Welcome to Fantasy Football Weekly, a production of iHeartRadio.
Time now for Fantasy Football Weekly from iHeartRadio, your weekly source for the nation's best fantasy football advice, speculation, and whatever stupid stuff they decided to drop into the show. Now, here's your host, Paul Chargian.
It's a divisional round of matchup on Fantasy Football Weekly. I'm Paul Charchie and my co host is Brian Johnson. Hey, buddy, what up?
Charge? Have you been a minute on f FW?
Yeah, I'll be back. Yeah, we've you were here two weeks ago, we had Scott last week, and you're back today. We're gonna break down the four divisional round matchups.
And before we do that, you want to go there.
Let's there, let's talk Sam Donald.
All right? Now, you were the I'm all for it.
Let's yeah, you were the original Sam Donald. I don't want to say apologist, but you you were a believer. In March when the Vikings signed Donald, and even before they signed him, you were urging the team to sign him. You wanted to see Sam Donald and purple. It worked out that way. It looked great for sixteen games, and then the last two the bottom fell out for sam uh culminating in a nine sack effort. Unfortunately nine sacks. I mean, geez, nine times, where's I don't have nine
times on? Oh wait nine times? Nine time?
Yeah, the sad trombone works for then.
Actually it really does well.
I'm not looking to peacock Fantasy football wise grand slam right from the Oh yeah, I said, Sam Donald, grab him last pick in your in your drabsolute But uh, I'm a little hurt as a I'm still Sam Donald's number one fan. I will ride with him until I die. I became this. I wasn't born into this. I don't for ever reason. I always thought he could ball, always been in the wrong. He got put in a situation in Minnesota, of course. Yeah, one of the reasons. I
bet him to win MVP at ridiculous odds. And he was a great cheap draftic the cheapest he was free. He was free. Yeah, faltered in the last two games, of course. Why is he getting all of the blame? Charge all of it? And he's like a lightning like his mistakes are magnified more than any other player almost in NFL history.
You're forgetting Kirk Cousins. No, Kirk's mistakes were magnified more than Donald's. Donald's I believe, but.
I think here, I mean, I am Donald. The over under for the Vikings was six and a half wins. They won fourteen games. Yes, Kevin O'Connell deserves credit. Yes, he gets all the credit for the good that Donald did, all of it ridiculous, zero for the mistakes he fall. I've never seen the head coach gets sunned so bad over the last two weeks, and he quit against the Rams, flat out quit? Did Donald quit? Donald's got buried all year by a brutal offensive line? I don't know. I'm good,
obviously getting emotional. I've got energy drink coursing through my veins. He has nothing to do with JJ McCarthy people coming at me like it's not about that. Kevin O'Connell needs to take ownership for some of the faults of the last two weeks. I've seen zero. I've seen him roll his eyes at Donald. Of course, i've seen him blame the offensive line. What about you, Kevin O'Connell, did you make the necessary adjustments? If Kevin O'Connell looked like Brad Childress,
he'd probably be fired right now. But no, he's good.
Looking, because he's got because he's got hair, tall.
He's charming, he's charmed. Anyway, you can talk more about this more. We got to have an episode with Door and I. You should see our text messages, and it's just he just he's bagging on Donald of course.
And I know it's like for the draft.
The last thing I was saying, like at the highest of highs, like four or five weeks ago. And this isn't just a Thor, it's the majority of the fan base, but Thor is the driver there. There's JJ discourse. When the vikings are rolling, it's like, can you live in the moment right now? Like the vikings you've won, Jack Squatt when it comes to title, like live in the moment.
That never happened all season long. I don't I feel bad for Donald, Like the fans never were behind him, even like when they kind of were, they never were. They're always looking towards next year. So we'll see what happens. And there's nothing to do with JJ McCarthy again. I hope Kevin O'Connell doesn't fault JJ McCarthy like you did say, im Donald. That's all I'm gonna say. And I am praying now that the Vikings don't tag Obviously.
Nobod nobody's tagging Sam Donald.
You don't think the Vikings will, oh God, even for like a tag in trade. I just wanted to be let free. And here's my Ben Johnson, Sam Donald, brock Bowers round one receiving weapon. That's what I want. We're going to Vegas, baby.
I think he could go to Vegas. That's that's I think that's one of the teams that makes sense. Pittsburgh could be a destination for Sam Donald. Giants could be a destination for Sam Donald. These are all teams that don't have an in house quarterback solution and don't have a spot to go to in the draft, in their natural draft selection spot.
It would be fitting for Donald to go to the Giants, right and make me a Giants fan again. Yeah, Giant's got the draft slot to take a quarterback, though, I don't know if he's gonna go there, But anyway, I had to get that off my chest.
Well done. I mean, it's a it's a passionate rant. I think you've you've earned the opportunity to spend five minutes talking talking about Sam Donald. And that's okay to open up a vein. That's it's healthy. We're here to help you.
Pro Bowler Sam Donald, I should say, by the way, I'm checking NFL dot com every day to buy my Pro Bowl Sam Donald gear, because no matter what you think about him, he bawled the f out this season. He looked great. Yeah, mostly he did, and till he got all due to Kevin o'connelly. Some of them he can play, and he can play, yes, so, and he can make mistakes. But you know what, every quarterback in the NFL makes mistakes. His are amplified more than others.
But I'm done. Let's talk about the playoffs, right, best weekend in football coming up right here?
It is. Uh. The the thing about this weekend that's great and better than last weekend is just better. You just get the same number of games, but better teams left. Well, I guess we have one fewer game. We don't have the Monday night game this time. We're the same. Yeah, yeah, we have one fewer game. We have better teams left this too.
There was six games, my man. Yeah, you're right.
It was a three Saturdays before. Yeah, yeah, it was two Saturday, three Sunday and one yes, you're right.
So there was like one actual game it felt like that was like the Commanders and Bucks, right, that was like the one good game during the wildcard round.
Felt like, Yes, let's break down these games, beginning with the Saturday afternoon game Houston at Kansas City. Now, let me tell you my pre election on this going in, which was this, I felt like Houston was a fraud coming into into the playoffs, and I expected them to lose at this time last week, and I was wrong. And it was one sided. Although Will Disley and Justin Herbert gave the game away. Disleey basically handed two interceptions
to the defense and Herbert just got annihilated. The interior of that offensive line just crumbled. But give Houston some credit. They've put together Brian this really good pass rush which they had all season with Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter. But then they've got these two great cornerbacks. Kamari Lassiter is looking like he's going to be awesome. He should be in the conversation for defensive Rookie of the Year.
And then Derek Stingley has emerged as really really good former first round pick, and he's become very very good and that makes me think this game might be a little bit closer. These teams met just a couple of weeks ago, Week sixteen, and it was a pretty close game until the end when Kansas City pulled away. The final score was twenty seven to nineteen, but Houston led
for chunks of the game. And this game's got the lowest total of the week and one of the lower totals you're going to see in the playoffs, just forty one and a half points. Brian, do you think do you see it as as as low scoring as Vegas betters do?
Likely because of the weather, It's going to be freezing, cold, windy, not a lot of snow in the forecast twenty five weather of yeah, less points, But in general, going back to Houston, I feel like Houston's got a shot. I mean, I'm taking the points all day long. Last I checked, it was seven and a half. You go back in history as a former Giants fan, I know wildcard teams. Will Houston won their division. They played in the wildcard team. Teams that play in the first round and get hot,
they can go on runs. And the Chiefs sat all their starters in Week eighteen. They had to buy last week, they've been sitting on the couch. So don't sleep on the Texans. And obviously you're gonna get into into the nitty gritty. Yeah, but I like Houston's change. I think it's gonna be a closer game. I'm the gamblers out there, not financial advice, but I'm taking the points. If I'm betting on this.
Game, I would do because you know, if if the game's only forty one and a half expected points, it's pretty easy to have a margin of eight. I've seen this as high as eight and a half. You mentioned seven and a half. All right, let's go. Let's break it down FFW style, And I don't want to start with Nico. Collins's got my highest letter grade for Houston because of the severe drop off in talent after Collins. I do expect him to get a lot of coverage
from the Chief's best cornerback, that's Trent McDuffie. McDuffie only allowing a sixty percent catch rate, and he's a terrific tackler who gives up very little yards after the catch. But McDuffie isn't the shutdown corner he used to be. Like last year, he was almost a death sentence. Earlier in the season, he was playing well. Since Week nine, he's allowed five touchdowns. You know, that's a lot for a cornerback. Good cornerbacks don't give up five all year,
and he's given up five since Week nine. So I still like Colins some here, and I've got a B grade on him, But then it falls off from a receiving option. It falls off so severely. The only other guy I think you could start would be Dalton Schultz. On the full season, Kansas City allowed the most yards to tight ends and the second most receptions. He put up forty five yards at a touchdown in the Week sixteen matchups, So I think Schultz is kind of a sneaky play here. We're not going to like Zavi or
Hutchinson or Robert Woods or anything like that. Let me tell you why I don't like Joe Mixon when for the majority of especially the second half of the season, the Houston offensive line has been garbage. They played well last week, but I don't think that I don't know they can do it twice in a row against a much better run defense. Let me give you some some Kansas City run defense numbers. Rushing yards allowed. On the season, they were eighth best, yards per carry, fourth best, yards
after contact, fourth best, misstackles fourth best. It is a good, but not dominating run defense, and I think that's all it takes to slow down Joe Mixon, who nine different times this year Kansas City has held their opposition's number one runner, number one runner to under thirty six yards. And I think Mixon's got some flop to him here.
I'm nervous about him. Earlier this year, Mixon was getting workhorse level carries win or lose, But then the second half of the season, when Houston's been losing, they hit the carries have dried up for mixing, including the Week sixteen loss to Kansas City where he had only fourteen carries in that game. And that could be the case here. I've only got a C grade on Joe Mixon for this one.
Yes, I'm with you there. Yeah, I'm not liking his prospects a whole lot. It's uh, the Houston defense might be the strongest play if you're playing daily or anything like that outside of Nico. Yeah, yeah, I like that.
I like that. On the Kansas City side, I want to start with the receivers I've got a bunch of C grades here.
So sorry, cut you off. So CJ Stroud though, obviously, oh yeah right, sorry, be bench grade.
Yep, I've got a C grade on c J. Stroud because I've only got the B on Nico Collins and a C on Dalton Schultz. And you know Stroud put up of modest numbers in the earlier meeting. I don't have them in front of me. I think it was around two twenty and one in the earlier meeting. Shoot. I wish I had that in front of me, but I don't.
And they had Tank del too. Then, who's coming on strong before the injury such a it's a shame that Tank Dell human be available next season.
But that's it's it's very very serious injury for Tank Dell, which is a worry. Stroud two forty four and two in the in the earlier meeting, Week sixteen, C grade on on on Stroud. Oh yeah, here's my notes here. Since Week seven, strouts full game average two hundred and sixteen yards and zero point nine touchdowns.
That's it, sophomore slump, the epitome of huh.
Yeah, a little bit, a little bit. It's it's not disaster.
Yeah, that's a great question. Way too early. I mean, he was like a top eight consensus quarterback going into this season.
Yeah. I think we all thought, yeah, We're all like, hey, they added stuff on Diggs, Tank Dell's coming back. He's gonna get better as a sophomore. I honestly thought he had like thirty four thirty six touchdown upside him. Not close and mostly inexplicable except their offensive line for Houston's just garbage. I hope they put some serious draft equity into that offensive line. And if they don't, like, burn
down the front office because you've got CJ. Stroud, you've got to They got to invest in the offensive line to give c J. Stroud every opportunity to be great. And until they do that, I think you can't be upset if he doesn't perform as well as you want. Agreed, All right, let's go to Kansas City Side. I mentioned the receivers. I've got a bunch of C grades. I'm gonna start with Xavier Worthy. So I tweeted this and
I thought that was very interesting. So Xavier Worthy, as you as you know, Brian fastest guy in the NFL. He ran the four two forty, Like, you know, it's all it should all be bombs away from Patrick Mahomes in Xavier Worthy's last seven games, that is long time Brian in the NFL. Seven games is a gigantic sample size. He has three completions longer than nine yards. Really, that's it. On fifty five targets, he has three completed passes longer
than nine yards. So what he's become is bubble screen guy. And then you hope his speed kicks in and he can just outrun defenders. They don't trust him on any kind of deep patterns.
Well, we joked about this in the past. If the field was only like half an inch or half a yard wider on each side, those numbers would be exponentially better. He's had so many, just like Xavier Worthy, that it is just so many catches. He's just been out of bounds. He's lack of awareness just hasn't been there. So like the air yards have been there, but he has not been converting. But yeah, those numbers are staggering.
Isn't that amazing? Yeah, Now in this particular matchup, he's normally speed guy, and you can it could in theory be long deep downfield stuff. They don't throw that. As I just mentioned, I don't know that he can that his speed is as much of an advantage against Dryl Stingley because he's a four to three speed guy. He's one of the fastest cornerbacks in the league. So I don't like I don't like worthy to have a particularly
big game. Even though his usage has increased dramatically in the second half of the season, I've still just got the C grade on him because you don't always get the deep stuff and Darryl Stingley could take away the speed. Hollywood Brown is pretty interesting. He played a lot in the Week sixteen matchup with Houston that was his first game back on the season. Targeted eight times, he caught five balls. He's also fast, and in the Week sixteen game he saw a lot of Darryl Stingley as well.
I went back and looked, but he only caught one pass with Stingley on him, And I still see Brown as kind of a high risk, high reward guy. And then there's DeAndre Hopkins, also a C grade because Hopkins Hopkins wins with physical play and contested catches. But what we found over the course of the season is He's totally touchdown dependent because he only brings in like three and four balls a game, and he gets you like thirty forty yards a game. He's got to get a
touchdown to be fantasy relevant. I don't know that there's necessarily a touchdown to be had here. In most games he doesn't score one. I've only got the C grade on him. Kamari Lassiter is a super physical corner, and Lassiter is going to be on him a lot, and so I don't I don't love the matchup honestly.
For Hopkins, you gotta love the revenge game angle, though I don't remember the I think they kind of let him free out of Houston, so it's not like he's got you know, an a, but yeah, he always you always like to show up against your former team, and of course it all started in Houston for Nuke.
You love the revenge angle, Oh, of course absolutely. Travis kel Elsey three touchdowns this regular season. Brian, you're hoping that playoff Kelsey shows up. He got held to thirty scoreless yards in the Week sixteen meeting, so I can't love him here. You're again, you're hoping playoff Kelsey shows up. I've only got the C grade on him. Houston's been a good regular season tight end team. And then that
brings us to Patrick Mahomes. I've got all C grades on his receivers, so I've got because they all have C grades I do have. I've got a B on Mahomes. He had a decent but not explosive game versus Houston a week sixteen, did one touchdowne hundred and sixty yards. He does get his left tackle, Joe Tooney. They've announced it's going to stay. He was his left guard, but out of desperation with DJ Humphries got hurt, they moved him to left tackle and they think they found their
left tackle the future. He's been great, so maybe that's good news there. We will be going replacement left guard, but that's not as big of an issue. And then with all the receiver issues that I talked about, I just I see another like two sixty and one maybe two touchdowns. I've got to be grade on him. And then tell me we think of Isaiah Pachecko, Brian. My theory is they're saving they've been saving him for the playoffs. I have no basis for this except Kareem Hunt sucks.
He's bad. I've talked about him many times on Fantasy Football Weekly. Among thirty runners with one hundred and fifty carries, he's dead last in yards per carry, he's dead last and avoided tackle rate, and he's second to last in yards after contact. Here's Pachecko with fresh legs the last two weeks zero carries in week eighteen nine carries and six carries. So Pachecko comes in fresh in theory, fully healthy.
You think it's gonna be a continued rotation between him and Hunter or do you think Pachecko is in a good spot here.
I'm with you in thinking that they should be ramping up Pachecko in this game because if I were too well, I wouldn't be able to tackle either guy. But if I had to pick one that I had to try to tackle in sub zero degrees, it's Kareem Hunt and not Isaiah Pacheco. He's the for superior runner when healthy, and as you said, he's ah. He should be ready to go. He's been resting up and ramping up leading up to this moment. He was a playoff hero last year.
Kareem Hunt, as you said, is his stats have been good with the underlying numbers is Yeah, so I'm with you. Hunt is a guy I'm not even really looking at in daily formats. There are other one bee options out there that are better than Kareem Hunt. So it's it's all Pacheco for me in the running game for Kansas City. I agree.
All right, let's work in. Uh, let's work in your next matchup, which is the second game? Is the Philadelphia game? Correct?
No?
Saturday is uh Washington Detroit? Yeah, sorry, Washington Dright. Yeah, all right, let's.
Say for for fantasy purposes, this is the game because it's the only one indoors bad weather, three other.
Cold weather everywhere else.
Yeah, indoors over under fifty five and a half. Exciting players on both sides, of course. So yeah, let's dive in on the commander's side first, starting with the running backs. I don't give Brian Robinson and Austin Eckler both see Robinson had fifteen opportunities that saw carries and targets against Tampa Bay. Eckler saw eleven, so nearly a split there.
But it was more shocking was Robinson saw one more target than Ekler, where you'd think Eckler would have seen all the passing work out of the backfield, but not a great matchup for either. The Lions allowed the third fewest combo yards to back in the regular season catching and receiving yards. That is one hundred and one per game. That is that is not a lot and uh so not an ideal spot for either, but in what should be a high scoring affair, I do you are starting then?
Were exploring both in daily but I would pick a Eckler over Robinson the bat to choose this because he's cheaper and despite the targets favoring Robinson by one last week, I like Eckler more in that role. So a see for both of about Eileen Eckler. If you're picking one, if you're picking a wide receiver for the Commanders, it is only one, and it's Terry McLaurin. Terror a McLaurin. I'm gonna call him, give him an A grade. I gotta get this peacock out of the way. Are peacock off?
For those that are familiar with fantasy football training camp where we take a hard stance, and I've whipped on many of these in the past.
You don't have to couch it. You can just you can just peacock away.
But I said, Terry McLaurin top ten wide receiver this year. This is in August when he was going, you know, wide receiver thirty ish. Yeah, I believe he finished wide receiver seven and that's like three or four major dud games.
But so anyway, Terry mccluurin, though, coming on hot smash spot here in a shootout scenario again indoors against the Lions, who allowed the second most catches and the most yards to the wide receiver position in the regular season one hundred and ninety per game to a unit as a whole. But McLaurin clearly the leader of the commander's unit, and over Detroit's last three regular season games they surrendered four
wide receiver touchdowns. Should have been five. Yeah, Sam Donaldson, Jefferson didn't drop the very catchable touchdowns on eighteen, Well he dropped it, don't get me wrong. I know donald missed him in the end zone two, but Jefferson dropped a touchdown which could have been five. But anyway, smash spot from McLaurin a for him. That's why I'm giving a C grade to olem da zakiis oz just gonna refer to him as Oz Islan and Diami Brown. Well, no, it's it's it's o Z. It's not Oz. Kingsbury made
the mistake. He called them oz for like half the season, and then someone finally stepped up and said it's Oz. He hates that it's Oz. He's like, okay, But anyway. Oz took a back seat to Brown last week in the wildcard round against the Aampa Bay from a statistical perspective, but he did run two more pass routes than Diami. I like him both the same. Diami's got the more upside or you know, he's the more boom er bust.
Oz should be the safer possession receiver. But two guys I'm certainly exploring in DFS because they're going to be cheap and they're indoors. Again, should be a shootout. So a see for Oz and Brown and again not Noah Brown, Diami Brown. No Brown. I don't even known. I think, yeah, he's dead does hopefully we'll be back next year, but not dead to us. Is zach Ertz given him a see. Even though the Lions have stifled the posing tight ends
over the course of the entire season. Opposing tight ends have averaged US four catches forty yards per game against Detroit, who only allowed three touchdowns total to tight ends over the course of the whole regular season, but two of those touchdowns came over their last five games, and during that same span, opposing tight ends did average five catches and fifty eight yards. So the Lions have softened somewhat against the position, and not a lot to love at
tight end this weekend. So a strong CE for Ertz borderline B in a shootout scenario. And lastly for the Commanders Jade and Daniels, a grade for him. Muite allowed the third most passing yards of this year two hundred and sixty five per game. They didn't allow the US passing touchdowns eighteen per game. That's not great, that's just over one per game basically. But of course, the angle
that we all love with Daniels is the rushing. The lines allowed the fourth most quarterback rushing yards this season, and looking back as some of what opposing quarterbacks have done on the ground, Anthony Richardson ten carries sixty one yards, Josh Allen eleven carries sixty eight yards, two touchdowns, Sam Darnold in the first meeting, four carries thirty nine yards. I had to throw that in there. Of course, Jade and Daniels ten design runs in the wildcard round against
Tampa Bay. I think we're gonna see a lot more design runs for Daniels. He is. It's shocking. I mean, I'm not gonna throw any daily Fantasy sits under the bus, but they should have priced up Daniels a lot more. He's gonna be incredibly chalky going to He's gonna be a popular quarterback based on price and just the fact that it's indoors and he's on fire. So gotta love Jaden Daniels in this grade. He gets an a over to the Detroit side, starting with Jamiir Gibbs, despite the
return of David Montgomery. Gonna give Gibbs an a here. In the three games without Montgomery, Gibbs said one hundred and fifty four one hundred and sixty three and one hundred and seventy combo yards six total touchdowns. During that span, the Commander's allowed more than one hundred and thirty five combo yards and a touchdown per game to opposing backs. In the regular season, Bucky Irving had a pretty strong game against the Commanders last week, so strong a for Gibbs.
Despite the return of Day in Montgomery. There's you know, not rumors, but you know they're saying it's gonna go right back to the usual split between Monty and Gibbs. I need to see that first. I don't see why. It's not like they're gonna give Gibbs all the carries again. They're gonna work Monty in. But the way Gibbs has been playing, I'm seeing sixty five fives.
Yeah, that's that might be fair. That might be fair, particularly his first came back.
So I just gotta see on Montgomery. If it was if Montgomery wasn't hurt, it would be probably a bee for both. But I'm going a Gibbs c. Monty when it comes to B for both, I got a B for Aman Ross Ain't Brown Sun God and James and Williams both of be they're essentially seeing the same target share these days. Williams has more upside, it seems the
bigger play potential. But Detroit is gonna want to run the ball in this game to start, you would think they want to keep the Commanders off the field, and uh, the opposing wide receiver numbers against the Commanders on the season not great as a whole wide receivers averaging just eleven catches one hundred and thirty eight yards per game, so soft bees for both. I'man ross ain't Brown and James and Williams. For that reason, I got Tim Patrick and Khaliff Raymond on the bench. If it was just.
Yeah one or the other different, yeah.
They probably get to see. But since they're both back, they're on the bench. For me, I will give Sam Laporta a see. Though Washington allowed just four catches four yards per game to opposing tight ends on the season, not good numbers, but they did surrender the fourth most scores the position eighth, so Laporta startable, and as is Jared Goff. Again, it's all about the all about the running game for me to start. But if that script doesn't go the way Detroit wants, Goff could have a day.
But opposing quarterbacks averaging just two hundred yards and one passing touchdown per game against the Commander So number is not great on paper, so just the sea for GoF that is by far way stickier than my other matchup, I promise, But that was long.
We were already We've only broken down two matchups so far.
Well, we're running out of games, right, we might as well make the most of our time. But that's it for that game. Watch this be like seventeen fourteen though or something like that. It might actually be on taper. This should be the fun one.
Okay, we need to take a break. Well, when we come back, we'll break down the other two games. Hang tight, everybody, all right, welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly. Paul Chargion Brian Johnson with you. Did you know you can still join a Guillotine league? Brian? You want to? You want to hit the details the deats on that.
Yeah, Guillotine is still up and running at Guillotine leagues dot Com. Essentially the same format that you know and love, but selight difference, no bench, no reserves. Basically, you just draft a starting lineup one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers to flex, one tight end. Four person drafts. Going into the divisional round this week ND. They're still running, but again one team will get chopped at the end
of the divisional round. Three will go into the conference championship, but a chopped players will get you know, obviously chopped and be available to be bid on, so same format you know, in love, might as well get the most if you can. Your chances of winning are very high. There is that the drafts go quick?
Yes?
Why not? So? Yeah, head over to the lobby and we'll have we'll have three team leagues running starting Tuesday for the conference championships too. We're just gonna keep on play until we can, So head over to gullteen leagues dot com.
Yeah, please do that. Still plenty of Guillotine League action available to you.
When you do that, would you take first? If you're drafted in the Guillotini today? You gotta sit on quarterbacks in a four team league.
I mean.
It's running back.
Yeah, I think it's running back. I need a running back who's likely to advance. So I don't want to take James Cook or Dereck Henry because that's the closest game that could go either way. It's only a one point spread, so that's pretty dangerous. I would probably go Barkley as who is the I'd probably go Barkley, right so, even though get into his matches and yeah, yeah, well, in fact, let's that's the next one on Sunday is it's the early game on Sunday with a oddball start time.
And I don't know why they're doing it this way. We've all been conditioned into one o'clock eastern starts and then four o'clock eastern starts, so you would think they would do that here. No, we're not doing it that way at all, and I think it's because they want prime time games. I guess. So we've got this oddball three o'clock eastern start and six thirty eastern start.
Yes, well, it gives gives me plenty of time to make way more bets than I know, I swear.
I wonder if that isn't half of it, right, more opportunities to get more action at this game somehow. I know you just did the last one. But just for the sake of keeping these games in order that they're going to be played in, let's talk Los Angeles on Philadelphia.
I want to start on Los Angeles side. I feel like the Vikings made them look better than they are and I'll be very interested to see what you think of of them, and particularly to me, the most fascinating matchup, it's puka Akua against a what has been a very good Eagle secondary.
Yeah, no doubt. Before before we dive in. Uh, the snow is in the fore game, yeah, for this game, and it sounds like a fair amount of snow. So if this game was indoors, it'd be a lot more intriguing from a fantasy perspective. But uh, you gotta be a little wary of the snow. And it's almost like you gotta I'm bumping everyone down just a little bit
because of that, at least in the passing game. But as you the afore mentioned Pokinakua, I just got to see on Pooka and it's because he's carrying the load. Now we'll get into Cooper Cup in a second.
Briefly, I know, right, like what's happened to him?
But with the snow and just the total concentration that you can expect on Puka. From the defensive perspective for Philly and just the numbers on paper, the Eagles allowed just eleven catches one hundred and thirty yards per game to opposing wide receivers. And if you give pooka half of that, that might be his ceiling, you know, like five catches eighty yards here, not his ceiling. But I
don't think that's a safe floor. Sadly for Puka in this matchup, the Packers wideouts failed to meet that eleven catch one hundred and thirty yard threshold as a whole last week, and that they don't have a Puka Nakua. Philly did surrender sixteen touchdowns to wide receivers during the regular season. That is one per game. That is encouraging you're playing Puka. But speaking again from a daily perspective, I think people are just gonna gravitate towards the name.
I'm very wary of this matchup. I think he's a fade for me, especially because he's priced up high among wide receivers and I'm gonna load up at running backs. So just to see on Pookinakua and Cooper Cup he's on the bench, I mean.
He's it's a Cooper Cooper matchup.
By the way, it is a Cooper matchup.
Yeah.
Here's a real sad stat. One thousand yard seasons since twenty seventeen, Adam Thielen has three, Cooper Cup has two, the same amount of Kenny Galladay. What during that same stretch, who hasn't played into Yeah, and Cooper Cup said Cooper Cup had twenty twenty one, that that's really it, like he ball like went off in twenty twenty one. But people are clinging to that way too hard. I mean
he's he's been invisible, just absolutely invisible. So just from FFW grade standpoint, bench but maybe he's such an afterthought among fantasy players opposing defenses, something good will happen. Just but one catch against the Vikings last week. I don't know. He might be a dead cat sadly, but I got him on the bench and DeMarcus Robins and just because of the snow and the numbers aren't good for opposing wide receivers against the Eagles, so I got I got Cup on the bench.
Can I Can I mention another thing while we're talking aim a Cup a little bit. You would think with all of the looks drying up for Cup that they those looks would be going somewhere else. Right, So you know Cooper Cup who used to be ten targets a game and then Puka shows up and he drops down to like six seven targets a game. Well now he's at one and two targets a game. But those other looks aren't going to DeMarcus Robinson or tow too at
Well or anybody else. It's really weird. And Puka Nakua's have have just you know, they were high and they've stayed high, but just odd to me that they're hasn't been some target beneficiary. The tight ends have gotten a little more look but I find that a little bit weird. What what do you think?
Yeah, it is bizarre, almost inexplicable. So like so for that, like you just can't trust anyone at wide receiver outside at a Pooka nakua. And I don't want to feed into the weather narrative too much, but you have to. You can't deny that it's virtually impossible for an l A team to replicate any kind of weather that they're gonna face.
They can't.
They can't open up the practice doors. They like turn the air conditioning up to like sixty and they're like, that's cold. So major concerns with the passing game. If Tyler Higbee plays at tight end, he's on he suffered a chest injury against the Vikings in the second quarter. If he plays on the bench, if he doesn't, Kolby Parkinson, Davis Allen, whatever, Ragtag uh, platoon of tight ends. Not
a great matchup on paper for any tight ending. Philly allowed the fifth fewest catches and the fewest yards per game to tight ends, So all tight ends on the bench for LA for that reason and other reasons. Matt Stafford on the bench as well, although he does have experience playing in insane snow in Philadelphia for the Lions back in the day. I don't know how we did and that doesn't really matter, but he at least he's played in snow before. He knows cold weather. But he's
on the bench. Lastly, for the Rams, Karen Williams not on the bench. Looked like he suffered a major injury against the Vikings last week, but he did not. He should be good to go. But per usual or part for the chorus for any player going up against the Eagles, not a great matchup on paper for Karen Williams either. The Eagles allowed just one hundred and eight convoy yards per game to running backs over the regular season and just five total touchdowns to running backs all year, rushing
and receiving. Josh Jacobs did have one hundred and twenty combo yards and to score against Philly last week. So Williams definitely usable in any format, but you got a tempio expectations there. I'll give him a bee just because I like him more than any other ram in this game, more than than Puka. So a B for Kyron over to the eagle side. This is kind of short and sweet.
Saquon Barkley A. I should have mentioned these teams did play in Week twelve, and in that game, Barkley had two hundred and fifty five rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, added four catches forty seven yards. The snow should help Barkley in this game, So Fantasy Fonzie, we might as well break out the fantasy FONSI. A for Saquon Barkley. No shock there, so that is why he is our one oh one in Guilleteini's If you're drafting like Guillatini, as you should be, so A for Barkley, AJ Brown
DeVante Smith. This is interesting. I'm not getting into the book reading of AJ Brown, Bob, but clearly not one hundred percent more interested in his book I would. If I got to pick one, I'm picking Devonde Smith over A. J. Brown. I'm gonna give him both a bee, though, despite the weather. Well, I'm sorry a c Despite the weather, I'm I'm attempted to give one of them a bench grade. The Rams
have allowed the second fewest catches to wide receivers. If this game felt like it was gonna be a shootout mode, I would give him both a bee, but with the weather it doesn't. So just to see for both Brown and Smith. I like Dallas Goddard more than both of the two.
I really like him in this game. He's my favorite tight end of the weekend.
Yeah, I gotta be he's got He came down with an illness. He's on the injury report. Hopefully that's not a factor. So keep an eye on a Grant Calcatara for any like. I might even throw a darted Calcatara if Goddard is active because it's it's a money matchup for tight ends against the Rams. I was betting anytime touchdown, first touchdown two plus touchdowns on TJ. Hawkinson last week,
who did score one. LAS surrender three tight end touchdowns over the last two regular season games as well, and during the regular season, the Rams allowed the fourth most yards and the second most catches to tight end, so a money scenario for Goddard if fully healthy, but uh, yeah, keep your eye on Grant cal Katara. I'm gonna betting
Calcatarra props and throwing a DFS starts his way. Even if Goddard is healthy, I hope he is, because people will be gravitating towards Calkatara if Goddard sits for some reason. But I don't see that happening. And lastly, Jalen Hurts b Grade, I mean, he's just he's Jalen Hurts. He's got the rushing he had, uh in the first matchup. Let's see, he had one seventy nine one. It was all about Barkley in the first game. But if you're playing DFS, you gotta go Jade and Daniels over Jalen Hurts.
Jalen Hurts is cheaper than Jayden Daniels as you should be, which is shocking. But yeah, yes, it's it's it's it's gonna be a Barkley game in an Eagles defense game.
For ray, all right, That's yeah, that's uh, that's a lot of stuff right there. My game is is a lot to is a lot shorter. I think this is the the big money game. Baltimore Buffalo. Earlier meeting Week four, it was ravens and a landslide, but that was in Baltimore. Whether here is going to be a factor, Brian, Twelve degrees and a chance of snow. Twelve is where it's Things start slowing down a lot when you get into that kind of range. And this game could be a
little lower scoring than people think. But this is why you brought in Derrick Henry, the ultimate power back, a vertical runner who doesn't need to make cuts on a slippery field. This is you know, in every tackle twelve degrees, every tackle hurts more. And here's Derrick Henry coming at you. I feel like this is a This is why they got Derrick Henry is exactly for a cold weather playoff game,
and I'm gonna run him into the ground. No back is eighty seven yards against Buffalo since way back in Week ten, and granted they have not played great rushing teams over that stretch, but they did hold Sonic and Knuckles to a combined thirty five rushing yards back. It's likely twelve or something, so there is that still. I just think there's so much Henry coming. It's an obvious A grade and I still have an A grade on Lamar Jackson. He had a good but not great line
in the earlier meeting. He only threw eighteen passes in that one because it was a one sided game, and they do that sometimes. That could be the case here. Low volume could be a problem for Lamar Jackson. If you think it's going to be all Derrick Henry and if you think Buffalo is going to win in their favorite, you may be looking at a Lamar Jackson game with like twenty twenty four passes and then it's hard to
get a lot of fantasy upside through the air. Aside from allowing a Joe Milton rushing touchdown last week when Buffalo is resting their starters, the only other quarterback to score on the ground against the Bills was all year was Lamar Jackson in the Week four game. So overall they were a very good quarterback run defense, but Lamar Dingdam in the earlier matchup. Still have an A grade on Jackson, but I don't feel as confident about him
as I do, like say Jayden Daniels. So if I had to, like, if I could just pick a quarterback from this weekend, it would be Jaden Daniels. Mark Andrews a grade here. Did not catch a pass in the first meeting, but that was when, you know, the early four or five weeks of the season, when when Mark Andrews was not a factor in this offense. You know, obviously since then he's been a huge factor. He's the highest scoring tight end from Week six forward. Buffalo has
been rocked by tight ends lately. Tyler Conklin fifty seven yards and a touchdown. Recently before that, Patriots tight ends combined for ninety four yards in his score. And before that Sam Laporta posted a season best seven catches one hundred eleven yards. Also have a B grade on Rashad Bateman great lately six touchdowns in the last six games for Baitman Flyers, going yes, I you mah Rashad Bateman.
Zay Flowers not going to play in this game in all probability, but the think catch with Bateman is always low volume and that puts some variability in for him. Also pretty good cornerbacks here, Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas. Benford great PFF ranking is cornerback six. He's only allowed two scores all year and his average game is just
two catches for nineteen yards. Douglas not as good, but still capable be grade on Rashad Bateman, and we're not going to go all the way down to Nelson Aguilar or Tyland Wallace. Now is Wallace your guy or is that somebody else.
The Bontes Walker, That's is your guy? Uh yeah, he did not see a target last week where I was hoping you with. But he's just a rookie. He'll get there, he'll get there. Yeah, yeah, you we're not We're not. We're not gonna Yeah, you can't touch any really wide receiver outside of Bateman his game. So before before we get to the Bills. I know we love cold weather and it's great for TV and all that, but this game, this stings a little bit. This is the game you
want in a controlled environment. I feel like, you know, this is like the super Bowl. It feels like, I know, these teams shouldn't be meeting right now. It's a bummer that these teams are meeting this early. They're the in my mind, these are the two best teams in the NFL. Yeah, it's a super Bowl.
Yeah, so yeah, it's basically the super Bowl right now, and the sad thing, Brian, one of these quarterbacks and one of these teams is gonna be deemed a loser who can't get it done in the playoffs. They shouldn't be meeting right now, you know, they should be meeting
in the Super Bowl. And you know, I just I the narrative because they're both quarterbacks are battling this narrative that they haven't been able to get past the Chiefs in Kansas City and one of them is gonna get knocked out in the divisional round and that sucks for that quarterback.
And this is I don't want it to get us too off track because we're running along, but I'm having fun. One day, what about a playoff? And if they don't do this in hockey, I know they reseed, but one day they should alter the playoffs, you know where like the AFC could meet in the Super Bowl, Right, wouldn't that be cool? Hide kind of press.
I mean, if you really want a commitment, well, I don't know if you're really how about so if you were to blend the conferences, how would you seed it?
I mean it's kind of just gonna be all about record. I'm just thinking of some Super Bowls, like when the Bears played the Colts, Like the Colts and the Patriots played in the AFC Championship game, like that was the Super Bowl. So like, yeah, I don't know. I know it's never gonna happen, but probably in the sky that would be cool someday. You never know what's gonna happen. Eighteen games is gonna happen, sadly ridiculous.
Yeah, I know, I don't like the eighteen games. I didn't like seventeen. I just want I want healthy players and it's a physical game, demanding amount we don't have to get in this now. Okay, Uh, let's talk Josh Allen. Yeah, b Grade, what are we talking about with Josh Allen?
Uh?
This is a tricky matchup. The Ravens, who were arguably the worst pass defense all the way through the first ten weeks of the season, have turned great. So let me give you some of the differentials. And what happened is week eleven, Brian, they moved there. They moved safety Kyle Hamilton to go play free safety. He had been playing up in the box a lot. He'd been playing
in the slot. They had used him near the line of scrimmage and now week eleven they let him roam the backfield and it's really changed this Ravens team.
Listen to this and just before you go, sorry to put it into a little more contacts. Week eleven. This is following week ten when Joe Burrow had four hundred and twenty eight yards more touchdowns.
They're like, we got to change something, right exactly thanks to Okay, something's got to change, and they did it. So first ten weeks the Ravens in passing yards allowed, we're dead last at three hundred and fourteen yards per game allowed since week ten, so week eleven forward, they're one ninety nine second best, one hundred ninety nine yards
second best when applied to a full season. In passing touchdowns allowed, through the first ten weeks, the Ravens dead last at two point one passing touchdowns allowed, and then since then zero point nine passing touchdowns allowed per game. That's number one when applied to a full season. That's I mean, so they basically went last to first. And I think add that in with with the weather here
and we might see modest numbers from Josh Allen. Now he is the perfect quarterback to run on a cold field because he's he's a big bodied quarterback and I like him running more than I like Lamar Jackson's running, and so he might be able to help us that way. But his passing line has it opened at like two hundred and forty five yards and now it's sitting at like two thirty five. It's being bet down because people do people do not see a lot of air yards coming. And I'm kind of with him on this.
I would I don't think this bet is offered anywhere. Obviously you would get it at plus money if it was. But there is a chance that Josh Allen runs for more yards than he passes for in this game. That's what it sane.
That's insane. It is you have to run for like one twenty and pass for like one ten.
Well, he only passed for one eighty in Week four in good weather. It was a lopsided win for the Bills, but he was still he's only and this was when the Ravens were struggling against the pass sixteen for twenty nine. So I mean he could run for one forty pat we'll see again. I'm talking like eight to one, ten to one odds. I would take that bet. It's not an even even money bet by he's gonna rush for more than he passes for. But he could score more
Fantasy points on the ground, that's for sure. That's a coin flip. If he scores a touchdown on the ground, that.
Is about a coin flip. The only receiver you care about on the Bills is Khalil Shakir and he has a brutal matchup against Marlon Humphrey. Humphrey is the slot cornerback used by the Bills, Buffalo Sorry, the Ravens, and he's great. He's Pro Football Focus is fourth ranked cornerback. He hasn't allowed to score since Week five. He only
allowed seventeen yards in his coverage in Week four. Now, I went back and looked at Khalil Shakir's game against in the Week four matchup against the Ravens, he was doing nothing and then he broke a fifty two yard play against safety Eddie Jackson who got cut and so he ended up with sixty four yard line, but fifty two of it was on a broken play and against a guy who's not even on the team anymore. So I don't love Shakir here, and he's my guy. As
you know, Brian, I loved Khalil Shakir brutal matchup. I tempted to give him a bench grade, but just because I don't think there's a lot of other places to send the ball, will give him a C grade. And there's no other receivers you're gonna start because none of them are regular are a regular part of the rotation. I keep thinking key On Coleman is going to like have this breakout game. It never comes, and he's not getting regular usage. Same with Amari Cooper, who's not getting
on the field nearly enough. And then Mac Collins is getting on the field as much as any of the as much as those two guys are. So split that up three ways, and we're out on all the other receivers.
Well, and Curtis Samuel too, I believe led Well. He scored the long touchdown last week. So yeah, there's way too much going on for the wide receivers. I'm with you there.
If you've got to start Dalton Kincaid, you could Jordan Aikins put up a big game against Baltimore to a couple of games ago, but I don't think you really want any part of this thing. You know, Kincaid's been a massive underachiever and stupid. Dalton Knox continues to be frustratingly involved. It's a sixty to forty time share.
In the red zone too. It seems like Knox was getting the It wasn't a lot of targets, but Knox was again he saw a couple end zone targets. I recall as a guy who had any time touchdown bet on Kincage last week that didn't hit. Of course.
Yeah, I've got a bench graade on Kincaid. You could talk me into a sea, but nobody's going to try last.
And that's your play.
It's not Goddard's my play, not Calcaterra. But I hear what you're saying. But you know Goddard's line is only thirty, like thirty five yards?
Oh yeah, over all day, over all day.
Maybe James Cook, I don't like him here. I know he's great. By the way, his line is fifty six and a half. We'd go the under on that. Only two runners hit fifty six yards against Baltimore all year, and one was not James Cook. In the earlier matchup, he had thirty nine rushing yards Baltimore has been the league's most consistently good run defense all year. They ranked number one in yards rushing yards allowed, number one in yards per carry, number two in run defense success rate,
and number one in yards after contact. And basically everybody who tries to run against the Ravens they're sitting on dud games. Naji Harris last week seventeen yards, the week before that, Donta Foremant Grantity sucks twenty seven yards, the week before that Joe Mixon nine twenty six yards, And the week before that was another Naji Harris game with
forty two yards. A week before that, Tyrone Tracy thirty one yards, all of them averaging about thirty yards under their average game against Baltimore, I can only get you to a C grade on James Cook. I could upgrade him to a BEE if the weather's great. I don't like him in this matchup.
I don't either. I'm if I'm having to pick a running back for Baltimore, I'm sorry for Buffalo. It's it's gonna be ty Johnson. Baltimore allowed let's see here, five catches per game to running backs, eighth most third most receiving yards to running backs and that is that's Ty Johnson's bag. I mean, they will throw to cook at times. But yeah, if I'm picking one and if you're gonna bake in salary in DFS, of course, it's it's Ty Johnson for me all day.
I'm with you, Ty Johnson. I was trying to find a way to bet, not that I can bet here and I don't, but I you know, I do bet. I do hits on VSA and other things, and I try to advise.
Well, you can always text me charge and I'll put some.
Well, I like that. What do you think of this bet? Because I can't do a reception bet on Ty Johnson. I can't do. The only thing I can find for Ty Johnson is this. There are touchdown bets. What do you think of this? Last touchdown?
Now?
Ty Johnson's the designated receiving back Brian. He gets in long down and distance. Nobody else is near the field. It's just Ty Johnson. Last touchdown Buffalo. If Buffalo's losing and they're trying to throw at the end of the game, or if it's just close, if it's back and forth and Buffalo's you know, Buffalo's throwing at the end of the game, which, in a lot of scenarios could be the case last touchdown Ty Johnson thirty three to one.
Yeah, why not on that? I'm gonna I'll get to bed it for us. How's that all right?
Please?
Do you in how much we'll split it? Yeah?
All the all text? Sure, ten bucks, let's start to I don't have to worry about the I R S listening at ten dollars.
Yeah, no you don't. It's on me. When I'm back out in Minnesota. You can give me some of that delicious old red.
Yeah, all red reserve, whiskey ol red reserve. I'll pick that. You can find that in.
So he got winning this game? This is I mean, this is the ultimate coin flip right here, the pen ultimate coin flip of a football game.
It is. I don't even know I was when the playoffs started. I was on Buffalo to get to the super Bowl. Then I dug into this matchup and I'm on. I think Baltimore wins.
You do.
The tiebreaker for me is just the the Buffalo historical misery of not getting it done. I would like to see Buffalo win this game, though I think I agree I did well.
Just I want but I don't. I I like both. I feel like both fan bases deserve it, both quarterbacks deserve it. They're both great. But Buffalo, you know, they've never won a super Bowl. They have the four super Bowl losses, like the Vikings. I have a lot of empathy for Bills fans, and.
I feel like, though I whoever beats who has a better chance of beating the Chiefs though as well. I really want to and I think that's the Ravens.
Yeah, yeah, I can. I can see that.
The no offense, Kansas City, but you've had your fun. We needed we need a changing in the guard.
The Eagles fan base. We were talking about that that idiot Eagles guy who was saying things to a female Packer fan that was in the stadium that should not be said, and especially ironic because he held a position as a DEI consultant at some firm.
And had daughter as well.
Right as it turns out he's got a daughter. Tease. Come on, man, you know their fan Philly fans are. They're not psychotic, I mean, just super vigorous fans. But look at the Bills fans. Bill's mafia. They hurt themselves. They're the ones lighting themselves on fire and jumping on tables and doing all the insane stuff. They hurt themselves. The Eagles fans are all about hurting opposing players.
That Eagles fan totally in the wrong. But that was like a two out of ten for what an Eagles fan could do to you. Don't even say to you. And I know it was from I actually don't have been doing an Eagles game. I've been to other Philadelphia sporting events, not rooting for a Philadelphia team. But yeah, yes, I think he wasn't trapped a little bit though by the like those Packers fans went in looking for some content. I mean, the dude was strapped with the camera. He
was looking for a reaction. So I almost feel bad for the Eagles fan a little bit, but I don't enough.
You can't.
No, I don't, I don't, not at all.
Thank you, my man. I did not expect this. I thought we were gonna be done in like twenty two minutes. Here we are at the hour mark. Thank you for listening getting to the end of this one. I hope you found it helpful. We'll be back with four games next week. It'll be uh so it four next week.
Too.
Just down to two. How can I not know the name? How many teams are left each runt of the playoffs? Jeez, come on, man.
So the end of the last season, we got to give our official predictions, and for the conference championships, I'm i'm I'm calling the upset for the Commanders. Oh all right, Okay, Commanders is gonna win. Yep, I'm close to calling the
Texans just because I want them to win. I'm gonna say because I've got a I've got a five dollars parlay where the Texans are the last leg that pays ten and a half thousand dollars, where it was Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters, Celtics to win the NBA title, Dodgers to win the World Series, all three of the hits, and then I bet the Texans is the final leg before they traded for digs when their odds went down. So five dollars to win ten k go Houston. It's
not gonna happen. But they got Commander's Chiefs Ravens Eagles. My one upset is going to be the Commanders this weekend. You got any upsets.
I want? I like both of yours. I think I have, I've got I've got chalk, I've got all the I've got all the favorite teams winning, But that commanders went, I would definitely be taking the points on the commander's side. I think that's a very broken spread. I just think the lie I don't feel like Washington's quite ready yet, even though Jaden Daniels, dude's got just ice water in his veins, so much poise for a rookie, if you know. But I don't feel like that that roster is composed
with enough talent to slow down the Detroit offense. And I don't and I and the and the Washington offense. It's they just don't have enough good play. I wish they had, like give me one more better receiver and I'd feel differently, or running back for that matter.
It's momentum is gonna be the X factor for them to win. Just that they're they're red hot right now. Washington and Detroit's kind of been sitting on their their hands for a week. But uh, time will tell. We shall see. I know, I know uh Vikings fans and in Minnesota would love to see Detroit join the rest of the division in Cancun and lose the Washington.
I don't have. I don't. I don't know anybody who doesn't want that hates the Lions, and you know their fan base, long suffering they you know, I have, even though they're in the division with the Vikings, I don't. I don't begrudge them their wins.
Yeah, but they have been long suffering. But they act as though they haven't been long suffering, which is kind of been rubbing me the wrong way. And I'm not really a Vikings fan, not all you're but no, you know, you know me. I'm I'm just I'm a I'm a I'm a rambling men. Now when it comes to a I followed Arnold wherever I go, that's where I'm with Sam. So for now, I still am the Vikings fan, even though I'm the only Bikings fan that likes Sam Donald. I'm gonna shut up about Sam Donald.
All right, Thanks for listening, everybody, We'll talk to you next week. Bye bye. Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.