Week 15: Start 'Em, Sit Em

Wow, it's Friday, which makes it side For another edition of the Stardom Sidham Show. I am Marcus Grant, joined by Michael F. Florio, who writes the Start sid column. You can see it every week at NFL dot com slash Start Sit. I gotta Is it harder or easier to write this column.

In the fantasy playoffs depends how you look at it. One, there's more pressure to be right because look, if I get something wrong in week six, I always want to be right and help your fantasy teams. But if you get to something wrong in week six, it's like, all right, you live to see another day. You get something wrong in the fantasy playoffs, you're casting someone their season.

Uh.

But also I kinda I don't try to get as spicy with the sis because of that, So it makes it a little bit easier.

Yeah, I get that.

Like it's it's easier to take those big swings in the middle of the season as opposed to now, where like as you mentioned, everything's a little bit more.

The stakes are higher, for sure.

Yeah, make sure they always are, always have been.

Make sure you throw your dms.

Also joy by Lakwan Jones, who does not right to start column, but he drinks a lot of Cranberry jews, and we feel like that's worthy enough to get him on the show here. So let's uh, let's start Floria with your quarterbacks. Who are your starts and sits for the first week of the fantasy playoffs.

I have Jayden Daniels, who has been red hot as of late. It's funny, he's ribs healed and he's back to looking like an elite fantasy quarterback.

He's a start against the Saints.

Kyler Murray has been very up or down, but the Patriots have struggled against the pass as of late and have allowed some big fantasy days. Anthony Richardson ran all over them, so I have him as a start. I disagree with Lakwan who yesterday said he has Jared Goff as a sit. I have him as a start because I expect a lot of points in this and I think the Bills are gonna sell out to try to stop the run, which will open things up for the

Gino Smith.

He leads the league in a whole bunch of passing categories, it's not leading the fantasy success. Here's just three games this year with over eighteen fantasy points and then Kirk Cousins. You couldn't pay me to start Kirk Cousins in the fantasy playoffs.

I mean I couldn't because I don't really have that much money. But I'm sure somebody out there could find enough money to pay you. All right, Steve Cohen would give me enough money to start him.

There you go.

But would you get your own suite at City Field? That's the guy I would request it, all right, there you go? Alright, as we look at these quarterbacks here, you know, Kenner Murray has been just sort of meh this season. I know Floria likes him as a start. Do we believe is this week he turns it up when you need it the most.

Uh Yeah, I think this is a good week for Michael Wilson, you know. And I think this is maybe a good week for James Connor to get involved out of that backfield that in the passion game, I'm a little worried about Marvin Harrison. I think that's where a lot of people, you know, put their weight on Kyler Murray. But I think Kyler Murray's still threatened with his legs and the matchup against the Patriots is an upward matchup for him to have like a solid floor fantasy point,

All right.

So we're in on Kyler Murray this week against the New England Patriots. That's uh, you know again, I know he's he has not provided the production that I think a lot of us hoped for. All that being said, he's still a top ten fantasy quarterback this year. It just it just hasn't quite happened the way we wanted to. Moving on to the running backs, though, Who's up, Who's down?

This week?

Florio a lot of Cardinals this week. I think James Connor is a mustard option. He is so much guaranteed volume each week, and he has a good matchup against the Patriots.

I think Truba Hubbard remain.

Look, it's awful what happened to Jonathan Brooks, and it pains all of us, I would say, but the benefit for fantasy, the winner is Truba Hubbard here and it's a great matchup against the Cowboys. Aaron Jones went off against the Bears last time and since we ten, the Bears have allowed the most rushing yards. They allow a lot of explosive runs. All of that to running backs. Look, we've spent a lot of time this week talking Rico Daddle on like every show we do, so Rico, we're really.

Gonna need you to have a good game.

And then yeah, the sis DeAndre Swift because the Vikings are really tough against the run. DeAndre Swift has really struggled as of late, and he got held in check by them a couple of weeks ago. The Steelers running backs. I spoke about this on yesterday's pod. But the Eagles are really tough run defense. They could score points, so it could be a game where the Steelers have to throw.

More h and then I don't see any way.

They're just names right now to me, Travis Etn and Nick Chubb, Like, I don't see any way you could start either one of them. With the fantasy season online. Travis Etn has fully lost his job to Tank Bigsby.

For by the way, I mean, I was gonna say, I mean, LaQuan, what wtf happened with Travis Etn? Right, Like, Okay, look he was he was running back three last year. I think we can all be like, all right, I think that that probably was gonna happen again, but just to fall completely off a cliff. I don't think any of us saw that one coming either.

I'm wondering if he's healthy or not. Like it looks like he just completely lost confidence in that backfield. Then Tank Bigsby, you know.

How the roles switched.

It's crazy because last year, you know, Tank Bisby lost his confidence, you know, but this year is the bounce back of the talent that they saw in him. And it's like Travis Etn has not been in starting lineups for a very long time for your boy, Like I forgot he even played football, that's how bad it's been.

I just I'm imagining Lakwan watching football on Sundays and being like Travis eat in twenty twenty four.

What it's kind of like you realize that Mike Williams plays for the Steelers, like randomly just thinking like, oh, yeah he does.

But that that's what I see.

The other one that I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks is just like watching scrolling on social media and like having the random person every few plays being like, wait, Kadarius Tony's with the Browns. Like that's been a thing for cause not anymore, not anymore, but like I did it.

I did it.

I've seen several other people like wait, bit Cadarius Tony's a Brown Well yeah he fumbled, he was. But that's how we all found out is because he fumbled, right, And I was like, oh, Cadarius Tony's with the Browns like that's if it was like we all collectively had the same realization at the same time.

Yesterday, me and Patrick Claybond were like, wait, Tim Boyles the Giants backup quarterback. Now, like he started for Miami a couple of weeks.

Ago, he started well.

He also started that Black Friday game last year right with the uh wow, the pick six, the Hail Mary pick.

Six and then the Robert Salo toothbrust commercial is ingrained in my brain.

That was a great moment in football history. Hopefully for some better moments in football history. This week, we'll talk about some start sit wide receivers.

Who do you like.

I have Jerry Judys reach must start status.

To me, I keep joking like he's the second coming of Jerry Rice, but with Jamis Winston, he is a wide receiver one. I have Garrett Wilson and DeVante Adams catching passes from a quarterback who doesn't think I'm real, but I still put them in the starts, just like ric o'dowdo. We've all spoken up Khalil Shakir this week, So Khleil, we're really gonna need you to come through and then Calvin Ridley, another person I've spent a lot of time talking up this week, volume, upside, great matchup.

All of that is there for him. And then my sits.

I said, I don't get spicy, but Brian Thomas Junior is a top ten wide receiver on the year, and I still think you sit him though the production with Mac Jones has been down.

The Jets are a really tough.

Secondary and he plays mostly out wide, so he's gonna see a lot of Sauce Gardner and a lot of DJ Reid Michael Pittman Jr. I have is a sit he could see a lot of Patrick's Ertan and then Tank Dell like he's another one. He's like Travis Etn and CJ. Stroud Like he's just named right now.

I don't see how you trust him with your fantasy season on the line.

Aaron Rodgers sounds fake.

So here's the I I need you to break the tie on this one, Lakwan, because Flourio's got Brian Thomas as a sit, I've got him kind of I guess sleeper ish or at least a guy to pay attention to. Just because it feels like the Jags are sort of trying to force the issue. Over All, the matchup not great. Over though, the last couple of weeks the Jets a little bit more vulnerable. Where where do you fall on the Brian Thomas Junior start sit debate this week?

I feel like, if you can get away from him, you would, but if you can't, like you just got to feel, you know, somewhat confident that he makes a big play, because that's honestly what's gonna take. And mac Jones has kind of just been Mac Jones of what we've known in the past, so there's not much of a safe floor there and matchup is got awful, so I really wouldn't want to swing for the fences in

All right, So it's a you know, we're not we're not really enthusiastic about Brian Tom. I think it's sort of the the overall feel as well. Yeah, I mean, like I said, I I can make a case for it. I can certainly understand if folks want to get away from him this week.

So there it is. Uh, let's finish up with tight ends.

Of course we're starting in this place, right Florio, this is this is the only name we have to start with at this point.

Tom Smith Smith.

Who knows about the bet and is going to do everything he can to turn the Kwan's hair strawberry blonde.

But this is where we reached.

With John Smith the Texans for much of the years, when the toughest matchup for tight ends, I don't even think you think twice, like, he's been so good you have to start him. The upside is too high, Henry. There's seven tight ends who have averaged more Fantasy points per game than Henry has with Drake May, one of which is Taysom Hill who's done for the year.

So there's really six.

Like the volume in the production has been too good and I don't think he's getting enough credit for that.

And then Pat Fryarmuth more.

Yards as of late, a couple of touchdowns as of late, and no George Pickens in a game where the Steelers could be trailing that that means more volume for Pat Fryarmuth.

I believe.

And then my sits, Evan Ingram in the last four games is high is eleven and that game in the game where Trevor Lawrence started and then got knocked out. He just hasn't been the same player with Mac Jones, hasn't top fifty yards, hasn't caught a touchdown Kyle Pitts. Look, you could throw one of us three out there and we might have the same day as Kyle Pitts because we would get one catch for like twelve yards and never get back on the field.

But that's about an average Kyle Pitts game right now.

And then I have Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox as sits, and lastly Cole Comet and the Vikings, because Comet will have a big game every so often and then he'll go like three where he combines for like three targets for thirty yards and then like I'm not playing that game in the Fantasy playoffs.

Yeah, uh, that's a rough way to live, for sure.

I don't even know where to go with Titans.

I mean, I gotta ask you about about John new Lukwan, but I think we've already we sort of have.

He's the he's the tight end.

God.

I mean, like it's insane. With the yards that he's doing, the catches and him knowing about the bet, it just kind of just makes it like, oh, yeah, you start, John new He's trying to get my hair blonde.

He hates me, He absolutely hates me.

I'm pretty sure.

I love that we've turned the kwan from the biggest John new Smith's stand there was now.

Actively rooting against him. Now you're like you're one of his ops. Now like this is the best. You become one of his ops.

It's crazy he's called in Ruckus and the Jones family because obviously my wife does not want my hair blond.

I don't want my hair blond.

But here we are the season though, like this is yes, this is great, man, And shout out to cam Wolf who made sure that Johnny knew about.

The whole thing too.

And I heard him laugh and yeah, apparently he had a good, good laugh about that.

So shout out to cam Wolf for helping us out with that. For sure.

Uh yeah, it's a rough I would say this, it's a rough week for tight ends. When I was writing The Sleepers, Connel, I was trying to figure one out like I put I put Noah Gray in as a sleeper, and I really started, I started honestly with like, I'm gonna be honest with you, it's not a great week for sleeper tight ends. It's just not We're gonna try to We're gonna try to do some mental gymnastics and make it work with Noah Gray here as a sleeper. But that's sort of where we are with this one

But in the meantime, don'll do it for this edition of the.

Startum Centum Show. We appreciate you as always hanging out with us. Enjoy the weekend, Enjoy Week fifteen. Good luck to you in the fantasy playoffs. Hopefully it is a successful one. The meantime, we will talk to you all again real soon. M