PodcastFrom Fantasy Focus Football
The Biggest Week 2 Trap Plays & MUST Starts | ESPN Fantasy
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
31 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 17, 2026
Published
Thu, September 17, 2026
15
Player insights
14
Players mentioned
Topics
Alec PierceBucky IrvingColston LovelandD.J. MooreGarrett WilsonHarold FanninJalen CokerJeremiyah LoveKenneth Walker IIIMichael MayerMike EvansStefon DiggsTerry McLaurinWan'Dale Robinson
Player analysis
Player insights
Alec Pierce
PositiveSleeper21:01
Alec Pierce is recommended as a ceiling play for a flex spot in the absence of A.J. Brown. Despite a wrist issue, he showed no snap count limitations in Week 1 and offers the high-upside potential needed to replace Brown's lost production.
Insight pagePositiveRole21:36
Alec Pierce is recommended as a ceiling play for Week 2 due to his significant route participation in Week 1, which exceeded initial expectations.
Insight pageBucky Irving
PositiveBreakout13:36
Bucky Irving has moved up to RB17 in rankings after a breakout Week 1 performance where he cleared 20 fantasy points. He surprisingly led the team in targets (7) and ran more routes than Kenneth Gainwell, signaling a significant role in the passing game. While the Week 2 matchup against the Browns may lean toward rushing volume, he is now a viable starter.
Insight pageColston Loveland
PositiveUsage25:06
Despite a zero-point performance in Week 1, Colston Loveland is a strong start for Week 2; he ran 33 routes (third-most at the position) and saw an end-zone target, indicating he is an integral part of the offense.
Insight pageD.J. Moore
PositiveProjection24:10
DJ Moore is ranked as a top-20 wide receiver for Week 2, benefiting from a favorable matchup against the Lions and his established role as Josh Allen's clear WR1.
Insight pageGarrett Wilson
PositiveProjection7:34
Garrett Wilson remains a low-end WR1 for Week 2. Despite concerns about the quarterback situation, Wilson commanded a 30% target share in Week 1 and is clearly the Jets' alpha receiver. He faces a Packers defense that has been generous to wide receivers, allowing 17+ fantasy points to six different wideouts since Micah Parsons' injury.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
NegativeValue10:06
Harold Fannin is a hold rather than a start for Week 2. His Week 1 performance was disappointing (4.1 points) due to a lack of chemistry with Deshaun Watson. His fantasy value is tied to the expectation that Shador Sanders will eventually take over as the Browns' starting quarterback, which would likely restore Fannin's TE1 status.
Insight pageJalen Coker
NegativeBreakout22:11
Jalen Coker is being monitored for a potential large target share in the Panthers offense, though he is currently ranked behind T. Higgins.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
NegativeUsage4:36
Jeremiah Love is a risky start for Week 2, downgraded to a low-end RB2 or flex option. In Week 1, he split snaps with Tyler Algier, who notably played 64% of third-down snaps and out-touched Love in the red zone (4 to 3). The coaching staff appears to be managing Love's workload due to his recent ankle injury and rookie status, and he faces a tough defensive front in the Seattle Seahawks this week.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveProjection29:50
Kenneth Walker contributed significantly to a 47.1-point performance on Monday Night Football, helping a fantasy manager overcome a 45-point deficit.
Insight pageMichael Mayer
PositiveUsage19:14
Michael Mayer is a serviceable tight end option while Brock Bowers is sidelined. He led the Raiders' receiving corps in targets in Week 1 and should be started until Bowers returns to the lineup.
Insight pageMike Evans
PositiveRole15:18
Mike Evans is a low-end WR2 for Week 2 and has emerged as the clear WR1 for his team following Dejon Stribbling's move to IR. Evans looked like the primary target in Week 1 and benefits from a favorable matchup against the Dolphins. He is a preferred start over Jalen Waddle this week.
Insight pageStefon Diggs
NegativeUsage23:16
Stefon Diggs ran 10 fewer routes than Terry McLaurin in the season opener, serving as a point of comparison for McLaurin's usage.
Insight pageTerry McLaurin
NegativeValue23:07
Terry McLaurin is viewed as a WR2/WR3 bubble player; while he ran 10 more routes than Stefon Diggs in Week 1, his target share was disappointing and he remains a flex-only option until the Commanders' offense shows more consistency.
Insight pageWan'Dale Robinson
NegativeRole21:45
Wandale Robinson is presented as a safer floor option compared to Alec Pierce, depending on the specific needs of a fantasy manager's roster construction.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00ESPN's going to Super Bowl 61 and so can you.
0:03Enter for a chance to win the trip of a lifetime.
0:07Four tickets to Super Bowl 61 plus a three night stay at Disneyland Resort where you and up to three guests can
0:14enjoy the magic of Disney plus the Super Bowl champion cavalcade.
0:17Enter at www.espn.com slash sblxi by December 31st, 2026 for your chance to win.
0:22No purchase necessary ends 12 31 26 at 11 59 p.m.
0:25Eastern open only the legal residents of the 50 U.S.
0:28states in Washington, D.C. who are 18 plus at time of injury for odds of winning and full official rules.
0:35Visit www.espn.com slash sblxi void. We're prohibited. What ankle injury do you remember how for weeks we were like, oh, well, he's
0:42going to slide in drafts and it could be a good value and Mike Washington and blah, blah, blah.
0:48Nope. I'm Liz Loza. This is facts versus feelings.
0:51And today's fact is that new doesn't always mean better.
0:54Oh, Daniel Dopp is jumping up and down. It's week two.
0:57It's week two. One down. One down. How did we do?
1:01How did you do in your leagues? I did OK.
1:0450 50, let's say I split a little bit there.
1:07I mean, it was I was good enough. You know what I mean?
1:11But the idea that football is here is what has me most excited.
1:15I am super pumped. We get to talk about real NFL football.
1:19What people say when they don't do very well.
1:22Let's be honest, because I do think in one league you and I played against each other and I was.
1:28You know what? I knew you were going to bring this up.
1:32Of course, the one league that we played each other.
1:35I didn't even lose by that much, but you did, in fact, beat me.
1:40The queen takes her rightful seat on the throne.
1:43And with that, we're going to give your fantasy advice to your listeners, because obviously, you know what you're doing here, Liz Loza.
1:50Let's start with Ashton Gentry, a running back smash last week.
1:54You like him here this week? I do. I mean, what ankle injury?
1:58Do you remember how for weeks we were like, oh, well, he's going to slide in drafts and it could be a
2:05good value and Mike Washington and blah, blah, blah.
2:08Nope. Mike Washington, Mike Washington, right? Like he was not even part of the picture.
2:12Clint Kubiak funneled the entire offense granted with Brock Bowers sidelined through his star running back who managed 147 scrimmage yards.
2:19The entirety of the rest of the Raiders offense had 143 scrimmage yards.
2:23So more than 50 percent of the Raiders total offense was produced via Ashton Gentry and not just his legs, though.
2:30It is worth noting that he managed three runs of 10 or more yards, which was the fifth most of the week.
2:37He also and this is the part that I really love two grabs of 10 plus yards, both of which went for touchdowns.
2:44Yeah, six total receptions. And we love being able to see this kind of receiving game work.
2:49This is something that the veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins knows how to do.
2:54We didn't see it as much last year because Geno Smith under duress nonstop.
2:58Right. But one of the things I want to make sure that I'm on the same page as you on, Liz, I
3:05loved the six receptions that we saw. I'm not sure we're going to see quite that heavy of a receiving game volume
3:12because Brock Bowers didn't play in this one. Do you think that we'll still see enough receiving game volume to get the
3:19things that you're hoping for with Ashton Gentry? Or do you believe that what you saw without Brock Bowers is potentially what we might get all year long?
3:28I do think Brock Bowers absence definitely increased Gentry's involvement in the passing game.
3:32We also have to note that he managed these numbers against the Dolphins defense, right?
3:37Like this is a defense that's probably ranked, what, 31st in the league, is in transition this week.
3:43Gentry gets the Chargers. So a much stiffer matchup.
3:46If Bowers does make an appearance, we still don't know if that's going to happen when we're recording, then Gentry's receptions and targets should obviously recede.
3:54So no, I don't think he's going to clear 30 fantasy points in week two, but I do think he's a solid,
4:01I don't know, where do you have him rank, like top six option at the position?
4:06Yes. Easy top eight, I think. I might have him at seven this week.
4:11Actually, I might have him a little higher than that just because of the fact that he did so well last year.
4:18And again, if we don't believe that Brock Bowers, even if he plays, probably will have a little bit of a getting back into game form.
4:26And so I think they might rely on Ashton Gentry a little bit more in this one.
4:31I love him this week, Liz. And you know who else I love other than you?
4:36Jeremiah Love. Jeremiah Love is in a great spot.
4:39The brand new toy in Arizona. Problem is in week one, they had an old toy there in Tyler Algier, and they
4:46feel like they played with him just as much as they did with the new toy.
4:51So how are you feeling about week two in this split?
4:55To be fair, both Tyler Algier and Jeremiah Love are new to Arizona, a team that very much needed to stabilize their running game.
5:02And I think this combo, as we saw in a giant upset over the Chargers, did help accomplish that.
5:08Now, as it pertains to Love, you would imagine, right, that the third overall pick would command a giant number of touches.
5:15And yet, that's not what happened. Now, we did see him score his first professional touchdown.
5:21Love those six points. Thank you very much. But I didn't like the split.
5:25Algier played more overall snaps. And this is even more key and disturbing.
5:29Algier played 64% of the team's third down snaps.
5:32That was never his role in Atlanta. So that's new and also signals to me that Love is not fully trusted on
5:39third downs, nor is he fully trusted in the red zone because Algier had four red zone touches to Love's three.
5:46Now, we expected maybe that a little bit more.
5:48But I'm also curious about whether or not this is temporary, which I believe it is, versus permanent, right?
5:55Like, we know that Love is coming back from his own ankle injury.
5:59And we know he's a rookie. And we know he's being folded into an offense.
6:03So I feel like there is patience that needs to be managed as he evolves into becoming a professional.
6:09That is exactly what I was going to say, Liz Loza.
6:13You took the words right out of my mouth.
6:16Because I think that they just want to, with him being a young back, there's no reason to go out and rush him back, have him get hurt.
6:25And then it takes even longer for him to come back and see all the things this season.
6:30I think they're doing it right. My biggest problem this week with Jeremiah Love is they're taking on the Seattle Seahawks.
6:37It's just a really tough matchup. And if they do decide to do this split again, just until the kid is fully
6:44healthy coming off of that ankle sprain, then maybe against this tough defense, he looks more like a low-end RB2 or maybe
6:51even closer to a flex for me, just because Seattle is such a good defensive front.
6:56I totally agree. But I think the thing we need to keep an eye on is his receiving work in this matchup.
7:03Because as much as the Cardinals surprised everyone in Week 1, they're still underdogs in Week 2, I think by 4.5 points, right?
7:11So we would imagine that Arizona is going to be chasing points.
7:14So I want to watch the target split and the routes run, frankly, between Algier and Love, assuming they are chasing points.
7:21So just something to keep an eye on. But yes, I agree with you.
7:26For me, Love is much less of an RB12 and much more of an RB21 come Sunday.
7:31Yes, I am with you on that. All right.
7:34We spent a lot of time this offseason, Liz, arguing on Fantasy Focus about whether or not Geno Smith was going to
7:41be serviceable enough of a quarterback to be good for Garrett Wilson.
7:45And Liz, girl, I know a serviceable man when I see one.
7:49And Geno Smith is one of those guys, I believe.
7:52How do you feel about Garrett Wilson after what you saw in Week 1?
7:56Okay, we have to recognize that the matchup was absolutely cake, right?
8:00But Geno Smith was top five in completion percentage and QBR in Week 1.
8:05He doesn't have to be that good every week for Garrett Wilson to work and produce as a low-end wide receiver one for fantasy purposes.
8:13Because believe it or not, Garrett Wilson is still the Jets' alpha.
8:16And he's still incredibly talented. He drew a 30% target share in a game in which the Jets won by 13 points.
8:23I love that. In fact, Wilson's seven targets and six catches were double any other pass catcher in the course.
8:30So I feel like we know where all of this volume is going to be funneled.
8:35And we now have at least a little bit of data that can make us feel confident that Geno Smith will be
8:42fine enough to funnel these effective targets to Wilson and buoy his fantasy stock.
8:46I am fully with you. We have always just been worried about Garrett Wilson's quarterback situation.
8:51And I do not think we need to be worried this year.
8:55No, I do not think Geno Smith has his own standalone value.
8:59But he can do enough for us fantasy managers of Garrett Wilson to make sure that we stay happy.
9:05All right, Liz. Can we talk about the matchup?
9:08Wait, can we talk about the matchup for Garrett Wilson?
9:11Yeah. I like it because the Packers defense without Micah Parsons has been ultra generous, particularly to opposing wide receivers.
9:17In the six games since Micah Parsons was hurt, six wide receivers have managed 17 or more fantasy points versus the Packers.
9:24And the Packers have delivered 11 touchdowns to opposing wide receivers during that span.
9:29So Garrett Wilson, once again, in week two, low end wide receiver one value.
9:33Love that call. I hope it works out this week, especially because they're playing the last place Green Bay Packers.
9:40So, all right. That's going to do it for.
9:43Oh, wait a minute. What? Do you hear that?
9:45What's that? Bonus player. This is a bonus player.
9:48Bonus player. It's a bonus player list. Those graphics were dope, by the way.
9:53Shout out to Q for putting that together. Yes, very retro.
9:56He wasn't even alive when those graphics were popular, to be honest.
10:00So, I don't know where he pulled them from.
10:03All right. Let us talk about your bonus player list.
10:06Who are you bringing to the table for us?
10:09Okay. So, this is a player that I'm having some personal fantasy therapy with.
10:13It's Harold Fannin because I have a lot of shares of Fannin.
10:17And his 4.1 fantasy points in week one were a total gut punch.
10:21And I was like, what? Why is this happening?
10:24How was he out-targeted by Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion and, wait for it, Jerry Judy?
10:29I mean, he ran the third most routes among Brown's pass catchers.
10:33How is this happening? I thought he was supposed to be the safety valve and establish continuity.
10:38And then I realized that all of the production that we expected Fannin to have in 2026 was based on that which
10:45came with Shador Sanders under center for the down the stretch of 2025.
10:50Except Harold Fannin and Deshaun Watson, the team's current starter, had zero game time together until week one.
10:55So, if I believe that Watson will remain the Browns starter, then I am worried about Fannin's value.
11:01Except I don't believe that. I don't think most people do.
11:05Do you believe that, Daniel? I do not believe that, Liz.
11:08No, I do not. Do you think Shador Sanders will eventually be named the Browns starting quarterback?
11:13Probably by week two or three. I would think after they get off to this really rough start, they can hand the keys over to the kid.
11:22Yeah. In which case, then I feel like Fannin will rebound.
11:26So, right now he's a hold for me. As it pertains to week two, however, I think the matchup is pretty decent, right?
11:33Like Tampa Bay let Mike Gusecki go off for over 18 fantasy points.
11:37Though we have to asterisk this because Mike Gusecki lines up like a wide receiver.
11:42He's basically a slot receiver. So, a little bit different.
11:45But I think Fannin might produce, like, I have him ranked tight end 14.
11:49I'm not really expecting low and tight end one production.
11:53He's more of a hold for me because I think once Sanders is eventually named the QB, and I do think that
12:00will happen soon like you, then his stock will rebound.
12:03Yeah, he'll go back to being a tight end one when that happens.
12:07It does make sense. With Deshaun Watson, though, it shows zero chemistry whatsoever.
12:11And I do not want to start Harold Fannin, unfortunately, if I drafted him.
12:15All right, Liz Loza, before we move on, don't forget to like and subscribe to all the people that are watching us.
12:22It means the most to us and helps other people find the video.
12:27And we want your voicemails. Please call us with your questions, your dating advice, your week three lineup questions.
12:33The phone number is 323-391-4855. Buy five quarts of Mobile One full synthetic motor oil and receive two times O rewards points.
12:40Plus, get a $10 gift card and receive a 2311 die cast after rebate.
12:44Terms and conditions apply. Get details at O'Reilly Auto Parts.
12:47Girl, give me a chance, give me a chance, give me a chance.
12:51Give me a chance, give me a chance, give me a chance.
12:55New segment, Liz Loza, called Singing a Different Tune.
12:58We're talking about players that we may have changed our opinion on after week one.
13:03The fun part of this is we have to sing our take the whole time we do it.
13:09You go up first, girl. I'm not going to sing because there's no tequila and this is not a private karaoke room.
13:16My player has got to be Bucky Irving because, girl, I was so excited about Kenny Gainwell.
13:21And he was really the reason why I was telling people that you should not draft Bucky Irving.
13:27And you know what? I also love to remind everyone that I take my own advice and I have zero shares of Bucky Irving for that reason.
13:35So I do get punished for bad takes personally, just so everyone feels like fair about it.
13:41Anyway, Bucky Irving cleared 20 fantasy points in week one.
13:44Definitely didn't see that coming. Yes, the matchup was prime because the Bengals have historically been bad against the position.
13:50But like, my goodness, I did not expect the receiving game work that Irving had.
13:55He led the entire group of pass catchers with seven looks.
13:58That was more than Emeka Obuka. That was more than Chris Godwin.
14:02He also ran this one really, really got me.
14:05He ran seven more routes than Kenneth Gainwell. So he was supposed to be filling a passing game role in this matchup,
14:12which I mean, I did not anticipate any of this happening.
14:16So I have moved him up in my rankings this week.
14:19He's my RB 17. So other people don't think I'm playing favorites.
14:23I've got Kenny G ranked as my RB 34.
14:26Definitely a gap between those two. It is worth mentioning that the Buccaneers are eight and a half point home favorites over the Browns.
14:33So I don't think the bulk of Irving's production is going to come by the air this week.
14:39But I do think he's going to get a ton of rushing opportunities.
14:43Yeah, this one really hurt me as well because I was all in on Kenny G.
14:48I don't want to quit him. He's such a good passing game guy.
14:53And then like, if you just use your eyes, it's like, holy smokes, they barely used him week one.
14:59I can't trust him in week two. Now I have to at least be in a wait and see mode.
15:05And Bucky Irving, I've got a rule out there.
15:08How can you not after what you saw in week one?
15:11So I am with you on that one, Liz.
15:14My player that I am singing a different tune on is Mike Evans.
15:18I was out on the old man. Old man Mike.
15:21Unfortunately, in week one, Dejon Stribbling went down. We just got news today when we were recording this on Wednesday, September 16th,
15:28that Dejon Stribbling is going on to the IR.
15:31Mike Evans is going to be the guy. Like he's the one taking over as the number one wide receiver in this offense.
15:39And he'd already kind of looked like he was that guy in week one anyway.
15:43Sam and Brock Purdy look great together. He had that end zone role that Mike Evans always used to have when he was in Tampa.
15:51He kind of looked like the guy we thought he would, assuming that he was going to be the wide receiver one.
15:58I just didn't think he was going to be the wide receiver one.
16:02I thought Dejon Stribbling was going to take over that role and Mike Evans was slowly going to fade away into existence.
16:09But boy, was I wrong about that because right now it feels like Mike Evans in a great matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Liz Loza.
16:17If nothing else here in week two, Mike Evans is a low end wide receiver two.
16:23And I had him probably as like a wide receiver, high end wide receiver four maybe last week.
16:28Like what a treat to come home from that very far international travel and expect that your body clock is going to
16:35be adjusting and then know that you get the Dolphins defense.
16:39Like I feel like it's the best way to ease back in to Pacific Standard Time.
16:44Right. I like all of your points. I mean, I, too, looked at all of the nagging injuries that Evans was having
16:51over the summer and assumed that he, you know, that that was a sign of age.
16:56And now I do think something you said is important because you said right now.
17:01Right. So that could still happen. It only has been week one.
17:05But I do think right now Evans looks like the alpha in this offense.
17:09That's not a bad thing when Kyle Shanahan is your play caller.
17:13I do have one other question, though, for you just for context.
17:17Let's play a little game of would you rather.
17:19OK. OK. Would you rather in week two start Christian Watson at the Jets or Mike Evans versus Miami?
17:25Miami. That's a tough one because Christian Watson was so good in week one, too.
17:30Oh, but you hate his hamstrings. I don't love his hamstrings.
17:34I think I would go with Mike Evans against Miami.
17:37You have me at Miami. OK. And what about Jalen Waddle versus Jacksonville or Mike Evans versus Miami?
17:43Liz, I didn't see what I needed to see out of Jalen Waddle in week one.
17:48What was Sean Payton doing? Why do we give up so many?
17:52I like if I am if I just think about it logically and not emotionally, I think I have to say Mike Evans.
17:59But I don't want to start Mike Evans over Jalen Waddle, Liz.
18:03But I think that's what I would suggest here.
18:06If it makes you feel better, I would also I would start Christian Watson probably ahead of Mike Evans.
18:12But I am not starting Jalen Waddle ahead of Mike Evans.
18:15That's OK. I think we're both, though, on the same page about players that we admit we were wrong about for at least one week.
18:23This is a safe place. It's a place where we can feel free sharing our feelings.
18:28Dopp, the voicemail line has been super busy, but so have my DMs.
18:32Nope. Don't. I don't want. No, not that way.
18:35We have a lot of a week two questions.
18:38So let's just get to them, please. Yes. Yes.
18:41The very first one is a voicemail from a service member.
18:44And we all know how much you love, Seaman.
18:47Oh, that's great. Oh, God. Hey, Daniel, Liz. This is Brett.
18:51I live in Tibberton, Rhode Island. I'm from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
18:54Daniel, I love you. I love you too, Brett.
18:57I love all you guys. The Fantasy Focus podcast.
19:00Follow you guys religiously for years. I'm active duty military in the Navy for 15 years.
19:05I just wanted to call and tell you guys that you're awesome.
19:09And then one question I had is I reached for Brock Bowers in the second round.
19:14And obviously, he's out with the minor knee surgery.
19:16Picked up the Las Vegas backup tight end. Is there anyone else I should be on the lookout for if I don't
19:23have another tight end on my bench? Thanks, guys.
19:26Bye. Oh, I'm sorry. My handle is btroll230 on Instagram.
19:29Bye. I love that. I love it. First of all, yeah.
19:33First of all, Daniel, thank you for your service.
19:36Of course. First and foremost, appreciate that. And thank you for calling in and listening.
19:41And as someone who lived in Rhode Island for four years of their life, that's awesome too.
19:46I don't think you need to worry about this, right?
19:49Like if you've got Michael Mayer, congratulations. I don't think you need to litter your bench with more tight ends.
19:56Mayer was plenty serviceable in terms of targets. I believe he led the Raiders receiving core in looks.
20:01So he'll be busy if Bowers is out. That's your guy.
20:05Leave it alone. Daniel, do you agree? Fully agree.
20:08Normally, I wouldn't do this. But it's like you just lock up the tight end position for the Raiders and start whoever
20:15is going to be starting that week. As soon as Brock Bowers comes back, play Brock Bowers.
20:20Until then, keep playing Michael Mayer. Would you, though?
20:23All right. Would you, though, cut Michael Mayer or would you hold on to him knowing that that knee issue could resurface?
20:30I would hold on to him at least for a couple weeks until I got put into a position where it's like, ooh, I'm in a roster crunch.
20:39And now I have to re-figure out what the bottom end of my roster looks like.
20:44But I'm with you. I'd keep him for a little bit.
20:47All right, Liz, we're going to take a dive into your DMs, which is something we've all wanted to do for a while.
20:55Okay. Super excited with this. Underscore Elixna says, hi!
20:58With A.J. Brown on IR, I have a flex spot open.
21:01Alec Pierce, Kyle Monungay, or Wandale Robinson, Liz? It's tough to lose A.J.
21:05Brown like that in week one. Uh-huh. So when you look at flex, a flex spot, I think lots of times we look at the running back, right?
21:14Because that's an easy six points. But this is an RB2 behind DeAndre Swift.
21:19And Alec Pierce did not seem to be on any sort of snap count in week one.
21:24Now he is dealing with some additional wrist issue.
21:27But I think without A.J. Brown, you got to moonshoot a little bit in this flex spot to make up the points that you would have normally received.
21:36So I think I'm going to go for the ceiling play here and start Alec Pierce.
21:41I would also probably go with the ceiling play and go with Alec Pierce.
21:45But if my projection in my lineup showed that I was in a good spot, I might go with the safer floor of Wandale Robinson.
21:53It just depends on what the rest of my roster construction looks like.
21:57But I would think I'm with you on that because of Alec Pierce's how much run that he had in week one.
22:04We thought maybe he was going to be a little bit more limited.
22:08All right, Liz, next one comes from Christian Flood.
22:11Jalen Coker at Atlanta or T. Higgins against the Texans?
22:15Do you ever think you'd be asking that question?
22:17It's a reasonable question, though. I mean, I have these guys ranked really close to one another.
22:23Ultimately, though, I am going to go with the player despite the matchup being tough that's attached to Joe Burrow.
22:29Yeah, I agree. I'm going with T. Higgins because of what that Bengals offense is.
22:34By the way, I feel like if they do get down, they're going to have to throw the football a bunch.
22:41T. Higgins is just a better receiver than Jalen Coker.
22:44I'll tell you what. Be a wide receiver one on any other team.
22:48Yeah, but if I see Jalen Coker do it again, second week in a row here, I'm going to start thinking potentially
22:55differently because it'll depend on the way that Ted O'err and McMillan also looks in that offense.
23:00But it feels like he could have a large target share there.
23:04Next one we have comes from AZ Wine Time.
23:07What do you think about Terry McLaurin for week two?
23:10Well, I got him on the wide receiver two, wide receiver three bubble on the plus side.
23:16Like, obviously, we didn't love the target share that he received, but he did run 10 more routes than Stefan Diggs in the opener.
23:23I think a lot of the issue was that McLaurin really struggled against the Eagles elite corners.
23:29And this is a new offense, right? Like, David Blau is finding his footing.
23:33He does get McLaurin a better matchup in week two because they're at Dallas.
23:38So, you know, he's a fine flex if you need a flex.
23:41And if you have to use him as a wide receiver two, then I guess you have to.
23:47But I'd prefer somebody with more upside. I think that's where I'm at as well, because if I had seen a different
23:54Jaden Daniels or Commander's offense in week one, maybe I've had a little bit more optimism.
23:59But I just sort of feel like he's in that flex radar until I see something more as well.
24:05Next one up, Liz. Loza. Ro Jengs wants to know, ha ha ha ha ha ha.
24:10How high are we ranking TJ Moore in week two?
24:13Do you mind if I take this one even though I can't speak very well?
24:18Yeah, because I think the reason you're stumbling is because he's playing Detroit Lions.
24:23So feel free, friend. I don't want it. I don't want it to happen.
24:27Chris Olave just lit up the Detroit Lions. Tyler Shuck and Chris Olave just look so good.
24:33And now Josh Allen and TJ Moore, who just carved up the Houston freaking Texans, are going to come in.
24:39They're playing in a new stadium, by the way, in Buffalo on Thursday night football.
24:44DJ Moore is going to be an easy wide receiver, too, for me in this one because of the matchup and because
24:51of what you saw as him being the clear and obvious number one wide receiver for Josh Allen like we thought.
24:57It just doesn't feel good to me about it.
25:00So, yeah, top 20 for me. All right, Liz.
25:03Next question that we have here is Caps rule hockey.
25:06Should I panic having Colston Loveland? Week one overreaction.
25:09Colston Loveland's bad at football is. No, he's not bad at football.
25:13Listen, we can't sugarcoat the fact that the donut absolutely sucks.
25:16No one wants to get zero. Do you know how many knockout leagues, how many people got knocked out in their knockout leagues because they played Colston Loveland?
25:25Probably a lot of them. Probably a lot of them.
25:28I think Mike Clay got knocked out of one we're in together.
25:32I'm just saying, I don't know if he had Colston Loveland or not.
25:36I'm just saying that he might have gotten knocked out.
25:40Anyway, when you look at the underlying metrics, you realize that Colston Loveland ran 33 routes.
25:45That was tied for the most, the third most at the position last week.
25:49And it was more than any Bears pass catcher.
25:52He also drew two looks. Now, we want more than two looks when Caleb Williams throws the ball 29 times.
25:58Two looks. That's panic, Liz. There's so much panic on two looks.
26:02Stop it. But one of those looks was in the end zone.
26:06So that means that he is an integral and involved part of Ben Johnson's offense.
26:11And guess what? The Bears have a division matchup in week two against the Vikings.
26:16And the Vikings gave up over 100 receiving yards to the Packers duo of tight ends in week one.
26:22So there is an opportunity for redemption. We are going to speak it into existence.
26:26I love it. I love the way that you were not trying to convince yourself that that was going to happen.
26:33But everyone else, I can hear it. It's going to happen.
26:37He's my tight end two for the week. For real, for real.
26:40I believe it. He's also a top five tight end for me this week.
26:45So let's be honest about that. All right. We have another voicemail, Liz Loza.
26:49One more. This one comes from, I believe, somewhere out by you.
26:53Okay. Hey, guys. What's going on? My name is Luke at Luke Stanaway on the IG.
26:58And I am in Los Angeles, California by way of Jackson, Michigan.
27:02What up, Daniel? Go Lions. I am a single Lions fan here in L.A.
27:06and looking to connect with maybe some possible Lions baddies out here in the West Coast.
27:12I'm going to be at a particular Lions bar in Silver Lake, if you know, you know.
27:17So if anyone out there wants to meet up and see if there's a potential love connection, please come find me.
27:24My name is Luke. Thanks for your time, guys.
27:26Go Lions. Luke? Oh, my gosh. I have so many questions, Liz.
27:30Hall of Fame voicemail. Oh, that guy from Iowa?
27:33Take note. This is even better. Oh, my goodness.
27:36Only Dan? Mm-mm. First of all, Luke, you have no idea.
27:39This is real, right? Like, Producer Q, this is real?
27:43We think he's shaking his head yes. Okay, he's nodding.
27:46Okay. So I am being 100% with you right now.
27:49One of my closest friends, who I am going to see tomorrow, ironically, that's Thursday when you all are listening to this,
27:56is a Lions fan who is from Detroit. She goes to the Lions bars every Sunday.
28:01She's got the blue nails. She's a Lions. Let me tell you, like, she reps.
28:06She plays fantasy. She is I-N-I-T in it. And she's a total baddie.
28:10She lives close to the east side, which is where Silver Lake is.
28:14Are we going to set somebody? Are we going to set people up here?
28:19Like, this is legit, legit real. Okay, what do we do next here, Liz?
28:23Like, how do we follow this through? You're going to talk to your friend.
28:28We're going to report back after maybe we do a little bit of stuff.
28:32Yeah, we'll do some reconnaissance. We got to do a little recon.
28:36Yes, and then we'll check back in and let everyone know if maybe we've made any progress on this situation next week.
28:43Wait, I think we should have them. This is all coming to me in the moment, but I think we should have
28:50them, like, call into the show in, like, Zoom box together so that we can see their reactions upon seeing each other in real time.
28:58Oh, like, first time. I got to be honest, Liz.
29:01I don't know how that would work from a production standpoint.
29:04I'm sure it's super easy to zoom in two extra boxes of video without any issue whatsoever.
29:10But I love the idea. Let's definitely look into it.
29:13Potential lovers in a box. Like, we could add, like, love connection boxes.
29:17This is fantastic. Luke, thank you. Thank you for trusting us.
29:21Yes. See what happened? We didn't even speak this into an existence, and the universe is helping us manifest a love connection.
29:28Like, this only tells me that Colston Loveland is going to go off in week two.
29:33All right, we got one last thing. We're going to close that out on this.
29:37Our producer, Q, cashed out. Oh, who cares about this after Luke's voicemail?
29:42My God. Okay, congratulations, Q. What happened? Well. What are we doing?
29:45Really? I would love to tell you. All right, I'd love to tell you.
29:50He was down by 45 points going into Monday Night Football, Liz.
29:54He had Kenneth Walker and the Chiefs defense and ended up getting enough points, 47.1 for the Monday Night Miracle to beat his opponent.
30:01How good is that? That's fantastic. I mean, was this, like, the inspiration for a Hallmark movie?
30:07No. Oh, my gosh. Luke, we love you so much.
30:10We cannot wait to check back in on your situation.
30:13Sorry about that, Q. Remember, the voicemail line, 323-391-4855.
30:16And when you call us, if you have questions for your lineup, leave questions for week three, because that's when we're going to answer them.
30:24Last call. Today, we learned that Dopp and I get punished by our rosters when we're wrong, too.
30:30That Los Angeles is for lovers. And that newness bias is real.
30:33Remember, evolution takes time. It's okay to embrace the floor of players who continually and comfortably deliver.
30:39Be sure to check out my week two edition of Facts vs.
30:43Feelings, The Column, which is currently live on the dot com.
30:46And please keep those voicemails coming. The number to call is 323-391-4855.
30:50Until next time, may your facts be solid, your feelings be right, and your busts be someone else's problem.