'd start him over Judkins, for example, just because I think game script matters here for a guy that's going to
69:49kind of have a similar type workload. Okay, different opinions there on David Montgomery.
69:53Good stuff. Start Nico Collins. And I think we're just going to want to stash Jacoby Lane, right?
69:59We don't want to necessarily start him in week one.
70:02I would say Lane and Keishon Booty are both stash candidates if you're at that point in your roster where you need receivers.
70:09But check to see if Trey Tucker is out there.
70:12And if we're talking about those type of players, I would rather roster Chris Bell just to see what he has.
70:19And by the way, speaking of Keishon Booty, maybe the Patriots can get him back.
70:23Report just now that it is believed to be a high ankle sprain for A.J.
70:28Brown. That is from Mike Garofalo and Ian Rappaport.
70:31X-rays were negative for a fracture. Brown has an MRI today to determine how much time he'll miss.
70:36Just real quick on that. Last year, C.D. Lamb, high ankle sprain in week three.
70:41He basically got hurt on the opening drive or something of week three.
70:45Missed that game. Missed three more games, I believe.
70:48Came back and did very, very well. But A.J.
70:51Brown is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain, which really sucks.
70:55And all right, that's Texans. Dalton Schultz is, let's see, in the rankings, Schultz is 16th for Jamie, 19th for Dave, and 12th for Heath.
71:03More confidence in Dalton Schultz. All right. Just one spot ahead of Kelsey, two spots ahead of Andrews, but basically tied.
71:09How about, oh, what do you think about the Bills DST?
71:13Low end starter. Yeah. Okay. Miami's at Las Vegas.
71:15Always play against C.J. Strzok. This will be our last game.
71:19We'll save Jets, Titans for tomorrow. Miami's at Las Vegas.
71:22Jamie, it's kind of an interesting game because I don't think we love the offenses, but man, these defenses, especially Miami's, could be really bad.
71:30So what kind of game are you expecting here between the Dolphins and Raiders?
71:34It's so different now without Bowers there, so I would anticipate a lot of Ashton Gentey.
71:39Sounds like he's going to be okay. And so maybe Mike Washington is a flex play as well just because of how
71:46the game flow could go if the Raiders are playing with the lead.
71:50But as bad as the Dolphins' defense is, you know, you've just taken away the Raiders' best player.
71:56So hopefully Mayer can do something similar to what he did last year in those three games.
72:01Two of them were amazing without Bowers. And then we see something from Tucker or something from Naylor or something from somebody
72:08else that you can at least say, okay, this is something I could potentially pick up.
72:13I would lean Tucker. I think Heath would as well just in terms of who has the most upside of this receiving core.
72:20So really it's about the running backs here. I think for me, Gentey must start guy, Washington, potential flex.
72:26And then Mayer if you're just looking for that tight end replacement because of Bowers being out.
72:31And then HNs, obviously a must start alongside Gentey and the wide receivers for the Dolphins.
72:36I think you'd, I wouldn't mind rostering one or two of those rookies just to see, but it's, it's one of those let's wait and see type situations.
72:45We're not going to start any of them. I think if you didn't get Michael Mayer and there's a lot of tight
72:52ends rostered in your league, Greg Dolsich is a pretty good dart throw at that position.
72:57There were good reports about his rapport with Malik Willis and he was second amongst tight ends in yards per route run
73:04on a very small sample size last year. He was awesome.
73:07And I honestly, I watched game tape of him, I guess like a month or two ago or something.
73:13And I, my notes were Greg Dolsich looked pretty damn good.
73:16Kind of looked like a beast out there. If you didn't know it was Greg Dolsich, you'd be impressed.
73:22I mean, there's like a perception. Oh, he's Greg Dolsich.
73:25I don't know how good Greg Dolsich is. He might be a good player.
73:30I just don't know. I loved him coming out of college.
73:33Right. A lot of people did. Yeah. It was, it's been that Denver situation was still supposed to be great, you know,
73:40and now the Dolsich situation is supposed to be great.
73:43You just hope that he can take advantage of the opportunity.
73:47I think what's frustrating is that, oh, I've got Trey Tucker and I might be able to start him some weeks.
73:53And I kind of have this thing about, you know, with Greg Dolsich or Caleb Douglas or Chris Bell or whatever.
74:00And this might be the best week all year to start these guys.
74:04And there's no one on by and you, and you might sit them and, and, but maybe Malik Willis, maybe this is
74:11the time to start Malik Willis if you took a shot on him.
74:15I mean, who would you, someone asked Malik Willis or Trevor Lawrence.
74:18I don't think we're going to go that far.
74:21We're going to start Lawrence. Mahomes. Mahomes. Yeah. Anyone else?
74:24Nick's for me. Nick's for me too. Okay. Yeah.
74:27I mean, look, it's just because somebody's, oh man, Malik Willis.
74:30I wouldn't do it, but that's where we are.
74:33You wouldn't do it though. No, no, but that's the level of, of quarterback we're talking about here.
74:39Just because someone's ranked, you know, 16, 17, 18 in the rankings at quarterback.
74:43It doesn't mean we don't like them just to, you know, there's one.
74:47I would start Willis over Daniel Jones. Yes. Would you start him over Jackson dart?
74:52No. Uh, no. I'll read some questions to, uh, get us out of here.
74:56Some of these are from this game. Some are not DJ more or Dejan stripling.
75:01DJ more, uh, DJ more. A lot of DJ more questions.
75:04Wandale Robinson or more, more, more, more Christian Watson, more, more for now.
75:09Michael mayor or Tucker craft craft, craft, Michael mayor, George Kittle.
75:12Mayor, mayor. Just to finish on mayor, Jamie's got him ninth.
75:15Heath has an eighth. Dave has him 12th. You guys like him better than Juwan Johnson.
75:20Dave has Johnson one spot ahead. Um, Dallas Goddard is close.
75:24Jamie likes Goddard a lot this week. Has him sixth.
75:27Heath has Goddard ninth, one spot behind mayor. Dave has Goddard two spots ahead of Michael mayor.
75:32So starter right now. Let's just, I'll just check the roster percentage real quick for Michael mayor.
75:38Still available in a lot of leagues. I assume.
75:40Yeah. Only 21% rostered. How about that? Okay. Well, that's going to do it.
75:45Strange because there's a hundred percent of Brock Bowers rostered.
75:48Yeah, I know. I, yeah, but we'll see what it is by the time Sunday rolls around.
75:53It might be in the forties or something like that.
75:56Um, I think, I guess I didn't really get into Trey Tucker.
76:00We talked about him earlier. He's like, he had, he had a huge spike game.
76:05I think the first game where Bowers was injured in week two and should get opportunities here, but it's still someone that's
76:12going to be hard to trust, you know? So in that number three receiver range, sure.
76:16In top 24, I don't know if he'll ever get to that level, but this is the perfect time to just pick him up.
76:24So whoever, I know for, for me, I can only speak for myself, the leagues where I had Jordan Tyson and, and
76:31Zach Charbonnet and those, you know, type of IR stashes.
76:34I picked up the Bucks DST because they get the Browns next week.
76:38Easy to drop them for Tucker and Mayer to see what these guys become.
76:42Cause we just don't know how long Bowers are going to be out.
76:46It's one to two weeks. It was the initial report.
76:50That could be a month. Jets, Titans tomorrow, plus NFC home games and the Chargers Cardinals.
76:55And we'll talk to you then. Enjoy the game tonight.
76:58Should be an interesting one. Have a good one, everybody.
77:01See ya. On podcasts. Boxing fans, mark your calendars.
77:04Ryan Garcia puts his welterweight world title on the line against hard-hitting top contender Connor Benn, plus undefeated Australian superstar Jai Obatia takes on Noel McHaleon.
77:12Saturday, December 12th, all live on Paramount+. The feud between Garcia and Benn reaches a boiling point in one of the biggest fights of the year.
77:20The best part? There's no pay-per-view. The entire event is included with your Paramount Plus subscription.
77:25Saturday, September 12th, stream Zufa Boxing's Ryan Garcia vs.
77:28Connor Benn, live on Paramount+. We'll be back on the podcast.
