Hello everybody, Welcome into the Fantasy Pros Football Podcast. I'm Ryan Warmley, joining this Tuesday morning by Andrew Rickson and by Chris Welsh Bellas we are going into week sixteen. It is the semi finals in a lot of fantasy leagues. Is the finals in some of our leagues that started a week early for some unknown reason. Thank you again there,
But yeah, we are in the think of it. Not a lot of people are still alive in their leagues, and we were chugging right along here to hopefully help out those who who are still alive in for whom this is the most important weeks of the season, because it's the actual championship rounds Ericson, we were just talking a little bit before the show about do you or do you not care or set your lineups or even look when you're in the toilet bowl.
I do not.
I have other things to be concerned about as opposed to setting my lineup. So I had to come in twelfth place for the eleventh place worth tenth place, It doesn't matter to me. I need all my focus on the teams that are in the running to win a championship.
That's our goal.
To win the championship, not to help you win your toilet bowl. I think the dynasty is a little bit different. You want to maintain integrity, seating purposes, and you think it's best to put up your best lineup or your best worst starting lineup within the bylaws of your league. But besides that, yeah, I'm not paying attention to leagues. I have been long gone for multiple weeks ago.
Well, and it's not even every dynasty league, because some leagues it's just like if you're out of the playoffs, it's just wherever you were in the regular season and those rounds don't even matter. So yeah, even in that scenario, like I am with you, I have never once cared about a toilet bowl. I know some people who do, Like I have some more casual fantasy players in my life that will like ask me for advice. I'm like, oh, cool,
you made the playoffs. You're like, well, no, I'm in the consolation bracket, but I really want to win like the ninth place game.
I'm like, why if anything in the consolation bracket, I just do really wild things, like I just I just I play really loose and I'm just like, hey, like this guy did something one time throw them in.
Like start Mile Pitts, Like, let's start dude.
Let the team in targets, man.
Yeah, yeah, that's the only scenario where you can start. Kyle Pitts is the consolation racket.
He's in a lot of well, you know, you.
Know those stats they put out there, they're like, uh, if you have Jamar Chase, you have a fifty one point five percent chance to make you have a ninety nine point nine percent chance if you have Kyle Pitts to be in the toilet Bowl. That's a guarantee.
I'm sure there are players who I can't think of a good example at the top of my head right now, but like who were drafted really highly in previous years who were really bad and so you probably didn't make the playoffs, but then we're really good in December, so they probably you could get a stat of like players that were on a very high percentage of toilet Bowl champion.
Probably no toilet bowls are flushed down for me. I flushed those. I do not care. We were talking about our one of these Fantasy pros content leagues that we do Me and ericson. We're the epitome of toilet Bowls, and I was like, did I make the playoffs? And I looked, I'm like, oh no, I advanced in the toilet Bowl. I don't care. I do not care. If anything, it's cathartic because it opens up my world to put
more energy into the teams that mean something now. So yeah, I I it's sick as it is because you don't want it. But like guys like not everybody out there plays like ten or twelve leagues or whatever. Guys like us that'll play like multiple industry and maybe you got some high stakes and then some fun, and all of a sudden you have like twelve or fifteen leagues. You want to win everything. But when it gets chopped down to like eight, you're like, this is pretty sweet. Maybe
I should kind of refresh. This is kind of nice. This is nice that I only have to look at eight.
My favorite is when I'm done with teams on a specific platform, So like whether it's like ESPN, Sleep or Yahoo, like NFFC, wherever you play, when I can no longer pull up that site in particular, it is kind of.
Yeah, I can delete the ESPN app.
Oh yeah, sleep well, sweet prince, good night. We're never gonna look at you again.
Well, we're still hll here to help folks as Vessy can, who are still alive in a handful of the leagues. Let's talk a little bit about Monday night football. And I do mean a little because there was really nothing going on in these games, super boring. Quite frankly, I had a great time.
I very much enjoyed those games. They were great games for me.
Were they lucrative?
Free?
They they were very lucrative. As Ericson knows, I hit him up. Erickson is the first touchdown betting king. He loves to do it. I don't. I got waxed over the weekend, one of my worst betting weekends. So I put together a little first touchdown parlay and smashed so little fifty five hundred to one makes Welsh feel a little bit better. So I thoroughly enjoyed.
Also, you know, yeah, fifty five hundred to one or or fifty five.
Yeah, okay, it was fifty plus fifty.
That would have been a lot on your island. Yeah, why are you showing up to.
Work today a fifty five hundred two?
Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm just thinking of the plus fifty five hundred.
That's like, that's like the office, Like, if anybody gives you ten thousand to one odds, you take it. If John Cougar Mellencamp ever wins an oscar.
But Drake London scoring that touchdown that sealed the deal made it really nice and then there was no other offense. But to the point I enjoyed, that helped very little fantasy owners this weekend between both those garbage games.
So the fact that the Falcons didn't score at all made no sense because it seemed like every single time they started to drive, it was in Raiders territory. It made no sense because I'm looking at the botto, I'm like, they're in the Raiders' territory again. And then if his field goals missfield goals couldn't convert anything. And I don't even know if they got into the red zone to be quite honest, because Drake London scored from outside the red zone.
So this is a thirty.
Yeah it was. Yeah.
Well let's let's start with that Falcons Raiders game. Obviously, Falcons win fifteen to nine. Jon Robinson twenty two carries one hundred and twenty five yards, no touchdown, but he was very good. Kyle Pitts technically led this team in targets with four. He had four targets, Drake Lennon had three. Rarray mclodd at three had two, Mooney had goose egged zero.
Yeah, nothing for Mooney. What happened?
I mean, Cousins is cooked. That's nothing.
They didn't throw They're afraid to throw the ball. I mean they had a throw their Their pass raid over expectation was minus twenty one percent.
That is very very low.
Was this also the worst case scenario that could have happened? Because I think a lot of people were like, if the Falcons perform poorly against the Raiders, we'll finally see Michael Pennox. But they went out and won, So this is like the worst case scenario.
It would kind of nice if they lost and we got Pety.
We're gonna get another week of Kirk Cousins. They're not gonna make that move at this point of the season, especially after winning that. So it's kind of the worst case scenario. I would have liked to see penicks because Cousins is doing nothing for the rest of this offense. You want to know why London had that touchdown I'm not going to rewatch that play. I was obviously locked
into him. He absolutely ate that corner up with a little hitch and go just whoop whoop, and that corner just laid on the ground and he was wide open. That's what Cousins can do. Cousins isn't making any other great plays. Would have loved to see what Penix could have done for the rest of the wide receivers tight in any of the offense, but we're not gonna get it now.
Yeah, I agree. I really was hoping for a scenario where we would see Penis instead of instead of Cousins. On the Raiders side, I mean, they're stuck with their bad quarterback. Obviously, Desmond Ritter not very good.
You go.
Myers had five catches for fifty nine yards that basically all came late. Ur pal Mike Mayer was like tweeting throughout the game how he desperately needed more from Myers and just wasn't getting any targets or when he was, they were getting called back on penalty. Abdullah had seven catches on seven targets fifty eight yards and a touchdown. Since her McCormick obviously gets hurt in this game hurting
a lot of managers. Rock Bowers six targets, three catches, thirty five yards is not a good game from him. I mean, the quarterback situation is just like really hurt hampering everybody. Any fantasy takeaway here ericson on the Raiders side of things.
Well, it's possible An o'cono might come back because his injury wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Like he's like on injured reserve, so there's still a hope that he could come back and kind of salvage what's left with the left of like Jacoba, Maers and brock Bars because obviously this is what's going to be like reality more often than not, even though their schedule, I mean it is so good, right, Jaguars and Saints
next week. Daguars is the best menship for tight ends, right, Rock Bowers should be, I mean, he should be the number one ranked tight end, but it's hard to put him there with Desmond rid as quarterback. If we get O'Connell back, then you're feeling great about plugging Myers back in your lineups and obviously got to start Powers pretty much no matter what for the running backs Madison. I think that he's probably gonna be the guy that they
look for in early downs. Mcormack's gonna be missing the rest of the season look like with his ankle injury and good matchups Jaguars and Saints. So I think you have to go back to Alaxona Madison again. Tred Lightley, though, because his first carry of this game he fumbled and then he had to go back in because Mcormick got hurt. So what's his workload? Leash really like again? Tred Lightley With Raiders running backs Welsh, do.
We need to start rock Bauers no matter what because three of the last four games he has under seven points and a half VPR And like, at a certain point you do you just have to look at the offensive environment and say this isn't tenable or is that overthinking it? And is he truly like you just can't you just can't think about any other downside and you have to start him?
Yeah, I think it's overthinking. I get the logic of it. If ay know Connall comes back, that's a plus. You know we kind of know what he's going to be able to do with about But no, I don't think you can take him out es. But we also we were jokingly talking about like incentive season is coming, there's just a lot of records that are on the line as well. He is the force of this offense. They've got to pass more. I think at the end of
the year you already see so many more teams. You know, fourth and four go for it on our own, forty go for it, Like I think they need to get that ball in the air quite a bit more, maybe losing Sincere is gonna take the ball off the ground even a tiny bit more as well, is he's just a guy throw between the guards. All of that is just like a little just conversation around just the obvious point of yeah, you start Brock Powers. You don't think about it unless you play in a league where you
have Brock Powers and Trey McBride. It's just not a question. You're not gonna know. There's no viable way that you're gonna come and be like, should I start Kate Otn or him. No, there's just no tight end I could do outside of you know, the core, and he belongs in the core. So you gotta go down with the ship. I hate to say it, We're not getting cute. Gotta go with brock Powers.
In the other game in this double header, Vikings thirty Bears twelve. Again, not a lot that really stands out as a major surprise, at least that stands out to me.
You know.
DeAndre Swift nineteen for seventy nine. Keenan Allen did have thirteen targets. He caught six of them for eighty two yards in a touchdown. Dj Moore caught all eight targets just forty six yards. This a very small you know, yards per catch there. Roma Dunesey caught just two of seven targets thirty nine yards. On the Viking side. Aaron Jones eighteen for eighty six in a touchdown. Justin Jefferson seven for seventy three in a touchdown. Jordan Addison had
nine targets caught seven for sixty three yards. Very much like Eric's in the game. You just kind of everybody did what you expected, right.
Yeah, I mean you're starting the same guys. It's kind of Bears wide receiver roulette. You know which Bears receiver is going to score the touchdown. It seems like Allen is always the one that they prefer to use in the red zone the most. He has the most touchdown since Thomas Brown took over, and he's got another good match up against the slot Detroit Lions defense that's really
banged up. So Bears, I think that Oh Doonsay's probably the one that you can't start, just because he he's been the most inconsistent Alan as Le He's been getting targets, even if it takes a lot of targets for him to get there. He does get touchdown equity. DJ Moore, the bubble screen King get he's again, he gets PPR. He's getting there as well, and they're just throwing the
ball a ton, so it's working enough. And again the Detroit Lions, we've seen this matchup already and their defense is really banged up, so you should be able to trust some of these DJ Moore King now I think it is like wide receiver threes and Odoon's I think you got to leave on the bench.
Well.
Any fantasy takeaways from this matchup or can we move on?
Yeah?
I mean but think mostly move on just real quick. The two things DJ Moore out of the backfield had three carries just straight up using him as a running back would be interested if we see a little bit more of that, that's a good positive. That's the old when Debo, you know, was a good player type of move. And then T J. Hawkinson just you know that he's kind of in that circle of trust. I almost was going to be like, could you Hawkinson to a Bowers? No,
You're still gonna go Bowers without thinking about it. But you know, Hawkinson had seven targets, really like to see this is a good matchup in general for him. But Hockinson is in that trustworthy range. But other than that, it was a standard Monday, weird set of games. Why do we have two of them?
By the way, I was gonna say, not that standard because we had the double. I don't know why.
Because they didn't want everyone to watch the Raiders and Falcons.
I mean, they didn't do any better. It was just like they like, all right, one awful game, or let's put two awful games and get people excited. I just I'm a little logic.
Yeah, I'm with you there, Welsh. Let's look at how we did in week fifteen. For Ericson, the Chiefs won, the Browns did not cover Worthy did have a touchdown, which he predicted rushing touchdown.
Now it was Russian out. I don't remembered.
I don't know if Pat's Cardinals counted for you as a shootout?
Did that warn I don't remember. I don't know the PA.
You said it was going to be a shootout, and then it was thirty to seventeen.
Is that so technically the overhead then it is the over it, But you.
Didn't say you over You said it's a shootouts, So that's.
I mean, shootout implies that it's going to go over the projected total, so points put cash the over.
You predicted that McBride, we catch a touchdown? He obvious, he did not the Bucks. This is your best call, more than covered in a blow out of the Chargers, and of course the Bills Lions game screamed past the over somehow despite them going over your Amari Cooper going off prediction did not the most.
Amari Cooper of Amari Cooper performances. He didn't go on.
Off the field, he didn't do any I was legit, like is he around, Like there was nothing. I didn't show up Like at the end of the game, I don't even know what's happened.
I'm so ready for because last year. I think it was Week sixteen was his big like fifty point.
Yeah, he's gonna go nuke this week, so this year and everyone's ben.
Go off and last one for ericson. The Panthers did not win as favorites, nor did Xavier lely Get have a big game for Welsh Kendre Miller finished one touch shy of your double digit prediction. He did not have a touchdown. Brian Thomas Junior did not catch a fifty yard touchdown, but he might as well have, given how much production he gave us. That was a philosophically, fundamentally correct, a spiritually correct prediction, even if he didn't get the
fifty yard touchdown. Bonix did not pass for twitter fifty yards. He didn't really need to do much defense, did a lot of the heavy lifting in that game. He did throw for three touchdowns, though. Puka and Jennings, boy did they not combine for twitter and fifty yards and two touchdowns in that game. Literally nobody had big games on Thursday. Puka was okay.
I wish I would have said Devo and Cooper cup just to like just to be fine, to make it even yeah, like completely wrong. There's the total fade like this last one.
Last one. Yeah. Chuba however, did not have a big game against Tuba Dallas RB five on the week as you predicted, so we will try to do better this week. I think we were better in week fourteen than we were in Week fifteen. We will come back here with a vengeance though. For our Week sixteen predictions, show ericson kick us off with your prediction number five.
Yeah, I'm looking to Thursday Night football rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin. He's finally going to catch a deep pass from BONNICKX, who he famously although it doesn't seem like it, they did play together at college at Oregon. Even though there is seems like there's no on field chemistry between these two, Troy Franklin, despite playing a very limited role this season, ranks twelfth in the NFL in deep targets.
I had to double check this stat because it doesn't seem real, but he actually has the second highest deep ball target rate in the NFL at thirty nine percent, second to only Alec Pierce. So anytime Franklin's seeing the target more oft than not, it's twenty yards down the field. And why like this to be the spot where it ends up happening for him is the Chargers defense. How do you exploit them with the deep ball? Thirtieth and EPA per target on deep targets, we just saw what
did Mike Evans do to them last week? Just absolutely went off with deep touchdown passes from a quarterback. Baker Mayfield really hasn't been attacking the ball downfield, so that's how I think Sean Bad's going to dial up a pass game four Boono Nicks attacking the Chargers weakness down the field. Troy Franklin has been using that role, and the last time we saw these teams play earlier in the season in Week six, Troy Franklin ran the most routes he's ever run in any game. He also caught
a deep ball and scored a touchdown. So yes, Troy Franklin, You're probably not gonna be starting him in any fantasy leagues, but for those that are playing in dynasty leagues, maybe some shall leagues like don't forget about this guy again. Fourth round pick fell in the draft, But I think that we could see a strong finish from Troy Franklin here as the Denver Broncos kind of round out the
season head into the playoffs. So I like Troy Franklin here on Thursday Night football to catch DePass from bon Nicks, and I think he's got a score touchdown as well.
Yeah, obviously you're not making the pitch to start him in most leagues, but I am curious. I'm trying to pull it up now to see where he's actually even ranked. He's wide receiver ninety four. That's in ours, that's in our staff, right wide receiver.
I keep scrolling.
I really was. I was like, Yeah, he's my receiver ninety four. I'm so yeah, Well that should have been your prediction.
Who will beat Easy? Yeah, I'll beat Easy Welsh.
What do you think about this one? I mean, obviously Ericson kind of alluded to the fact that it hasn't really looked like they played together in college, even though we know they did. The connection hasn't quite been there. Do you think we see them pop off here on Thursday?
Yeah.
I had a thing earlier this year about like betting Troy Franklin that he was going to get in for a touchdown, Like the connect is there. The problem is is they run and I've said this multiple times. The Broncos run similar to what the Packers do. They have like these rotational outside of Courtland Sutton, they have these
rotational wide receiver sets. So it's like, you know, little Jordan Humphrey and then it's Marvin Mims, and then incomes Franklin and incomes like Vale doesn't play early downs, but he is the always third down wide receiver. I personally hate wide receiver rotations. Packers, stop at Broncos, stop at put your best players out there. How about you just every single week give me Vley, Franklin and Sutton and don't bother me with a little Jordan Humphrey and nonsense
like that. So from that perspective in the rotations, I don't love it. But what I do love, of course, is that the big plays an option. I mean, that's all that he does. They don't throw a little you know, they don't try to get him the ball like Marvin Mims. They've moved into they let's do a little screen pass, will end around, let's get the ball in his hands.
They don't do that with Franklin. There's not an eight yard out and then go no, it's just twenty five yard deep go big bombs, So if he catches a ball, it's probably happening, and you know, the positive regression of actually scoring a touchdown at some point with his former teammate makes a lot of sense. I'm down with this call. I just I think the opportunities are fewer than what
you would get out of some other players. But I kind of have a similar one in my next one as well for a player that plays rotationally as well.
Yeah, why don't you take us there? Who you got for your prediction number five?
Well, so I actually should. I wish I would have looked at the stat that Erickson looked at, because I would wonder where Keon Coleman also ranks on those deep plays as far as average, because that has been something Keon Coleman has done a ton of, but he hasn't done a ton of his games. He has not played in a bunch of games, and he just recently got back.
He has only twenty three catches on this season, but as far as the big play that he is, three have gone for forty nine or higher in ten games played. In ten games, only three games has he had a reception under twenty four yards, So that's also a longest reception play for you. There that Keyon Coleman had that big bomb this weekend right near the red zone. He's a target that Josh Allen likes. But again it is
rotational with quite a few players. But when they go deep, he's looking at Kean Coleman, and Kean Coleman makes big plays by virtue of what I've said. So my prediction this week, it's gonna be similar to the Brian Thomas. We're gonna have a fifty yard touchdown, so we're gonna just play it a little bit bold. He's gonna have another long reception, so his longest reception prop kind of
seems pretty nice. But the play here is going to be And by the way, Kean Coleman, before he got hurt, he was getting a couple of games where I think he had four catches straight, six targets. He was getting a little bit more mass there in a game where I think they're gonna be throwing a little bit more. I like betting on Keon Coleman getting more involved. He's a big playmaker and we're gonna go fifty yard touchdown for the play.
What do you think about this one?
Erickson yeah, so I just looked up Kim Coleman, so he leaves the Bills in deep targets with ten this year. So yeah, I mean, look, Christian Christian Zalez is the only good player on the Patriots defense, and I don't think that he's going to shadow Keon Coleman in any way.
I think that'll be on him a little bit.
But they're going to mix it up because the Bills, again another team that does like kind of rotate their receivers a little bit. So when Gonzalez is lining up on Cooper, well, you could see Kean Coleman taking advantage
of some of these other cornerbacks for the Patriots. So I think that from a don't know what the volume is going to be like for Kean Coleman, but again, fifty yard touchdown only takes one, like we saw last week for him to get loose, and he's been a favorite of Josh Allen's, especially in the red zone, so I think he's going to get at least a couple opportunities to catch a long ball here.
There are only nineteen players in the NFL who have multiple fifty yard catches this season. Kean Coleman's one of them.
So I thought you were going about to be like, name the other eighteen, like, oh no, I don't know.
Well, we kind of did that last week when we were talking about Brian Thomas Jeter and it was like, oh, there's only four players that have four of them, and so that was a little easier. I can't make you name nineteen. I'll say the maybe most surprising one on here, Trey Tucker MVS is on there.
I was about to say, if you would have said name one person for points, I would have said Marcus Valdez scantling.
Yeah, Alec Pierce would have surprised me before that. He's got three of them all.
Yeah, Trey Tucker is surprising though.
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Ericson. So well, let me ask you this, where do you guys think Ken Coleman should be ranked? Because unlike Troy Franklin, like you could justify if you're in a pinch, like maybe needing to start Coleman on, Unlike Franklin, what range do you think you should be ranked in?
I would say like in the late forties probably something like that, like top thirty six would represent a wide receiver.
Three.
He's probably the fringe of like this is a flex and this is right outside of flex, and it might be kind of depending on what you're looking for. What do you think about that?
Ericson, I think that's I think that's right.
Just the Bills, it's tough because they don't have like this consolidated target share, right. It's really like Shakir that like gets his as the main underneath option. And it's one of these problems but kind of running too. Last week, right with the Ravens off, it's like we knew they were going to score a ton of points, and it's like we all assume it's gonna be Derrick Henry and it just wasn't Derrick Henry and it was these other
guys that were popping off. So that's kind of how it's gonna be, like with the Bills, Like you gotta start the guys that we feel the best about, Alan Cook, Shakir, and then one of these other guys, whether it's Kincaid, whether it's Cooper, whether it's Coleman, Like, one of these guys is gonna hit. And I think that when you're
looking at playoffs, you need upside. Well, one of these ancillary pieces is going to hit big and I think that it's worth it ranking Keon Coleman as a back end wide receiver three or flex play where you realize what the upside is. And that's obviously why Welsh's talking about because again, it would not surprise me if Cooper is the one that got a S fifty our touchdown. Sure, that's just how fantasy football works.
So you know you and I should do we should do a Troy Franklin Keon Coleman touchdown parlay this week.
Well, Welsh is addicted. He hits one Monday night.
Well, those first touchdowns, but I want this Welsh ex ericson little touchdown party of just two of the grossest wide receivers of all time.
You guys are well ahead of consensus for the rec It's early in the week. Still Coleman is watched her fifty six in consensus. So you guys, let me right to head of Cooper. That's a value I would sell you.
I think you should be ranked tat Cooper.
He plays, so yeah, he.
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three three nine four nine five zero four zero. All right, ericson what is your number four prediction for the week?
Oh, trainic Bride's going to score touchdown this week?
So I had to go back to the well.
Yeah, I'm going back to the well again.
I think I mentioned this last week where I was fully open to the idea I could have been a week early on Train McBride. It's totally fine, and I mean he came one yard short of scoring a touchdown against the Patriots. They gave him a shovel pass. The team knows that Trey McBride hasn't scored touchdown. They are very aware. They told the broadcasters all about it. They have all the next gen stats. Now brook Bride has officially broken the record. Maybe they wanted to get him
the record first. He officially now has the most receptions at most yards in a season without a receiving touchdown. So he's got in the batulations, he's got it in the back. So now he and I would argue even this week, he has a better matchup to score because what team is allowed the most touchdowns of tight ends.
It's Carolina Panthers.
And back in my mind, I remember there was a season with Joe Mixon where he could not score touchdowns, he could not find the end zone. And then he played the Panthers and he scored five touchdowns in one game. Like all the regression just hit at one point, and I think that's in play here.
So you know, five touchdowns five touchdowns is probably aggressive.
But a couple of weeks ago you talked a big game about betting him to score three touchdowns this week. If he didn't have a touchdown.
I would kind of point out I rode that touchdown parlay, by the way for or not partly, but the Trey McBride anytime touchdown, I bet it this weekend for you. And then I also we should point out the trade mcbride'smaid prop that ended up cashing because it was nine.
Is the smartest head I could have made that.
I just I just want you to come together with what you said a couple of weeks ago. You said three touchdowns, So now make it five. That's all the thing.
Every reason has a tight end. Ever caught five touchdows and again I don't know if that's ever. I mean a running back is different, but no, I mean, I'm gonna I'm gonna be on the train McBride touchdowns again, go on two three, Because again I wouldn't be able to live myself if I bet it last week and then he does it a week later, right like, that would be even worse. So I'll be sprinkling back on to it. This will be the last week I go back to it, because again the Panthers again, I like
the matchup last week. I like the matchup even more this week. And look they're they're they're they're calling shovel passes for Tree McBride at the one yard line, so clearly the team wants again in the end zone. I think that even if it's not three. I think he does finally score this week. So I'm going back to the well here with Trey McBride touchdown.
I don't think he has a you know, any eye set yet on any time touchdown or anything like that. But is there like a range that you expected to be like you think it's gonna be plus better?
I mean it better be like plus one twenty five. I that's not that great because he hasn't scored all year.
But no, no, it should be like plus one seventy five because he hasn't scored. But it'll be like one twenty because everybody thinks he's going to score.
That's how it's gonna YEA on those lines early folks.
Yeah, I'm betting it blindly. I won't even look just automatic. I will bet it. I'm rolling with Erickson on this one. I'm a I'm a believer.
Eric Ston is going back to the well. I am going back to the Welsh for his next prediction.
What he got for all right, not as exciting. I'm going with Jerome Ford. Nick Chubb is out. Another injury is going to take him out for the season, So it's Jerome Ford's season. It's at least startable at this point, so we are going to go with it's playing around with like battling this not being like a bold prediction
versus like what my expectation is. My expectation is Jerome Ford is going to have a good run here being the guy and he is actually someone that could have been floating around in waivers for people this week and getting him in at least a flex spot I think is a play. My prediction is eighty plus yards and a touchdown this week, which he did last week he was able to put together, went over one hundred and
four with the score. He's going up against Cincinnati. Over the last month, they have given up the most fantasy points to running backs and the most receiving yards to running backs as well. Ford is averaging five point two per carry. You know that he's just kind of a big play guy in general. I think they are going to feed the rock because dtr if he is your quarterback for the week, you're not doing the Jameis Winston close your eyes and throw at fifty yards. No, you
are going to have to do short line stuff. And I think that's going to exist around Jerome Ford playing outside tackles and it's going to be short passes. I think he's going to get really good volume. It's a really great matchup Jerome Ford. I guess probably gonna hug like running back two ish range, like top twenty four RB. I think he's a smash flex though, So Jerome Ford having a very solid fantasy eighty plus with a touchdown is the prediction.
What do you think, ericson where do you have him ranked?
I haven't done my Week sixteen rankings at so he's.
RB twenty four in early ECR.
Yeah, I think that's fine. It's a good matchup Gains Cincinnati Bengals. He's been explosive this year. The only concern is if they just take him out and they put Deonta Forman in at the goal line, Like that's the only concern with touchdowns. But besides that, I think eighty yards especially you got from scrimmage because he is used as a receiver too. And if we get Jamis like yes, please, like we need Jameis Winston for our our Cleveland Browns, please the other ones.
Yeah, well, do you think that sounds about right for the ranking RB twenty four.
Yeah, I'm actually surprised if he's already sitting there that people are already in there. I mean obviously, like my saying like, hey, the prediction is top twenty four. If he's also sitting twenty four already, like then you know people are in on that, you know, based on the predictive like stats, like maybe he's gonna beat it inside the top twenty. But I think that's the appropriate range,
and you know there's gonna be some tough decision. I mean, obviously there's a couple of backs that came off, like Dave Montgomery that's off your rank list.
Now.
Jerome Ford, though ironically, is going to rank higher than Nick Chubb is probably ranked the entire season just because he's a big, explosive play guy and we should see more touches out of him. So yeah, I think twenty four to twenty is the appropriate range, and it's just a really good matchup for him to regardless of the quarterback. I just think dtr is actually going to speak to him a little bit more than Jamis. I don't are
they going to go back to Jamis? Can they go back to Jamis after that?
I don't real I mean, what do you think, Erickson?
I mean a week before, they're like, we got to sign this guy to be our starter, right, just like you can't like want you can't take the good jamis and not accept the bad jamis too like but they did.
They didn't accept, they benched him. They'd say said, oh, this bad Jamis is too much. Now.
I hope they go back to him. I don't know if they will.
I know, I mean this is but this is the reason why he's a backup, because it's like games like this and again, like the highs are great, but then like you have to you got to take the lowest when they come.
And it's out last week.
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Ericson you're number three prediction, please.
I'm going to go to the Chiefs and Houston Texans game that's being played on Saturday this week a little bit earlier because the Chiefs get to play two games in ten days. It's actually three games in eleven days. You've include what they played last week. I don't think Patrick Holmes is gonna play. That's part of my prediction here. I think it's going to be Carson Wentz under center for the Chiefs, but both his sleeve is going to cover his arm man the two and a half points spread,
So I like Wentz here to help the Chiefs. I think that Andy Reid is going to have them prepared, and I don't know if they're going to come away with the win though, like that's part of the prediction. I'm not really sure about it. I think they're going to cover because the Houston Texans are one of the works. Again, we talked about how bad the Chiefs are covering spreads Texans like hole my Beer, like they are absolutely trocious, especially when their favorites and they're on the road in
Kansas City. So I think the Chiefs are kind of live here as like underdogs, which seems weird to think about because they may not have my homes least, I don't think they're gonna have my homes. And my reason for that is you look at the way the Chiefs the rest of their season is they only have to win two of their remaining three games to get the number one seed because they have a lead on the
Buffalo Bills. Bills obviously have the tie break because they beat them head to head, but technically they can afford to lose one game between now and the rest of the season. So in conventional wisdom would suggest, hey, if he's not ready, we just kind of take this game Okay, if we lose whatever, then we went out and then we get into the bye week. So I think that
that's possibly in play here. Again, the fact that he was a labeled week to week so early that you justly suggests, hey, he's played two games and ten days and you're week to week, You're probably gonna miss the first game. So especially because I think that the and if like they're both primetime games, but the NFL would probably want all in their power to get make sure
Mahomes is healthy on Christmas. Right then people don't want to wake up the presidence the Carson Wentz quarterback, Like, they don't want that because even if they the Saturday game and features Wentz, I think that they would prefer that Mahomes is available on Wednesday with Taylor Swift and YadA YadA yadas. So that's part of my prediction, and
then going into the actual prop of the game. So looking at Travis Kelce here, Travis Kelsey obviously kind of a disappointment again, a fringed, kind of top five Fantasy tight end, kind of ranked every single week, but I think the production has been pretty meh most of the season,
not scoring a lot of touchdowns. It's kind of been one of his biggest things that he's been lacking, and I don't think that increases with you take my homes out of lineup and now he's going to finally score touchdowns, Like I find it kind of that's hard to believe. And I think he's going to go under his receiving yards. So I set his line here at forty five and
a half. Obviously, with the quarterback question marks, we don't have a line on him, but this is a number he's only hitting half the time, Like forty five and a half yards, Like that's the bar for Travis Kelcey all.
Year with Patrick Mahomes.
So given the fact that the matchup is really tough, Houston has been really tough against tight ends this season, I don't know where I'm going to settle ranking Travis Kelcey this week. It's tough because I want to make sure I rank him in a spot where I can help people understand, like, hey, you should start this other tight end that you really wouldn't have otherwise thought about
over Kelsey. But he's definitly gonna be ranked lower than he usually would be when he's usually kind of hovering in that top five range, so I'm interesting to see where I kind of settle on him. But I'm not optimist that Kelsey is going to have a marquee game here in a tough matchup with a downgraded quarterback.
I'm really fascinated to see how these four teams approach this Saturday game because we all four of them have three games in eleven days. They're all playing on short rest, and then about to play on even shorter rest quick turnaround for Wednesday. So I really wonder if we will see I mean, you can't go into Ravens Steelers and not expect, like give it your all. It's for the division, really physical, but at the same time, like you can't also not you can't forget about the fact that there's
another game. The Ravens really, I think benefited from the fact that they just played the Giants and could kind of rest their players late because there's really no threat in that game, knowing what they have coming up ahead
of them. But for all four of these teams, this Saturday game, right in the middle of this three game in eleven day stretch, I'm just really curious to see what the football looks like and what the team's approach is both mentally, mentally and physically honestly, so I'm really fascinating. I like that you picked one of these games for your prediction, Welsh, what do you expect out of this?
One thing you're not thinking of is when Tarantino turned in the script for week sixteen, is that Patrick Mahomes, who wasn't gonna play, is now going to grit it out and have his Jordan game where they can.
I said that his annual Jordan game. Yeah, feels like but they're going to.
Be able to Like I can already see it. They're pulling the clip to Byron Lefwich in college when he had to be carried by his teammates up. They're going to do that with the Patrick Mahomes. They're going to two offensive linemen are going to carry him. You're forgetting the script about that, but I think the play would be not to play him. I'm actually fascinated by r Kelsey one too. I think the line's gonna go higher. I don't think it's going to open around forty five.
I'm going to think it's going to be in the mid fifties, and that's going to be a smash under for you. So I'm not against it or anything like that. Kelsey's look bad. He just looks slow. He doesn't look like the same guy. I do think WinCE could lean on him if he is the starter, even a tiny bit more. But in that same token, that might be the benefit of no Gray.
So I was gonna throw this out, Joe Gray game.
Maybe as you play the unders of Travis Kelcey, play the overs of Noah Gray, because you're gonna get low lines on Noah Gray as you always do. It'll probably be in the mid twenties. So no Gray play. But just just beware of the script for Week sixteen in mahomes.
Blush, What do you got for your number three prediction?
All right, we are going to go with the NFL jam my guy, the ultimate NFL jammer, George Kittle. What would it be if I didn't throw you guys a forty nine er one? I suppose, But it's George Kittle week. It's not Juwan Jennings, it ain't ever Deebo Samuel week. It is George Kittle. And Kittle's going to slice up the Dolphins. We are going over one hundred yards. That would be his third one hundred yard game of the season at tight end. The ancillary note also is we
are hitting the over in this game. So starting with George Kittle. Prior to this past week, the Dolphins had been giving up the most yards to tight ends and receptions to tight ends over a four week period. Over the four weeks, that has tapered down to a little bit more average after taking off the one from a couple weeks back, not counting the snow game. With George Kittle, he has had three weeks of at least six targets
or more. He's gone over sixty yards in those three games, and he also torched the Bears in there for a one fifty one. They still think they're vying for something. I don't. I think the Niners are cooked the bottom of the division. They're embarrassing. You know, they have players quitting on them in the third quarter. Deebo Sam It's it's a disaster. The one person that is not a disaster and is the ultimate team leader is George Kittle. George Kittle is up at every game. Purty loves Kittle.
It's a great matchup on the tight end side. Kittle is going to fry them and it is going to be Kittle probably tight end overall number one this week. And then just talking about the over here for a second, I do think the forty nine ers are going to be hyper hyper aggressive on offense. They've had a lot of weird, stalled offensive games where they so I think
they're going to be hyper hyper aggressive. And in the same token, I think that I mean, the Dolphins played so piss poor last week that you've got to just continuously bad secondary with the forty nine ers. Tyreek Hill is the type of player that will get past the secondary. Even though Tua played really bad and made some really bad decisions. I think that combo of guys like John Hu, guys like Devon ain Chan and Tyreek Hill, they're going
to score. I love the over in this forty nine Ers Dolphins game for sure, but it's going to be about Kittle for me.
What do you think about Kittle?
Ericson, I mean, he's been the only HOBIESA Jwan Jennings. I mean, Kittle's been the model of consistency at the tight end position. So it's it's been hard to find players like him this year at tight end. Well, at least you know, Jonna Smith has kind of filled that role.
Obviously.
Brock Barers has been a great smash of the light round tight end, but like of the elite tight ends, Kittle from day one in the start of the year, like he didn't, he didn't have a slow start, So he's been really consistent and I mean he's looked better than a lot of the other players on the forty nine ers especially, and he's been healthy. So I think that this could be a fun game. Miami's playing at
home where they usually play better. The forty Nars have a losing record, so that means Miami has chance to win this game because they're not playing a team with a winning record. So yeah, I think we're gonna get some points here for two teams that have honestly kind of been just overall disappointments from an NFL standard.
And where you're ranking Kittle, I mean he.
Might be tight end. I mean probably tight end too. I mean behind Bride, he's gonna score a touchdowns, He's gonna score seven.
Thirty ECR behind McBride and Bowers.
Yeah, well, I mean Bowers, I'm good.
I would rank Kittle ahead of if if we get Rider back as quarterback.
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Jared Goff is the sit of the week at the quarterback position, even after coming off a monster performance against the Buffalo Bills. I actually predicted this back in May sixteenth when the schedule first released. I looked at Jared Goff I was like, Man, this guy plays every single game in a dome, oh except sixteen. He's playing at Chicago Sit of the Week Week sixteen at the Bears,
and I'm going I'm sticking to it. I have no reason to fade this prediction because we've seen Jared Goff play out doors and the colt it's not good like he's as Bogs likes to say, as Joey Ple likes to say, he's an indoor cat. So I'm going to
fade Jared Goff this week. I think that he could potentially be a land mine where you drop him after he scored five touchdowns and someone else plays him against you and he bombs I mean, Sam Darnold through five touchdowns played the Bears wasn't that great from statistically speaking. So I think that this is well in Goth's range of outcomes where he doesn't perform up to what he did even close to what he did last week, because I think this is a totally different game environment.
This is not a shoot environment.
This is Soldier Field in December against the Bears. Like this game could be gross and ugly, So that's ultimately I think it's going to happen here. I think Detroit's gonna win ugly.
I don't know.
I don't feel good about them laying the points or laying more than a touchdown on the road against Chicago. So I think that Gof's going to be under his passing arts per I put in the show sheet under two hundred yards, But I'm seeing here on Prize picks his passing yards at two hundred and fifty eight and a half passing yards. That seems like a lot for a an indoor quarterback going on the road, playing outdoors.
Just on in road games in general this year, he's only hit this number in fifty percent of his games. He failed to hit over two hundred and twenty two passing yards last time he faced the Bears, and that was at home, and the one time he's played outdoors this year was at Green Bay, he passed for under one hundred and fifty yards. So I am going to
fade Jared Goff this week. I know that I had started him in a team that unfortunately didn't make it, even though I had Jared Goff and I felt really good about starting him last week, but I would be hesitant to start him this week, and I think that would look for alternatives on the waiver wire. Then rolling with Jared Goff outdoors this week?
Two fifty eight and a half Is that right? That's so high?
I mean I think they were almost five hundred yards last week.
I yah, It's not high relative to who he is, it's high, so.
High for the context of this game. Though, I totally agree with you ericson what do you think? Well, you're a little more interested in it.
This is the only one I think of all these that I'm not like fully on here. He is an indoor cat, like, We'll give him that, but it's not like he's going into San Francisco. Last week or the week before was a rainy slushy game or the Chiefs game, which, by the way, the Chiefs game last week, it was like, oh my gosh, there's rain. There's twenty million hour wins. I'm looking right now. It's early. It's twenty eight degrees, super cold, a little bit partly cloudy, and under ten
mile an hour wind. That's almost non effective except that it's super cold. So I don't know if I'm going to take like any weather conditions of it being December into account. I mean, I do think they'll try to keep it on the ground, but they just lost Dave Montgomery, so it's just Jamior Gibbs. Are you going to run Jamior Gibbs twenty five times? I don't think so. I think it's I.
Mean, I hope think I think they are. But yeah, I think.
There's gonna be a lot of low leverage stuff.
So here's the deal.
This is a bad defense. Now, this is just not good anymore. I think it's gonna be low stuff to a Monrol Saint Brown, break tackles, get open. They play every single game. If you watch, I bet a lot of Jamison Williams. Jamison Williams will run that twelve yard little slanty out and then just get extra yards. They're gonna run those plays all game long. I'm not saying Jared gov is gonna have what he had last weekend, but it's bad defense, and I do think it will
be a lot of Jamier Gibbs. I just don't know if he's a smash sit. I could see him having a two touchdown game. I could see him going under the passing yard marker as well. I just wonder, you know, if the if the outdoor conditions maybe potentially make this a little bit more competitive, if that's going to keep him in this entire game. I just don't think he's
a smash smash sit. I definitely don't agree. The only thing I firmly don't agree on is a landmine where you know, you release him and someone else picks him up and then he just stinks it out. I just don't know if that's gonna happen. There's no when there's no actual other weather, you lost a running back, more reasons to throw more. San Laporte has been more involved. I don't know. I'm probably from a betting angle. I'm staying away from the Jared Goff, But if you like that,
under that spoke to Ericson. I mean, Rickson, you projected it under two hundred. It's two fifty. That's a smash in the world of like projection betting, for sure. But I'm just not so sold that he's gonna demolish. He's not gonna do what he did last week. But he still might have a two hundred two touchdown game.
He's only hit the over on two fifty eight and a half eight times this season, but that's eight But that's been playing in these perfect dome conditions they see the entire year, So to me, only eight times is actually kind of low considering he's played in this amazing offense in these great conditions.
He's had plenty of games where he was set up and the Giant the Lions had the highest implying team total on the slate in the Dome against a good team, and he was underwhelming.
Fantasy.
Also, they have two running backs that run for over a thousand yards. They have two of the best running backs whatever they score like seventy four rushing.
Touchdowns, and the Bears run defense is terrible and one of them's gone.
Now, Yeah, I so I guess I can disagree. I think I mean, Gibbs is my RB one.
This week, Like, yeah, I know agree, Gibbs is a small.
So I think they're just gonna ride him again. We did this last year when guys missed time. We thought maybe they I can't even remember the running back's name, the next guy up there.
They just didn't use Craig Reynolds. I'm sorry I was. I couldn't tell you I apologized Craig Reynolds in your family, but I was.
I was literally just about to look up. I was like, Craig Rendel's still on the.
Like they didn't use him like I thought last year, like, oh, maybe Craig Reynolds gets like that Montgomery roll. And no, they just used more of either Dave Montgomery or Gibbs, whichever guy was healthier. And I think that when coaches and teams are backs against the wall and they think, oh, in theory, like yeah.
We'll get right. No, it's like, no, they're gonna see Gibbs.
And I'm like, man, we just got to keep feeding this guy, especially against the Chicago Bears, and if.
They blow them out, that would be my worry about this is, you know, first bullet is Jamior Gibbs rushing touchdown, and then you know, just awful play, maybe a defensive touch and then Goff throws one touchdown and then all of a sudden, game's out of hand and it's Craig Reynolds in the third quarter. Jared Goff has one hundred and fifty yards and the game is over and out of touch, and they don't want to mess around with that.
That would be more my worry than Goff implodes outside and has three picks in one hundred and twenty yards.
I think that's my take. I think it's everything going into it. It's a little bit the fact that they're outdoors. It's a little bit the fact that the bear's stink. It's a little bit the fact that they're coming off of the loss, and I think could go up big early and then therefore maybe you know, not throw so much late. I just think it kind of all adds up to I think two fifty. It's a pretty high number.
I'm with ericson on this one, but I think you're right that maybe the specific weather angle is a little bit over me.
Yeah.
I mean, like I could be fine with betting that under a pound. I'm not even making the case for the passing yards here, I'm making the case that I don't think the weather means anything, and I also think he could still have like a decent half decent fantasy day while not hitting that over a passing yards. That one I'm not going to argue with at all.
What's your number two prediction?
I'm not trying to argue with anything. Really, just have fun debates here, Bucky Irving, I love me some Bucky. I have not loved me Bucky recently. With that injury two weeks ago, I was like, uh, worked out. This past week, I was like, ugh, did not work out because he broke that big play. But we are back in the Bucky business, and that is what I'm here to tell you, Bucky Irving all the way back. We
are going to this kind of bold prediction. We're going two touchdowns for Bucky Irving this week, one rushing, one receiving. It's a big Bucky week. Dallas is giving up the third most rushing touchdowns to running backs on the year, the ninth most receiving yards to backs on the year. Bucky had seventeen touches last week. He's going to get back going with it from a touchdown perspective. From a yard perspective, they're still going to use Rashad White. But
this team they live through Bucky Irving. And he had the seventeen touches maybe for really good fifteen rushing, and then he had the two catches. I think we could get him pushed back over that twenty mark this year. It's a really good match up against the Dallas Cowboys. They don't give up a ton of receiving touchdowns, but they give up a ridiculous amount of receiving yards and that's going to be really big in play here for
Bucky Irvings. So I think, really this is a Bucky goes Ham but to have some fun with it and change stuff up. I'm gonna say Bucky scores two touchdowns.
Ericson not one, but two touchdowns for a Bucky Irving. What do you think about that?
I think it's aggressive because ra Shad White, he's always lingering around the red zone scored. I think Rashaw didn't score any touchdowns in his first five games, and then I think he's scored in every single week his last nine games played. So Rashad White is on absolute tear. But eventually you'll hopefully we'll see he doesn't score Touchdows. Yeah, I think's good. I think that's that's the only way you get beat here. Well, I think the yardage I
think is gonna be good for him. With Bucky, it's just a matter of well Rashad White end up getting two touchdowns and not Bucky because they use as well in the red zone. But I think it's a safe bet on these Buccaneers running backs regardless love Bucky.
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the future. So hopefully everybody takes just a second to let us know how we did Fantasypros dot Com slash survey and how we can be even better in twenty twenty five. Ericson what's your number one prediction.
Here, Christian Watson wide receiver, one sison, He's going to score touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. We just saw Tara McLaurin. I mean, I think Tim mcclorin could have had five touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints. He was open, deep, short, running around, just absolutely destroying that defense in the red zone. And I think Christian Watson kind of fits a similar mole to McLaurin, where you have a speedy receiver. I think that he can take advantage of the Saints defense
playing at home. And Christian Watson has really been the most consistent receiver for the Packers for the last seven weeks. He's been the guy for them the last seven games. Leads the Packers in targets, air yards, and receiving yards. And that even includes a game where he had no statistics, where he had a complete donut back in week twelve.
And I think what's curious about his streak recently is over the span he has zero touchdowns, right, so he's seeing all the yards, he's seeing all the targets, a lot of downfield shots. I believe Chris Collins were setting on the broadcast on Sunday Night that he's averaging thirty five yards per catch, just something absolutely ridiculous. So he's ripping off big plays, hasn't found the end zone yet.
I think the Saints matchup kind of cures that after we saw what Terry mclaurran was able to do to that defense.
I think Christian Watson's in line for a big game. So if you're looking.
For, hey, flex play Monday night football, who's going to get me to the Fantasy Football Championships?
I think Christian Watson could be that guy set up for a big week.
He's wide receiver forty eight in early ECR. Wel she's that too high? Too lower? Just right for Christian Watson.
Yeah, it's a little low. I love this one. Like I really struggle with Christian Watson, but I feel like the consistency wants to start picking back up. As Jayden Reid kind of coming back down. I wish Dobbs will go away. Dobbs a super annoying, the most annoying player out there. Have like three targets he had two to you know, was it four targets two touchdowns this past week. Like he just does annoying stuff where I feel like that can take away from Watson. Watson's also good in
the red zone as well. But I like this in general because I feel like love is locking in that connection even more with Watson. Mcclaurin destroyed last week, and I completely agree that Watson can be in that role. That's not like you would from a physicality standpoint, you might look at someone like Jayden Reid and be like, oh, Jayden Reid could be that guy. They don't use Jayden Reid like that. They use Christian Watson like that if you can take advantage of the Saints. So I really
like this one. From probably a betting perspective, I'll be involved, and I think he's a flex play for sure. Three wide receiver and a flex you said forty eight, I'd probably, you don't know, like right at the mid forties, you know, maybe even into the high thirties. I think he's right at that high flex maybe even wide receiver. Three standpoint on the matchup.
Do you like him more than Bill's receiver is not named Shakir?
Yeah? Like so like going back to our keon cole Yeah, my key on Coleman one, I would start Watson over Kyng.
I I agree, I agree, but because.
I think there's a little bit more consistency, uh in favor of Watson. And I think if I were, you know, we could play this long touchdown bet game I keep doing like Christian Watson, Keon Coleman, Brian Thomas, like those are probably three of the best long touchdown bets in the NFL, right there, But Watson, I think we'll get more volume fantasy points.
Actually, while we were having this conversation, tweeted out just an update that Christian Watson third highest average separation score this season, behind only Brandon Iuk obviously only played seven games, and Mike Evans, So I can yeah, very consistent. All right, Well, I don't know that I agree with this one, but give us all your number one.
Now you're just like, you're like, ooh, I'm a self loathing raven. This is why you.
I've just watched LaVar against the Steelers too many times.
Lamar Jackson will snap the Steeler curse. I am in. Here are some of his wild numbers. Most of you probably know this. His averages first against the Pittsburgh Steelers on how He's two and five, which is crazy. He is on average one hundred and fifty three passing yards under a touchdown thrown over one pick thrown per game. He has one time in his career thrown over two hundred and fifty passing yards against the Steelers, which is
crazy he has. I'm looking at this game log here, five of seven games thrown an interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It means nothing. Lamar Jackson five touchdowns last week. He's getting back and going back to the well of his great performances. I'm listening to no sit Lamar Jackson questions this week. I'm saying, Lamar Jackson's to play and if he fails, he fails, know what to tell you. Lamar Jackson is incredible with his feet in the air. My prediction,
I'm going three hundred plus passing and rushing. I'm gonna take the rushing upside here. But he's gonna score three touchdowns in this game. I really think he's gonna throw for two. He's going to run one himself. He's going to break this curse. What he's kind of banged up. That defense for the Steelers in general's banged up. They also cannot really move the ball. What's the thing that you were able to do against the Baltimore Ravens. Throw the ball. What can the Steelers not do? Right now?
Throw the ball? If now Pickens is active, that activates and opens that up a little bit more. If this becomes a competitive game, great, even better for Lamar Jackson. But if you take away the passing game from the Pittsburgh Steelers, they're going to struggle. Najie Harris's wash. The Ravens are going to have a higher time of possession. That works very, very well for Lamar Jackson. He wants
to destroy this team. I like Mark Andrews, I like Zave Flowers, Derrick Henry great, Derek Henry has been used quite a bit less, and Justice Hill has been doing a good job receiving out of the back field. So three touchdown Lamar Jackson game, no questions about should you start him and we break this ridiculous curse.
I don't know that I agree.
You don't because you're a Ravens fan, You're like I'm Ravens.
He looks never.
Most uncomfortable against Mike Toman defenses, Like he just he just looks. There are two teams that when the Ravens play them, Lamar Jackson looks like a different player. It's the Chiefs and it's the Steelers, and he's been bad. I will say last year he had he only faced them once because they sat him in Week eighteen. He
had poor numbers. There were like eight drops in that game, like Lamar actually game yes, they were like Bateman dropped one of the end zone, Zay Flowers dropped one wide open, like there was like like truly like seven I think was the official number of drops in that game. It was insane. I've never seen anything like it. And he should have had three hundred passing yards and and a win, So I will give him some credit for that that.
Lamar did play very well in that game, which was the second most recent time that he's faced them, but by and large, he just is. He just looked really uncomfortable. Again, let me ask you something that this team.
Are you sitting Lamar for other viables?
No? No, no, no, absolutely just.
But but you're you're so worried that he's going to struggle, then then should you open up your advice that Lamar Jackson is a potential viable sit in fantasy for those mid tier quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield.
Maybe I would need like some It would need to be a scenario where I have another elite like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Jayde and Daniels, like I need somebody who's ECR like top six to go to go away from Lamar.
I'm not so you would sit Lamar for Jayden Daniels.
I actually probably wouldn't because think the Eagles did so well against him last time. So I wouldn't sit Lamar for anybody probably other than Alan Hurtz or Burrow, which you very likely don't have those guys. So I'm not here saying sit Lamar at the up. It is too obviously insane with him. But when you talk about three hundred total yards and three touchdowns, that's where I just think it is too optimistic. I mean, I would love for you to be right, obviously, but of course for
sure I don't. I don't expect that. What do you think, ericson what do you make of Lamar in this matchup?
Look, man, if he really deserves to be MVP or right up there with Josh Allen, then you got to show out against the good teams.
Right again, I can't do the MVP conversation.
Regardless. Look, he's one of the best players in the NFL. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and this is when you need to rise to the occasion. And I'm gonna have faith in the guys that have got me this far. Yeah, it's a tough matchup, but you know who overcomes tough matchups the best players on planet Earth, and that's MVPs Lamar Jackson. So look, it's the second time around. Can they make adjustments on the
Steelers defense? Is teach one hundred percent? Again with TJ Watt even if he plays like jo what has not been the same player he's been in years pas in terms of like if you just look at his pressure rate numbers, like it's not the same Like again, like he's a game wrecker when it comes to stripping the ball, doing things, causing chaos, creating turnovers. But the Ravens know that, and I think that they might be better prepared this time around to take on the Steelers. I mean, again,
this offense has been cooking all year long. Bateman is baitman gonna come with. I mean, I think having Bateman as a reliable target for seeming like the first time in his NFL career. I think this makes another element to this game. Means they Flowers has been quiet for weeks. What if he pops off here. I think this is the first time we've seen enough weapons where I think Lamar can actually deliver a better performance against Pittsburgh Steelers, because who are the Steers going to stop?
Right?
Like, okay, stop Laar? What about dreck Henry? What about some of these receivers, what about the tight ends? Like health wise, I mean, the Ravens are in a pretty good spot here, I think offensively, So I like, I'm never gonna bet against Lamar Jackson. I don't think that's smart to do. And I get that the matchup is tough against the Steelers both it is one of the best players RI see the occasion.
So yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna be sitting in many spots.
So he has started four games against the Steelers since the start of the twenty twenty season. His completion percentages in those games forty six, sixty two, fifty seven, and forty eight. Two of the four he's under fifty and another one he's under sixty through a.
Pick in every single one as well. It's gonna change this game. It's gonna change again.
It just it just tends to look different. I mean, obviously, Lamari, this is the best version of Lamar we've ever seen, like this season, obviously, regardless whether or not he wins MVP. Like, clearly he's not the favorite right now, but like he's playing the best we've ever seen. And this is the guy who has won two MVPs. So maybe that is enough.
If he breaks the Steeler curse and does what I am talking about. Do you think the odds change because it's like minus nine hundred to Josh Allen right now, it's so crazy in favorite. Do you think the odds become closer now Josh hall I have to use to the Patriots.
I already think that the gap is insane. Like, I am fine with Allan being the favorite. I'm not coming out here and saying Lamar deserves to be the heavy favorite to win MVP, Like Josh Allen has earned the right to be the favorite. But the fact that he's minus nine hundred and Lamar's like plus five fifty, like that gap is wild to me, honestly, because Lamar is having an objectively better statistical season like the case for Allan is the wins and the narrative that he hasn't
won yet, which is fine. Again, I'm not saying that he shouldn't be the favorite, but that gap is wild considering Lamar is currently on pay step like arguably the greatest quarterback season ever when you look look at like passing touchdowns and your receptions, passing yards plus rushing yards, like he is having an unbelievable statistical season. So like, I just think it should be closer, even if Allan is like probably rightly the favorite currently. It's kind of
where I stand on it. I said I didn't want to talk about MVP, all right, I do want to remind everybody if you're thinking about MVP odds or betting on anything else, we are doing a weekly NFL betting live stream featuring Joey p and Andrew Rickson on our Betting Pros YouTube channel. You can come and ask all
your NFL betting questions. They'll be with you every Wednesday at three pm Eastern And for those listening on the podcast, just go to YouTube dot com slash Betting Pros, subscribe and click the bell to be notified of all of our weekly live streams. All right, hopefully we did better on these predictions that we did last week four. Wel and ericson. I'm Ryan Warman. Thank you everybody for tuning in. Best of luck here in week sixteen. We'll see you
next time. Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football podcast. If you love the show, the best freeway to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple podcasts at Fantasypros dot com slash review, or on Spotify. Follow us on x, Instagram and TikTok at Fantasy Pros, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube dot com slash Fantasypros