Wow, Hey everybody, It's Monday, December thirty, twenty twenty four. Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Show where we need a miracle to win a title.
It's me and your man, MG Marcus Grant, joined by Michael F. Florio and Lakwan Jones.
Fellas, how are we feeling after Week seventeen? I mean, first off, are you guys I don't even know? I mean, I know, Florio, you got bounced to a couple of LaQuan Are you still fighting for a championship somewhere?
No, we've been put to bed. But going to bed and waking up as a NFC West champion feels a lot better than any fantasy honestly, because the Rams are dangerous again and I've been screaming this for so long, and we're going back.
To the Super Bowl.
Guys. You know what, here's the thing in the NFC.
You can't you can't really argue it because there's no clearcut favorite in the conference right now. At first, I was like, well, the Rams are gonna win the division because everybody else is falling apart. But the Rams are legitimately playing good football, especially defensively over the last few weeks, So yeah, that's pretty good. Meanwhile, your Bills haven't had anything to play for in a few weeks.
Really, Floria, well, yesterday they clinched the two seed, and look, I'll argue that clinching the two seed before another certain specific player in their team even clinched their division. That's what MVPs do. So that's what I'm going out on.
And then the forty nine ers. So anyway, we got to a whole stuff to talk about on the show today.
We're gonna have the biggest takeaways from week seventeen. Plus we'll give our waiver Wire pickups of the Year, a guy that probably helped a lot of you to where you are at this point in the season, especially if you are still competing for a championship. There's one more game left to be played before a fantasy champion has crowned.
In a lot of leagues.
We've got a Monday night game between the Lions and the forty nine Ers, So still a lot of drama, a lot of fantasy relevant guys going tonight help a lot of teams one way or another.
But let's get.
Started, as we always do about this time, with some fantasy headlines. And headlines today a little bit different because obviously the season pretty much over, so while there are certainly some notable injuries, maybe not as much of an impact for our purposes. So instead kind of looking ahead, looking back, and looking ahead all at the same time, let's start in Las Vegas with Brock Bauers, who broke
a number of records over the weekend. Most notably broke Mike Ditka's record for rookie tight end receiving yards, a record that had stood for sixty three entire years. On top of it, he also broke Puka Nakua's record for receptions by a rookie, which stood for one entire year. But if Florida look, we are in a spot where it looks like for the second consecutive year, a rookie is going to be the tight end one overall. Last year was Sam Laporta. He was drafted as the top
tight end this year. That didn't work out. Are we willing to take the same leap next year with Brock Bowers? Is he your tight end one and how early are you drafted him?
Yes? He is my tight end one, and I think there's a big difference between him and Sam Laporta. And the difference is last year, as awesome as Sam Laporta was, it was largely promped up by touchdowns. Like I don't
believe he even had nine hundred yards. Kyle Pitts had more yards as a rookie tight end, which is why in the offseason I was like, I think Kyle Pitts's rookie season was probably more impressive than Sam Laporta's because touchdowns is Marcus, as you say all the time, are fickle beasts and Rock Bowers with better quarterback play is going to get a chance a more touchdowns. But the yard numbers that catch numbers, to me, those are more
reliable year over year. And just watching him play like he is the best rookie tight end I have ever watched in my life. So yeah, And for where I would draft him, I want to say the second round. I think that's realistically where you would have to want to take him. But I wouldn't be surprised if people pull him up to be a late first because tight end premium and shortage of position and all that.
All right, So if we're going with you premise that he's the tight end one the quad who's tight end too, Trey McBride, George Kittle, Travis Kelsey.
Who's tight end two for you?
Then, honestly, it probably have to be Trey McBride. His frustrations this season was well displayed out there, and honestly I had him up there as the tight end one for this season following for you. I mean, we were all on the McBride train, but the touchdowns they just weren't there. And honestly, next season they have to get this problem fixed in the red zone with him and find a way for him to find the end zone. Of course he scores on us, I mean, whatever the.
Case may be.
But you're looking at like, I love what Trey McBride was able to do this season just overall as a receiver. I know we were waiting for Zach Ertz to move out it away, but this is the season that we kind of had on display for Trey McBride.
He just did not find the end zone.
Yeah, and I think a larger conversation needs to be had Kyler Murray off the car his offense because you know, trade McBride didn't have touchdowns. Marvin Harrison Junior was generally a disappointment for a lot of us. So I think that's a conversation that we need to actually dive into at some point in the offseason.
And Greg Dorge, how do we forget about George?
You know what?
I heard his name over the weekend. I was like, sorry, I forgot about that dude.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Saquon Barkley is now over two thousand rushing yards for the season and very much within reach of Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. LaQuan, is it a foregone conclusion that he's the one dot one next year?
Ooh, that's a good question, man. And honestly, me personally or even some of the CMC you know fans out there, I probably won't be taking a running back.
One oh one.
I mean, this dude is on the verge of breaking Eric Dickerson's record, and honestly, I hope he doesn't. I mean, can that stay with a ram like kind of like come on, guys, like, but more so looking at next year one oh one, I think a lot of CMC fans will understand, like the workload, you know, where CMS was last season and where he's at now, Like I don't want to guy, that's going to be overused chasing records and stuff like that. I'm honestly good on a
running back in the first round. I'd rather take my shots with the wide receivers or even tight end like how Floria was saying, we're rock Bay or sitting at that back end of the first round early second round where he could be going. So I'm pivoting another options. I love what he's doing this season, a great talent, a great fantasy ascent, but one oh one, I'm shining away from that, probably for good from the running back position.
All right, So LaQuan says he's off of running backs in the first round. Let's say you're sitting there though, at like number four, Florio and Justin Jefferson's gone, Jamar Chase is gone, you know, I don't know, Like and you're looking at say, you know, sa Kuon Barkley, or you're looking at say like I'm on Ross Saint Brown, like where are you going right now?
I'd probably go be Jean Robinson if I'm taking a running back. Look awesome. He's got way more wear and tear than than Bijon does. He's got he's older, a longer history of injuries, and even more than that, Like I don't believe we like I believe this is going to be Saquon Barkley's career year. I don't believe we
have seen the best out of Bijon Robinson yet. And that is something that I'm trying to change in my process is in the past, I've been quick to be like, this guy was amazing last year, like he might not live up to that, but he's going to be amazing again. But the truth of the matter is is like these special seasons like what Saquon is having or Jamar Chase is having, they win leagues, and I I could see, I don't think Saquon is going to do this again next year, Like I think he'll be great. I think
it'll be a top five fantasy running back. I don't think he's gonna run for over two thousand yards. So that to me kind of leans like maybe, But look on everyone's process is different. So if you want to go Saquon at the one oh one, I'm not gonna to fight you over.
I mean, it feels a lot like you know, our our friend Bob Harris who always says, don't draft last year's best team, and it sort of feels that way, but also I could easily see myself getting sucked into all right, So even if he has fourteen hundred yards next year, that's still good, right, Like, I think both both arguments are going to be in play, and I think it's gonna be a big thing we're going to
debate all off season long, for sure. All Right, let's take a look at some of the week's top scorers.
It's still one more game left to be played.
But Joe Burrow that huge game on Saturday night, having overtime certainly helped. Four hundred and twelve passing yards, three touchdowns, also a rushing touchdown as well, nearly thirty seven points for him. Jonathan Taylor a big day, which you know, look, I know some of you might have been eliminated when he dropped the football couple weeks ago, but you know, for those of you who survived one hundred and twenty five rushing yards, two touchdowns on the ground, twenty seven
point six points there. Tee Higgins who eight over the weekend, eleven catches, one hundred and thirty one receiving yards and three one two three touchdowns. Trey McBride twelve catches for one hundred and twenty three yards and a touchdown.
We may dive into that a little bit later in the show.
Thirty point three points for mcbrad kymeron Dicker Dicker the kicker, four field goals, four pat sixteen points there and the Eagles defense taking advantage of Cooper Rush and the Cowboys a sack, four takeaways, a touchdown, seven points allowed. That's good for nineteen fantasy points. So those are the overall fantasy heroes.
Who is your personal fantasy hero this Weekkwan.
Dunta Da Da another superhero of alpha stature, and like, I tried to do this comparison with T Higgins and Jamar Chase because they have two wide receiver ones on the Bengals offense, and I came down to the conclusion that Iron Man and Captain America. You figure out who's whoever but a forty burger and the second time in his career, and honestly, him and Jamar Chase man they need to stick together. Like if T Higgins goes anywhere
else next season, I'm going to be completely off. Like it's clear and still that the Bengals are dangerous with two wide receiver ones. This is a formula that not all teams have, so honestly, him bringing home the championship for a lot of fantasy managers, putting up forty points people, this is the second time in his career he's done that, and honestly, just looking at the frame and body work that he has had, you do not want to lose this type of talent. And he's rung it home for
a lot of fantasy managers. Or he ended some stories of the championship for a lot of fantasy managers this weekend.
Well, I mean, so a couple of things about that.
One, the Bengals do have some really tough decisions to make about who to pay and whether or not they can afford all three of those pieces. The other part is you have to figure out who andre Yoshivas hangs out with, because then he would be the Bucky Barnes to that person's Captain America. I think you can figure out which one is which, So you know, once we figure out who Yoshivas is eating lunch with, then we know who Captain America is versus who is iron Man who gets paid?
That's what it's gonna be. Team Ironman all the way.
By the way, who's gonna get paid for sure, Florida moves.
Who is your particular Marvel hero for the weekend?
Baker Mayfield, who I don't know which Marvel hero he is, but I do know that if he knew one of his boys parents were murdered, he wouldn't cover it up. In America was wrong all the way. It's Baker Mayfield, though, who joined Jared Goff, is the only quarterback this year with a game with at least three hundred and fifty yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Only the Goat Tom Brady has had more multiple passing touchdowns in the season and
Bucks history than Baker has right now. I know Joe Burrow went out and put up monstrous numbers and everyone who played him probably thought their day was over. But if you had Baker Mayfield, he pretty much went step first step with that and finished like a point or two behind him. So I think Baker and Mike Evans won a lot. And then he throwing Jayleen McMillan there as well, like I think the whole Bucks scene, Bucky Irving, all of them won a lot of people championships this week.
Yeah, big Hawkeye vibes from Baker Mayfield right, like he's nobody really gets excited about him, but he comes through when you need him too, and he's not afraid to let it fly, sort of like Clint Barton is.
He's literally the best NFC quarterback right now in passing yards, touchdowns, completion percenters. Like, he is the best NFC quarterback right now. So shout out to Hawkeye.
The Browns could use a guy like that. Just putting that out there, So.
I guess if we're going with the theme, I guess that makes Malik Neighbors spider Man right, because he was my guy for this weekend, the young kid from New York going out there making plays sometimes when it seems like all is lost that I know there were questions about, you know, would he play, how much would he play?
But he went out had.
One hundred and seventy one receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in a game that I think Giants fans would have maybe preferred that they didn't win. But hey man, shout out to Melak Neighbors for going out and really putting together what was a fantastic season despite some hideous quarterback play for long stretches there in New York. You know, I was gonna say it feels like Odell Beckham vibes, but at least Odell had Eli Manning, right. I mean, he had a guy that you know, you could argue
whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame. But the fact is Eli's at least in the argument. You can't say this same for Daniel Jones or Drew Locke, or Tommy DeVito or any of the guys that were throwing footballs in New York this season. Nonetheless, Leak Neighbors, sitting on overall eleven hundred yards, one hundred and four catches and the six touchdowns this year, continues to be a
stud Florida. I know you were on the Elik Neighbors train from before the season even started, and while there were some parts of the season that were a little bit of a slog, overall, turns out to be a very good year for him, and he's going to be very much in the conversation. I would say probably a second round pick that fair for Leak Neighbors next year.
Second round, I think so.
I think if they Giants depend, like if they brought in a proven quarterback, I can make an argument for him as first umpick. Yeah.
Uh, the question is can they get that quarterback, especially if they screwed up their draft position for this year.
Yeah.
Im say, in the last five years, there's been three receivers that have one hundred rookies one hundred and fifty more yards two or more touchdowns in the game. It's Jefferson, Chase and neighbors. Which one elite to waters go to LSU.
Yeah, apparently that's apparently the story there, all right, So those are our individual fantasy heroes. Now are big takeaways from Week seventeen, LQ. What did you learn?
Yo?
Amir dula is good at football?
I mean, honestly, he has earned his role in that Raiders backfield next year. Like have we not been seeing him? Not fit the bill as a league winner? The criteria is literally him the last three weeks nineteen fantasy points per game. If you just watch the tape of him in that Saints game, how hard he is running like you had Zamir White, Alexander Madison, Cecia McCormick, who I didn't even know was a real person at the time
that I heard his name. But like, Amir Doula is on a one year contract and he's playing his heart out, he's given the best, his best of best in that backfield of trying to find a way to get in between the tackles and being a guy that can get involved in the passing game. Like how many receiving touchdowns this guy is going to catch next year? Like, hopefully he's in that backfield next year and he's going to
make his way to my fantasy rosters. And he should definitely be on the radar because I think a lot of people in this offseason they're gonna forget he this and then he's going to do the same thing again. If he's putting in the right position.
That all sounds absolutely wonderful. I have no confidence that the Raiders will do that this often.
No thanks, No, I mean, I just really don't.
I mean, we're talking about it as great as the miradula was for them down the stretch. We're talking about a running back that's going to be thirty two next season, going on his tenth season in the NFL. He's going to be an unrestricted free agent. Like, I just don't see the Raiders spending.
The money to bring him back and put him especially.
It might be a new coaching staff might be.
Uh, that's pretty more likely than him being the RB one in Vegas. All right, look at what I like where your head's at.
Ain't gonna beat RB one.
He can eat seat again. I mean, I'm just saying it's going to be.
On my roster next year. I will die my hair. No, I'm lying. I'm lying again.
I'll do that. Don't do that.
He'll die. He'll some silver to go with the black bel No Raiders.
There it is. What is your takeaway from the week.
This rookie class is an all time great rookie class. Like, Look, we've already talked about brock Bauers, arguably the best rookie tight end ever. We just talked up Molik Neighbors. There's also Brian Thomas Junior. They're both top six wide receivers in fantasy this season. There's Jaye and Daniels, who is a lock to win Rookie of the Year putting on a show last night on Sunday Night. Football is the QB four right now, behind only the top three MVP
candidates in Lamar, Allen and Burrow. Like, there's Bucky Irving getting the job done at running back, and then there's deeper players like Marvin Harrison, Junior, Lad mcconkeye, Xavier Worthy, young Coleman Like, this is an all time great rookie class.
And I think it's two things. One, don't expect next year's rookie class to be like this, But two, I think it drives point forward a point that we've discussed on the show in the past a lot, but like, rookies are ready to come in and make an immediate impact now, So don't shy, like, don't push them up your board next year just because of what this class did, but also don't shy away from taking them just because they're rookies, because they come in now more NFL ready than ever before.
Yeah, no, one hundred percent.
I mean the way the college game works and the way that NFL offenses are sort of hatering to the young players, it makes a lot more sense that these.
Guys are ready to go right now.
Meanwhile, tight end maybe not quite so ready to go right now. I think this was the year, not that we said the titand was deep, but it felt like it was deeper than it had been in past years and turned out not really. We had maybe five and a half guys that we could really count on on a weekly basis. I mean, you had your guys at the top with Bowers and McBride. Kittle has been great.
John new Smith, who was a completely different story because nobody, no one except one person that we know who will remain unnamed.
Actually believed in John new Smith this year.
Beyond that, I mean, when you looked on a weekly basis, it went from startable to streaming in a real big hurry. And I think that's something to keep in mind when you are drafting next year. It might be the reason that we see guys like Brock Bauers and Trey McBride pushed up maybe above where they should be going in drafts, because once you get to a certain point, it's gonna be hard to find guys you can count on a consistent basis. The Tucker Crafts, the Pat Fryer mooth to
the Hunter Henry's of the world not very exciting. So it may be a little bit of a race to get to the guys in the elite levels just to know you have that position locked up on a week tweek basis in fantasy, but.
We should still keep it.
Do not take this as an argument saying we need to get rid of tight ends because I know that's floating around there in the fantasy sphere.
We're not doing that.
I hate it.
Just because you can't predict them doesn't mean we shouldn't have them.
Just like people get hurt in Week seventeen. And let's cut the season shortly.
Yeah, stop stop, stop doing this, stop it. We're gonna take a quick break come back.
We're gonna dive and do our waiver wire pickup of the Year and moments we love.
That's coming up next on the NFL Fantasy Football Show. Let's take a look at this week's waiver wire options.
Obviously, not as many guys as you're gonna be chasing, so instead we decided to do the pickup of the Year candidates.
Who are they florio right quarterback?
We got Sam Darnold, who I think should get some MVP love this year. We got Bo Nicks, who probably is going to finish top three and Rookie of the Year. And then Justin Herbert who has led the Chargers to the playoffs, all three of which have come through in different times in fantasy this season. At running back, I love Bucky Irving and what he's done, but there's also JK. Dobbins. We all thought it would be videal or Gus Edwards, Rico Dawdle, Tyrone Tracy and Amir of Doulah all hit
at different times this year. Pass catchers Juwan Jennings, like what he did in the middle of the season was awesome. Darnell Mooney really has been a viable wide receiver three at times even better than that. Jerry Judy for a stretch of the season with Jameis Winston was a top two wide receiver in fantasy, and then Adam Thielen and Jalen McMillan's late season bloomers. But players who have helped
win people championships. John new Smith is obviously the waiver wire tight end of the year, but I wanted to give love to Taysom Hill who had a really hot stretch before he got hurt, and Tucker Crafted Hunter Henry. Not the biggest league winners or anything like that, but usable viable tight ends at a week with him.
All Right, A good list there Sola quad for you. Who is your waiver wire pickup of the year.
It has to be Bo Nicks because think about the questions that we had going into this offseason. How is Sean Payton in him, in this relationship going to work? And then even those first couple of weeks, we're kind of like, is both Nick's a fantasy I said, I don't know yet, But once he had his argument with Sean Bayn, like, Dad, get off my back. I got this.
He went out there and put up huge QB one numbers like his highs or in the thirties, Like this is what you want out of a quarterback you're picking off the waiver wire, especially if you were bullish on Anthony richardson C. J. Strau or whatever reason you went out there for Trevor Lawrence. I mean the Trevor Lawrence t train, will Legion Genten hey, hey hey, but he definitely gets the bow Knicks, gets waiver wire.
The year man.
All right, Florida, who who's your guy?
I really wanted the quant to go with Johnny Smith. I'm going with Bucky Irving here, who is a top fifteen fantasy running back on this season. And I know some of you might be like, well, he was drafted in my league, but he didn't start early on, so he was probably thrown back on the waiver wire even if he was drafted. And this I've talked about it
a lot. Wasn't the best year for zero RB's. Like there was pockets where Rico Dado was really useful, or a Mere Duelo was really useful, or Tyrone Tracy, but there wasn't like a I got this guy and he was like a league winner type pick up at the running back position. Outside of Bucky Irving, I would argue, who just continued to be uber consistent down the stretch, put up some big nate games in the fantasy playoffs.
So to me, the champion of the zero RB strategy this year was Bucky Irving, and I think he won a lot of people championships.
So Miyane is gonna be Sam Donald. And for some of the reasons that Lakwan talked about, Because if you went away with a different quarterback and you were trying to sort of make things work, you were probably frustrated, right, I Mean we all kind of had our Anthony Richardson frustrations. Look, we stayed away from certain vikings because we didn't think Sam Donald could get it done right.
We knocked down.
Justin Jefferson and our fantasy draft rankings because we were worried about Sam Donald. Instead, he's the QB seven going into Monday night. Right, He's got three hundred Fantasy points, had a huge game on Sunday in a big spot for the Minnesota Vikings there against the Packers. Almost four hundred passing yards, three touchdowns. He's been great pretty much all year long. And you know who could use a guy like him, The Jets. They could use a quarterback
like Sam Donald. I'm just putting that out there, but he's been fantastic to the point that now the Vikings really do have a decision whether they keep him around what they do with JJ McCarthy. He might have delayed McCarthy's development at least one more year with the way he has.
So there you go. Those are our waiver wire pickups of the year.
Pay Sam there.
It is, man there it is real quick. Got a John Newsmith update. It was not the greatest game for John Newsmith, but it was good enough. Another late touchdown for John who ends up with eleven point six fantasy points, three catches, twenty six yards in a touchdown, Not even Tyler Huntley to prevent him from scoring double digit fantasy points and right now. Overall he is the tight end for He's about thirty points clear of tight end six. So it feels like this is a rap barring something
miraculous happening in week eighteen. So we're to set up the time for the dying, the dyeing of the hair. We will set that up so that is gonna be a moment that we really do love. Now, let's talk about one of our favorite moments from the past week. We've touched a little bit on Trey McBride on this show, but a moment that we all love across Fantasy. Even though it happened at the expense of Lakwan's Rams, you
guys won the game, it doesn't matter. He scored his first receiving touchdown of the season, one of the twelve catches he had in that game at Sofi Stadium on Saturday night. But guys, we've been waiting for this all year long. We have to be throw The only other touchdown was a fumble recovery in the end zone. So finally our precious Frey McBride finds the end zone. We can all get behind that, right, even Rams fans can get behind that.
For Fantasy, absolutely none man this.
Worn like literally almost had me rip my hair out, Like I didn't want that to happen. Who voted for this hater? Hater?
Kemid Bride was my guy coming at tight end coming into the year, and if he had a couple of more touchdowns, he finishes as a tight end one. So I'm still salty that they couldn't get him the ball. But I let out an audible cheer when he did finally score this past week. I was so happy to see it happen because he's good. He did one hundred and four catches one touchdown, Like that's more on Kyler than on him.
I would say.
It's absolutely more on Kyler than it is on Trey McBride for sure, because he's done everything else for this team, uh this season you could imagine.
So there you go. Meanwhile, for us, that is it. We are done.
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