Hey everybody, It's Tuesday, September seventeenth, twenty twenty four. Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Show. When we're turning off our notifications, it's me and your man, MG Marcus Grand joined by Michael Florio and Lakwan Jones and fellas, let's just dive into a big piece of news that hit our timelines literally moments after we finished recording our Monday show. We had just packed up and we're ready to head off to our respective days, and the Panthers hit us
with a bombshell. They will not will not be starting Bryce Young, the former number one overall pick, in Week three. Instead, it will be Andy Dalton who gets to start for Dave Canalys's team. So here we are not even three weeks into Bryce Young's second season and the Panthers are already making a change. It caught us all by surprise when we heard this on Monday.
Morning, Florida.
Your initial reaction when you saw the Bryce Young news.
There is one player until Jonathan Brooks returns, there is one player that I care about for the Carolina Panthers, and it is Deontay Johnson. And it has gone as poorly as it could have the first two games. So to me, I think this could be a good thing. I was my memory. I thought Andy Dalton played more games last year than he did, but he only played one game. But in that game, fourteen targets, eleven catches, a buck forty five and a touchdown for Adam Thielen.
This is the best possible outcome if you have Deontay Johnson right now.
Uh yeah, I mean certainly that's the case. Lakwan anybody else? I mean, could we try it again with Adam Thielen?
Could we? Old man?
I mean, like, is there any is it just the Deontay Johnson Show? Can we even maybe buy back it? Because I was saying we should drop Tchuba Hubbard? Can we can we come back to the Chuba Hubbard?
Well, now, I don't know, man, Let's just see what Andy gets in there. And do I mean the last time he started, you know, was last season through the ball fifty six times. So if there's going to be that much, pass erry him and you're gonna get somewhey like Deontay Johnson.
Why not Adam Deeling.
I'm back in on old man dealing. He usually does well with Andy Dalton, So I'm here for it, man, all right.
Well, we'll find out because Andy Dalton has the best passing game for the Panthers over the last couple of seasons when he was starting at quarterback for them last year.
He will now start for them at quarterback this week against the Raiders, so we will see what Dalton has to offer, what this means for the pass catchers, and honestly, the fact that I was really about to put the Raiders in as a sleeper defense in my sleepers column this week and now and have to maybe reevaluate that we'll see by the time we gets later on in the week.
We've got plenty of stuff though, to talk about on this show. We got some realer mirage.
We got some deep dives in the waiver wire into folks that we can say goodbye to as well. Let's get started with some things that we saw in week two, maybe the first.
Two weeks of the season.
We'll decide whether or not these things can stick or if maybe they're just sort of an early season hoax here. So let's start Florida with the Saints offense, because I feel like we.
Were all sort of meh about it.
We didn't have high expectations and yeah, sure we like Chris o'lave, but that was kind of it. They have been lights out through the first two weeks of the season. Derek Carr has been on point Rashika, He's been a big play guy. Alvin Kamara looks like the dude that we saw several years ago. So real mirage with the Saints offense this year.
Real I'm buying in. I don't think they're going to be the NFL's best offense, and they through two games, they have not only been the NFL's best offense. The only team to score more points in the first two games is the two thousand and nine Saints, and we know how that year ended for New Orleans. But the reason I'm buying in is the new OC Clint Kubiak is bringing this offense into the twenty first century. They use seventy two percent of their plays. They've ran motion
on eleventh highest in the NFL. Fifty percent of their pass players have been play action, the highest rate in the NFL. Last year, they were bottom two in both usage on motion and play actions. So I'm buying in. And the scary part is we really haven't seen Chris Olave go off yet.
So yeah, I I.
Lost to with Tongue Baila in the league and picked up Derek Carr on Saturday night after that, and I'm like, cool, I think I'm just gonna ride with Derek Carr until wheels fall off right now.
I mean that's a wild thing that I mean, are we really here? Lakwan? Is Derek Carr a every week starter? For now?
I'm gonna say, real, man, because he is playing out of his mind right now, Like he's playing possibly the best football he's had in his entire career in the first two starts. Because when you have a five to one recond in your last six games, because this dude started off, I mean, he finished the season last year very like strong, so therefore him keeping that same energy from last season going into this next man is amazing to see. How you know, Rashishid is coming off popping
off the way he is as a deep threat. Like Florio said, we yet to see Chrystal Love to really connect downfield and become this huge fantasy wide receiver one that we know he can be. So I'm really buying into the Saints offense.
Man.
It is definitely real with Derek Carr playing out of his mind.
Yeah.
I said last week on Fantasy Live that car was sort of a beware, maybe even a sit against the Cowboys, and then he lit them up and I started looking right. I'm going go back to the last four games of last season now the first two games of this season. In those six games, he's averaging about two hundred and forty passing yards per game, a total of seventeen touchdowns and two interceptions. Dude has been cooking since late last year. It's carried over into this year. So at some point,
maybe the Derek Carr jokes got to stop. Maybe he really is doing some things down there in New Orleans. Saying in the NFC South, Baker Mayfield's got enough to a quick start last year. We thought maybe it was the Dave Canalis effect. This year, maybe this is just who Baker is now. When it comes to feeling dangerous, Lakwan real mirage with Big Bak.
I'm gonna go real with Baker man. And look, I don't know what's in that flow to Walda, but he's been drinking and playing at a high level. Man, Because even with Aiden Hutchinson abusing him yesterday, like he still found a way to win, Like he was able to get out of the pocket, he was able to make some big plays and extend the plays. Like Baker's playing some high level football right now, and like heading into Monday night, he's a top five fantasy quarterback right now.
Like this is crazy to think about, like are we in assimilation right now? But it's like, Man, I definitely like what I saw out of Baker yesterday, man, and like him playing at this level. Hopefully everybody stays healthy and they can keep on clicking on all cylinders.
Is Baker QB one now in Florio? I think so?
Or in the running at least, Like I think what he's doing is for real. Last season, the beginning of the year, he was just like a pure floor guy. But towards the end of last season he was someone that I was like routinely writing about as a start down the stretch. And then what he's done this year. He's come out and look, it's not it's two things.
One, it's the.
Numbers he's putting up as a passer and the fact that the Bucks continue to be like Rashade White can't run the ball, Let's just throw as much as we possibly can, but two because Rashad White cannot run the ball. We've seen Baker run a little bit more. He ran for at least twenty rushing yards in each game. He had a rushing touchdown yesterday.
And what I like is look at his schedule.
He gets the Broncos next week, then he gets the Eagles, both of those games are at home, then indoor games against the Falcons and Saints, and what could potentially be a little bit higher scoring games than we envisioned. So yeah, I think Baker and Derek Carr are two guys that probably were on your waiver wire.
To start the year. And if you don't love your.
Quarterback play so far, you could just easily plug in and roll.
With right now. Yeah, man, Baker's staying hot. Man, I like them. The first couple of weeks.
I'm starting to think that maybe this is going to be a year long situation with Baker.
Vermandre Stevenson.
I had a really big Week one, not too bad as a follow up in Week two and the lost to Seattle. I mean, Florida'll stick with you here? Real or Mirage? Can Andre keep this up?
I think this is.
Real because one like They've played two pretty good defenses so far in the Bengals and Seahawks, and Maddison has Stevenson, I'm sorry, has been very effective. I like that he had the five targets yesterday. That the volume is great even with Antonio Gibson getting involved at such a high rate. Stevenson saw twenty one carries in five targets. Like that is elite volume. I have him as a start again next week. I think the volume alone keeps him in
play every single week. But if the Patriots are gonna play this way where they're they're gritty on defense to keep games close and they just run the ball, you're gonna want Stevenson every week.
I think Lakwan should we be worried about Antonio Gibson at all?
Uh No, because man, you're looking at the voum that he's getting. And that's why this is real to me because based on what we've saw the last two games, man he's had over twenty rushing attempts him back to back games, which he's only done once in his career. So Alex van Pelp is going to be leaning on
him as this workhorse. But you gotta love and appreciate his involvement still in that backfield as a pass catcher, so it's like he hasn't really seen this type of workload on a consistent basis in the Bill Belichick er. So you know, fifty one touches after two games, which is the most in the first two games he's had in his entire career. So I'm gonna be righting this train as well, Like he's a start for me until we see the touches go down and Gibson starts, you know, cutting into that.
Yeah, I saw Gibson put a big numbers when you dive into it, didn't really play that many snaps that forty.
Five yards are on Then he had man.
Yeah he had a one one big play and that was sort of it at that point. Last one here, Alec Pierce had another touchdown this week.
Real or mirage for him, lakwan.
I'm gonna go mirage only because it's still early in the season and it's like Ale Pearce is a top ten Fantasy wide receiver. So it's a little weird, like are we in the shadow realm right now? Like this, No, this is real, So I think there's enough tape now you know these last two weeks where these teams are gonna start looking at a way to take Alex Pierce
out of the game. They're gonna start game planning how to stop Anthony Richson on this deep ball because again, Michael Pittman, he's a guy that's really suffering, you know, with Alec Pierce being the guy that can really stretch the field and make these big plays, even though he's always been their deep threat. But I feel like a lot of teams are gonna start clamping down on ale peers, Like they're gonna start going into these meetings like you see this guy. You see this guy right here that's
not Cooper Cup. We're gonna we're gonna stop him because he's playing as if he's Cooper Cup making all these big plays.
Yeah.
Uh, you know, Floria, we talked on Monday show about our concerns with Michael Pittman. It just feels like it's gonna be hard to find a consistent target in that passing game for us for Fantasy this year.
Am I wrong on that or what? No?
I I and I don't think you're wrong at all, but I think there is I'm still gonna say Mirage for now, but I think there is a chance to come the end of the year, Alex Pierce, it's gonna sound very bold, might be their leading receiver.
Oh wow.
Anthony Richardson has really struggled on short and intermediate passes, but he has the arm of a like like a mega man like it's a legitimate he heave the ball downfield, and Pierce seems right now to be their best field stretcher, So I think it could be very best ball centric style, where like he has some huge games and some dud games, but at the end of the year he might be there. I know it sounds really spicy, but like, I don't know.
Lois the only quarterback with a lower completion rate since the start of last season than Anthony Richardson is Taylor Heineke. So as much as I love Richardson for fantasy, I am very concerned about his past catchers. But the one area of his passing that I'm not concerned with is the downfield ball because he's clearly is one of the best in football.
Yeah, you know, I'm I'm I was a year early on Alec Pier. I'm sticking by that. That's my thing. I was on him last year didn't work. Now it's happening. I'm just gonna say that I was just a year ahead of everybody else. All Right, we're gonna take a quick break, come back. We'll get some deep dive waiver wire options and folks that you can put back in
the free agent pool as well. That's coming up next on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, taking a deep dive on the waiver wire for deeper leagues or just the folks that might be flying under the radar a little bit. Lakwan, Who's the guy that folks maybe should be paying a little extra attention to.
Deontay Foreman. Man, it was very interesting to see that he was getting this fifty fifth split with Jerome Ford and like, you know, week one it was all Drome fordwards seventy two of the snaps, and then you look at week two, man, they kind of were, you know, split in half in both roles in the pass catching
and you know, and runs on the ground. So it's like one of those things where you know, if you're looking for a running back right now with all these injuries, Man, Deontay Foreman, he's one of those guys has always had a productive career, you know, entering back into the NFL, going back to Tennessee. So if you're looking for a guy that can potentially take on some work horse abilities, Deontay Former is definitely your guy.
I definitely think there's a changing of the guard in the backfield. Not that Ford's going away, but Forman's gonna get some more love. Who is your deep dive guy for the week Flooria.
This is a deeper name. I know, and I get it was kind of a blowout, but Jalen Tolbert of the Dallas Cowboys just I like the usage that I saw out of him in Week two. So he ran forty routes which led the team. I understand they pulled Ceede Lamb because it was a blowout, but he had nine targets which also led the team a lot of air yards six catches for eighty two yards. And the thing is, Brandon Cooks looks a little cooked potentially early on. So I think there is a chance for Jalen Tolbert
to blossom as the number two wide receiver on this team. Now, I do think Jake Ferguson will be ahead of him if and when he is healthy, but still on a Cowboys team that is going to throw as much as I think this Cowboys team is going to throw. In a deeper league, I'll be interested in taking some shots on Tolbert this week.
Yeah.
I mean, we said coming into the season the job, the number two wide receiver job was wide open there in Dallas, and Tolbert might be making a strong case for it. For me, I'm gonna go with samaj p Ryan And obviously we're still you know, we know that we're not gonna have Isaiah Pacheco for a while because of the fractured fibula. Very curious to see exactly how things are split up in that backfield. Carson Steele going to get some opportunities, But you do like that pe
Ryan has that pass catching upside. You know, he's a guy that we saw him do that in Denver for a couple of years. The Chiefs very much a short passing game team right now. That's how that offense is working. We've seen Jack McKinnon thrive in that role. So I think pe Ryan's going to be the guy of the two between he and Steel that has the most value,
at least in the short term. If you're in a fab league, I wouldn't go breaking the bank for a guy like samaj A Ryan, but he should be added in pretty much every format because he is going to have some value as long as Isaiah Pacheco is out. So if we are adding guys, that means we have to be letting guys go.
So Lakwan, who are you saying goodbye to.
Bye bye to Ezekiel Elliott Man. I am done with this Cowboys backfield only because of the fifty fifth split with Rico Daddle and they also signed Dalvin Cook, which we can assume should be making his debut soon. Because this backfield is not getting it done. I mean, both Rico and Zeke are averaging less than four yards per carry and I'm not seeing much production being split or one guy's taking the job and the other guys taking the role of being the pass catcher where they both
have twenty touches at piece. So there is no real RB one down there in Dallas. So therefore I'm just gonna fade make some type of room for other guys that I need to show up and show out.
Yeah, I mean, Zeke looks slow. I mean there's no other way to say it. He just looks slow, the grands Grandpa Zeke. Yeah, I mean I think they're gonna find other options at some point. It was nice, it's a nice reunion. It's fun, but he's just not the.
Same Jersey sales.
But no, Yeah, uh, Floria, You're you're saying a bye to a Buffalo Bill. Is that what I'm saying here?
Yeah, the Buffalo Bill that I was telling everyone not to draft. But I did take him in one league, my home league, because they pulled up Coleman and Shakir knowing that I wanted them, so I said, just in case I'm wrong, let me take Curtis Samuel.
I was not wrong.
Uh. Curtis Samuel is playing right now behind not only Coleman and Shakir, but also behind Mac Collins, uh and and in the tight ends there as well. If you want, James Cook is getting more pass game usage. Curtis Samuel is being used like a gadget player. Like they bring him in for a couple of like a play here or there that is designed for him, and then he's back to the bench. And I know people could say
he's dealing with turf toe and stuff. I don't on a Bills team that is not throwing as much as they have in the past, and you're the wide receiver four behind also a tight end or two. I don't see any reason to keep the guys so much better real life player than fantasy play, and I'm fine throwing him.
Back on the weaver Watter.
Yeah, it seems like a lower volume passing offense in Buffalo through the first couple of weeks at least, and I just don't know that there's enough to go that deep in the pass catching roster for Curtis Samuel Be on a lot of fantasy rosters. You mentioned Brandon Cooks earlier, Florio, and I'm with you. I've liked Brandon Cooks throughout his career, but it seems like things are starting to wind down.
We're still trying to figure out who is the number two receiver there after CD Lamb, and we still don't know. Maybe it is Jaln Tolbert, maybe it's somebody else. Maybe it could just be that this passing game lives with Lamb and a healthy Jake Ferguson when it's all said
and done. But either way, I don't know that there's gonna be enough volume consistently to have Brandon Cooks, Look, there may be a game or two where he goes out and he has a nice fantasy performance, but I just don't know that it's going to be consistent that you're going to hold a roster spot for him, especially one in a year where passing numbers are down early and so many teams are running so many pass catchers out there that it's hard to really make a case
just to hang on to a guy who is you know, the floor is low, the ceiling is low, and it's just going to go up and down on a week to week basis. So, Brandon Cooks, thank you for all of your years of fantasy service. But it seems like twenty twenty four maybe where we have to part company. It's a dub's that's sort of it, sadly.
Not sadly though, we have plenty of football coming up later on in the week.
Of course, we will have more shows for you as the week goes on as well, so be sure to like and subscribe, make sure you get all these things in your feed all throughout the week Monday through Friday.
In the meantime, though.
That'll do it for this edition of the NFL Fantasy Football podcast. They happy, safe and healthy, do good and live well. Enjoy the week, everybody. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Wow.
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