Wow, Hey everybody, It's Monday, December twenty third, twenty twenty four. Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Show. It's me your Man, MG, Marcus Grand joined by Michael Floya and Lakwan Jones. Did we still haven't started wrapping Christmas presents? It's been a big week, man. It's Week sixteen. It's the semi finals in fantasy football. I know there's still one more game to be played. Are you guys looking like you're on track to make it to any championship games? Florio, I don't.
Want to talk about it. I had three games going yesterday where I looked great. One, MG, I ran into you in a dynasty league, and I had a great week. I had Lamar, I had Jaden. You put up two hundred points. I had another game where I scored one ninety, which in that league is like off the charts, but I got garbage time to death and lost by one point. And then I had another league where I'm the second highest score and I played the only team that scored
more than me. Yesterday was not a very fun day for me watching.
How how are we feeling, LaQuan? I actually woke up to a text message of you getting edged out in one of your ladies. But I hope the rest went better. No.
I mean, look, I woke up yesterday morning five thirty. You know, Manchester United they do a dump three mil.
It is what it is like.
I just woke up with bad energy.
And I knew, I knew. I knew that day that.
Something's going to go wrong. And I lost by one point.
And that's because Jayleen mcmallan didn't come through for me as much as I thought he was, but apparently because I had to go to bed. There was a four quarter interception that was going to him, which would have cleared me straight cake walk to the championship.
But nope, nope. Oh yeah, the Bucks did everything they could yesterday to every single thing.
Yeah, that was That was certainly frustrating for sure. Yeah, the one we I'm in, it's it's the one against you, Floria, which a little bit of a surprise. I was worried when I saw that you had Lamar Jackson, but you know, things turned around, so he was.
My second best quarterback. That didn't matter.
That works for me. We have a play to talk about. We're gonna have our biggest takeaways from Week sixteen. Understanding there is still a Monday night game to be played, but let's get started as we normally do with the fantasy headlines and a big one coming out of Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts left the loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday with a concussion. Now, as of us recording this show, no word on his status. Also, Kenny Pickett a little bit banged up in that one, but we'll see who's
going to be the starter. But Floria, I'll ask you how deep on Philly pass catchers can we go if indeed it is Kenny Pickett starting next week?
You could go too deep. You could go AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and that's about it. And next week I mean, like AJ look, I'll give him credit. Kenny Pickett was slinging it to AJ Brown and forcing it to him and doing things that. Like for weeks we were like, why can't Jalen Hurts get AJ Brown the ball? So the volume that he saw yesterday with the fifteen targets, yeah, I don't see how you get away from that. DeVonta Smith had eight. Literally every other pass catcher on Philly
combined two targets. So as much as like Kenny Pickett, we don't love him and everything. He did what we wanted. He had tunnel vision and he said, I'm throwing to these two players and that's it. So yeah, I think it's them two in Saquon and then you get away from the rest of the Eagles.
I mean, I was say this, Canny Pickett knew the assignment right. He came in the game. He was gonna find aj Brown at all costs, so we can certainly thank him for that. But yeah, if you were trying to go a little bit deeper, if you're trying to start one of the tight ends or somebody like that, you might be out of luck heading into week seventeen. Meanwhile, in Arizona, James Connor suffered a knee injury in their game against the Carolina Panthers. Now, after the loss, the
Cardinals officially eliminated from playoff contention. So I don't know if this has any impact in what's gonna happen with James Connor. But you know, going forward in Arizona, I mean there's some decent matchups.
Lakwan.
You also have Trey Benson banged up. I mean, what are we doing in this Arizona backfield.
I mean, do you like Michael Carter?
Is he on the table for you as a starter in the championship if you happen to get there with James Connor out now, I mean, I don't know. I'll probably pivot the other options if I can. But honestly, as a Rams fan, I'm actually happy about the eliminated. So when we do play them this week at Rams House, you know we are cool, common collected. There's not much to be expected from the Cardinals team that I really
didn't believe into. But back to the subject, at him, James Connor, it's a huge loss, but honestly.
He may be okay. He didn't look like he was.
Down in spirits on the sideline and like he kind of was like encouraging his teammates out there in the first downs that Michael Carter was getting in the explosive plays that he was able to get. But more so looking at James Connor, you're just hoping that he's okay and we get an update of status and that he should be good to go.
Yeah, I mean, I think we just got to got hoping on that, right because he's been so good all year long. I know a lot of us were into trade Benson sort of certainly as a handcuff and maybe as a guy who late season value. Look, look, I'm not naming and shaming here because I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It just seems right now a lot less likely than it did, say back in August
and September, with Trey Benson there in Arizona. But who knows, maybe with the Cardinals not going anywhere, they decide to see what they have in their young guy. We'll see anyway. Those are guys that we're hoping would be fantasy heroes. Now we have some guys who were actually fantasy heroes. Looking at the top scores of the week, with still one game left to be played, but Jade and Daniels
getting it done in a big way. Five touchdown passes for the rookie, including eighty one rushing yards almost thirty five points there. Jonathan Taylor two hundred and eighteen rushing yards and three touchdowns that was good for nearly forty points. Justin Jefferson ten for a buck forty four and two tuddies that was thirty six points there. Brock Bowers continuing
his amazing rookie season. Eleven catches for ninety nine yards, twenty point nine points for Bowers, Brandon Aubrey, four field goals, two point afters that was twenty points, and the Falcons defense getting it done against Drew Lock and the Giants. Three sacks, three takeaways, two touchdowns, seven points allowed. That worked out to twenty five fantasy points. So those are the guys who were the overall fantasy heroes. Lakwan, who was your own individual fantasy hero this week?
Well, Calvin Ridley was my fantasy hero. Like he might not have been the biggest fantasy hero out there, Like if we're gonna talk Avengers, like he would basically be Hawkeye, like there's no shot or dirt on like like he's cool, like he has cool arrows, but he's a serviceful guy. And that's exactly what Calvin Ridley showed up and did. I mean, honestly, the first quarter bomb to him was like,
oh okay, we're here. Even though the game got blown out, Like the Titans in Mason Rudolph remained like a feisty team, like they're gonna go out there and still try to put something on tape.
They're still going to try to go out there and play good football.
Calvin Ridley put his cape on dun Da da da and saved your boy in one of my leagus that I'm less caring about, but you know, it's one of those leagues that you had friends from previous jobs and they're all kind of bad.
I do love that Launch is working a lot of real lifestyle into the show today. This is like, yeah, I look at somebody who does it. I'm not mad about it at all. Florida. Who is your fantasy hero for week sixteen?
I was all ready for it to be James Connor and then he had to go and get hurt and all that, so poor one out who he still was amazing even though he didn't even get to play two and a half quarters or whatever it was in that game. For me, it's Sam Donald, who I think is just being very underappreciated right now. And I went off Fantasy Live last week and was like, I had a league where I was streaming quarterbacks all year and Sam Donald
was one of them. And at some point I just decided I'm going to play Sam Donald and not think twice about it, And it's really worked out in six of his last seven games, he has thrown multiple passing touchdowns. He has cleared nineteen fantasy points in each of those.
And when you take a look around the quarterback position, there's one we've reached the time of year where there's a whole bunch of backups playing, But then there's also guys like Anthony Richardson, brock pardy To who really haven't lived up to expectations, who have been very up or down week to week. Sam Donald is the exact opposite of that. There was no expectations, but he's been awesome, He's been consistent, and he has been one of the
safest quarterbacks in fantasy football. I think he should be in the MVP conversation, not win it. But Sam Donald deserves a lot of love for what he has done this season.
I will slightly correct you is that there were expectations for Donald, but they weren't good. They were the reason. They were the reason that a lot of us sort of downgraded Justin Jefferson, right, were like, I don't know how Justin Jefferson because he's got Sam Donald. Like there's reason we backed away from Jordan Addison because he had Sam Donald. So there were expectations, just not positive expectations
for Sam Donald. For me, there have been expectations for Jayden Daniels all year long, but this week felt like we sort of lowered them against the Philadelphia Eagles because that defense had been playing so well, and the last time these two teams play, we did not get a big game out of Jade and Daniels. So it was hard to imagine a scenario where you weren't starting him
because he's been so good all year long. But I do think a lot of fantasy managers went into the week a little bit concerned about what to get from their quarterback and lo and behold. Yeah, he threw two picks, but he threw five touchdowns, including the game winner, two hundred and fifty eight passing yards. He ran for eighty one yards. He shredded that Eagles defense in a way that it hadn't been shredded for weeks, maybe even all
season long. Get you thirty four points in a week when you probably needed it a ton, So shout out to Jade and Daniels. Also, all the people with the Cliff Kingsbury offenses fade in the second half of the season, those folks are in shambles right now because Jade and Daniels and the Commanders have continued to cook even in the back part of this fantasy season. So there you go.
Those were our heroes for Week sixteen. Now it's time to kind of back off and take more of a thirty thousand foot view of the whole thing with our Week sixteen takeaways. Lakwan, what have you learn from the week?
Wow?
I mean football on Jersey Man. It looked good against my Rams, but we still came out with a w. But more so, the Jets players could be trusted, Like you can really put these guys in starting lineups, like I'm talking about the skill players, Priests Hall. You have obvious Wilson still playing like he's going out there winning a Super Bowl. He's very fidically and trying to make the plays out there to catch, like we kept seeing him just dancing as soon as he got the ball,
salsa dancing, trying to make the big plays. So there's still motivation there for this guy to go out there and put up big points. And now I know Davonte Adams had the better game, but he's playing back like he's playing with the cheeseheads again.
Like Aaron Rodgers and him.
It's a toxic relationship, but they're still going out there putting up big points. Davante Adams again should not be questioned in start and sit. He is a complete start in the championship. You ride in with the horse that got you there. And honestly, Breese Hall, that was the most work that we've seen him have in the last couple of weeks dealing with injury. So therefore he's back to running a ton of routes, catching a bunch of passes with a favorable matchup on the ground against the
Bills this week. I look at Jets players as a high priority that you want to get these guys in your starting lineups this week.
Yeah, I mean you're talking about toxic, right. I mean, for a good chunk of the season, Aaron Rodgers was a big thing that was wrong with the Jets and played their way out of playoff contention. Now, all of a sudden, he and Devonte Adams trying to turn back the clock to the Green Bay days and start lighting it up. And now the Jets are gonna start you know, I know they lost yesterday, but gonna start your winning games of being competitive and doing nothing but wrecking their
draft spots. So shout out to you, Aaron, It's gonna be great. Great.
I have multiple Jets that starts and start sit this week, So.
I mean, look at makes sense. One, I mean, it doesn't make sense on one level. But also I feel like this is you sort of trying to reverse jinks the Jets too, since they're playing the Bills.
It's the fact that I've watched this Bills defense. They either get a turnover or they allow a touchdown.
There's no the three true outcomes defense right now is what you got going on. Yeah, Florida, what did.
You learn from week sixteen that Jared Goff he's not an indoor cat only anymore. He learned how to go outside, stretch his claws or whatever you want to say. Because it was freezing cold in Chicago yesterday. Look fake fumble, fake falling down, gonna throw a touchdown on the porta. His touchdown pass to Jamison Williams was I believe his longest completion in his career. Only Patrick Mahomes has more three hundred yard games through nine seasons in a player
career than Jared Goff. Like I think his career as a hole is very underrated. But in the freezing cold in Chicago last week, three hundred and thirty six yards, three touchdowns, twenty five fantasy points, Top three fantasy quarterback on the week. I think he likes to look at the cold like that Lebron scared gift. But more than anything, to me, this gives you peace of mind that next week in an outdoor game in the Fantasy Championships, you could start Jared Goff.
I mean, Ben Johnson was just straight up flexing on the Bears yesterday, right that like fake fumble, him stumbling around waiting to like throw the ball down field. Was just like that was just disrespectful, is what that was?
Right?
And like the worst part is if he applies for the Bear's head coaching job, that's probably the first play that he's gonna like you put on the reel, like, hey, remember when I did this to you guys? You could have this on your side Like that just was just straight up disrespectful.
After the game, the Bills yesterday were like we were saving stuff for the playoffs in our offensive playbook, and Ben Johnson laughs at that theory. He's just like anything I do now is gonna scare you so much in the playoffs that I could do whatever I want.
I saw somebody suggesting that, like they're gonna run all these trick plays and make defenses worry about it, and they're just gonna run a whole bunch of conventional plays in the playoffs because so smart, it'll be the last thing you're expecting. Like they're just gonna drop back and throw it. Like what is this? Uh, it's just might it might just be crazy enough to work. Speaking of things crazy enough to work. But Michael Pennocks thing, it's working.
At least it seems like it's working. I know it's been one game, and I know that game was against the New York Football Giants, but Pinnicks looked good out there, and I know that statistically, maybe it wasn't the hugest game for Michael Pinnix in his NFL starting debut, But you just watch the way the offense operated. You saw the way he was able to move the ball around to get his guys involved, and you start to understand why it is that the Falcons were really high on him.
And now you know she can certainly have the conversation about whether or not they should have made the move earlier, and maybe they'd have a better shot at the playoffs. But I do think there's reason for us to be optimistic, certainly for guys like Drake London, for Darnell Mooney. Maybe not you, Kyle Pitts, not if you're volleyballing the football
into the hands of defensive backs. But for a lot of the other pass catchers there in Atlanta, I think there's reason for us to believe that for the last week or two we can kind of go back to them. I was very much taking a weight and see attitude when it came to Michael Pinnocks, and I think I've seen what I need to see. I feel confident about starting any of my Falcons pass catchers. Not starting Pincks yet, but we're starting the pass catchers.
At his throws must have looked like a Nolan Ryan fastball after a season worth a Cousin change.
Ups, just those little Jamie Moyer flutterballs it Kirk Cousins had been throwing up there. Yeah, I'm sure it was a whole lot different. Though with Michael Pennocks we got a whole lot.
More to get too.
We're gonna dive into the waiver wire plus a John new Smith update because we got to do that as well. Stick around for more of the NFL Fantasy Football Show. People still have waiver needs, Florio who should they look at?
Only should be going hard for players if you were planning on starting them this week, but some good streamers at quarterback. Bryce Young gets the Bucks, who had a really good game against earlier this season. Anthony Richardson gets that weak Giants defense, and then Drake May the playmaker gets the Chargers who have struggled against the pass as of late, Trey Benson and Michael Carter. Because James Conner's up in the air, Trey Benson also up in the air,
That's why Michael Carter's there. And then a Mere Abdulla and Alexander Madison both had good fantasy games this week. Both get a good matchup next week against the Saints. Some pass catchers. Adam continues to come through and he has a very good matchup against the Bucks. Hollywood Brown very boomer bus, but it was nice to see him
out there this week. Jalen mclovin is awesome, continues to get the job done and has a good matchup against the Panthers and then Kaishan Bhuti just a good amount of volume this week and looks to be taking over the number one spot there. Chika Konko had double digit targets for a second straight game and he has a good match against the Jags and then Dalton Schultz he
came through last week. Now with the Tank Dell out as well, with Stefan Diggs already out, he's the number two target there against the Ravens, who've been better as of late, but on the year have really struggled against tight ends.
Yeah, there are a few tight ends that are going to show up late in the season and maybe help some folks out, especially if you are one of the streaming types there. Luqu I want to ask you about Hollywood Brown because you look he's back. He had a couple of catches on Saturday for Kansas City. Have we reached wide receiver overload though? Now in the Chiefs offense?
I mean no, I mean Hollywood Brown on they ran fourteen routes and he had eight targets. Like that's insane to me because he was barely out there for him to go out there and produce, and like you're already seeing that he was tapped in the entire time that he was recovering, like he knows the plays like he's out there moving so smooth and fluid.
It's like, oh no.
Patrick Mahomes is going to get a three P. He's going to get more weapons this late in the season. Why it's unfair, but Hywood Brown is definitely a pickup, just based on his limited production where he has the ceiling to the to the moon, the way he's been playing.
I mean like the Chiefs are like Star Wars. If the Empire wins, right, it's like it's like it's like the Empire figured out how to plug up the exhaust port on the Death Star and now it's impossible to blow the thing up, Like you had your chance and everybody failed at it.
So but it's like you first, you successfully blew it up, and then the refs were like, forget that you saw, it doesn't count, and then they.
Run it back like know that that that phots on, that that that torpedo didn't that to didn't count, so try it again. Sorry, sorry, buddy, you went to chick a Conko though a little bit. Florio Ah is a gooder back because I went back and watching that game a little bit last night, it feels almost like a good thing now that Mason Rudolph is the quarterback like that, in a weird way, that's going to help a conco actually continue to be productive.
Yeah. I mean in the game and a half that he's played, he's got a bunch of volume. Mean, he's got twenty one targets seventeen catches in his last two games, like catches alone. That puts him in play as a streaming option this week. But I think we were all excited for not for what Will Levis could be for real life, but because we thought it would be like
chaotic for fantasy purposes. That hasn't been the case. So now getting someone I guess just a little bit steadier and Mason Rudolph makes it easier to trust the pass catchers.
Yeah, I mean, I think just watching it, it made me sort of worried about Calvin Ridley going down the stretch, just because Rudolph doesn't seem to want to push the ball downfield. But guys like chick A Conkuo and like Taija Spears seem to have a lot more value because that just seems to be where Mason ruthe off kind of once, which.
Is hilarious because last year when Ray Mason took over for the Steelers, it was like he's got the best deep ball of the bunch.
So like wild but also we start we also believe that James Washington would be a thing in Pittsburgh because James Washington Mason Rudolph were roommates in college, and that that never worked out, not even a little bit. Never had breakfast. You know what, you should have brought ed McMuffin to practice. That was your problem, James, that was your problem. Guy who's not having a problem lately is John U. Smith. That means that Lakwan has a problem.
So it's do a John H. Smith update. This week against the forty nine ers, kind of a manhohum game. Six catches for sixty two yards, twelve point two points. I believe he was the tight end nine heading into Monday night football, so just kind of a mad game. But uh, Lakwana just keeps adding, it just keeps building. He's right now the tight end four seven point nine
points behind tight end three Trey McBride. Meanwhile, he's about the thirty four to thirty five points I think ahead of tight end six, it seems like you've made peace.
You've made peace with this, right, I've made peace with it to the point where I already acquired the hair dye. I've already put it on my head to see, like how would this look like? Man, Like I could wear this colored shirt with this and it wouldn't look completely insane. Because I didn't even think about this until Florio brung this up over the weekend, Like I have to go pick my kids up from school looking like this because of John new Smith wanting to have a career fantasy year.
Like, I did not think this all the way through.
Obviously in August.
There's what am I going to do? That says you can't wear hats like in real life, But I mean, like on the show, you gotta you know, you got to show this thing off but off. Yeah, man, I.
Don't wear hats like that though, like you will have to match with that.
It's so difficult.
I didn't even think this through, man, Like you you.
Just set shirts.
You know, you could use a lot of shirts to distract people from your head. That's that's the way you.
Then they were like, this guy really thinks he's Hollywood, and I don't want that.
Look you, you went down the path that, like Okbar has gone down in the past, where you kind of set yourself up for failure. And uh, next year, I'm guessing you won't put your hair on the line.
I'm just no, no, the wife already maybe.
He already said, don't ever do it again. I'm just glad you've learned a valuable lesson. That's all. That's all I'm saying. Uh anyway, that's that's the thing that we are going to love when we see it at some point. But now that gets us two moments. We love the Chargers. Look, they may take some l's on the field, but they very rarely take l's in social media. And once again
they get it done. And once again it's Kim and Dicker, the kicker who provides some of the great moments that we love to take a look, you ever want to.
Make the polle with the fans didn't vote for you. As result, you lost your lawyer Jovy. Now you're selling us cars, it's super slash prices me either. My name's Kimer Dicker, and I'm still kicking for you. We've got kicks that can handle your touffish drive knocks man.
Through how ealy is this.
Guy checked under this hood? If this leg's not horsepower, don't let these other dealers don't like you? Kick is off the upright again?
Upright?
Who's got better kicks than me? Hould those deals down?
Ye'll front down. Don't believe me.
That's this satisfied customer. This is uh my quantum thor voter coach from uh Camkicker.
It's done me right, So go.
To chargers dot com slash phote and send me in my leg to.
Kick for you.
Yeah.
So my question is was he wearing pads underneath that? Because like the shirt and jacket looked really boxy did like Pungebob. It looks like SpongeBob. He also looks like you're saying before the show that he looks like if Arnold, if a young Arnold Schwarzenegger played Walker Texas Ranger, Like, that's also a thing. Wow, he's got a little bit of the gap in his teeth. He's got the whole hat and glasses thing. Uh. But Cameron Dicker.
Commercial felt like if I was sick at home from school. It was like one of those daytime commercial Nostagia feels with that and I appreciate that.
And one hundred percent would air during the price is right, like there's no doubt about it. It would show up all right when Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, right, Bob Barker, would you know, remind you to spay and new to your pets. And then the dicker, the kicker you know, Pro Bowl ad would show up there that you'll be you know, yes, solely that.
Like or who cares what they do? Like no kickers, I mean justin Tucker's not having a good year, Walker's missed time, like he should be the AFC kicker of record, or.
We don't put him in just so we can get more of these videos every year that he can just doing them until he finally makes it to the Pro Bowl.
There needs to be an awards ceremony for the social teams because Chargers are undefeated.
Number one, they are. They're the top social media team in the NFL, hands down. I don't think there's a the base.
The Rams are good in l A and the Chargers are good at social media, Like it's amazing.
Yeah, you know, if you can't win at football, win on Twitter.
Get them to taking the PF changs. They're good to go.
There you go, oh man, Maybe it's not for us to step out and get to PF changs because 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, if you can't be kind, at least be vague, be safe, to take care of yourselves, and we will talk to you tomorrow. I don't help