The Fantasy Footballers Podcast Recap for Week 18

As we close out the fantasy season and five shows a week, we transition to our off-season two shows a week schedule. Make sure to continue to listen to The Fantasy Footballers Podcast during the off-season! Check it out on –

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Monday – Fantasy Studs & Duds

Welcome to championship Monday! After celebrating their championship, Jason and Mike (sans Andy) get sophisticated.

News

Antonio Brown seemed to leave the Tampa Bay Bucs mid-game if you managed to miss it somehow. In more Bucs news, Ronald Jones had an ankle injury early in the game and gave fantasy owners close to nothing in the process. Joe Burrow looked to possibly tweak his knee at the end of the game. Damien Harris and Kyle Pitts hurt their hamstrings, and Michael Gallup tore his ACL. Finally, with big Fantasy Footballers news – Kyle is physically in the house!

Fantasy Studs

Starting with the QBs, Joseph Burrow was the bright light leading off this Sunday for the second week in a row. Russell Wilson looked vintage, Tom Brady was slow to start but finally got it together, and both Dak and Kyler had good games. To Mike’s joy, Trey Lance was also a solid start. The RB studs are highlighted with Jason’s start of the Week, Rashad Penny. Darryl Williams was great filling in for CEH, and Devin Singletary was a solid start. Both Patriots RBs were stellar, and Mike’s start of the Week AJ Dillon held it down on the frozen tundra. You were rewarded if you had a heart of stone to start Jerric Patterson. On to the WRs. Ja’Marr Chase is unstoppable, and Amon-Rah St. Brown – the Sun God – has gone nuclear in the last few weeks of the season. Welcome back, DK Metcalf, Davante Adams was studly, and Braxton Berrios broke Kyle’s heart. Cooper Kupp was studly as usual. With TEs, Noah Fant finally came through, Gronk Gronked, and Tyler Higbee finally had a great showing.

Fantasy Duds

Tua, with a good matchup, let many people down. Jalen Hurts helped get you there but couldn’t close the deal for you on Sunday, and Matt Stafford had a rough day with his multiple interceptions. Dalvin Cook highlights the RB duds – he literally scored you nothing. Not to be outdone, D’Andre Swift had a horrible game. Cordarrelle Patterson was unsuccessful as well, and you could see this one coming. Zeke has bottomed out, and Melvontae did not deliver in a great matchup. The WRs duds were filled with big names – Tyreek Hill, Antonio Brown, and AJ Brown. All the Buffalo pass-catchers had rough days, as well as CeeDee Lamb in Dallas. At the TE position, Kittle suffered the Trey Lance effect, Dawson Knox goosed you, and the Island of Foster Moreau was a lousy place to visit.

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

Welcome in FootClan champions! Today it is official – congratulations on a hard-fought season! Andy will be back at the end of the week, so Jason and Mike are holding it down until then.

Monday Night Recap

Last night, it was a somewhat dull game, punctuated with two big stories. First was Big Ben’s emotional last game played at home, and the second was the insane final play of Najee’s big TD run to close out championship week. This run will live in the memories of a multitude of FootClan members. Nick Chubb had a subpar game, and Baker Mayfield announced he would have surgery after the season.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

In the Week 18 addition, the guys start with Braxton Berrios, who has been on fire lately. He has done nothing before the last few weeks, so is this smoke or fire? Jason says if he has the opportunity, he is fire. Berrios is a solid start even with a bad matchup with Moore and Crowder being inactive. Mike mentions that it is conditional fire as long as Jamison Crowder does not play. Next up is Dare Ogunbowale, who has had a decent couple of weeks. Garbage time saved him last week, but Jason thinks he will get enough opportunity for a small fire this week. Mike disagrees and thinks there are better options.

News

There are some significant playoff situations this week, and keep in mind some teams have nothing to play for, Green Bay and Philadelphia being prime examples. Make sure you have a pivot option. Monitor the eliminated teams; usually, injured players on those teams will be benched. Cam Akers might play on Sunday, but the guys doubt he will be highly involved. The Raiders also anticipate a Darren Waller return this week. Ronald Jones is having an MRI, Keshawn Vaugh has a rib injury, and Le’Veon Bell is currently the Bucs only healthy RB.

Waivers

After mentioning Braxton Berrios earlier in the show, the guys go right to Zay Jones, who is trending in the right direction. Jason cautions you with Jones if Darren Waller is active. Gabe Davis is an excellent option for a Bills team that does have something to play for. Laquon Treadwell is available for a floor option, Cedric Wilson is a possible fill-in, and Antoine Wesley could end up being a hidden gem. On to the RBs, check for Rhamondre Stevenson, who should be rostered. Jason’s next gross pickup is Sexy Rexy Burkhead. Jaret Patterson should also be looked at. This week, the TE position is incredibly bleak – Austin Hooper has a good matchup, The Muth is still Luth, and Tyler Conklin is a desperation pick-up. Look at the Colts, the Chiefs, and the Packers for defenses. Jason’s favorite defense is the Washington Football Team.

Streamers

This week Jason is streaming Taysom Hill, and shockingly, Mike is streaming Trey Lance.

Wednesday – Buy or Sell, Mailbag

The two best friends, Jason and Mike, are back, and they start the show off with a quick question – what is dynasty? It is not a keeper league; it tries to emulate being in the NFL by having you manage a franchise. You have that roster forever – every transaction should be thought of with the long term in mind. It is an excellent kind of league to branch out to if you want something different and more challenging.

Buy or Sell

Mike opens with will Nick Chubb be a top 10 RB against the Bengals this week? With Baker out, we could see Chubb handling most of the work, or the opposite in that the Browns have nothing to play for. Jason is selling this, believing he will not see the volume. Next, will Jaylen Waddle be a WR18 or better? The Dolphins have been eliminated from the playoffs, so there is concern that there will be maximum effort exerted here. Jason is pessimistic and will sell, believing New England will shut him down. Mike is buying. Next up is Terry McLaurin. Will he hit double-digit fantasy points, which he has only done four times this year? Jason is a negative Nancy and will sell this, even against a floundering New York Giants squad.

News

Joe Mixon just tested positive for Covid, so he is out for this week. Baker Mayfield will be having off-season surgery, so his season is over, and the Titans expect Derrick Henry to be back this week.

Mailbag

Mike and Jason start the mailbag segment addressing how they deal with Fantasy Football heartbreak, hashtag week 15. Jason’s go-to is a drive-through to manage, whereas Mike takes a healthier path. He reminds us that that week 15 was nothing he has ever seen, and if need be, take some time off to shake it off. Next is a question about Joe Burrow’s 2022 outlook, followed by one positing if DeAndre Hopkins will be an elite fantasy WR next season. During the first seven games, he was on pace for 17 TDs, yet not a comparable amount of yards. Jason sees him as approximately WR10 next year. Next, a flex question – Amon-Ra St. Brown or Elijah Mitchell in week 18? The guys are team Missile. A few dynasty questions follow – would you rather Marvin Jones or Kenyan Drake? With both being at the end of their careers, Jason goes Drake since Marvin Jones can do nothing with Trevor Lawrence. The guys move to Kareem Hunt, who had an injury derailed season. He should still be a valuable every week starting RB next year. Jason suggests targeting Rhamondre Stevenson in the Dynasty Download segment, and Mike suggests Courtland Sutton.

Thursday – Never Not Working, Matchups, Starts of the Week, Jason’s Boom Boom Kicker

Never Not Working

We did a deep dive in the targets per route run stat earlier this year. The guys wanted to look at this in reference to RBs to see how many opportunities per snap do they get, otherwise called the “oppersnap.” Looking at players who were at the extremes for opportunities per snap, D‘Onta Foreman leads everyone in oppersnaps; 62% of his snaps are him touching the ball. Elijah Mitchell, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Damien Harris are also high. On the other side, Zeke only sees an opportunity on 36% of his snaps. Miles Sanders was also very low, which makes you contemplate his future.

News

As they are solidified in their seed, Joe Burrow will not be playing in the Bengals season finale. Kirk Cousins was activated from the Covid list, and Justin Fields is also starting. Diontae Johnson is on the Covid list, and with the timing, he looks to be unavailable.

Fantasy Forecast

Starting with the Saturday games, the Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos. Jason cautions against starting Noah Fant with Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy Back. Melvontae is a go. Start your usual Chiefs. In an NFC East battle, the Cowboys play the Eagles, where Philly has nothing to play for. Jason always suggests pivoting to players who have something to play for in these situations. It is a full go for all your Cowboys. Make sure you take players from these games out of your flex spot!

Sunday kicks off with the Bengals at the Browns, sans Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow. If Ja’Marr Chase is active, you probably must play him, even with the chance of an incomplete game. Samaje Perine is the next man up with Joe Mixon out, so he is an option. You could start Nick Chubb if need be. Next up, Green Bay takes on Detroit in an NFC North “battle.” The guys think Aaron Rodgers will be playing for the MVP, so you will get a moderate amount of points from him. Start your Packers but temper your expectations. On the other side of the ball, Jared Goff is questionable; start Amon-Rah St. Brown, and D’Andre Swift should have a decent game. The Bears play the Vikings in the next game. Start Montgomery and Mooney on the Bears side and fire up Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson for Minnesota.

The Washington Football Team takes on the New York Giants in what will obviously be a barn burner. With Jake Fromm State Farm starting for New York, the Giants are almost untouchable for fantasy. Terry McLaurin has excelled in this matchup previously, and Mike is going back to that well. The Colts travel East to take on the Jags, and if the Colts win, they are in. Jonathon Taylor is in, you can head back to Pitty City, and Carson Wentz could be used in a two QB league. Jacksonville-wise, it is better to look elsewhere. The final matchup discussed today is the Steelers at the Ravens, where both teams have a tiny chance to make the postseason if several things go in their favor. Without Diontae Johnson, the Muth should be super Luth and Chase Claypool is a volume option. It looks like Lamar might not start, so Tyler Huntly is a streaming option. You can start Mark Andrews as well.

Starts of the Week

In the starts of the Week, Jason likes Russell Wilson, the oppersnap (snapporrtunity?) king D’Onta Foreman, and is ready to establish residence again in Pitty City. Jason is starting Taysom Hill, Devin Singletary, Darnell Mooney, and Dalton Schultz.

The episode ends with the culmination of the 2021/2022 season of Jason’s Boom Boom Kicker.

Friday – FootClan Friday, Fantasy Forecast, Wheel of Shame

Andy is back and still fighting through the stages of grief fresh from his championship loss. Remember the show is back next week with the world-renowned “Footie Awards.”

News

Justin Fields was placed on the Covid list, and you can expect an Andy Dalton week. Chase Edmonds did not practice this week, and James Connor was limited – we might see an Eno Benjamin Sunday. Jared Goff is likely to start, and Ronald Jones did not practice.

Fantasy Forecast

The second half of the matchups kicks off with the Titans at the Texans. D’Onta Foreman, Jason’s start of the week should be a smash. AJ Brown is also a go. Brandin Cooks continues to produce on the other side of the ball, and he might be the only starting option for Houston. New Orleans takes on Atlanta in the next game. The Saints are playing for their playoff lives, so you have some fantasy possibilities here. You can start Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara. The guys suggest looking away from Cordarrelle Patterson for Atlanta, but you can start Kyle Pitts. The New York Football Jets head to Buffalo to play the Bills, who will be playing to win. Start all your Bills, and the only Jet to consider is Michael Carter. The 49ers head down the coast to take on the Rams with a lot of playoff implications. Matthew Stafford has been an enigma, so start with caution. You can rely on Sony Michel and Cooper Kupp. Trey Lance for the Niners could be a scary start against a great Rams defense. You are starting Kittle, Deebo, and Mitchell.

The Patriots play Miami in the next matchup. Rhamondre is a lock, and the guys feel like the Pats might not even play Damien Harris. You start Jaylon Waddle on the Miami side, and Mike Gesicki is also startable. In an NFC matchup, the Seahawks come to Arizona in the next game. Russell Wilson is Jason’s start of the week, and you can also start Penny and the pass catchers. For Arizona, you can play whatever RB starts and Kyler, as well as Zach Ertz. Carolina plays Tampa Bay, and there is not any Panther that you should start in Andy’s eyes. Start all your usual Tampa Bay Studs. The final matchup is the Chargers at the Raiders and the team that wins heads to the playoffs. Start your typical Chargers, and you can play Hunter Renfrow and Josh Jacobs from the Raiders. Mike Williams and Zay Jones are flex considerations.

Wheel of Shame

After a great DraftKings fantasy faceoff year, Mike comes away victorious. There is a final Wheel of Shame spin, and it is all Jason.

Congratulations on making it through an insane year of fantasy football FootClan!