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Welcome to Fantasy Focus Football presented by Moost Mobile.It's the entire crew here today.Mike Clay, Stefania Belfield, Yates, and myself.Stefania, you were not here yesterday for our Halloween-themed show.
I really wish I could have known what you did.What did you and Rico dress up as for Halloween?Because everyone got to see what we dressed up as.What did you do yesterday for Halloween?
Okay, did you hand out candy at the house?
I did have candy, but we had a dog group that went trick-or-treating.
This is black, so it was pretty easy to make the little black and white.It was funny from the side because you could see this big eye, like he was the killer whale.I don't think he liked it.
Halloween is always so fun for me because I feel like you get to be able to have kids come to the house.You can see these tiny little humans come in, dressed in these super cute costumes, hand out candy.Everyone's so polite.
Yeah, you guys looked fantastic, by the way.
Kids had a blast.It was a lot of fun.It's amazing how sometimes my kids will go several hours without eating a thing.You want some chicken nuggets?No.You want some vegetables?No.Maybe a hot dog?Absolutely not.Perhaps some veggie straps?No way.
Mac and cheese?Nope.Not a chance.You put any kind of Halloween candy in front of them?My kids thought they were sumo wrestlers last night. Like they could not stop eating.Just an absolute clinic right there put on by the two Yates daughters.
Well done by the two of you.Yeah.I'm glad, again, I'm glad to reiterate, we went to the dentist like 10 days ago.You want to go before Halloween.So glad that worked out.
Never book a dental appointment for your kids or anybody for that matter between like November 1st and November 15th.It's a losing battle.That's my advice to you today.Anything else that I say is less important than that.Totally agree.
I totally agree.All right.
I saw Mike's outfit, though.Aging.Aging running back?How good is that?
But he shows up like that every day, to be honest.
That's true.Are we old?Those old geriatric bones, Mike.
I don't like this at all.Not your fault.Hey, listen, go check out yesterday's show for our part one preview of week nine.
We went through a big strength of schedule, spooktacular, as we called it, looking at the rest of the season and the strength of schedule.You can also check that out at Mike Clay NFL on Twitter.Mike's got a really nice little breakdown of it.
Check us out on Fantasy Football now this week 10 to 1 on ESPN News for the entire three-hour block.E-News rather than E2.
Yeah, busy weekend.Lots going on.
This is a one-week thing, people.One week on ESPN News.We're back to our regular ESPN 2 home.Let's talk about... The Jets won that game last night?
I felt like last night's game was more trick than treat.
Who took the Jets here?Did anyone take the Jets?Mike did.I took the Jets.Well, why would you do that, Stefania?Because apparently it was the right thing to do.
Yeah, the Jets were favored in this game as a 2-6 team against a 6-2 team.And just as we talked about on the air before the show, it seems that guys like Niko Collins and Stefan Diggs matter.Joe Mixon can't do himself. That's right.
The books knew the Jets were going to handle business.And honestly, this game is not even as close as the score.The Jets were the better team throughout this game.
And if they didn't make some of the usual dumb, boneheaded mistakes that they do all season long, they would have won this one even more comfortably.
And it's funny, because the Jets early in the first half had a roughing the punter penalty.You're like, you know what?You're allowed to have one really dumb penalty a game before I get on you. And then the Jets later on, Malachi Corley.
I love you, buddy.One of my favorite guys to watch in the draft.I have a new rule.Every coach in the NFL needs to pretend that the back line of the end zone is actually the touchdown line.
You have to get to the back line before you can drop the football or else it's not a touchdown.Dumb mistake. Let's talk positives here, because there were some.We've got to get moving to the rest of the games here.Devontae Adams, hello.
Welcome to the New York Jets.After a quiet first half for both he and Garrett Wilson, they exploded in the second half.Devontae, seven for 91 with a touchdown, led the team with 11 targets, one more than Garrett Wilson.But Garrett Wilson's a bad man.
Devontae Adams left for a significant portion because he was being evaluated for a concussion, comes back in with four minutes left, and all of a sudden makes the play of the game that's going to take them to a win.
Gert Wilson might argue he made the play of the game with that catch.
Well, his catch was the catch of the game.That was fantastic.And by the way, two of the same leg foot in the end zone should universally be the rule.It always counts.
I agree.It was awesome.But this was really encouraging.And so there were actually signs for these two that like a breakout game was coming because in the two games with the Jets, Monty Adams had seen a lot of targets.I mean, nine in the first game,
A little bit fewer last week, but there were a couple of defensive pass interference penalties that he drew against the Patriots last week.So it's not like the Jets are looking other directions besides Garrett Wilson and Devontae Adams.
And Mike, remind us, does the jet schedule get harder or easier for Aaron Rodgers down the stretch?
gets much easier going forward for Aaron Rodgers and especially another guy we need to talk about, Brees Hall, because if you're panicking over him a little bit, I don't think you need to worry.He still played 76% of the snaps last night.
The concern area is he's three catches for 20 yards over his last two games.But again, the Jets running backs, so Brees Hall has the easiest remaining schedule this season from week 10 on.So if you have Brees Hall, stay patient.
You're still going to get running back wins.
better days are ahead.And for the Texans, the good news is, Daniel, it was the only two guys that we cared about going into the game last night.Dell and Joe Mixon.
I thought Joe Mixon was going to touch the ball 35 times.Eventually, the Jets were like, oh, you know what?We need to maybe stuff the box a little bit more, get some guys up here.Because even still, he had 24 carries, 106 yards, and a touchdown.
It was clear, too, from a pass-catching game perspective.So Joe Mixon is still locked in as a set-it-and-forget-it RB1 with the kind of volume that he's getting in this offense.Zero receptions, and he still did that left.He still crushed it.
It was very obvious to me that C.J.Stroud did not have the same chemistry with his backup wide receivers that he does with everyone else because he just kind of looked off. You know, the offensive line.
I was just going to say, he's getting harassed constantly through that game.Joe makes it in five out of 600 plus yard rushing games.The only week he didn't was the week he got hurt.So unbelievable rebound.
And you wanted to see this from Tank Dell after what has been a couple of down weeks when we thought he was going to smash without Nico Collins, now obviously without Stephon Diggs.
This is the Tank Dell that if you drafted him as the number three wide receiver in this pass catcher, you thought you were going to get if an opportunity opened up in this offense.
Yeah, and we're about 10 days away from their next game, and we suspect Nico Collins will be back.He's eligible to return from IR, so hopefully he can play.
And I still think in that scenario, Nico, of course, will be a borderline top five fantasy receiver.But Tank Dell should still be startable.This offense will be better going forward.This is a tough situation.
down basically 50% of your targets, going into New York with offensive line issues against a pass rush that has been pretty good this season and one of the best pass defenses in the NFL, so it was tough circumstances.
There is a reason that the Jets were favored in this game and we saw the Houston offense just couldn't do much aside of Joe Mixon.
Yeah, I gotta tell you, I will say this, and I don't think that I ever got to the point where I imagined that Devontae Adams and Garrett Wilson were just going to be non-factors for fantasy.Wilson has been good since Devontae was traded to him.
However, I will say this, last night gives the Jets a puncher's chance, and the more motivation they have to make the playoffs, and the likelier the chances are of them making the playoffs, the more value for Devontae Adams and Garrett Wilson.
We hope that what we saw last night was the start of things to come, because those two guys still, it turns out, are extremely talented.
By the way, how about CJ Stroud?59 rushing yards.We got to see him run the ball a little bit, and it's like, if you told me he had almost 60 rushing yards and still only finished with 11 and a half fantasy points.Listen to this show.
We've said, please run the ball more, CJ.We need it.And he did it. All right, diving into some lineup locks or lineup not as we're going to talk about it.
Let's talk Tampa Bay and Kansas City, because we have been talking about how good this Bucs offense has been with Baker Mayfield under center, obviously losing those two pass catchers hurts in a major way.But Mike Clay, I'm going to start with you.
Does it hurt in a major way if you're a Kaydottin manager?Because it feels like this guy is just going to mash without either of those two wide receivers.
I think you said it the opposite.It helps in a substantial way here for Kaydottin because he's been awesome 10 targets in back-to-back games.He has at least 10 targets, 8 catches, 80 yards, and 18 fantasy points in two straight games.
Last week, without Evans and Godwin, he had three more targets than any other player on the Tampa Bay roster.He also leads all tight ends and snaps this season.That was a category he led last year as well.So he is on the field all the time.
He's first in routes this year.And how about this?Matchup outstanding.The Chiefs, the most targets, catches, and fantasy points allowed to tight end so far this season.He's a set it and forget it for the time being.
Expect this to be a game where the game script is going to dictate they have to throw the lot.
Chiefs are an eight and a half point favorite, so we're assuming that Tampa is going to have to throw the ball a bunch, which means Kay Dotton should be very heavily involved.
Mike Evans likely out through the teams by Todd Bowles already said that, so that maintains Kay Dotton's value.
All right, so let's talk about some of these running backs then, because if I expect game script to dictate things are positive for Kate Otten, then between these two running backs field, it seems like Rashad White is the one that we want as the passing game running back.
Yeah, but I will say this. Not like Bucky Irving is some slouch in his own right, but the reason why Rashad White gets the edge here is he actually now has three receiving touchdowns for the season.
Yes, two of them came against Baltimore in the fourth quarter, but that's the most of any running back in the NFL.He's top five in running back catches, top five in running back receiving yards so far this season.He's my RB24.
He has four out of seven games played. with six or more targets so far this year.He's a very involved member of this passing game.
That should not change at all, given the fact that the wide receiver injuries are going to be a thing, as Stefania said, for at least a couple of more weeks.But I have Bucky Irving as RB29.He has been a top 18 finisher in three straight weeks.
And he is top 14 himself, by the way, in both catches and receiving yards amongst backs.So while he does not have the edge over Rashad White there, he's still involved enough. And this guy is a really talented player.He just seems to do good things.
Whenever the football is in his hands, in a deeper league, he's a usable flex option for me.
Yeah, no doubt.Well said.I'll add this.Rashad White, since week four, 5.3 yards per carry.He's picking it up in terms of rushing efficiency.If you want an excuse not to play these guys, though, the Chiefs.
Yeah, defense is ridiculous, especially against around 3.0 yards per carry.That's best in the NFL.Fewest yards and fewest fantasy points are running backs.
You know how many running backs have reached 13 point or cleared 13.2 fantasy points against him this season?12.5 0 0 running backs have reached 14 points against him.
By the way, the split is not going anywhere because Bucky Irving actually has a toe injury that they're going to continue to manage throughout the season.They've already said that this is probably going to be something that doesn't go away.
And that means there's going to be a role for Rashad White no matter what.
Yeah, I think it is interesting that with Rashad White, 72.5% of his fantasy points have come from the passing game.So he has very much been involved.Obviously, you talked about those three receiving touchdowns.That's helped elevate a lot of that.
But I love hearing that he's getting more efficient on the ground, Mike, to be able to unlock some of that.Because we used a pretty high draft pick on Rashad White.
To your point, they're going to be throwing the ball a bunch.They're going to abandon the run most likely here in this tough matchup and be throwing it a lot.So maybe to your point too, Field, I mean, there are seven targets for Irving last week.
They'll throw to both of these guys, and that's going to be really helpful to bail out their fantasy value in this game.I'm a little lower than you, though, just because of the matchup.I think they're more like flex options in deeper leagues.
And Sean Tucker's going to play, too.I mean, there's just a lot of mouth to feed.Yeah, Tucker must play.That's right.
Stefania. How about DeAndre Hopkins?We were able to see him come over here, did not do a whole lot in his very first week, only played 22 snaps, had 13 routes in his first game with the Chiefs.
What are your expectations for him here as probably the number one wide receiver in this offense?Obviously Travis Kelsey the number one pass catcher.
Well, it's like, what does a number one wide receiver look like in the Chiefs offense?We can't really define it this year anyway.
And while I do think that DeAndre Hopkins is going to continue to see his role grow, he's certainly not a lineup lock for me.Three targets in his first game, that's not that much.There's a lot to build on.Yes.
I think that there's potential for him to improve over what he did.But to me, he's a flex option, probably in a deeper league only.
Yeah. Yeah, I still have him outside my top 35 for wide receivers as well, but if there ever was a week where you go from kind of walking to sprinting, this would be it, right?
Just because of the fact that A, he's now got eight extra days within this chief system and B, it is the Buccaneers who have allowed the fifth most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
Quarterbacks have moved the football pretty effortlessly against them.
So while I'm not quite at the level where I can say you are starting DeAndre Hopkins, even though I don't think Juju Smith-Schuster will play on Monday night, I do think there is a chance that we look back on Tuesday morning and say,
That's why the Chiefs traded for DeAndre Hopkins.
Yeah, we'll have him outside our top 35 at the wide receiver position.
But there's a little bit of a wait and see here, given what it feels like.Yeah, no doubt.Just a little bit of a risky flex, I agree with Stefania.He ran 13 of 42 possible routes in that game, so we need to see an uptick for sure.
All right, let's talk about the Chargers.They will.They will.Yeah, no doubt.No doubt.
Chargers and the Browns here in this next one.Stefania, I want to get a quick update, because David Njoku has been unbelievable for those starting him at the tight end spot.Any injury updates that we need to worry about with David Njoku?
You know, he was added back onto the injury report yesterday.And so it's unclear whether sometimes on Thursday, is that a setback or are they just choosing to hold him out for a few reps?So Friday practice becomes important for him.
Okay, we'll continue to monitor that.I will start him if he plays.Yeah, exactly.I wanted to establish that.
I was being facetious.He's a lock it in, set it, and forget it starter for sure.I like to come with the bold takes on Friday mornings.
Well, alright, let me get this then, Field.You got a bold take on Cedric Tillman because he has smashed 18.1 fantasy points in week 7 on 12 targets, 28.9 fantasy points in week 8 on 9 targets.He's gotten a ton of volume.He's produced with it.
But this week, taking on the Chargers, Chargers are not a matchup to shake a stick at.
They are certainly a difficult matchup.I've got them as wide receiver 34.Worth noting, the Chargers have allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.I tell you what, they only play games.
where the winning team has 19 points.I mean, not literally, but it's like every game is a grinded out game with the Chargers.They do play good defense.It's not like they have this otherworldly personnel.
They just have played rock solid defense in this scheme all season.On top of that, they run the football a ton. offense.What does that do?It mitigates the number of plays that your defense is on the field, which mitigates the number of opportunities.
So Tillman has certainly shown me something over the past couple of weeks.He could get there, as in like usable in fantasy with just four catches because of the big play propensity, but I've got him outside my top 30 this week.
I don't think he'll be there in future weeks though, Mike.
Yeah, we talked about how Amari Cooper was getting like seven plus targets every game.Tillman just stepped right into that role.He's eaten seven targets the last two weeks.He's a super talented player.Third round pick last year.Good size to him.
Was a favorite dynasty stash of mine for sure.So I'm enjoying this and hope he continues. We have him in a keeper league.Yeah, we do.I have him in a few.I'm kicking myself in the league we're all in, the Dynasty.Cut him loose.That one stings.
Damien Dabrowski is the best team in the league, has him.That's interesting.He reminded me, via text.
Is he the best team in the league, or is he just the team with the best schedule?
I think so.I'm playing him this week, so yes.OK, all right, all right, got it.He's pretty loaded.But yeah, so we'll see if he can keep this rolling for sure.I'm a big fan, so hopefully that passing game is in a good spot.
What about on the other side, because I feel like we've watched Ladd-McConkie do some nice things for these last couple of weeks.I will say this, I do want to see more volume still.
I love that he has had at least six targets in six of his seven games, but he's never had more than eight targets in a game.It feels like that gap there is real small.I'd love to see a double-digit target game out of him, Mike.
I don't know if that's going to happen here in this offense, though.
Yeah, and again, this is what we thought was coming in the offseason.
This is why Justin Herbert went from maybe the number one, certainly top three dynasty quarterback to a guy we ranked like 20th this year, you know, 18th because we knew this was coming for this offense and it's hurt McConkie and the rest of this passing game to some extent.
You're right, 14 plus fantasy points in three games.Those were the games he found the end zone under 10 fantasy points in the other four.If you need some saving grace here, Cleveland's past events has not been what it was last year.
They've allowed the six most fantasy points to receivers, so that should help his stock this week.
Mike is not gonna like this analogy, and I think I used this recently, maybe on Lab, but it might have been on somebody else, but I can't recall, so I'm gonna use it again.He is the Drake London of 2024, right?
Good player, number one target in his offense.Say again?He's even better than London was last year, though.I'm just saying, the idea that, like, not all target shares are created equally.
He could be, he is, he does have a 24% target share, does Ladd-McConkie.That number seems good, except for the fact that you said it, Daniel.No more than eight targets in a game.In a single game.Yeah.Don't love that.
They run like an Ivy League offense. Or Neskak, you know what, Neskak is high octane.Old school Ivy League, you know, and they used to run with the triple option all the time.
But the thing is, we haven't really seen their full complement of receivers, their full, full complement of receivers.
Everybody finally getting healthy, so I want to see Justin Herbert still be favoring Ladd-McConkie when they have Quentin Johnston back, Josh Palmer, maybe even DJ Chark coming back. You know, again, a lot of mouths to potentially feed.
Remember how Harbaugh was raving about Quentin Johnston a few weeks ago?It was DJ Chark who was getting most of the passes during the preseason, so we haven't really seen what it looks like when they're all on the floor.
It does, and Mike, you mentioned this, I had it on my note too.It kind of feels like Ladd McConkie, in spite of the percentage of his target share, And I think one of you said this earlier this week, is a touchdown-dependent wide receiver.
In weeks that he doesn't get in the end zone, he's scoring single-digit fantasy points.
It's a great point.I actually said it previously.Yeah, it was me.I thought one of you had said it.I just said it like three minutes ago as well.Mike was the one that said that Lamar Jackson stinks.
Okay, that's what, oh, that's right.
He wouldn't start in this room, even if he does.People are, people are complaining, uh, on social about me being too high on Anthony Richardson now, cause you made that comment the other day.
You were, you were like, do you want to apologize for, for liking Richardson over Lamar?That was not me.You gotta get out of the Menchies, man.I know.
You gotta get out of the Menchies.
I usually do, but I caught that one. All right, let's talk about, I got one more game I want to talk about in this block, if you guys don't mind.It's the Saints and the Panthers.First off, I want to start, Stefania, with you.
Adam Thielen, Jonathan Brooks, do we have any injury updates on either one of these two Carolina Panthers?
Well, Adam Thielen had that bad hamstring injury week three, looked really bad at the time.He's already been absent five games.He's still on injured reserve, although he was designated to return last Wednesday.
He's only been limited in practice, hasn't really done a full practice yet.So I think I'd be surprised if he plays this week. Might be a little bit longer, we shall see.Jonathan Brooks, his season debut might be coming.
Now he said he's feeling a lot more confident in that knee coming off the ACL.But it's still, he's not committed to playing this week.And they are clear, when he comes back, there will still be Juba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.So the volume will be
very small for jonathan brooks when he does take a look at so if you were to potentially have jonathan brooks even if he does debut on knowing all the things that not only the panthers have said but knowing i was coming back from injury hasn't really spent a lot of time practicing with the team didn't have an off season you would not be starting john would not be starting and i'm gonna wait and see
Okay, so it feels like the only person we're starting from this team with confidence would be Thuba Hubbard.Is there a single pass catcher from this offense right now that you would have any confidence in?
And if there's not, who would be the one that you throw a dart at?
Confidence is a strong word. However, Xavier Leguette, by the way, on the injury report, right?So, like, we're all of a sudden monitoring that one here.I don't think confidence is the word that I would associate with this passing game right now.
Mike and I will agree to disagree on whether Jalen Coker will become a thing or not.I have confidence that probably won't be a good passing game.Yes.If that's a fair thing to say.I feel bad saying that.
You know how many passing yards Bryce Young has in five games?I don't want to do this.Three of which were starts.I don't even want to guess. 400.400.Wow, you are far too generous with that assessment.Actually, not generous enough.
523 passing yards in three starts in two other games.Yikes.He only mop-up dutied two other games.Yeah, that's right.523 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, five interceptions.Good luck if you want to start a Panthers pass game.
Yeah, if you're in a deep league and you want, you know, I think Thielen and Leggett are end of bench players right now.Remember, Bryce Young and Adam Thielen had a good connection last season.
Efficiency was solid and he was, you know, respectable in fantasy.So they're not the worst guys for the end of your bench because the ball has to go somewhere but not line up blocks.
The only way I'm considering Leggett this week is if Thielen is still out.
Yeah, I think it's possible.
Yeah, he certainly hasn't done much.
Even if it is, I would rather be in like a 12, 14, 16 team league if I'm going to start Xavier Leguette, if I can help it.I would like to think that you can find a better option, either for your flex or your second wide receiver.
I will say this, though.Vibes for Xavier Leguette, off the charts.
I was talking about vibes.I love everything about the game.Did you guys hear him pronounce asparagus?Asparagus, yes.No, I missed it.You've got to go find the video.
You've got to find the video.I can't.I know I'm the kid.It's a fantastic accent.It's great.
What is it? I would not do it anywhere close to justice.That was pretty good.Try it again, Stephanie.
All right, all right.I'll go check it out.We'll go see what it is that we can find about Xavier Leguette.When we come back, we're going to dive into the biggest questions heading into week nine.We'll see you in just a moment.
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Best part about fantasy football here at ESPN is you, the fantasy football community.And we want to make sure that we are always answering your questions.Head on over to Twitter and use the hashtag FFNOW to drop in your questions.
Maybe talk a little smack to our friend Mike Clay.Tell Field how good looking he is.Obviously he gets that every single day.Was that written?Use that hashtag FFNOW and tune in this Sunday on ESPN News at 10 a.m.
Eastern and see if you can make it onto the show. Back here on Fantasy Focus with the entire crew.My name is Daniel Dopp here with FieldG8, Stefania Bell, and Mike Clay diving into some of the biggest questions heading into week nine.
Stefania, one of my biggest questions is, are we going to get my doppelganger TJ Hawkinson back at the tight end position this week?
I was going to say, are we ever going to see you two in the same thing?
Why don't you just tell us if you're coming back to play for the other team?
For the Minnesota Vikings.Like, everybody's so excited about seeing TJ Hackinson.And he continues to tease us with talking about how he feels like he's faster and stronger than he ever was before.
I feel like there's been so much attention to detail in terms of the Vikings bringing him back.It's been really sort of fun to watch. I can't wait to see him on the field.Full practice.This is it.We're getting him this week.
And I would be tempted, you know, normally we talk about coming off ACL in volume.The way they've been building him, I'd be prepared to go ahead and take my chances.
Make it up, baby.Potential full workload here if you need to be able to utilize him at the tight ends.
At least a solid workload.
It's somewhere in there.It'll really depend on how he responds in game.But I don't feel like they're going to be holding back significantly.
There hasn't been a number two pass catcher that has emerged in this offense without TJ Hawkins.And so it feels like he could be a guy, even with a solid workload, that you might be able to use.
Yeah, and we'll see whether Jordan Addison gets the squeaky wheel treatment as he has kind of been suggesting some things and then taking them back on social media.
That being said, while we have seen a little bit of a resurgence of the tight end spot of late, like just with some guys getting healthier and some guys just performing better, as I said a couple of days ago on Hawkinson, I do think there's a chance that we're talking about him
once we see it once is like probably somewhere between tight end 5 and tight end 10 on a week-in, week-out basis.
Yeah, I mean, Donald's playing pretty well.So it could be.I think he's a borderline starter this year.There's some added risk coming off.You know, he hasn't played since late last season.
Maybe there's a little more Johnny Mundt than there normally would be, but certainly on the starting radar.
All right, you mentioned Sam Darnold playing pretty well.He's a guy I want to dive into.From a streaming perspective, Mike, he started the season pretty hot.Three games, straight games, as a top 10 quarterback.
He's followed that up as quarterback 27, quarterback 13, and quarterback 15.Do you think that you can use him as a streaming option here this week against Indianapolis?
I think he's on the streaming radar because the matchup is decent against Indianapolis, but he is not a very good fantasy quarterback.You mentioned the hot start.He was leading the NFL in passing touchdowns for a while there.
He has one weekly finish better than ninth this year.That was week two.He's been outside the top 12 in three straight.He has zero games with 300 passing yards.He's averaging 15.1 rushing yards per game.
It's just a little, but nothing that really moves the needle. He had 11 passing touchdowns in his first four games, only three over his last three games.So it's just a matchup.
And the fact that he's playing pretty well as a player, as Justin Jefferson, there's enough there to put him on the streaming radar.But there's just not much upside.He's just one of them guys.
I would say that's a fair assessment of it.I think this is an interesting week because we have a couple of quarterbacks going the wrong way.You know, I'm talking about like a C.J.Shroud's example, right?
We have a couple of quarterbacks that are not necessarily in the best of matchups.So I've got Sam Dunn on this quarterback nine, despite the fact that a lot of it came early in the season.
He's still tied for fifth in passing touchdowns in the entire NFL, despite already having had his bye with the Colts, as Mike mentioned.Good matchup.They are bottom ten in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks.The
The addition of TJ Hawkinson certainly can't hurt.Things are looking pretty decent here this week for Sam Darnold.
Feels like if you need to use him, you can use him.But I think that he's more on the lower end of my streaming radar.They're the few places I'd rather go.
But I understand if you want to go that way, especially because potentially adding TJ Hawkinson helps to be able to unlock another level here for Sam Darnold.What about on the other side of this?
Because now that we know for a fact we're going to get Joe Flacco under center, if you look at the splits,
With what these wide receivers have done, with Anthony Richardson as their quarterback and Joe Flacco as their quarterback, we should all be rejoicing that we're going to have Joe Flacco, especially if you're a Josh Downs manager, because he has crushed it with Joe so far this year.
And I told Mike not to get inside the mentions earlier, but I had exactly one guy who got mad about the fact that I was saying Flacco and not Flacco.I responded to that.It's a bit.You replied to it?I replied to it.I said they make me. Okay, got it.
So given that exactly one person said it, I will be taking a break from that.Because I'm assuming that's how the entire world, that's how I figure it works.One person on Twitter says it, which means the entire world feels that way.
I'm going to refrain from too many thoughts on Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr.for a very specific reason, so I hand the baton over to Stefania or Mike, whichever you preferred.Yeah, I'm starting on both.
No, I agree.We've talked about this throughout the week.There's just the night and day splits from one quarterback to the next are usually not this severe.You think about like Deontay Johnson with him without Dalton versus Bryce Young.
And it's been the case here with Richardson versus Joe Flacco so far this season.Josh Downs at least nine targets, seven catches, 66 yards, and 15 fantasy points in all three Flacco games.He is fifth in fantasy points.
And I've mentioned this earlier when we talked strength of schedule. Colts receiver schedule, second hardest so far.It frees up going forward.So on top of the more high volume passing game with Flacco under center, the schedule is going to be easier.
The Vikings, by the way, they faced a ton of volume because they've been ahead so much.But they have a lot of the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.17 plus fantasy points to eight receivers already.11 plus to 15 receivers.
That's about two per game.And of course, we want two guys from this Colts team to score 15, whatever, double digit fantasy points.Downs and Pittman would be your best candidates.
Not only would they be your best candidate, but I'm a little shocked, here we are heading into week nine, that Josh Downs is the wide receiver we would prefer in this offense over Michael Pittman with what we saw Michael Pittman do last year.
But it's just been how good Josh Downs has been, Stefania.
Yeah, and really, since he came back from that injury, he's made steady progress.And we haven't seen the production in terms of fantasy, partially because of the quarterback situation.
But I think that when you look at Josh Downs and you see him on the field and you watch him play, he looks like the potential that we thought we had with him.
By the way, sorry, really quick.I mentioned Downs' fifth in fantasy points with Flacco.Pittman's 19th, so he's still been terrific as well.So we feel good about both of those guys.
With Anthony Richardson as his quarterback, Josh Downs has 29.5 fantasy points, with Joe Flacco in fewer games has 55.6.So he's clearly just been a better wide receiver.Flaco, but yes.
I like that more.You know what, I kind of like that too.Maybe we just need to default onto the other side.I'm sure we're going to get a text from Keith about the pronunciation of how we're supposed to actually say it.
You're not cool, Keith, always making sure he watches the show, making sure we're on the the right path.All right, let's talk about Jacksonville and Philadelphia, Stefania.I feel like we got a couple of updates here on some wide receivers.
We already know they're going to be without Christian Kirk, but what can you tell us about both BTJ and Gabe Davis?
Yeah, it sounds like Gabe Davis is the more probable one, as far as I know right now.Doug Peterson's at what?
I feel bad.Finish your thought, and then I'll tell you.Yeah.
Oh, what?If you have news, then let me know.
No, I have no news.I have a reaction to your news.
Oh, OK.He said on Monday that he should be fine.So he was already saying early in the week that he expected Gabe Davis to be fine. Brian Thomas had that injury that we thought might be a multiple week injury initially, because it looks significant.
Turned out to be a chest contusion that it sounded like he had a chance to play.He's been limited in practice.I do know that Doug Peterson, I believe, is talking to the media while we're recording this show.
So hopefully while we are here, we will learn a little bit more about the likelihood of Brian Thomas.
See if I can find something for you, Stephon.Yeah, let's see.I would love, I think the reaction that Field had is probably the reaction I had, which I don't mean to be negative towards Gabe Davis.I just would rather have Brian Thomas Jr.
be the one on the field on Sunday.I thought you were going to say that Gabe Davis is the more problematic of the two.
He is in fantasy, we know that.
So here's the question then.Are you going to start Gabe Davis if there is no Brian Thomas Jr.?
Let's talk about that scenario, because you guys know what you're doing if Brian Thomas Jr.
You're playing him.If he doesn't play, and no Christian Kirk, We have one option here.If you play Gabe Davis, what you got to do is this.This is actually written in the Fantasy Football Gods contract.Okay.
If you're going to play Gabe Davis, you got to decide by about 10 a.m.
Eastern time on Sunday morning, because you got to save some time for church in between then and the kickoff, which actually is a late kickoff, so I guess you go to a little bit of a later mass. Because how can you trust him?
We know Gabe Davis is a talented guy.He had four receiving touchdowns in a single postseason game.I will never forget that game against Kansas City.Eight catches, 201 yards, four touchdowns.
I've also watched Gabe Davis go entire games with zero catches.So I don't know what to tell you.Like, yeah, it seems like it would be a good thing that there are potentially two starting wide receivers down.This should be a Gabe Davis spot.
And yet, we've learned that sometimes in fantasy, the most obvious crush spots turn into disappointment spots.
Might be all Evan Ingram.
I was just going to say, with no Patsy Kirk.I've got Ingram all the way up to tight end three.
Yeah.For the week.Honestly.You know, just a few weeks ago, there was that one game where Trevor Lawrence just decided to feature Gabe Davis.And he had a two touchdown game.Maybe now they're kind of forced to do that if Thomas is out.
So I will be comfortable with him as a flex or a fringe wide receiver three if Thomas is out.If not, he's more of what he usually is, a boom bust.You just hope he catches a touchdown sort of player.
And then Parker Washington's really the only other guy we're looking at.And again, we're only looking at him.He'll fill in the Christian Kirk role.That's not going to be enough to be consistent in fantasy unless Thomas is out.
It might free up more targets.Remember, when he made his, I don't want to say his NFL debut, because he got a few snaps.But when he played a featured role that one game last year, six targets, six catches, 66 yards, and a touchdown.
And then he's never scored nine fantasy points. He's never cleared nine fantasy points in a game since, so not getting too carried away on that one.
You're a Philly guy, Mike.Do you recall when the Villanova men's basketball team beat North Carolina on a buzzer beater by Chris Jenkins?
I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Jay Wright, the former head basketball to Villanova, very just calmly, nonchalantly, like the ball goes through the net and he walks over to shake the opposing head coach's hand.I think that was Hubert Davis at that point.
And it was like, dude, you just won the national championship.How are you not like, I don't know, crying, jumping, running onto the court, doing something?You just go over there and shake a hand.That's Mike talking about starting Gabe Davis.
Yeah, like, he could be in a pretty good spot here.Gabe Davis does not make you nervous at all.
Of course he does.That's what I said.I mean, he's a boom bust player.I mean, if everyone else is out, I'd feel more confident starting.
I'm like shaking thinking about starting.No one else.I don't show emotions.It could be a 30-point day.It also could be a negative 3-point day.I'm me, the nervous person.
Very calculated.By the way, funny story.The assistant coach of that Villanova team, that won the championship, George Alcovich, my best friend in preschool, is from my hometown and he's head coach at Buffalo now.
We should go to a game this year.I'm in.Let's go.
Okay.Deal.Love it.Alright, speaking of going to games this year.Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work.Detroit Lions taking on the Green Bay Packers.
I would love to be able to go.
I thought you were talking about going to the big game.I've never been to Lambeau.Lambeau was one of those places I feel like would be an iconic place to go visit just to be able to see it.I do want to ask this.
We have not had Jameson Williams last week, not going to have Jameson Williams this week.
Does that free up an opportunity for Sam Laporta to get involved again this week, Mike Clay, like he did last week, where he had 16.8 fantasy points for fantasy managers that trusted him?
This is such a tough one.78% of the snaps, 71% of the routes run this year.That's basically equivalent to last year when he was the number one scoring tight end.But he's yet to clear 53 yards in a game this season.
His only two games with double digit fantasy points this season are when he scored a touchdown. This is a tough one for me.I think he's a fringe starter.Yeah, I don't.I want to trust him more.
I got that in 10 for me.Yeah, that's where I am too.
Wouldn't love playing this game.We don't know.Now, he did not practice Wednesday and yesterday he was out there on the practice field, but the field was a little bit wet.Remember, it's a groin injury.It sounded like he was being cautious.
I do think there will be some weather. this weekend, so it depends if they feel confident enough that he's, number one, mobile enough to protect himself, number two, isn't risking an aggravation.
I'm gonna hope that Jordan Love plays.
We'll talk about one of these Packers wide receivers a little bit later on in the show, but if Malik Willis is the guy under center, I lose a good amount of hope in these Packers wide receivers if you need to utilize them.
I heard this is Jared Goff's first game outdoors this season.
Second game, week two in Arizona was technically outdoors, but that's basically indoors when you're playing in the Arizona weather outside, you know what I mean?So it's not that bad.All right, when we come back, we got more here on Fantasy Focus.
Stick around, we'll see you guys in just a moment.
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Who's that squirrel?He's Daniel Duck.
This weekend isn't just about NFL action.We got college football matchups all Saturday as well.College Game Day will be live from Penn State this Saturday as the third seed Nittany Lions take on the fourth seed Ohio State Buckeyes.
Tune in to College Game Day at 9 a.m.Eastern on ESPN. Back here talking about managing some expectations on some players.Stefania, you had mentioned it and I just want to say this one more time really quickly.
And I want to ask you guys, if we do not have Jordan Love, I've got Jaden Reed as a guy inside my top 20.
Jaden Reed and the rest of the Packers wide receivers, where would the highest wide receiver, give or take, be ranked for you with Malik Willis under center?
Probably like Jaden Reed at like wide receiver 35. 35, outside the top 30 pretty comfortably.He's been wide receiver 47 and 51 in the two games with Malik Willis.
I will also note this, in those two games they did not need to throw the football a lot because they were laying the smackdown on the Titans and somebody else who played, the Jaguars who played like doo-doo.No, it wasn't the Jaguars.
Somebody else that played like poop that day.
I can't remember who it was, but yeah, I agree.Willis has exceeded expectations, but I still don't think we have high hopes for the passing game there.They're going to try to run it through Josh Jacobs as they did early this season.
So yeah, no doubt about it.I think Reed would be a guy that I've mostly, you know, the Packers receiver I would like the most because they'll manufacture touches.However, no more than a flex option.
Alright, I'll talk about him a little bit later on in the show, but I want to ask a few questions to you, Mike Clay, because every single week you write the Shadow Report, one of the best things that comes out here at ESPN Fantasy.Thanks, man.
And we've got Ze Flowers taking on Patrick Sertand this week, and usually that feels like it's not very good.Ze Flowers, we know, is boom or bust when it comes to a lot of his nature, right?Four games,
with 18.5 or more fantasy points, three games under 5.5 fantasy points.If that's not boom or bust, I don't know what it is.How are you approaching this with Pat Sertan potentially shadowing it?
Yeah, and he's been boom bust with a pretty big, pretty good usage.27% target share, nine or more targets in five of eight games, and he's hit lately, I mean 100 plus yards in three of his last four.
The problem is, again, he's been relying on that heavy volume and he's been boombusting.Now you bring Deontay Johnson into the fold.And the fact that Johnson is there makes it less likely that he's shadowed by Sertan.So we'll keep an eye on that.
But I still think in Johnson's first game, maybe he's limited a little bit and they put Sertan on flowers a little bit more.But he has been awesome this year.He shadowed Metcalf, Pickens, Evans, and Wilson.
And Denver as a team is not allowed a receiver to hit 18 fantasy points.So there is limited upside for this wide receiver room.
Question. Even with Deontay Johnson now in the Knicks, do you think Denver would go that route anyways?Like, Zay Flowers is so different than those guys in terms of his game.Oh, you're right.Right?
Like, I just think teams are less likely to use their shadow corners on guys who thrive off of elite short area quickness.
Yeah, you're exactly right.And that occurred to me sometimes when I'm writing this. go back and forth and I look a little closer at the matchups and I ended up deciding that I think they would.Just the way Sertan has been utilized.
When there is a heavily targeted perimeter receiver, generally they will put him on that side.It might not be every single play, sometimes just like scatter where there's a couple plays, they don't worry too much about it, but
Flowers has played outside a lot this year with Nelson Aguilar inside, not to mention the two tight ends that I did end up writing it up as a shadow situation.
Interesting.Far be it for me to come at the King.I just wonder if Riley Moss might be like, not that he is a tiny corner, but Sertan has this big, long, physical perimeter corner.Maybe they just say, you know what, we're going to
Maybe we'll throw a safety over the top of Zay Flowers, but it might not be certain that we, you know, deploy in that way.
And sometimes when I, there's a little less uncertainty, I'll talk a little bit about just the pass defense as a whole when it's tricky like that, which is, you know, Denver as a whole has been outstanding against the pass.
They've had four touchdowns.Again, none have gotten 18.So sometimes it's like, yeah, there's a good chance he shadows.He'll still be on him a lot, no matter what.Even if he doesn't, though, still a tough matchup for Zay Flowers.
My shadow Mark Anders, right?Yeah.
We'll talk about him in a little bit, too.Near the goal line, that's about it. Lowering expectations, though, on Zay Flowers because of this shadow, unfortunately, against this Denver Broncos.Yeah, the matchup in general, for sure.Yeah.
What about Calvin Ridley?I mean, everyone saw what Calvin Ridley did this last week against my Detroit Lions.Ten catches for 143 yards, good for 22.6 fantasy points.
But I do want to say this, Fields, he's been more involved each of the last three weeks.Eight targets three weeks ago, nine targets two weeks ago, 15 targets this last week.
You mentioned a bunch of times, and Mike, I know you wrote this for the Shadow Report as well, but it feels like when you pay a wide receiver that kind of money, that's the kind of target share you need to be giving that guy.
I can't relate to this, but Mike can because he's a car guy and he owns a nice car, but he does not keep his Ferrari in the garage. Correct.
And the Titans, for one reason or another, decided to keep their Ferrari in the garage for the first five weeks of the season, first four games for them of the season.
I feel like we have seen a much more concerted effort with Calvin Ridley, a 42% target share last week.That is downright Malik Neighbors type target share for Calvin Ridley, but not a great matchup, like not a total stay away matchup, Mike.
And I'll let you speak to this more than I am.Christian Gonzalez has been Definitely up for the challenge against some of the league's best, but it hasn't resulted in unusable fantasy days for opposing wide receivers.
Yeah, kind of mixed results out of the gate for number one receivers against New England, but they've cracked down lately when Gonzalez has shadowed these guys.
In New England, it's a lot of the 10th most fantasy points to receivers, but if you look closer at guys that Gonzalez has shadowed, six of the last seven have been under 14.5 fantasy points. There's just not a lot upside there.
I do expect Ridley to come back to Earth a little bit this week.I have him as a fringe top 30 player.You mentioned the 8-plus targets in three games.But yeah, I think Gonzalez definitely is going to shadow him in this game.
It's one of the surest bets of the week, and it's going to be a tough challenge for sure.And by the way, as for my car, I think my racing rig is probably worth more than my actual car at this point. I wouldn't go that far.
Do you have that set up right now?The rig is set up?Yeah, I mean, it's the season, so I'm busy, you know, unlike some people grinding away on fantasy football, watching games.Find some people. Not so fun, you two.Oh, wow.
Wow.First off.Good, I'm glad I'm left out of that.
Yeah, maybe just invite us over to, like, take a ride on the rig every once in a while.You know what I mean?Like, Field and I, like, give us a couple of laughs.I was busy.You did.
You actually have.I did.I have done it.It's actually a lot of fun, to be honest.No, I wasn't actually invited.Weird.Some of us were busy eating seven, that's right, seven peanut butter cups last night and two Jolly Rancher lollipops.
I learned last night those are awesome.Wow, I'm surprised you're here, actually. You should have a tummyache.You learn nothing from this.
It's worse.I know, right?
The hot sauce or the candy.
I do want to say this.No, go ahead, Stefania.
I actually have a fantasy football question for the group, but I hate to disrupt the candy conversation.How do you feel about Calvin Ridley if Will Levis is back under center?
I don't even know.I mean, I mean.
Because that's a possibility, right?He's been out for a couple of games because of the EC sprain.The shoulder.Remember, he played and then clearly was not Whether it was a shoulder or whatever, it wasn't good enough to play.
It was Mason Rudolph that Calvin Ridley had this big day with.
Yeah, I think my answer is I feel a little better with Rudolph at this point based on how Levis has played this season, but not by a lot.I mean, I thought
I thought Levis would get a little better this year because they had so much confidence in him coming into the season and that they were going to throw the ball a lot and neither of those things has happened to the extent that we thought it would.
Just all the bonehead mistakes have been problematic for that whole passing game.But again, if you have Ridley, you feel good about the fact that he's their clear number one.They're going to feature him going forward.
And this is a tough matchup, but going forward, the Titans receivers have one of the best matchups in the NFL.So Ridley's second half should be better.
When you say Titan receivers, are there other receivers that we should be paying attention to?Sorry, Titan's receiver.
It felt like Calvin really was the only one here.Westbrook.Westbrook and Keenan.You mentioned Tiz the season.Did you guys have any houses that for Halloween dressed up as though it was Christmas time?
Because there are already a handful of Christmas houses before Halloween even hit in my neighborhood.Really?Was I the only one that had that?
Yeah, that's... Those are sickos.
A little too early, right?You gotta wait for at least Halloween to be over.It's November now, it's Christmas season.Now that it's November 1st, you can do it.I agree.
I think it's a day after Thanksgiving, personally, but we can agree to disagree on that.Interesting.Are you one of those people that takes down your Christmas tree on December 26th as well?
No, I do not, no.My kids take down the Christmas tree.It's their way of earning their keep.It's two and one, so they gotta figure it out their own way, but yeah.
By the way, the tree stays up through the holiday season, which goes through New Year's.New Year's.
All right.I was just curious.I was just curious.
But let's not be putting out the Christmas merch by Halloween, which is happening.
It's happening more and more frequently.I don't love it.Don't love it.All right.Another thing that I did not love, this one actually is a good transition.Last week,
We'll decide if it's a good transition.
Okay, you're right.Yeah, that's fair.That's fair.Last week, I was thrilled for Amari Cooper after what he did in his first week.And then, Kian Coleman, 18 fantasy points.Khalil Shakir, 19.9 fantasy points.Amari Cooper, less than two fantasy points.
Field Jades, what am I supposed to do?First of all, where was the transition?How was this a good transition?You said, someone said, speaking of things that we don't like, I don't like that Amari Cooper had like 1.8 fantasy points last week.
Do you think he's playing this week?
It's questionable.You know, this is the wrist injury that he has.He's been limited.Friday's a big day for him, so we'll see.
All right.So if he does play, let's assume he does play.I have three bills wide receivers. within three spots in my rankings.Yeah, I'm four spots apart.So they have figured this thing out here, man.
Obviously, they came into the season with a limited wide receiver room.And all of a sudden, we have seen the trending up time for Keon Coleman, who has back-to-back games with exactly seven targets.He has 195 receiving yards over his past two games.
He had 201 receiving yards in the first six weeks of the season, so Keon Coleman trending in the right direction.Khalil Shakur had a big week last week, still perhaps Josh Allen's most trusted target.
Amari Cooper, I believe, the most talented player in this group, so they are all between wide receiver 33 and wide receiver 36 for me.
Yeah, two things here.Murray Cooper last week ran 24 pass routes, which is two off the team lead.So that's a good sign going forward that he'll get back on track and be healthy.The other thing is Khalil Shakir.
Something very concerning that I was looking at last night.His usage near the goal line is non-existent.He hasn't scored since week three.His expected touchdown total is 0.5 this season.He's never had a season over 1.0 in that department.
So his expected touchdown total ceiling for a full season is one. 59 receivers have 60 or more touches since the start of last season.He's the only one without an end zone target.
And one of the best offenses in the NFL, he has zero end zone targets since the beginning of last season.He has two in his career, they were during his rookie season.The guy is a, they don't even consider him near the goal line.
So I thought that was kind of wild.It was not, like, I know he wasn't a big touchdown guy, but that's a wild amount of, like, he's like the least utilized receiver in the league the last couple of years near the goal lines.
There's definitely a Chiefs offensive lineman who has a higher OTD.
100 percent.Fullbacks, linemen, you're exactly right.That one really jumped off the page.
Things I'll never understand about stats.Expected touchdown, .5. 0.5.How do you get 0.5 of a touchdown?
OK, so really quick example.Let's say you get a carry from the one yard line.You have about like a 53% chance of scoring.So you would get credited like 0.53 expected touchdowns.Then they just total up.
And usually, guys align pretty well with that number over a decent sample.But if you see a big gap, generally, they're like, well, what's the reasoning for that?And you'll understand it.
He came out firing with a couple touchdowns early this season, but he wasn't getting usage near the goal line.You would expect him to regress to the mean, as he has.He hasn't scored in five games.I mean, obviously.
I mean, that's it.Standard deviation.That's the easiest example.
Yeah, that's the easiest.Like our old friend Matty used to say, I was told there would be no math.This is my Thagorean theorem.You guys know this stuff.
There is no math, except for.
Yeah, I just let Mike say whatever Mike says when he has numbers.
I try to make it as simplified as possible.But that is the backbone of the projections.Speaking of math, actually, there is no math here.
We got word from... That's a me transition!I know, that's what I was doing, I was paying homage.Speaking of math, Brian Thomas Jr.and Travis ETN are both officially Game Time Decisions.
I was going to say that for the end.Are they practicing?We'll mention it again.
Well, they've been practicing this week.
Today though, they're limited.
They're limited again today.They will be Game Time Decisions on Sunday.
Alright, so keep Bigsby and Gabe Davis on your bench for now and we'll see what happens.Alright, let's talk one more player here.Zacherts.
Each of the last few weeks. 10.8, 14.0, and 14.7 fantasy points.Double digit fantasy points at the tight end position, Stefania.
What are you going to do with that?How does that affect your age thing?I'd like to chat about that.Oh, this is tight end.
This is a little different.I think it's more shocking that he was cut by a team last year, couldn't latch on to a 53-man roster through the rest of the year, and now suddenly he's a tight end one in fantasy.
How does that happen?I know how it happened, because he got a little bit of exposure to the Lions culture.That's right. And found that fountain of youth.Remember, you were Lions for the NHL championship game last year.
Eleven targets last week, though.
Listen, I actually drafted Zach Ertz as like a flyer in a couple of leagues because I thought he's always been a solid producer.
And I thought in this offense, if they needed him to be sort of the mentor at the tight end position, there would be a role and he would provide a nice outlet for Jaden Daniels.And I think what we're seeing is that that's true.
Yeah.With Ben Sanat, going to be the number one tight end there.Sanat yet.
Yeah, is that where you were going with that?I was trying to go with something there.
I think yours was better.Yeah, yours was better.Sanat yet.
It was better.Been thinking about that one.No, I agree.I mean, with a rookie quarterback, a lot of times you talk about being able to have a safety valve, right?
Like, it's great when we can get Terry McLaurin involved, but a lot of times those plays develop deeper downfield.Have you seen Sanat's OTD this year?No.
It's Sanat good.It's Sanat existent. He's not playing.He has like one one game at the target.Uh yeah.How about this?11 targets last week.Most since week two of 2022.It's been a long time since he's been featured like that.
Yeah.But the fact is he is the number two target in one of the best offenses in the NFL.It is a tough matchup though.Giants have not a lot of touchdown to a tight end this season.It's true.It's it's not a good matchup.
I just wanna say you you excel at this.
We're now done.We're done with that.
I love you guys. fun doing this show with you.Alright.It's good.Let's get, let's rip through it.When we come back, we're gonna have a little bit more, oh no, you know what?We're just gonna keep going.
We're just gonna keep on going.Full stream ahead.
Full stream ahead is where we're gonna go.
Let's talk about the Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens.Full vice.Finally, a quick update on Lamar Jackson.We're gonna have him on Sunday.Anything to worry about.
I think we're going to have him.I mean, he's on the injury report with, I think it was like knee and back.
I mean, he's... Carrying our teams this year.That's right.
Carrying everybody's fantasy teams and just doing everything possible on the field.Of course, he's taking some physical abuse while he's out there, so he needs the rest.I'm not concerned about it based on how it's been presented so far.
The Ravens do this, too.They're not afraid.They did this with Zay Flowers last week.Two DMPs, limited on Friday.He played on Sunday and played fine.So I'm expecting Lamar Jackson to be out there myself.
I'm definitely playing Lamar, obviously, if we have him out there.
I would say that as well, yeah.
Poe Nix.Last four games, 23.1 fantasy points, 20.7 fantasy points, 14.1, and then 29.8 fantasy points, 3. top 10 finishes and he's got 61 rushing yards or more or a rushing touchdown in six of his eight games this season.
He's not just a streamer for me at this point.I feel like he might become, with what he's doing in this offense, he's an easy top 10 quarterback at least this week against the Baltimore Ravens.A gift that keeps on giving, right?
This defense, Mike.Yeah, he had almost as many touchdowns last week as he has letters in his name.He had four touchdowns.He is one, two, three, five.Good at stats. Letters in his name.
I love that we went from math to whatever this analysis is.
Also math.Also math is what it is.It's just like kindergarten level math.29.8 fantasy points last week.That's a career high.20 plus and three of his last four.What's incredible about this is he's averaging 5.8 yards per attempt.That's atrocious.
He's still been really good in fantasy and its volume.Eighth in the past attempts, top five, and carries rushing yards and rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks.And again, last week we talked about him as this is a great
matchup to stream him against Carolina.And he delivered the goods.It's another great matchup here against Baltimore.They cannot, for injuries or personnel, whatever it is, they cannot stop the pass.
The most yards, most passing touchdowns, and third most fantasy points to quarterbacks.Five quarterbacks have hit 21 fantasy points, including four in a row.So if Nix does it, that'll be, obviously, five in a row.
Love that Mike can tell you the OTD value of a carry from the opposing 43-yard line, .0012947778 pi repeating.But he can't count how many letters are in Bo Nix's name fast.
Well, he can count, but he was like, one, two, three.Like, finger point counting.
Hide for the fewest letters in a full name in NFL history.Yeah, with, I can think of one.Ty Law.There you go.Oh, look at that.I don't know who else, but that's one just popped in my head.
A hat tip to Kaylee Hartung on the Amazon Prime broadcast a few weeks ago.Wait, was that a real stat?Yeah, she actually dug it up.Yeah.Oh, my gosh.I think it was like Ty Law and two other guys plus Bo Nix.
That's incredible.All right.Remember Chris Berman? Ty, they fought the law and the law won.Lawyer Malloy in that backfield.I loved it.Oh, Lawyer Malloy and Ty Law.You had the lawyer and the law?
That's so good.All right.Really quickly, on the other side of this, I'm going to ask you, Field, because I know Mike is going to poo-poo everything that we talk about with Mark Andrews.He's been really good the last three weeks.
Touchdown in all three games.Hasn't had a great target share, but how are you approaching him based on what his last three games have been like?
Yeah, a little more nervous just because of the addition of Deontay Johnson here.So I have him as tight end 14.A little more optimistic than Mike, who has him all the way down to tight end 17.
I just prefer tight ends that score touchdowns compared to Mike.He likes air yards and things of that nature.
Look, four touchdowns in his last three games.He had six all last year.He had four all of 2022.
I just don't think he's going to continue to score touchdowns at this rate, and he needs to because he has five or fewer targets in every game even before Deontay Johnson got there.And check this out.Season high, 73% of the snaps last week.
You feel good about that, right?Well, how about this?In the Ravens' three losses, 70% of the snaps.In their five wins, 48% of the snaps.And the Ravens are really good.They're going to be favorite in most games this season.
They're going to win a lot of games.So I'm worried about the playing time and the consistent production.He's another one of them touchdown or bust guys.So I don't feel great about it.Yeah, it doesn't feel great.
Really, nothing has changed since week one.
It's just the same circumstance.It's easy to be able to make fun, honestly, and talk about how much we love Mark Andrews, because it's great to be able to see him scoring touchdowns.
But when you're telling me, if you showed me a tight end that's getting five or fewer targets in every single game, it's not someone that I would normally consider starting in fantasy.That's the worry.
But I do love the production that when he has been able to get in there.
And if you want hope for him, it's just like, we know what he can do.So maybe at some point, they turn the corner and say, all right, we're going back to him full time.Maybe they do.That's the hope.
Doesn't feel like this is a great week, though, against Denver defense.
No, it doesn't.No, it doesn't.All right, let's talk about the Rams and the Seahawks. Stefania Gino-Smith had a poor Week 8 against the Bills, but he leads all quarterbacks in completions, in attempts, in passing yards.
He's getting huge volume at a quarterback spot.Would you use him this week as a streamer?
I actually thought about it in a league where I was debating whether I was going to use Geno Smith or Matthew Stafford.You know how I was pumping up Matthew Stafford as somebody that I would stream.I went with Stafford.
But I think that there's good opportunity for him against this Rams defense.I like it.
He might be without DK Metcalf yet again, who's still not practicing, despite the optimism from their head coach that he would be back from that MTL sprain, possibly playing this week. I think he's fine.I think he's fine.
Yeah, we have them all just inside the top 10 for a streaming perspective this week.He is.
Well, I've got him as quarterback 7.You've got him as quarterback 8.This is the Kirk Cousins of last week.He's been in good spots over each of the past three games.And he has let you down in two of those three games.
So the stars continue to align and you keep saying to yourself he's going to be great and he hasn't been.What did we learn last week with Kirk Cousins?
When the stars continue to align, if you keep plugging that quarterback into your starting lineup, sometimes you get a generational week once again from Kirk Cousins.
knew this, and I'll add this too, last year he had 155 rushing yards in 15 games, this year he has 177 rushing yards in 8 games, so he's already crushed that number and he's been adding a lot more.
So if I told you that before the season, and the fact that through week 8 he's first in dropbacks, pass attempts, completions, passing yards, you'd be like, man I gotta draft him, he's probably like QB2 at this point in fantasy points.
And alas, he's not.He's 15th in points per game.He just can't get the touchdowns.And he has about as many touchdowns as he has interceptions.So it's been a really bizarre year and a half now for Geno Smith since that breakout season.
Some would argue it's been a bizarre 13 years for Geno.
That's fair.But he had that one good year.Yeah.It's been something else.So maybe at some point, it turns the corner and this offense gets rolling.
I do want to ask this question.We don't have this on our note, Stefania, but you mentioned you're making a decision in one of your leagues between Matthew Stafford and Gino Smith.
We got news yesterday that Puka Nakua obviously banged up at practice, not just about whether or not you would still trust Matthew if Puka doesn't go, but is there anything that you can give us as far as Puka's injury and what we should be thinking about here in week nine?
Just say the initial reporting is that they don't believe it's serious, but I will say this.So he missed all that time with a PCL sprain.And one of the challenges when you're coming back from that, the idea
for resting for so long as you're trying to get that ligament to scar down.You want as much stability in that knee as you can get.But it's tough.
It's a tough area to heal and sometimes if you fall or you bump your knee or you do something that creates a shift in it.Now, it's not clear if it's the exact same structure that's involved.We know it's the same knee.
So the thing is, did he have a little instability episode?Is it related to what he had before?Is it something different?
I remember he had an issue going on with the kneecap in the preseason, so we don't have enough detail to really understand what the nature of the injury is.
If he's out there, I'm playing him, because we already saw what he could do, just the way they utilized him when he first came back.But I'll be a little bit nervous about it, to be honest.
And this is probably going to be a thing that you're going to be, in the back of your mind, a little nervous about the rest of the season.
All right.We're going to continue to monitor that.Check out Fantasy Football now, Sunday morning, 10 AM to 1 Eastern, to get the latest we have.E!News.Yes, on E!News, on Pukanukuwa.
All right, when we come back, we're going to dive into the fantasy-focused mailbag.We'll see you guys in just a moment. We're talking E+, my friends.If you are a fan of fantasy football, you need to have ESPN+.
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Back here on Fantasy Focus, my name is Daniel Dodd, I'm here with Field Jace, Stefania Bell, and Mike Clay, taking a couple of questions from the mailbag.This first one comes from Craig.
The question is, should we be trusting Amari Cooper or Jalen Waddell as fantasy starters this week? Mike Clay, I'm going to start with you.We've got Amari Cooper and Jalen Waddell.Obviously, we did not see a great game from Cooper last week.
And Waddell, we did get to a back-under center, so that was promising, although the production wasn't as high as we had liked.How are you approaching them both in week 9?
Yeah, so I have Cooper.We talked about him earlier.Mid-30s.He's a flex option, a little risky after a dud last week and the other two receivers doing so well.But he's fine in a deeper league in your flex, or even a 10-team, I'd say.
Flex is totally fine there. And then Jalen Waddle, yeah, I think better days ahead for him.This is a tricky one against Buffalo.
They've been not as dominant lately against wide receivers, but Waddle's a huge part of that passing game, so same kind of thing.I like him a little more.
I think he's had a couple big games with Tua and certainly a lot of success in his career, so he's a fine starter as well.
Worth noting, just moments ago, Sean McDermott, the Bills head coach, said that Amari Cooper would be questionable on Sunday.
Of course.This is all great information.Thank you.Very useful.I'm like waiting for you to give me something actionable.Nothing.Not your fault.Wow.
I think that was a shot.It really was.Like right across the bow.
I was excited.I was like, is it going to be in or out?And then questionable.I guess I'm for you.Gabe Davis.Game time decision as well.
Thanks for that.I do feel like if I had to choose one of them that I had slightly more hope in, I would probably choose Jalen Waddle just because it was a heightened, more condensed target tree.That's a fair way of describing it.
You have fewer players you're competing for targets with.Alright, next question we have.This one comes from Kenji. says Michael Pittman Jr., JSN, or Romeo Dobbs.
I do want to ask, before we go into this, Stefania, do we have any updates on if we're going to see DK Metcalf this week?It sounded like he was going to be able to go in week nine.
Well, they were optimistic that he might have a shot to go.They thought he would practice yesterday and then be able to play.He did not practice, so we haven't seen him.Remember, injured week seven, set out week eight.Friday's a big day.
OK.That was Matthew of you, by the way. She talked about DK like 30 seconds ago.Oh, that's my fault then.
Yes, but maybe not everyone would have seen it.
You know, not everyone yet because we have a digital segment and a TV segment.Oh, OK.Dang it.You know, I was trying to have some fun.I just, egg on my face.
Which is why we should also mention that Brian Thomas is going to be a game time decision.
By the way, I did see Matthew last night during trick-or-treat.I was in my old neighborhood with my daughter in front of the house, and I hear a voice.I was like, I know that voice.And Matthew was just standing in the street.He was just out there.
His kids were off on their own.He was just enjoying himself.And you know what he asked me?He asked me, he said, What was Daniel for Halloween?And then what was Field for Halloween?He wanted to know what you guys were for Halloween.
I feel like my costume was pretty self-explanatory.
Honestly, you won Halloween.I had so many people reaching out to me saying that was the best costume I've ever seen.That was fun.
Well, he said mine was the best, so I'm just, you know... Yours was the best. Yeah, you liked mine.Everyone had good costumes for what it's worth.I really wish that... Do you put Sisko in a costume when you go out trick-or-treating?
We've tried in prior years.He's been a little bit less receptive to it, so he just went as himself last night.That makes sense.He also ran out of the house twice last night.Two separate neighbors were like, hey, your dog is in our yard.
All right, well, that sounds about right.
Get used to it.I feel like whenever trick-or-treating comes up, there's two holidays that I think are tough for pups.Fourth of July, because obviously we don't always love fireworks.
And Halloween, it's like you have doorbells and little kids everywhere.That's exactly what puppies want to be able to go follow after.So anyways, we have a question. Michael Pittman.Thank you, Michael.I agree.
I agree.We talked about him earlier as well.Just a great situation there with Joe Flaco.Flaco.Joe Flaco.
That's right.Yeah.My ranking would be Pittman, JSN, Romeo Dobbs.
Any update on DK Metcalf, though?I do like... I love you guys.
All right, so Michael Pittman and then JSN and then Romeo Dobbs.Agreed.Especially if Malik Willis starts.Especially if Malik Willis starts.Oh, goodness.
All right, when we come back, we've got our Starts of the Week, the segment everyone has been waiting for.We'll see you guys in just one moment.
Get your lineup questions answered every single Sunday on Fantasy Football Now by using the hashtag FFNOW.Join the Fantasy Football Now crew at 10 a.m.
Eastern on ESPN News and make sure that you are ready for an incredible Sunday's worth of NFL action.That's hashtag FFNOW to get involved in the conversation. Back here on the show, diving into our starts of the week.
I'm going to start on the other side of this one.We got a big segment here, a full seven minutes to be able to talk about starts of the week.Usually we got to be able to get this in real quick.
Mike, I'm going to let you wax poetically about who you want to play, and that's Alvin Kamara, as if we didn't know to already start Alvin Kamara.
Oh, did we?Because he hasn't been good for about a month now. Wow.Mike, that's been rough.Yeah, what is this that he hasn't had a top 12 since Derek Carr's been out?
So look, I know he's an obvious start no matter what, but I wanted to just talk about him because he's back.I think by all accounts, he'll be back for this one.
He was the number, not Derek Henry, he was the number one scoring fantasy running back during Derek Carr's five starts earlier this season.He had 100 plus yards in all four, or in four of those five games.They played Carolina in week one.
That was one of the big games.He had 20 touches, 110 yards. and a touchdown.Of course, they play the Panthers this week.They've allowed 15 touchdowns to running backs already this season.
That is, of course, most in the NFL, the most funny fantasy points.Funny points?Funny points.
When you're playing the Panthers, they're all funny points.At least one running back touchdown in every game so far this season.717 plus point.Fantasy games allowed.It just sets up for a huge Alvin Kamara game.
And we might not have Kendri Miller as well.That guy just can't seem to stay on the field.
it's a commercial honestly you had me at carolina panthers you could have said those stats about any widers are running back in the nfl right and you tell me the plane carolina and they're gonna be a lot of messaging here is just like he should be bad better better days ahead now that their cars back so the window to trade for him as close to saying we should trade for maldita car was out because now it's gonna be better movie i'd i would say so
All right, Stefania, where are you going with your start of the week this one?
Not far.Staying within the same team.I'm taking Chris Olave, who was back and looked back and better than ever.
Season high in targets with 14, season high in receptions with 8, over 100 receiving yards for the first time this season when he came back from that concussion. And now he gets Derek Carr back.There's no Rashid Shaheed.
They're playing against the Panthers.He already outlined that.And then remember these other wide receivers who were stepping in.Bub Means banged up with an ankle injury, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday.Cedric Wilson dealing with a hip issue.
I mean, Olave, Olave, Olave.So it's probably going to be Olave and Alvin Kamara catching most.
You know who else is on that roster at receiver?Equinemius, St.Brown, and Marquez, Valdez, Scantling.Those guys are in that wide receiver room.
I didn't really.When did Equinimia St.Brown stop being on the Chicago Bears?
He's been with the Saints for this entire year on the practice squad.Oh, really?Also a great podcaster, along with his brother, Amon Ra.
The city of Detroit feels differently about Equinimia St.Brown.Oh, not as a podcaster, just as a human.He came after that city.He did.He did.And the city fought back.Yes, you guys did.The city did fight back.I was surprised.
It was like, at city of Detroit replied to him.
It was a gorilla eat the city.It was like low-key, the most savage Twitter account is the state of New Jersey. I could see that.
They're used to having to defend themselves.I love New Jersey.Went to college in New Jersey.
Everything legal is in New Jersey.Field, if you had to pick a star of the week this week, which direction would you go in?
Josh Downs.Josh Downs is going up this week, baby, with Joe Flacco.I get it.Back under center.Thank you, Mike, for understanding my joke.Josh Downs, in three games with Joe Flacco, has been a top 17 wide receiver in all three of them.
He has seven, eight, and nine catches in those three games.He has two touchdowns in those three games.He has been a focal point of this offense.He is my highest ranked Colts wide receiver this week.My wide receiver 21 for the week.Joshua Downs.
Week 9, start of the week, and we're on kind of a heater right now, so we can't let the momentum slow down.How many have you gotten in a row?Are you talking about for your starts of the week?I can remember the last three specifically.
What'd you have?We had Brees Hall, Hank Bigsby, Bo Nix, back-to-back-to-back weeks.It was the Brees Hall-Patriots game, Bo Nix last week obviously went ham, and then two weeks ago, Hank Bigsby.
I took advantage of the Patriots' run defense in back-to-back weeks. wrong with that.I mean, it's the start of the week, isn't it?
I mean, that's why you choose them.You're not wrong.Alright, so for my start of the week this week, I'm gonna go with Jaden Reed.Yeah, baby.This is obviously under the assumption that Jordan Love is gonna be the quarterback, not Malik Willis.
If it's not Malik Willis, then I would go a different, or if it's not Jordan Love, I would go a different direction.But Jaden Reed slowed down a little bit after what was like a decent start.Has two top two weeks at the position.
Wide receiver 25 is his next highest finish. He's kind of like the Kirk Cousins of wide receivers where he's got two really good weeks and then the rest of them have kind of been disappointing in spite of the fact that you had high expectations.
But this is a great matchup and Mike you wrote about it in the Shadow Report.Lions have allowed the most targets, receptions, and receiving yards as well as the third most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
They gave up a ton of fantasy points to the slot, which is where Jaden Reed aligns most of the time.So he is going to be able to be in a spot with Jordan Love under center, where he should be able to mash against these Detroit Lions defense.
By the way, it is at home in Green Bay, and it is the second highest total on the slate.So ESPN bet with a 48.5 point total.Feels like there should be a lot of points scored in this one that sets up nicely for Jaden Reed.
Wow, that was a long one.That was some good stuff.
Oh, there's a lot going on there.I think there's a little, like, reverse jingling.Every week he does it.You're picking, like, whoever's facing the lions.
You know what?I'm so sorry.The last time Jaden Reed was my star of the week, he just put up, what, 33.2 fantasy?Oh, no, no, no.
I just like how you are... This is the perfect way to hedge as a diehard Lions fan.
What do you mean, Lions fan?What gives you that impression?
I don't know what gave it away.Do you feel the same if it's rainy?
uh... if it's rainy i would actually feel better about a short yardage target like jayden reid than i would one of those deeper guys like that in which we know we talk about them
Some?I don't know.I'm just putting, I'm just saying.Several gallons.
If it's rainy and Malik Willis, then I'm definitely out.Okay.
I'm giving Daniel all the outs, but I do expect it to rain a little bit.And your boy, Jared Goff, again, outdoors, a little bit banged up this week.
By the way, I'm going to jump Stefania for week 10, start of the week, Christian McAffrey.I'm taking him right now.Stop it!
You can't take him from me.
By the way, great Halloween costume.Christian and his wife, Olivia.Tin Man and Dorothy.
They pretty much do everything at a high level.You're kind of perfect.Hey, I love you guys.Thanks for doing this show with me.It's a fun one.Obviously, like we've been talking about, come watch us on Fantasy Football now, Sunday morning.
Today's show is presented by Boost Mobile.Don't forget to love each other, be kind to yourself, and good luck here on Week 9.
It's no secret, not a mystery.The one that we depend on for all our podcast needs.Graduate, full cell youth, Alliance fan through and through.With the hippest beard, I'm telling you, Easton, Utah.Who's that?
Who's that squirrel?Who's that squirrel?Easton, Utah.Who's that?
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