The Fantasy Footballers Podcast Recap For Week 16

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Monday – Monday Punday, Fantasy Studs & Duds

Welcome to football every day! Week 15 was rough, and we still have two more days. If you had a bye this week, congratulations; you avoided season-worst performances by pretty much every player. Before the in-depth discussion, Andy, Mike, and Jason get sophisticated.

News

The Bucs are hurting – Chris Godwin sprained his MCL and is out for the rest of the season, Mike Evans injured his (yoohoo) hamstring, and Leonard Fournette went down as well. Joe Mixon left with an ankle injury, and Teddy Bridgewater had a concussion. And, shocking, Julio Jones left with a hamstring injury. Looking forward to the remaining games, Adam Thielen is questionable, and Baker Mayfield did not test out of the Covid protocol.

Fantasy Studs

Tyler Huntley was incredible – and no one played him. Mahomes (with Travis Kelce) and Rodgers solidified themselves as major MVP candidates, and with the low standards this week, Cam Newton also qualified as a stud. Josh Allen also looked tremendous, and Jared Goff led a massive upset with a stellar game. RB wise, Duke Johnson had a great game in Miami, Jeff Wilson finally had a big game for SF, and Jonathon Taylor was saved with that long run at the end. Welcome back, James Robinson, and It looks like the Bills will be trusting Devin Singletary moving forward after a solid showing. Tyreek Hill, Gabe Davis, and Amon-Ra St. Brown were WRs who had great weeks. Brandin Cooks and Russell Gage, both starts of the week, also had excellent games. Davante Parker looked good, and Deebo still managed to keep it together. Your stud TEs were highlighted with Kelce and Andrews. The Doctor also showed up to operate on a Sunday.

Fantasy Duds

This includes all other NFL football players who were active on Sunday. Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, and Dak Prescott start us off here. The list of RB duds is too long even to list – Alvin Kamara, Najee, James Connor, CEH; it just goes on and on. Joe Mixon looked horrible, and Cordarrelle Patterson scored a TD that the NFL chose not to allow. On to the WRs. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins did not get the memo to show up for this game. The Dallas pass catchers were disappointing, and Pitty City was a horrible place to visit on Saturday. Diontae Johnson also had his worst game of the season. TE wise, Gronk, Dawson Knox, and Mike Gesicki with a great matchup all were duds.

Tuesday – Monday Night Recap, Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire, Waivers, Streamers

It is still football time! Week 15 claimed another victim with Jason Moore, as J-Grizz takes the third seat today.

Monday Night Recap –

Two super exciting games last night. Hunter Renfrow could not overcome Week 15 in a punt-filled game. Kirk Cousins threw for the fewest passing yards of his career, and Derek Carr narrowly scored more than Nick Mullens in a scintillating night of football. Dalvin Cook was average, and Justin Jefferson was inefficient. On the Bears side, both Mooney and Montgomery were simply ok, and there were one or two moments of impressiveness from Justin Fields.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

We start with Devin Singletary, who finished RB16 against Tampa and was RB6 last week. Andy mentions that from an opportunity standpoint, this is fire; however, is there a chance for this to repeat? Against New England, Andy says smoke. Mike reminds us that Singletary has a fantastic Week 17 matchup. D’Onta Foreman is the next Smoke/Fire, candidate. He is averaging almost twenty touches on 40% of the snaps. As Mike says, he is Derrick Henry light in terms of opportunity, and you can ride that into the San Francisco game.

News

Elijah Mitchell has cleared concussion protocol, but his game is Thursday night so keep an eye out. AJ Brown is returning from IR and has 21 days to be activated.  Austin Ekeler did not practice, and we do not know if this is Covid related. Travis Kelce is now on the Covid list, but he could be back in time to play this week. Daniel Jones is done for the year.

Waivers

Let’s get into the waiver goldmine! Antonio Brown is the headliner here – if he is available, jump on him. Russell Gage has been the WR5 over the last month, and he has a matchup against Detroit coming up, so check for him. Some deeper league options are Amon-Ra St. Brown, Gabe Davis, and MVS. Tyler Johnson and Breshad Perriman might be the starting WRs for the Bucs this week, so they are worth a look as well. In the RB crowd – Jeff Wilson is the number one pickup as he will get the volume. Fournette also might be out for multiple weeks, so check and see if Ronald Jones is rostered. With Joe Mixon having an ankle sprain, Samaje Perine might see an uptick in opportunities. Andy is not team Duke Johnson, and Mike says he is worth a stash, and Justin Jackson also has some significant upside. On to the TEs. Cole Kmet is the top guy here, and Andy also likes Ricky Seals-Jones. Defense-wise – look at the Eagles, the Chargers, and Kansas City.

Streamers

Justin Fields, Ryan Tannehill (if he has AJ Brown back), and possibly Tyler Huntley are QB options to stream this week. It is rough out there – dance with the one that brought you, friends.

Wednesday – Buy or Sell, Mailbag, Thursday Night Breakdown

Welcome into the long break between Week 15 and Week 16, otherwise known as Wednesday. After reflecting on tuesdaynightfootball.com, Andy and Mike jump into Buy/Sell.

Buy or Sell

The segment starts with Kyler Murray getting 3 TDs against Indy? The Cards have had a rough few weeks, and Mike begrudgingly sells this. Andy hopefully buys this Christmas miracle. Next up is Aaron Jones. Will he be a top 12 RB this week? Andy thinks he will sneak inside this line, and Mike agrees. Is Gabe Davis a top 30WR against New England this week? With four TDs in the last three weeks, Andy uncomfortably buys this line.

News

Leonard Fournette is going on IR, and hopefully, you were able to pick up Ronald Jones. Tyreek Hill has been added to the Covid list, joining Travis Kelce. AJ Brown is trending towards playing if practice goes well. Cole Beasley and MVS are on the Covid list, and there is no news from the Austin Ekeler front yet. The Postman is designated to return, and the Christmas deliveries might be back on!

Mailbag

The guys dig into the mailbag and start with a question dealing with Baker Mayfield and his dynasty value. Andy thinks he is not a sneaky buy-in that the team is clearly getting frustrated with him. Mike would consider it in a two QB league. Next up – should you start DJ Moore or OBJ this week? There is no ceiling for Moore with Cam Newton and PJ Walker; go with OBJ. A wince-inducing QB question follows, with someone inquiring about Tom Brady or Taysom Hill. Even without some primary weapons, angry bounce-back Tom Brady is still the start. The next item in the mailbag asks how we stay committed if we lose in the first round of the playoffs. One of the best things is to play DFS – check out Kyle and Matthew Betz and their DFS podcast to learn a little more! Mike also loves prop bets.

Thursday Night Breakdown

The 49ers take on the Titans this Thursday, and the Niners are on a roll. The big question marks here are the RB situations. Tennessee is great against the run, so do you start your SF RBs? In terms of volume, Mike thinks that might be enough to give you a start, despite the tough matchup. If Elijah Mitchell is active, play him; if not, it is Jeff Wilson time. You cannot trust Brandon Aiuyk, and conversely, Kittle and Deebo are in your lineup. You can play D’Onta Foreman on the Titans side if he is in. Remember to take those Thursday night players out of your flex!

Thursday – Never Not Working, Fantasy Forecast, Starts of the Week, Boom Boom Kicker

It is never-ending football time! Welcome to Week 16!

Never Not Working

You have not been able to rest this year – 2021 has been a year where pride will kill you, and you can never go on autopilot. Many people are coming up against the “Tyler Huntley Dilemma,” which is being ok not starting someone you paid a lot or gave up a lot for in a trade and playing the waiver wire pickup instead. Since Halloween, the pass rate has dropped, and only six QBs are averaging over two TDs a game. The bottom has dropped out. In addition, you cannot rely on your underdogs delivering points in garbage time, as we had been able to rely on in previous years. The adjustment here is the thought that efficiency can be better than pure volume.

News

Elijah Mitchell has been ruled out this week, so the Jeff Wilson conundrum runs rampant. Full practice for Julio Jones and silence on AJ Brown as of now. Joe Mixon was a full participant in practice, and Lamar did not, so his status is in question. Tyler Lockett is close to being activated from the Covid list. Darren Waller is still sidelined, and Andy questions if he is done for the year. The Muth is also con-cuthed.

Fantasy Forecast

Starting us off this week, the Browns take on the Packers, and Green Bay is on a roll. Cleveland’s offensive expectations are relatively low, and Andy is starting Nick Chubb and no one else. Mike thinks you can flex DPJ. On the other side, you start your Green Bay studs, and you can still consider Allen Lazard and AJ Dillon. Next up, the Colts travel west to play the Cards. People are apprehensive about Kyler Murray, and the Indy defense gives people reason. You can start James Connor, and Andy likes Christian Kirk this week. The Colts have also struggled against TEs, so Ertz is a strong option. For Indy, Pitty City has been rough lately, but Mike still believes in him. The Lions play the Falcons on Sunday, and it might be a Tim Boyle game with Goff on the Covid list. This might be a sneaky good fantasy game, with Patterson, Gage, and Pitts being great starts. Detroit might get Swift and Williams back, and if not, you could start a man named Craig. Andy is not starting a Detroit pass-catcher if Boyle suits up. Next up, the Ravens take on the Bengals in Andy’s almost upset of the week. Mike likes Chase and Higgins and even Burrow on the Bengals side. For Baltimore, the big question is, do you trust Tyler Huntley if Lamar is out. Coupled with Mark Andrews, Huntley’s rushing upside makes Huntley a possible gamble that could pay off big.

The Rams play the Vikings in a big NFC battle. Start your Rams studs against a horrible pass defense. Tyler Higbee is the only question here. With Minnesota, Cook and Jefferson are locked in, and if Thielen happens to play, Mike would start him with the TD upside. The Bills head to New England to play the Pats. You start Josh Allen, even with a tough matchup, as well as Diggs and even Gabe Davis. The Patriots’ backfield is tough if both Rhamondre and Harris are active, and this might be a temper your expectations type of game. In what will undoubtedly be the most exciting game of the week, the Jags play the Jets. James Robinson is a smash, but Andy is not touching the Jags passing game. There is pretty much no one to start on the New York side. Just stay away. Finally, the Giants head to Philly to take on the Eagles. The Eagles defense is a great play this week, and Goedert and Jalen Hurts are also starts. Philly might not have to do much offensively in this game against the Giants. Mike also likes Miles Sanders. For the Giants, Saquon is really your only option.

Starts of the Week

Andy’s starts of the week include Matt Stafford, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Gronk. Mike is starting Joe Burrow, Miles Sanders, Van Jefferson, and Cole Kmet.

We were fortunate to get a dramatic Boom Boom Kicker read from the one and only Owl Borland with Jason out sick. In Mike’s eyes, “The Dickens of our time”.

Friday – FootClan Friday, Fantasy Forecast, Fantasy Faceoff & Wheel of Shame

It’s Christmas Time!

News

Dalvin Cook is on the Covid list, and if you had Mattison, you should be ok. Taysom Hill is on the Covid list, and the Miami defense is looking like a stellar option now. James Connor is a game-time decision, and there is optimism around Hill and Kelce clearing Covid protocols.

Fantasy Forecast

We start the second half of the matchups with the Bucs versus the Panthers. Matt Rhule has stated multiple QBs will play, and this seems disastrous. Andy says, do not play any Panther. On the Bucs side, you have Tom Brady and an abundance of questions. They do not need to do much to win this game, so there is a bit of caution surrounding Brady and his lesser weapons. Gronk is Andy’s start of the week. Next up is the Chargers at the Texans, which could be a challenging game for Houston. Start your Charger studs and keep an eye on Ekeler and his Covid protocols. You can start Justin Jackson and if you start Mike Williams, simply close your eyes. The Bears head west to play the Seahawks in an NFC battle. If you are starting a Seattle RB, it is Rashad Penny, even though Chicago proved formidable against Dalvin Cook. Metcalf is Andy’s start of the week, and Tyler Lockett is expected to be activated. On the Bears side, Montgomery will get a lot of work; Cole Kmet is a good option, and you can use Darnell Mooney in a pinch. The guys suggest picking up the best backup QB available to cover yourself re Covid.

Next up, an AFC matchup takes place with the Steelers at the Chiefs. Lock in Najee and Diontae since they got you this far. Kansas City wise you desperately hope that Hill and Kelce are active, and just make sure you have a pivot option available. You also might consider moving away from Mahomes in that situation. Byron Pringle exists as a desperation play. The Broncos take on the Raiders in a low over/under game. It does not look like Darren Waller will be back this week, and Hunter Renfrow fell back to Earth that week, however, he is back in Mike’s lineup this week. You cannot play WRs for Denver, and the only starts become Williams and or Gordon in a good matchup. The Sunday night game is Washington at Dallas, and Dak still does not look like himself. If you have another great option, you might want to consider them. Mike likes CeeDee Lamb in this matchup, and Andy says no to Michael Gallup. You can also start The Doctor. For Washington, temper expectations for Terry McLaurin, and if Gibson is out, then Patterson is a flex play. Finally, the Miami Dolphins take on the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Without Hill, who is on the Covid list, the Miami defense will be a great play. Andy feels like this will be rough, and it is Alvin Kamara and no one else. On the Miami side, Jaylen Waddle is right back in your lineup, as well as Gesicki. Davante Parker is an option as well.

Fantasy Faceoff & Wheel of Shame

The guys end the show with their DraftKings lineups, and Mike spins the Wheel of Shame. Happy Holidays FootClan!

Mike had to spin the *Wheel of Shame* during this week’s Fantasy Faceoff segment presented by @DraftKings

Watch the full segment with our Week 16 #DFS lineups: https://t.co/HGdWzTjkZm

Download the @DraftKings app and use code BALLERS when you sign up pic.twitter.com/h7ZLp4BJOp

— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) December 24, 2021