The Fantasy Footballers Podcast Recap for Week 3

After a Sunday that looked like it came out of the Hunger Games, we flock back to our trusted Footballers to lead us out of the darkness and into the light. Tons happened in Week 2 – the Oakland Raiders are undefeated, Lamar and Baltimore beat Mahomes and the Chiefs, and the San Francisco running corps is again in injurious disarray. As usual, Andy, Mike, and Jason step in to lend a shoulder to cry on as we reflect on Week 2 and look forward to Week 3.

Monday- Monday Punday, News, Studs & Duds

After discussing Mike’s need for a Monday Night Miracle, Andy teased an upcoming Unsolved Mysteries segment to debut this week. Now it’s time to get sophisticated with Monday Punday. The best part of waking up is truly starting Cooper Kupp. News comes next, and unfortunately, again, it is filled with a plethora of injury notes. Jason tried to spin it all in a positive light to no avail. The guys touched on Dalvin Cook, Darrell Henderson, and almost all the San Francisco RBs with injuries ranging from minute to extreme. This is not even counting the QBs that went down. It was a brutal day all around. Mike thinks it’s Justin Fields’ time in Chicago.

After the injury chat, we get to move on to something a little lighter with this week’s fantasy studs. Kyler, Lamar, and Tom Brady were the top QBs, with several other surprise QB performances highlighted. Derek Carr being the main one there. Moving to RBs, Tony Pollard and Zeke were discussed and whether people should be concerned. Cordarrelle Patterson (question mark?) is a player to keep an eye on. Austin Ekeler also had a great game. With WRs, Cooper Kupp, Rondale Moore, and Tyler Lockett both had great weeks. For the myriad of great performances in Week 2, there were more than enough players to fill the Pooped in your Big Boy Pants segment. Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow had terrible weeks, but Jameis Winston and the New Orleans offense took the cake here. This meant that Kamara also had a horrendous outing. Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, and CEH also had bad weeks. Mike sounds the alarm on CEH. Don’t panic on George Kittle yet.

Tuesday- Where There’s Smoke, News, Week 3 Waivers, Streamers

Another Tuesday and another bad beat for Mike, unfortunately. Mike’s 0-2 start is a great reminder to the listeners never to give up and keep fighting throughout the entire season. There is much tilt left. The guys unpacked the Monday night game – Aaron Rodgers bounced back nicely, Aaron Jones had an incredible game, and TJ Hockenson definitely showed up to play as well. On the other side of the coin, it seems that AJ Dillon might purely be an insurance RB now. On to Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire. Cordarrelle Patterson is discussed as a potential spot start, Henry Ruggs is mentioned, and KJ Osborn finishes the segment. Now for the News, filled again with a lot of injury shenanigans. Darrell Henderson, Elijah Mitchel, JaMichael Hasty, and Trey Sermon were all touched on. Derek Carr is looking to suit up, and OBJ should make his season debut. Andy Dalton’s status is “uncertain.” Sure, Matt Nagy. Sure.

Navigating the mystery of Cordarrelle Patterson… pic.twitter.com/iYWz9zqKCj

— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) September 22, 2021

Waiver time! As always, to pick up a player, you must drop someone. Top drop candidates include New England pass catchers, simply because of Mac Jones. Jason thinks that there is just not enough upside in the offense in this passing attack. Some big names come up next. Brandon Aiuyk can leave owners divided. The main takeaway from Jason is if you think you will drop a player in two weeks, drop them now and take advantage of the roster spot. WR pick up wise, look at Tim Patrick, the hometown favorite Rondale Moore, and Emmanual Sanders. With RBs, the guys suggest looking at James White for a spot start. Cordarrelle Patterson is an excellent pick-up and make sure that no one already has Tony Pollard rostered. Pollard needs to be owned. We can skip right over the TEs. Streamers of the week close out the show. Defense streamers to consider are Denver, Carolina, Oakland, and Arizona. With QBs, Andy calls his shot with Teddy Bridgewater, Jason goes Daniel Jones, and Mike believes in Justin Fields and his need to be rostered moving forward.

Wednesday- Buy/Sell, News, Unsolved Mysteries, Thursday Night Breakdown

Andy, Mike, and Jason started the Wednesday show off quickly with Buy/Sell. The guys hit the mark with their picks regarding Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Ridley, and Allen Robinson. For Week 3, the Buy/Sell segment involves props with George Kittle,  James Robinson, and Robert Woods. Now on to News & Notes.  Jarvis Landry lands on IR, and with it, OBJ tweets in reaction. Breaking news!!! Antonio Brown lands on the COVID list, and Jason gasped dramatically. The timing here means Brown might be out against the Rams on Sunday. Back to regular News – Tua will not play this week, Big Ben has a torn pec, and Diontae Johnson is still hurting.

A brand-new segment debuted– Unsolved Mysteries. The first mystery is Rob Gronkowski. Is he a real thing this year? Even though he is hugely TD dependent, the Ballers say he is legit. Next up, Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard. Jason cautions not to get crazy and trade Zeke for Pollard, and he sees a more even split for the rest of the season. On to the mystery of the Carolina and Washington Defense – what do we do with these two situations. Remembering to be open to change as the season progresses, Carolina has had beneficial matchups, yet Jason does believe in them. In reference to Washington, a defense we had high hopes for – it might be time to move on and pivot. CEH is our next mystery. The Chiefs do not need to make him the center of their offense, and owners have no idea what to do with his dismal performance. However, he is still a starting RB getting the majority of the work on a high-scoring offense. The final unsolved mystery surrounds the Las Vegas Raiders. Can Derek Carr be a Top 12 QB, and is the team an actual contender? Andy believes that with an improved defense, they will stick around. Jason feels they will not make the playoffs. After all the detective work, we finish the show with the Thursday Night Breakdown. The Carolina Panthers travel to the Houston Texans for what will probably be an average game. Not much to discuss here with a backup QB starting for the Texans, as the Carolina defense should have a good night.

“No, I don’t. I just run by guys.”

—Gronk on if he watches film

: MNF w/ Peyton and Eli on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/Nw7KSFBWi2

— ESPN (@espn) September 21, 2021

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

It’s football time? Question Mark? According to Mike, it’s Ingram time. The show opens with the Never Not Working Segment, which focuses on the San Francisco rushing core, growing by the hour. With players being signed every day and the team playing on Sunday night, you must make sure you have pivot options if you own a San Francisco RB. These situations occur all the time, and you always must plan ahead. That is the takeaway here. On to News. The Colts announced they might play two backup QBs if Wentz does not go, Justin Fields is slated to start, and OBJ should play. Injury-wise, Tee Higgins, Kenny Golladay, and Evan Engram are all players to watch to see if they take the field. It’s Fantasy Forecast time! Washington plays Buffalo, which means we get more aggressive Heinike time. Terry McLaurin could see another high targeted game and Logan Thomas could also be a good play. This Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns give us our first look at a Justin Fields start. That, coupled with a possible OBJ start, makes this an intriguing matchup. Ryan Tannehill should have a get-right game against the Colts, who have an apparent QB problem. CEH is still a conundrum for most owners against the Chargers, and the New Orleans Saints sadly have very few startable options past Alvin Kamara. Now on to Starts of the Week. QB wise, the guys go with Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts, and Matthew Stafford. Chase Edmonds, Saquon Barkley, and Ty’son Williams are the RB starts, and Marquise Brown, Courtland Sutton, and Julio Jones are the WRs to start. The guys like Gerald Everett, Jared Cook, and George Kittle when it comes to TEs in Week Three. The episode ends with Jason’s Boom Boom Kicker.

Friday- Thursday Night Recap, FootClan Friday, News, More Fantasy Forecast, Fantasy Faceoff

We open the show today with the tales of Andy’s magnificent win from last night. After the money-filled celebration, we transition to the Thursday Night Recap. Of course, the big news is the Christian McCaffrey injury and how quickly he was ruled out. Jason feels like it will be an injury that will sideline him for a little while, and Chuba Hubbard will clearly be a waiver target this week. DJ Moore had an incredible game, and Robby Anderson clearly did not. The guys suggest holding onto Anderson, at least for a few more weeks to see how the McCaffrey situation plays out. On the other side of the coin, Brandin Cooks continued to show that he is startable even when catching passes from General Davis Mills.

DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook are both not practicing, but Andy does not seem to be concerned. A few more players who have been limited in practice are also discussed, and the guys end with a chat about Elijah Mitchell. It is looking like he might not start, and if Trey Sermon plays, Sermon has the chance to win the job and usurp Mitchell. Remember this game is Sunday night, so make sure to have a pivot option. There is always lots of injury news to keep up with so make sure to listen to Matthew Betz’s injury podcast on the website. Now on to the rest of the Fantasy Forecasts for Week 3. The Falcons at the Giants could be a high-scoring affair, and we might see the wheels start to fall off Daniel Jones. The Bengals at the Steelers could really be a “close your eyes and hope” sort of game. Jason is starting the talk of the town Rondale Moore in the Cardinals game and the Bucs and Rams game has a huge over-under so you definitely want to have pieces of that matchup. The last few matchups are discussed, ending with a big Monday Night Matchup where Jason tells us that Jalen Hurts is now an every-week starter. It hurts so good. Fantasy Faceoff ends the episode and Mike gets to spin the “Wheel of Shame.”

This week, it was Mike who had to spin the *Wheel of Shame* during the Fantasy Faceoff segment presented by @DraftKings!

Watch the full segment here: https://t.co/cDsMp4Oc7w

Download the @DraftKings app NOW and use code BALLERS when you sign up! pic.twitter.com/XDvDXQJ2Sk

— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) September 24, 2021

Good luck in Week 3 Foot Clan!