Whoa, Hey, everybody, It's Tuesday, December twenty fourth, twenty twenty four. Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Show. It's to me your man, MG Marcus Grant, joined by Michael F. Floryio and Lakwan Jones. And it's the day before the day and by that I mean the day before. There are two games on your television set from the NFL on Netflix. Oh and I guess Christmas too, that's also a thing that is happening. Yeah. So this I'm just saying, this is like a new experience. But we had Christmas Day
games previously. It's just that Christmas didn't come on a Wednesday. That's the new part, right, I mean we are we prepared because Florio just feels like now that the NFL is doing games on Christmas, like we're not going back.
Oh, We're never going back. I mean, look like like you said in the past, I was at a Christmas party a couple years ago. It was on a Monday. All right, there's three games on, that's cool. It was on a weekend. There's games on that's cool. On a Wednesday, like just the one day that football should never be played on. And here we are so yeah, we're we're getting games whether you like it or not. On Sorry, NBA, the NFL is here to stay.
Christmas Day used to be for NBA games and like ce tier college football bowl games, right, I mean it was like the the Pooh Line Weed Eater Independence Bowl or something like that was on Christmas Day. But yeah, do you lakwi, is there one game over the other because we're gonna basically dive into the Christmas Day games and Thursday Night football. Is there one of those two Christmas Day games that you are more excited about than the other man.
Honestly, I want to see the Steelers. I want to see George Pickens back out there lighting it up because honestly, I missed the schisty Black Air Force energy man, like I need it back out there. And I want the Steelers to win. I want them to beat the Chiefs, Like I don't want to see them have this perfect season. They got Hollywood brown back. I don't want to see the Chiefs three piece, So I want them to get a look day of coal on Christmas Day from the Steelers.
Well, see, in that case, you should actually want the Chiefs to win this week. You want them to be as high and mighty going into the playoffs so that they suffer a monumentus because they're not gonna be unefeated. They've already lost once. You know, we can thank the Bills for that. There's no perfect season, we can we can take the Bills for that. But you know, like have them take a tumble and have it be more
painful in the playoffs. That's really what you want. Like, like, if you want to be a hater like you, you got to see them rise before you see them fall, you know, if you're gonna get your silky Johnson on this week or this year. So uh, anyway, we are going to dive into the Crew to Christmas Day games. We're also going to dive into Thursday Night Football. We've got some hot starts and some hot takes for you as well. So what let's just get started with the
two games on Christmas Day. Both of them can be seen on Netflix. The first one, Chiefs at the Steelers one pm the Eastern time is the kickoff for that one. Talk a little bit on Monday Show about Hollywood Brown and sort of how he fits in to the Chiefs wide receiver room. It's got really crowded over the last
few weeks, Florio. But if you had to pick one of the Chiefs pass catchers, and we can throw the tight ends in this as well, which one do you like the most against a Steelers defense that has been pretty stingy this year.
Xavier Worthy. I think he is underappreciated now. I know earlier in the year he was like the toy that they had that every so often they would break out for, like a run player or something like that. But like, don't look now he led them in routes ran this past week. Last week he had eleven targets, seven catches, sixty five yards and a touchdown. Nearly had a second touchdown but couldn't get his second foot down. That's been an issue for him a little bit. But he's getting volume,
and it's not just like downfield plays. It's the exact volume you want for him. It's either like a downfield target or it's a short, quick, like creative touch where he could just do what he's doing here, running with the ball space and using that speed. So look, I don't care how good a defense is. Speed transcends and Xavier Worthy someone that I loved in the draft process, and I'm really excited. As much as I hate that he's a Chief, I'm really excited to watch him moving forward in his career.
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting because I think he's sort of the future. Him and a healthy Rashi Rice. Right when we see Rashi Rice back again in this offense, I think those guys are gonna be the primary options going forward. But I was thinking about it watching that game rewatching that game after Saturday, that you know they've got Worthy and Juju is still there. I know Juju is not a big part of the offense, but he's there.
DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown is now there. You still have to get the ball to Travis Kelcey, Noah Gray keeps catching touchdowns justin Watson gets the occasional target somewhere in there as well. There's a lot going on, and that's before you talk about, you know what, like guys like Kareem Hunt and Isaiah Pacheco and samaj p Ryan getting the football. There's like so much going on in this Chief's offense right now, it's hard to kind of put a finger on where you want all healthy.
For the record that they have now, like you wouldn't think like Rashid Rice is done for the season due to friendly fire. Like you would not think like, how are they doing this? No, seriously, how are they doing this?
This has to be magic, devil magic, that's how they're doing devil magic. It is, it is, it is. It is straight up, straight up witchcraft is what this is for sure. Meanwhile, the Steelers are sort of doing it on I don't know, bubble gum and happy thoughts at least offensively, Like defensively they're good. The offense is just good enough. You mentioned George Pickens looks like he's going to be coming back. That's the expectation. He's going to
be ready to go for Wednesday. So obviously we all know we like George Pickens, But Lakwan, is there anybody else in that pass catching game that you like? There? For the Steelers this week?
Calvin Austin man, he's been trying to like mirror what George Pickens brings to that offense and stretching the field. So you know, Russell Wilson, he's going to take those shots and some of those big catches that he had. Honestly, I'm like, yo, you need to get him the ball even more when George Pickens is there because all the attention is going to be on him, and Calvin Awson's having an amazing season. Man, he's definitely jumping on the bandwagon to being a guy that I will draft next year.
He's one of those guys that you can have as your wide receiver four or five and then put him in there occasionally when the matchup is there, especially against a defense that gets cooked on the deep ball. So honestly, man, looking at him going into next year, he's one of those guys I definitely have my radar.
Yeah, I mean, Calvin Alson's the guy that I really liked. He especially was getting love when there was no Pickens. I'm not sure if they both can coexist because as much as Russ has done good things in real football, I do think Russell Wilson has been sort of underwhelming in fantasy. So I do think Alvin Austin does have some potential, but I think he also needs to break some tackles and get a big play in there because I don't know that the volume is going to be
what you want it to be. Do like Pat Fryarmuth though, just because the Chiefs have been kind of bad, against tight ends pretty much all season long. So that's one to keep an eye on. There. The other game that we have going on on Christmas Day, it is the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. That one set to kickoff at four thirty Eastern, and again it is on Netflix, laclid. I'll start with you on this one. Zay Flowers has been hot. He's had some up he's had some really
big games. He had some games. Houston's been a really tough matchup for wide receivers. Can you trust za Flowers against this Texan secondary?
I don't know if he could trust because honestly, this Texan secondary is like really under the radar, good man, and they're taking the ball away. But honestly, man, if I'm in the championship and he's got me here those ups and downs, man, I'm gonna put it to bed. This is literally MVP campaign season for Lamar Jackson, so he's going to be playing his best football, and honestly, a Flowers, he's electric. He gets open, he finds the open spaces, and then he creates after the catch. This
is what he brings to the table. So I think with Lamar Jackson trying to go hard in this MVP campaign, He's going to be able to light it up.
Look, I think you like Zay Flowers because he is essentially the primary target in the passing game and the way Lamar Jackson's throwing the football. It's hard to you know, to to doubt any of those guys there. But you know, every now and then we see the Rashot Bateman resurgence. You know, Mark Andrews is getting his love, especially near the goal line. But I do think, especially in a week like this, I would take the shot, mostly because Lamar's playing so well, and give the shot to Zay
Flowers in that one. On the other side, Floria, I've been talking about Joe Mixon the last couple of weeks because the schedule has not been very favorable to him. He's got the Ravens. The Ravens against the past have struggled. We've been able to figure out that we can start pass catches against them. Running backs have been a tough deal all year long. Can you trust Joe Mixon against this Baltimore front?
It's one of those situations where ideally I don't want to, but you probably have to because, like, are you gonna sit him for like a mirror Abdulah. I don't know, because I get it like last week he did. He struggled, even though he averaged over four yards per carry against
the Chiefs, which was pretty impressive. But the one saving grace I think is as elited as the Ravens have been at stopping the run, they have struggled against aass catching running backs, and we know that that is an area where Joe Mixon can contribute, especially now with Angel being done for the year.
Tony Scale dissipated me.
It's a Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz and then like Robert Woods was third in targets last week, so I wouldn't be surprised if we get a lot more jump offs to Joe Mixon. So again not someone that I'm like, yes, you have to start him, but you'd have to have a pretty good option to get away, just because of the volume that Joe Mixon could see in this one.
And that's sort of where I am with Joe Mixon is that it's hard to get away from him. He's been so good for the majority of the season and there really isn't anybody there that you're worried is gonna take a lot of opportunities away from Mixon, so that means he's gonna be in a lot of lineups. It's just that I go into the week maybe with some lowered expectations about where he is. The ceiling gets a little bit lower for me with mixing just because of
the matchup on the other side. But in terms of opportunity, I think it's gonna be what it always has been for Joe Mixon for sure. All Right, those are the Christmas Day games. We'll get to the Thursday at football a little bit later. It's time to see who will deliver. Presented by Uber Eats. However you define this topic here, Lakwan, who is the player you'd like to speak on.
I think Jalen Warn might be a sneaky sleeper, like I think he's gonna surprise some folks in this matchup against the Chiefs, because honestly, there's been some opportunities for running backs that have been involved in the passing game, and that's exactly where Jalen Ward fits the bill. You look at Chuba Hubbard's game, Alvin Kamara, James Cooch, just to name a few guys. Even Justice Hill had double
digit Fantasy points going up against his Chiefs defense. Listen, it may not be on the ground for him, but he's been running a ton of routes. He's honestly taken up that role and he's keeping Najie Harris at bay. In the last three games, he's out snapped Harris fifty seven percent to thirty five percent. So honestly, he is not even a real worry. And when it comes to routes, Ran Arthur Smith had hisself a little game de little hisself having Cardero Patterson going out there catching passes, but
he's running just as many routes as Najie Harris. So it's like one of those things that have a clear mind that Jalen Warren's going to be able to show up, show out, and hopefully Pickens is back in the lineup as well, so they can create more scoring opportunities because Russell Wilson needs him back to find his way back in the end zone as well, and I think Jalen Warren adds to that.
I know there's been talk in fantasy circles about, you know, creating like a team running back position right where you can just draft, say like you want forty nine Ers running back, which means you'd have like seven guys on your team based on this year. But like if Thattary Hiller,
Patrick Taylor, now, not you, not you. But if we were to do that, it feels like the Steelers would be a perfect test case for it, because if somehow Najie Harris and Jalen Warren could like form like Voltron, they would be one really good running back instead of two mediocre ones in fantas. So anyway, that's all I have to say about that, Florida. Who is your player for this section of the show.
Dalton Schultz, who all year I have had as a sit in stardom Sidham when he has been featured there, And even when Steph Diggs went out, it was like no, no, no, no, no. This isn't like last year because last season it took an injury to one of the top two receivers for Dalton Schultz to get going. This year, it needed to happen twice, and unfortunately it has. So we're at the point where we were last year when Dalton Schultz was a very useful fantasy tight end, where it's only one
Alpha wide receiver out there. That he has to compete with targets with and in this past week eight targets was second most behind Nico Collins five catches, forty five yards and a touchdown. Now he gets the Ravens, who as of late have done a better job containing tight ends, but on the year they're still in the top three in yards allowed to the position. Could be a game where the Texans are in ketchup mode, or it's a back and forth kind of game. They have to throw
a lot. So Dalton Schultz, someone that I was strongly avoiding all year long, is someone that I'm strongly advocating for in championship week. This yeah, Bizarro season comes full circle.
Yeah, it really does. No, I mean, you're you're absolutely right, because right now, all the circumstances point to Dalton Schultz being a big part of the passing game there. You know, you mentioned the matchup, you mentioned the fact that there are guys that are gone now that that were there at the beginning of the year. So you know, back
back in the summer when we thought that CJ. Stroud was gonna look again this year like you did last year, we thought, oh, sure, you can support all these pass catches, it'll be fine. That turned out to not be the case. But as one by one, as one by one, fate has peeled away the other options there for CJ. Stroud and the Texans. Suddenly you know, Dalton Schultz, he's the meme.
But the guy sitting on the couch like pointing at me, who me, Like, that's that's Dalton Schultz this point in the season, since we're talking tight ends, I guess I should, you know, open up the Friars club and say Patrick or say Pat Patrick. Maybe it is Patrick. I don't know. Pat Fryarmuth is the guy that I'm in on this week because I mentioned earlier in the show the Chiefs have really struggled against the tight end position, and for Russell Wilson, he really does like getting the tight end
position involved. Now, mind you, I said that. You know, Russell has not been great statistically, it's been just fine. It's worked for the Steelers to help them get wins. But you know, aside from chucking the ball downfield and saying bleep it, George Pickens is down there somewhere, we're starting to see Friarmuth get more and more involved. Now, mind you, I don't expect huge things out of Friarmuth.
This is somewhat a function of just the tight end position, because after your top say four guys or so, it falls off really really quickly, and you're into streaming territory really really quickly. And I think that's sort of where you see friar Mouth. But this is a matchup that I think can allow him to prosper as long as they can protect against that pass rush and Russell can get the ball out. I think you're gonna see George Pickens get his targets, and I think you're gonna see
Friarmuth gets some love as well. So if you are still streaming tight ends, or maybe you're just playing daily fantasy, I think Pat Fryarmuth has a little bit of a value for you this week. It is Pat.
By the way, it's Patrick John Fireman.
Yeah, all right, thank you Wikipedia, Like I'm glad to know that actually, you know, you actually did real research, like you were a researcher. Here. You have actual research sources that you can go to and not just the wiki for stuff like that. That's what we do, that's that's our job. We just uh please don't please don't put on the internet that I got mad. We're gonna take a break, come back with some hot starts. Look
at Thursday Night Football as well. That's next on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, It's time to Drive your Lineup, presented by the all new hybrid Toyota Camry. So we definitely have more of a clear marching orders on this one. Who's your hot start for the week?
Lakwan Keenan Allen against the Seahawks. Man, honestly, he has been on a street heater the last five games, five touchdown, twenty fantasy points per game. This dude is looking like the alpha wide receiver for his Bears offense. But that doesn't really matter because all the other guys could eat as well. I mean sixty percent of the passes or what their offense are living on where he could spread
the ball around and have these guys feast. We just saw the Vikings have their way with this Seahawks defense. They are suspect I've been screaming at all season long. So what do you think with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both find the end zone? This looks like a Keenan Allen big game. This has been his strongest stretch all season long. So I'm looking for big points from Keenan Allen and DJ Moore might have himself a good game as well.
Now I'm with you. I think this is another Keenan Allen week. I mean he's been a really nice security blanket for Caleb. I think that keeps rolling this week as well. Floria, who's your hot start?
I know I spoke up Xavier Worthy earlier in the show. I'll take it a step further. I think Xavier Worthy is the only chief that you could start with confidence. Like Patrick Mahomes. I know he had a good game last week, but it was the same old usual passing numbers. He just had a rushing time. Travis Kelce. I think it's six straight games in a row now he's been in single digits. The running backs are taken away from each other too much. There's not all three of them
are getting involved. I know we could get excited for what Marquise Brown did, but second game back in a short week, like, I don't think I want to start that in Fantasy Championship D hop you can't trust right now. So despite being fourteen to one, I think there is one player, and it is a rookie wide receiver who was unusable at the start of the year. It is just such a weird season for everyone in fantasy, but especially for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yeah, I mean, Worthy's really starting to come together. It was a slow start, which I guess as a rookie should be kind of expected, but he's really picked things up in the back part of the season. My hot start's gonna be Nico Collins, who's been a great start pretty much all year long for both the Houston Texans and fantasy managers. Unfortunately, now the Texans having to go the rest of the way without Tank Dow they had already lost Stefan Diggs earlier in the season. Collins, all
regular number one option for CJ. Stroud, now gets that much more attention in the passing game. We continue to pick on the Ravens secondary. We have done it all season long, see no reason to stop now. I think in order for the Texans to stay in this one, I think the Ravens are gonna score points. I think the Textans are gonna have to try to match, so Nico Collins an easy start for me in Week seventeen. Look He's probably a big part of the reason you
made it to week seventeen in your fantasy leagues. No reason to try to back away from it now against the Baltimore Ravens. So at talking about Wednesday, let's focus on Thursday, where we do have Thursday Night football the Seahawks and the Bears. You can see that at eight fifteen pm Eastern on Prime Video. Kenneth Walker came back. We saw him for the Seahawks. The Bears run defense
has been very good. So Florio, if I tell you Kennth Walker and Zach Charbonay, you're going either neither or both this week.
I'm going Kenneth Walker and that's it. And it's unfortunate for Zach Sharboney for as well as he played with Kenneth Walker's sidelines. And then Seattle not only named him the starter, they named him a team captain before yesterday's game. And you know how they rewarded him for that. They gave him the same amount of snaps as Kenny McIntosh, two fewer carries and one more target. He had half
as many yards as Kenny McIntosh did. Meanwhile, Kenneth Walker only eight carries, but he had eight targets and that really propels him up. They both kind of saw work near the goal line. The one knock I have on Kenneth Walker as he's not a good goal line runner. I've seen enough of him getting stuffed repeatedly this year to be able to end over the past years to tell you that. But he's explosive and he's getting the volume. So you start him, and unfortunately for Zach Sharbonay, it's like,
thank you for your service. The Seahawks don't really want to trust you. How could we in fantasy? You know?
I mean this is another one where if we could do team running backs Seahawks running backs, we could somehow, you know, match up Kenneth Walker and Zach Sharbonay. We'd be doing pretty well when it comes to our fantasy running back spot. So you sort of answered this, Lakwan, But I'm gonna I'm gonna, you know, kind of may be tweaking a little bit. I'll just say the Wheel
of Bears receivers where you put in your chip. You already talked about Keenan Allen, So I just ask you, like, do you see a scenario where you'd feel comfortable with, say Romo Dunes, DJ More, I think you're starting, but Romo Dunes, would you feel comfortable plugging him in anywhere?
So funny enough, since week nine, you have Keidananda leading them in targets and yards, then you have you DJ Moore leading them in catches. But the one category where Roma Dunze just has the upside every single week he's leading them in red zone targets since week nine. So you're looking at this basically wide receivers where they should all fuse into one Megatron wide receiver, where you have them having their roles in this offense, and Roma Dunese
having that touchdown upside. He makes me like an appealing flex option for me. And honestly, this is going to be a defense. Like I said before, their they're suspects, so he might have some upside the fining end zone as well.
This week. Yeah, look, oh, Duneesa really has been boom or bust, right, Either you get a couple of touchdowns, you get a touchdown or so from him, or you're looking at like six points out of Romo Dunze. So it really has been up or down with him. But I mean, I'm with you in the I think Keenan Allen is kind of the guy. If I had to pick a Bears receiver this week, I think there's brighter days for Odonsay. I think he and and Caleb Williams are building something, but I don't know that I trust him,
especially not in Championship week. I'm not trusting Romo Doonza.
Look a little saving grace for your boy, Marcus and Bears fans. Nine games losses this year without an interception thrown by Caleb Williams, most losses ever without an interception in NFL history.
I mean, look there, they're definitely Look there are moments where it's like, Okay, this is really painful to watch and it hurts my heart. But there are moments where like, Okay, yeah, this is the Caleb we thought we would see. And I think once they start to build, they get a head coach in there and they kind of start to build the program. I think we're going to see that a little more often next year. I don't think that's a hot take, but it is now time for hot takes.
As we close out the show, Well, Kawhan, get a little spicy for us.
Please listen. This is a he may not be in your starting lineers for your championship.
But c J.
Strout is going to have the best fantasy performance he's had all season long. He's coming because listen, we saw how emotional he was and how much of a brotherhood this team is. With Tank Dell going down, I think there's opportunity for him to go out there and get a w for his boy, his best friend, his brother, and go out there and get this Ravens defense secondary guessing it's going to Nico, if it's going to Joe Mixon,
is a Dalton Schultz, whoever the case may be. And listen, this Ravens defense there a lining the most completions of ten plus yards. So therefore we know how aggressive c. J. Strout can be of going downfield. So I'm expecting some big plays from him and showing up and showing out for championships.
I know this is gonna sound really simplistic, but it really is about the offensive line in Houston. If they can give him a clean pocket, give him time. I saw really good things from him last week. It's the problem that the offensive line has struggled. He's been under pressure, and that's when bad things tend to happen again. I know that's a simplest, simplistic view of things, but it also tends to be kind of how the text also effect. Yeah,
I mean, it's just really how it goes. Florida. What's your hot take for the.
Week that that Seattle's water receiver one is going to give you twenty Fantasy points, but it's not the wide receiver you might be thinking of, because their new wide receiver one is Jackson Smith and Jigba, And I don't see how you can really argue this. Right now, he is eight straight games with eleven or more Fantasy points. In that stretch. He is averaging twenty Fantasy points per game. Look at the volume that he is seeing each week.
He had twelve targets this past week, twelve targets last week. He has numerous games in this stretch, four of them actually with eleven or more targets. He is the first raid on the majority of plays, like DK is just the big play threat guy on the other side, but JSN is the guy they run the offense through, and the Bears they've struggled against the pass as of late. So I think Jaysn eats and I think he stamps him as a league winner.
This year. He has taken Tyler Lockett's whole swag, including usurfing DK metcalf as the wide receiver one they're in Seattle for right. My hot take other side of that same game, that Caleb Williams goes for twenty plus points for the second straight week, call the sort of no stats, just vibes, or maybe mild stats, mostly vibes. Every time Caleb has scored twenty points, he has backed it up with another twenty point game. Right. This would be his
sixth twenty point game of the season. They all come back to back, Right, It's like it's like Little Caesars Pizza, you get two for one when it comes to twenty point games for Caleb Williams this season. I think he gets it done against that Seattle's secondary that we've mentioned has been struggling lately, whether it's through Keenan Allen, Romo Dunes, A,
DJ Moore, maybe even DeAndre Swift, who knows. I think Caleb William's gonna get it done for fantasy managers in Championship Week and it will be a merry Christmas for all. And that is it. We are done. We appreciate you hanging out with the NFL Fantasy Football show. You know the drill. Tell two friends to tell two friends rate review. And remember he sees you when you're slip keeping. He
knows when you're awake. Creepy bastard. Be safe, take care of yourselves, have the merry Christmas, and we will talk to you again real soon.
M