2025 FFPC Main Event Week 16 15th-Place Team Owner Craig Lewandowski

Who are the players that you need to be rolling out in your championship lineups this week? What sleeper running backs need to be deployed for you to win a million dollars in the FFPC Main Event or the FFPC Big Gorilla. And what are the sleepers that you need to have in your lineup and the bus that you need to have benched. We're going to roll it out for you tonight live here on the High Stakes Fantasy

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Hi, Hello, and welcome to each and every one of you tuning in this evening streaming at Saturday morning listening, downloading. We appreciate you however you're consuming this content. This is the High Stakes Fantasy Football Hour. It is presented by my f f PC dot com. That is my f f PC dot com, m y f f PC dot com. My name is Eric Balfman. You know me from the road. It is High Stake Slowdown, the f f PC Insider Access show on the Better Sports Network and of course

Farrell.

Good evening, Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year to you.

Bonky, Good evening to you, brother. And what in the world is this you have on? What is what are you wearing here?

This is a hoodie with no sleeves, okay, you Belichick. This is a Baseball Life brand hoodie that my kid we My twelve year old son is big into baseball, which I know is sacrilege, but uh but uh yeah, no, he got a bunch of baseball gear and this was one of the things that we got.

So I wear it tonight.

And do you know in the show's introduction, not in my introduction, but in the show's introduction, you went into uncharted warriers because you started talking about our last questions of the Sleepers and the bust and fumbled over the question.

Ounker turned around, looked at me, and which you know did the same thing.

It was like, you know, have you got a little you know, if we we want to perform in this show better than fantasy players did on Christmas Day, that's that really should be our goal, you know, because if you had players playing on Christmas Day, you.

Know, Tom Smith is Tom Smith is chiming in right now. Lots of owners disappointed players yesterday.

Yeah, that's all players, not just players. All players.

Well, I'll say this, if you had a Monross Saint Brown.

You're probably okay, that's him.

But if you know, if you had gold Turpin led the Cowboys and receiving on one target.

Yes, well here here's the thing, Like you bring that up, Pharaoh. What about the passing offense for the Minnesota Vikings in that Lions game?

Wow?

Three passing yards team passing yards in that game Max Brosmer just barely clears fifty one yards and the life met by.

Two scores, two scores. I just I don't don't get it.

Presno, Snight won a game this year when their quarterback for twenty five yards, and I said, that's worse than I would be.

You know, it is just yeah, listen, it's the way ball. The ball bounces for a lot of people in high stakes fantasy football. We're in to the championship round of the kffs C of the FFPC, and we're going to try to do our best to help you out tonight. I mentioned some of the things that we're going to talk about early on in the in the program tonight, I also want to get to with Craig Glundowski, the fifteenth place team owner in the FFPC main event. Let's

Farrell.

I would be looking at it from the standpoint if you do have Harold Fann and you were counting on him this week, you have to make other lineup changes. You have to make other lineup plans. If you are playing in the KFFFC or the FFPC, in those leagues that still have waivers open on Saturday night slash Sunday morning, make sure you're picking up somebody, anybody at tight end, just so you don't have to be afforded to take that zero. I am very very bearish on Harold Fann

Well, I can't go either way. Bulky, You don't. You don't live in fear. So there must be some insider, you know, because you are in the cradle of football, Bucky. You're there in Green Bay and you're you know, you're you're doing your thing, and you know you're talking. You're talking to all these other fantasy guys during the week with sharpens your skills.

For this show.

That's the whole purpose for those other shows you keep talking about. But yeah, fan, now, if Shadoor Sanders going to start the game for.

Cleveland, yeah, that's the play.

Oh so when Chador starts, Spanning's fifteen points plus. Uh, it's it's just it's in. You know, in the KFFSC. Unless you're in an ancillary league, you have no waivers. Main event FFBC you have no waivers. There's nothing that can be done. So you know, just just say a prayer for soft tissue if you are in. If you can't do some waivers, go get and you believe in injuries. Kittle's hurt, go get, Go get Tongas. Yeah, yeah, go get.

We'll get to Kittle in a little bit too.

But I think it's interesting that you bring him up because this is a bad situation for tight ends in general. In Week seventeen in high Stakes Fantasy, and Bowers is just done. Yeah, Bowers is done. He's on IR for what it's worth. Harold Fannin did say, and again, I take injury reports from the player himself with a grain of salt. But Fannin did say he plans on playing against the Steelers this week.

So Harold's playing for Cleveland. Went to school in Bowling Green, is from Ohio, the same state as the great John Anderson. He'll be playing if those guys don't those guys don't say things. You know what my favorite college team is in Ohio. Go ahead, John Carroll University. Just want to throw that out. D three Division three all right in league this year. That's all I'm saying.

Are they Are they still playing right now?

Or no?

No?

They lost last week? Oh they did.

Okay, I'm looking it up because the conference that my alma mater played in uh featured four teams in the Division three College Football Playoff this year.

My alma mater was not one of them.

I forget that. You went to college, the Barber college, your barber school you went to had a football team.

The college you are great, Pharaoh. No, my my college.

My University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Titans. Oh, they can place college. I can tell you this, Farrell. The one team that is still left from the WEI Act the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is the u W River Falls Falcons, who beat JOHNS Hopkins in the Semis and they will face North Central, the the powers.

Out of Uh yeah, that's the team.

That's They're the ones who took out John Carroll.

And are they playing that championship in Canton, Ohio in the Hall of Fame Stateum.

I, I well they you should go. Let's just drop everything. I will say this. They they that used to be the Stag Bowl and and I thought that was in West Virginia. I don't know if they still play it there or not, but I mean I can tell you that North Central and UW. River Falls are are squaring off in the Division III College Football Championship on January fourth.

Very win that game. I have no idea pop tarts one of these trophies. Oh there it is.

They don't get that looks they don't get a trophy that looks that good.

That is okay. You you tease this with George Kittle, Okay, right now.

Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco forty nine Ers, said that George Kittle will be a game time decision. And why is this interesting because game time for the Niners will be on Sunday night football, which is very, very frustrating for all of us. He did not practice this week, he told Kyle Shanahan. According to Nick Wagner, who covers the forty nine ers at ESPN dot com, Kyle Shanahan said that Kittle told him he should have a better answer by tomorrow regarding his availability

I have no.

Confidence in this guy playing on Sunday at all. And the fact that he's playing Sunday night, to me, it's a slam dunk. Don't take the zero. Get somebody else in there on Saturday afternoon or evening with the Packers, the Ravens, the Chargers, the Texans. Get somebody in there before this thing blows up in your face on Sunday night. I don't think he's gonna go farrel What do you think as far as Kittle goes in championship?

Yeah, I think I'm glad you went to school in Wisconsin and it was not medical school, because you would go off around with your chart and say, I see no hope.

There's no hope here for your patient.

Well again here this is quarterback related. Party is on fire. Party has been tremendous. And that's and for the first time, the Niners are healthy with the exception of Kittle, And I think what here could cause hesitation? What does the forty nine ers have to play for? They're likely not to win the division, which is another ticket I can tear up, but they've already earned their playoff spot, which

Seems to me to be more convenient than I will say.

For what it's worth, there is a chance that the Niners still could get the one seed in the NFC.

Not a great.

Opportunity, mind you, but there is a chance when it comes to that. So maybe they want to deploy him on Sunday night football against the Bears, who could be a potential NFC champions a matchup. It could be a potential NFC playoff matchup at a minimum.

So I don't know. I think that the.

Niners do want to play him. It's a question of if he is going to be available, and I don't want to mess around with that.

Tom Smith makes a good point and Alex Johnson here and he says, doctor Balke has a nice ring to it. You know he should meet your good friend doctor ericson.

That guy has a medical degree. I do that guy has all kinds of degrees.

Yeah, Tom Smith, timing in the Niners play the Seattle Seahawks in week eighteen, so there is still a little hope.

Of winning the division.

You are right, Hey, Yeah, so Tom, I won't tear up the ticket.

Yeah, never tear up the ticket. I don't. I don't.

I don't like that. I just even when I know it's a loser, I never tear it up. Farrell speaking of I'm gonna get let's get into the minutia here. You don't never tear him up. No, I never store them all.

For God's sake, hold on, hold on, I'm gonna do this. Right now. I'll show you this right here. I don't have to rent of storage.

Hold on, hold on, No, this is this is not this is just from the past year. Okay, I'm gonna show you this right now. I get a stack of them right here. Are all losers. They're all losers over the course. It is about a year and a half. Got not a year, but a year and a half right here. And I never tear them up. Okay, I keep them right here. Whether that's this, this is probably bad hoodoo to not do.

You go down. Yeah, I know.

I don't go through them. I just I just hold him. I hold him all right. Now here we go. Josh Allen fare is apparently going to play on Sunday against the Eagles. This according to Chris Brown, who covers the Bills. Sean McDermott stating today that Josh Allen's going to go. He has a sore foot, and apparently the soreness in Josh Allen's foot has dissipated throughout the week. Alan had this injury happened to him this past week against the Browns, and maybe it's none too serious.

I get it.

And he didn't miss any action after he hurt the foot in Week sixteen as well. However, if you look at the Bills offense, they have not been able to move the ball well through the air. Whether that's on Josh Allen, there's the receivers. That's that's a matter of personal perspective here. I get it, and Sean McDermott doesn't expect that the foot injury is going to slow Alan down.

I can agree with that. I would play party over.

Okay, so you can see the scenario you would play party over Josh Allen this week. Okay, let me throw another one at you here. Josh Allen against the Eagles or Drake May.

At the Jets.

Hard to figure out?

Yeah, that's rough, that's rough.

I know Josh Allen.

I would play May.

Yeah, and John. The people that are in on Josh Allen are real believers, and they spent significant draft capital for him, and they probably don't have a Drake mate, but they might.

But yeah, I could. I could make a case for Drake may there.

Oh you well, you want to throw up, Let's go down to Miami and do Josh Allen and Quinn Ebers.

Okay, that's no, we're not doing that because Josh Quinn one.

And then you know, all.

Right, let me let me do a real one here. Quinn threw for sixty yards.

He was very good.

What that guy from Minnesota throw for Max Brosmer, Yeah, fifty one yards? Okay, but his team had a total of three passing yards and they beat the Lions by two touchdowns.

So take that for what it's worth.

Last one, I'll bring up Josh Allen, Farrell, Josh Allen or Trevor Lawrence at Indy.

Trevor Lawrence playing inside based on the way he's played lately in the team coming together, Wow, maybe Jacksonville's quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

I'm gonna go with Allen in that in that case, but I certainly think you should think you you know what, you what? What Lawrence did last week in Denver was pretty impressive, and so if anybody wants to say, like, no, I'm gonna ride the hot hand. I'm gonna play Lawrence at Indy this week over Josh Allen. I fully get that. I get it.

And that's one I think you could have. If you could Trevor Lawrence like round, you.

Could have Josh Allen and Drake May. It's possible. No, no, now, I don't think you'd have Josh Allen and Joe Burrow Farrell, but I think Burrow over Allen.

Some guy would. He's not playing for anything though.

Right, that's true. I would also just for what it's worth. You said perty over Allen. I'm gonna say Josh Allen over Jacoby Brissett against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Would you be playing Allen over Brissett? Yes, okay, all right. Last thing I want to get to here, and before we get into our guests, Craig Luandowski here. Josh Jacobs no longer on the injury report for the Green Bay Packers. He will be playing tomorrow night at lambeau Field against

So what are you asking me?

I'm asking you, Sorry, this is a long winning question. I'm asking you about these Packers skill position players and these Ravens skill position players with the backup quarterbacks and so listen. Obviously you're playing Derrick Henry, but the pass catchers in Baltimore, the pass catchers in Green Bay, and quite frankly, the running back.

In Green Bay.

I think you have to play Josh Jacobs. But I don't want to be presumptuous here. I want to know what you think about these other skill position.

Guysers are going to be playing their third team quarterback, the quarterback which one.

The Ravens are probably going to be playing Huntley, The Packers are for sure starting Malik.

Leak's gonna play. Okay, Malik played pretty well, didn't he?

Yes, he's been all right. He had some moments. Uh.

I think it's vexing enough to figure out what Packers receiver to play when they have love. So now you're this very very difficult question to figure out what they would do with the backup quarterback, which meets if you believe in those Packers receivers and you have unlocked the magical theory on how to play them. You should probably keep doing it. When we go over to Baltimore. This is much more problematic. And you've seen what some of

The pros versus Joe's.

Talking about how Flowers was gonna happen, and he has had a better season.

But my point is to.

Answer your question in a long winded answer to a properly asked question, I'm.

Going to try to play someone different. I am with you.

I don't think your secret to fantasy success in championship week lies in Green Bay.

I could be wrong.

We'll see what happens on that. But I don't foresee this being one of those games where were like, oh my god, if only I wuld to started all my Packers and Ravens.

I don't think that this is another situation. If Jacobs gets a little banged up, you've got a meaningful second team running back there.

Yeah, very and a great.

Christmas A great Christmas song, A historical Christmas.

Song features yes, Come, Come Emmanuel Wilson. And I will say this about Wilson. I don't think you can start them now that we know Jacobs is active for this game. But there is a non zero chance. And if you want to get you know, to borrow a line from Michael Keaton and Batman. If you want to get nuts, let's get nuts. And you got to make up one hundred some spots in the FFPC Biggerrilla or the main event you want to play Emmanuel Wilson. I think there are certainly worse ways to do it.

Who do you play when you've got to make up eight hundred spots?

You play Emmanuel Wilson. I mean like that, that's a guy that you put in there. What you're saying the counter intuitive? Yes, yeah, it could. It could very well be counter intuitive. I want to get into mister Expo's fifty two question here before we get into tonight's guest.

And well, we got a guest and knows more about this than we.

Yes, we have to get to him. He wants to know, mister expos fifty two, what's your thoughts on Dalton Schultz? If I were to get tanjis, would you go him with Kittle?

Maybe? Out?

Now, here's the situation. If you have Dalton Schultz on your team and you're weighing that against George Kittle Pharrell. The schedule is Schultz playing tomorrow afternoon, four thirty Eastern time, And I don't know about Kittle, and I know he's a game time decision, and I was already pretty bearish on him. I would play Schultz over Kittle, even if I had Tanjas. I would not wait on Tanjas. I would play Schultz tomorrow afternoon, even though it's a low

I would too, And you know in the last two weeks of the show, we have championed Shultz as the biggest surprise.

He's had the quietest successful year of the tied in the league. You go look up his numbers ball if you want to shout out how many catches. I think we're now flirting with eighty And you know that's that's more than Kelsey and more than Warren and more than a lot of guys have done very well.

I think Dalton Schultz has seventy five catches on the season, seventy five for a shade under seven hundred yards.

He's gotten in the end zone three times since the t and the touchdowns have come recently, Yes they have.

Yeah, he has gotten three touchdowns on the season, two of them have come within the last two weeks as well. Trone Force eighty one ninety nine. Who should I play at Flax? This is full PPR. Kenneth Gainwell, Jalen Warren or Devonte Smith. This is a tough one and you know, Troon force is a real one here because this is not an easy situation to make in Week seventeen. Jalen Warren is obviously at Cleveland this week. Kenneth Gainwell guess what.

Farrell, if you could.

Only play one of those players, Gainwell, Warren or DeVonta Smith, who would it be for you?

This week? I'll win? And after Philly's got the Bills.

Philly's got the bills, which could develop into shootouts, So you're going to play Smith.

The potential shootout in that game stands right now, Eagles Bills forty three and a half.

I think that, yeah, there you go make an.

It's a low total. We got to take the over in that game for sure. I am actually, with all due respect to what Farrell said, I'm going to roll with one Jalen Warren here.

Uh.

They're the passing options in Pittsburgh are non existent. If the Steelers are going to beat the Browns, it's going to be with the ground game, and I do believe Warren will be the lynchpin for that.

So he would be my third choice.

Wow.

And Smith would be my third choice.

This is and Gainwell would be my second because and it will get to that later maybe with our guests.

We'll talk more about that.

But I uh, Trone Force, I'm glad we helped you.

So yeah, yeah, we didn't.

Racy has a question Loveland or Ty Warren Ray, I'm gonna make you wait for that. We got to get to our guests, but I promise you we will answer that question. And then James Hicks, Michael Mayer or Brenton Strange at tight end we will get into that as well. I promise, ladies and gentlemen. Let's bring in our guests tonight. He's been extraordinarily patient, all the shrimp, all the crew. De tay has gone in the green room because we

I couldn't find that shrimp.

The intern must have eaten at all.

Again, we've had does Madagascar shrimp.

When we get them they go quick.

Sometimes they don't get into the green.

Room, you know.

Thanks for the inviting.

Yeah, absolutely, thank you for accepting the invite. It's great to have you on on board tonight and certainly a unique situation, uh that that you're in tonight. We'll get into your you know what, you think your prospects are here going for one final week in the FFPC. Before we get into that, can you tell us what you're doing for a living when you're not hanging out near the top of the FFPC Main Event and Big Gorilla Championship Round leaderboard?

Sir, sure, Yeah.

I work for an events production company in Dallas, and I'm an IT sourcing manager, So essentially I work with the IT department and I negotiate software licensing contracts and other IT under contracts.

I'll be half of the organization.

That sounds like a pretty good daytime job, bulking, Yeah, absolutely surprising a guy that does that for a living ought to be able to really break this question down to this great and I really want to know why we've We've got a lot of tough questions about lineup situations, and you're welcome to jump on any of those that are in the that are in the message room. But what's your toughest decision in week seventeen? Because you're sitting

It was kind of a blessing and a curse. But the Raiders made that decision.

For me because oh yeah.

And once they put them on ir then my options were somewhat limited. So I've got gain well Warren, I had Debo. Didn't want to start Debo with a third string quarterback because his usage has been very low than me recently. Theo Johnson, who I do have Dart and maybe there could be some correlation there if I wanted to make a big move, but he put up a zero last week. You can't start him with any confidence. And then I have Chris Godwin. Oh, my pivot options weren't weren't very enticing, so.

They sounded good in October though that that's a pre Halloween lineup you can get right behind Bulky.

Absolutely, Craig, did you have before Bowers got IR?

Did you?

I mean, like, I guess I want to who you ascended to your starting lineup with Bowers being on IR.

So I have been rolling with dark Cook, etn Nakua, Ted McMillan, Bowers, Pits, and then I had been rolling with Gamewell since he had been getting a lot of the passing word.

Yeah, but what tied in? Isn't that what you're asking about?

Well, no, not necessarily, because you have a lot of I mean, you mentioned Pitts, so Pitts could clearly take your tight end spot you. You obviously have THEO Johnson as well. Is there a guy that you once you saw the Bowers, I r like, okay, I'm playing this guy now.

Yeah, it was it was making the decision to go with Jalen Warren and Gamewell just because I think he's Oh maybe the ceiling isn't as great, but I think he's the safest option if I'm trying to move up and this way I can get all over the Pittsburgh backfield points.

Okay, we're going to talk about that a little later on, but we are going does go in and talk about it right now?

Well, do you want to? We can?

Yeah, I think they talked about that right now because we've got plenty of Tyler Warren questions in here. You know, when Bulky and I get together in the summer and talk to all the experts, and they'll we sometimes hear the phrase it's backfield is going to be fifty to fifty, and you know, you never think it is. And then you look at your game well and your Warren and it's four hundred and forty snaps for Warren and four

I'm hoping they both had because I'm starting both of them.

Yeah, there we go, There we go. That's big news bunking.

So now what I will say on the on the Bowers thing? That was actually that was a bad break for me because he was the only player that no.

One above me owned.

Oh so, and I know, I know you put up fifty points earlier this season, So a generational game from him against a softer defense, you know, potentially could move the way up.

God, that sucks, I will say in your defense. Uh, not in your defense, but to speak well of your team. I don't know how many teams above you right now. And Craig, I guessed, were you fifteenth coming into this week or were you.

I was seventeenth I started the chase set. I think I was eight oh three out of.

Eight seventy or however many teams are in it.

Right, And I scored two of nine the first week and moved up in the top one hundred, and then put up a one ninety one last week and moved up to seventeen, and I'm forty ninth. Now I had no players going yesterday, right, Yeah, that was difficult watching, you know, all of the teams leap frog you and hoping none of those games go explode.

Yeah, but when you look at them, they didn't score much.

Yeah. No, Well, so there's that.

And then it's also like the scene of the movie like where where the hero is bleeding out and you're like, I know I'm gonna get a bandage. I know I'm gonna get medical attention. It's just a question of how fast I can get medical attention. So now I just got to wait, and I got to see what everybody

Yeah, that was pretty exciting to watch, especially because I'm a Kyle Pitch truther. I went to UF so I got to watch them throughout his collegiate years, and I thought he was going to be the, you know, one of the best tight ends ever to play, and then it's been nothing but disappointment throughout his career. Yet I draft him every single year, and my friends, my friends make it's kind of a running joke. They make fun of me for it.

Well, you know, it's an asset you believe in, and you paid less for it every year. I think your young man of mighty fine lesson. I think it's brilliant.

He was a tremendous value this year.

But yeah, watching that game where he scored three touchdowns and Cousins was just throwing to him every play, and then Nikoupa last week where the game went into overtime, and then yeah.

That was just unreal.

And I love talking about the future Greg, although I do not have a crystal ball, but I bet you something. I bet you he'll be a bargain next year too, Which one, nicolea no is going to first game? Uh, Pitts.

He's a free agent now, so I think it's going to depend on his landing spot.

Right, he's not getting out of state of Georgia. You don't think the Falcons let him go franchise him.

I hope there's tools there plugs all right, Well, we'll see what happens with Kyle Pitts next year. I want to ask you about Jackson Dart and this is so I'm going to ask you about your quarterback situation in this league. Now correct me if I'm wrong. Craig three quarterbacks, Dart Winston, Torod Taylor.

Is that what you have?

Unfortunately, yes, I had some piss poor roster management on my part. For lack of a better description, I actually drafted Jordan Love and JJ McCarthy. I cut at various times they were heard or not performing, and Dart had I picked up Dart and he had emerged. And then I just got Winston as an insurance policy and said, I'll just roll with these guys. And then in week

So, oh my god, it's kiss smit.

So the poor guy, then, poor guy you beat is to look at that mindus launch I'm sure, Well, now I only have dark and.

I have no horr options.

Well, and listen, like you look at Dart, and the reason I ask you about him this week is because Jackson Dart, we've seen what he's capable of throughout the season, and he gets a great matchup against the Raiders defense without Max Crosby this week, as we found out a few hours ago that he will not be playing the rest of the season for Las Vegas. And I'm curious as to what you think Jackson Dart is going to give FFPC players like you, because we know that there.

I have low expectations, even though it's a softer matchup. I'm hoping for fifteen points minimum. I just don't want him to face playing again like last week one point. But it looks like Kafka or whomever definitely put the reins on him. I was watching the game because I'm trying to climb the leaderboard, and I think they ran the ball sixteen times out of the first seventeen snaps, and it's just whit frustrating. So are you even gonna let him play?

We don't know, play Wandale this weekend? If you got him anywhere.

I would, But I mean, it depends on my depend It depends on what my other options are.

You know, we got so many Kentucky.

Guys and the thing I just want to throw into content.

Yeah, I think Pharah, Like for me personally, if I have Robinson, most of my leagues, I'm playing them. I mean, like, when it comes down to it, you really gotta have a loaded wide receiver roster not to play him. Juwan Jennings I think would make some sense over him this week. I think Tetero McMillan, I think you could play over Wondale Robinson.

I think.

By and large, it's tough to find two or three receivers on your roster that are better than Wandale Robinson that you would, you know, want to play this week. So in my leagues, I'm playing him for sure.

What's what's the barefooted receiver up at Let's put let's let's put Mac out there in front of We can't.

Do that because the Patriots ruled them out.

So he will. I know, it's so probably.

Problem will more than likely it is, Farrell.

I think that you are.

You are definitely on point on that Mac Collins, the grizzled veteran wide receiver in New England. But we have to talk about the young, up and coming tight end in Los Angeles here, Farrell with Craig.

Yeah, we do. I was trying to think, you know, the young and up and coming tight end in Los Angeles, and I was just having flashbacks to warmer weather in the summer when Bolky you were all over that Rams tight end and and it you know, so Gaston with the Chargers. Now, I love this player. I see him very much as Bowers esque as far as the way he Yeah, he's as in you know, and he's got the same physique that his father did.

Admired his father as a player.

He's you know, his season has truly been a bell curve. I haven't watched the games as closely with the Chargers as I would like to. What has led to his high points and low points? And what do you expect of him this weekend? All the skill sets there is there just too many other receivers in this mix.

I think it's a combination of a few things. He definitely has talent. He's more receiver than tight end. Oh yeah, I think And I don't know if it's due to injuries on the offensive line, but the Chargers offense has evolved. If you look early in the season first half, I think Herbert was averaging thirty eight thirty nine pass attempts.

Well McConkie has hit the wall with fantasy production as well.

Yeah.

So they've kind of become a super spreader offense. And it's a low volume passing attack, which isn't a great combination. If I have Datston, There's no.

Way I'm starting this weekend unless I am.

I got to roll knowing what we know now, I know what the answer is. But I had a tough decision this week. It was golf or Herbert that chills golf, which is huge.

Which would you know? Which would you have done?

I would have chose golf as well.

Yeah, okay, thanks, all right this this I'm gonna sound like an a hole here, but I would have chosen Herbert. Well, and you call me well, I should have clearly I should I should have told you.

I let you have thought about it, but long and thought wrong.

Boky.

Well, I will say this about golf, like, yeah, I would have played Herbert over. I could not have envisioned a game that that the Lions put out against Minnesota.

I never would have saw it and I didn't see it coming.

Uh drag mention the forty something point Bowers game this year, you know, golf had one of those two or something.

Damn you're close and you can't get that out of Herbert.

But by the way, I'll just say this, and I think this is I don't know his YouTube name, but I believe this is Jared Eisen lawyer who is watching us tonight, saying we always Allion's hair. I am not Jared, not always a Lion. I will se I'll say this about the Lions.

I was rooting for him.

I wanted him to win yesterday against Minnesota to give the Lions a fighting chance of playing for something in week eighteen against Chicago because I'm still fingers crossed with the Packers winning the NFC North.

Now that is, I don't know, it's probably going by the wayside.

Bulky Jared. Jared's actually a friend of mine and he's he's one of.

Gig you're friends with Jared. I didn't know this.

I am, Oh, my god, fends with everybody.

We both we both worked for the same company and lived in the Fort Myers area for a while. Now he's there's a group of us that go out to Vegas for.

The Yes, I've run into you guys the and and you know now that you're saying this, Craig, I think Jared might have told me this before, which I feel like an idiot now, but it is, it is what it is. Me feeling like an idiot is sort of part for the course.

Oh way, smartest we.

Know, smartest guy I know, and I don't know that many people. I want to ask about Teto McMillan here, Craig, because if you look at if we look at what he's done now, last week he was unbelievable, right, ten targets, he catches, six of him seventy three yards gets into the end zone. If you look at the three games prior to this, two for twenty five, one for forty three,

Is the volume?

Is the usage this week for Tetero McMillan great in week sixteen, but three weeks before that obviously much less than great.

You don't have to remind me because I started them all three of those weeks, and yeah, total five catches. Not a lot of confidence he's gonna get high volume.

Again. I don't have great alternative options, and like Bowers, I think McMillan there's only one or two teams that have him ahead of me, So it's a good leverage play. I'm hoping that young isn't running for his life and just peppers with peppers in with targets like he did last week. I did make a mistake, and I can't remember.

It was like week ten or eleven when McMillan blew up for one hundred yards of two touchdowns.

I had actually benched him that.

Week in favor of Pits, and it cost me finishing in the top two in the league because I left.

So now I'll never bench I won't bench him again.

Okay, here's here's something about benching and when to play player. I handled the New England Patriots. I think the best way I could this year. I have Stefan Diggs on the Dynasty team that I inherited. But all I did was draft drink May and run for daylight. I stayed away from the rest of it. Yeah, I considered it too difficult. And here we are the end of the season and we're still trying to figure out. You know, because you watch Henderson playing, you go, man, I wouldn't

It sounds like he might. I think he shut them on.

How do you handle that backfield?

If he If he does, oh, I'm if I own him, and I do on my gorilla, I'm one hundred percent playing. You have to just because of the home run potential. And Hollins and Booty are out. Maybe that doesn't mean more targets for the running backs, but if Henderson plays, he could get a couple more targets.

So I would absolutely play him.

And I did not know Hows was out, A new bouttoo was out, But I thought the other receiver that was having problems with Douglas and I guess he never has an.

He's having problems too far.

It's a cavalcade of problems.

Yeah, well his cavalcade of problems is to catches a game. But that's the other thing.

No, we we know that Mario Douglas is questionable with a hamstring issue.

That okay, that's so too. I thought it was Douglas. Well, you know that Thomas Smith is always on top of everything this goes. He's out there in California.

Gets like yeah he so. So we're looking at a questionable Henderson, which we just talked about, a Mac Collins who is out, to Mario Douglas who's questionable in Kaysehawan Boody who is out this week. Too, so could be

Right, yeah, yeah, favorable matchup. I have to say the teams ahead of me, they're just looking at lineups that people have, Like I didn't see any Stevenson, so.

I don't know.

People might have him on their on their rosters and just start playing them, but he might be a tough button to click if you know Henderson is going to make a move up the leader board.

And I want to congratulate you the kind of guy you are and the way that you approach this. Balkey said, you're a one plus plus plus plus guy as our president, so.

You know the uh so.

But you know, it seems like you've been replete with injuries, especially on a team here that's right in the middle of the hunt. And then there's no whining. You know you're gonna go find your next logical move. Which is very, very impressive. Maybe that relates to your career that you've chosen. You you're a you're a logical guy. I've talked to some fantasy players this week, Guys that I love, Guys that are good fantasy players. You know, one wants to

Approach the game, you know, Craig, Craig, I'll throw this to you and I'll share a personal insight. I don't know how many years ago this was, but I didn't.

I mean, like I.

Made the play. I probably played in like two dozen leagues that year. I don't know how many years ago this was, but it was several. I played in like two dozen plus leagues. I made the playoffs in like three of them, which was super frustrating. And I didn't I didn't win a playoff game. And I was like, and I said, I told my friends that I played with.

I'm like, I'm done. I can't.

I'm this is awful. I'm investing weight time into this. It's not worth it anymore. And that feeling came in like mid January, late December, and I think by May I was drafting pretty heavily. And the following year, like five or six leagues out of like twenty five or thirty. You know, so it like comes and goes or whatever. I'm sure you've had years where it's just it's been super dry for you, and then you get a year

Man, up until a month ago, I thought this was going to be a very dry year for me. I did two main event teams and this one hadn't popped yet, so it was kind of middling.

And then I did seven.

Gorillas, four of which were just drawing dead from the onset because oh Joe Mixon or some other and.

They were mainly early drafts.

And then I had one gorilla, the one that's in the Chase, that was undefeated in the regular season.

So that was the.

One thing I was going to be able to hang my hat on. But the year kind of turned around. But you're right, you just got to stick with the process. I have told myself that I would like to cut back next year, not do so many teams, just because it's difficult.

To manage and draft.

Later, I know, you guys open up the drafts super early, and everyone it's kind of like you know, crack. You want to you want to get your your little taste, and everyone wants to draft. But the two teams that are doing the best for me are the ones that I drafted, you know, the latest and.

To eat sorry, I mean right and listen. There's some people that like, like I know Chad Schroeder, he's not He's a notorious late drafter right now.

When he drafts late.

I mean he goes hard, harder than anybody I know as far as how many drafts he does. But I know a lot of people that draft early that love the values that they get out of players early. So it's it's hit or miss. Some people love it. Some people have a lot of great success with it. Some people like doing the opposite, which and I'm not going to fault anybody you do.

How Yeah, that's the beauty of the hobby because it's in a lot of ways. It's like your friends that play golf. I've got a guy that can play it once every two weeks and shoot in the mid seventies. I know other guys that play fifty four holes in one day, on a weekend and you know, they really can't do anything but to get a bogie. So it's just it's however you want to approach it. Now Here in Kentucky we have our Super Sunday Sweet sixteen on the Super Bowl weekend, and you know, so we're gonna

Is as much as you want to do.

But you know, I think you're good at it. And working the waivers can be difficult. Yeah, when you get in a role with the waivers and you have enough teams, you can already you can begin to see between the lines. Welky, have you ever experienced that you're you're there and you already know what's coming and you see it and you move through it real quick. That's the way I like to get with. Well, I'll say this too, when I

Re evaluate my early drafting process because it could be broken.

Well, listen, I don't. I don't think your process is broken. I don't think anybody's process is broken. I think if it's not working, it just needs to be tweaked. There's a difference between broken and tweak. And I'll say this too. To your credit, Jared is chiming in. Craig is one of the most skilled players out there. The only surprise is that this is the first time he's been this close. You will see him again, Is that true?

Right?

Is this the closest you've ever been to the mountaintop here?

Yeah?

I think the highest I finished before was Jalen Wattles rookie year. I think I finished like one or something.

Oh all right, that's very that's really good.

Actually, I don't think anybody's process is broken except the guys that came into the summer and said Evan Ingram was going to be a top five tidy those that process is broken.

I don't know who said that. We had those guys on the show. Oh a big year.

Well this was the whole joker argument with Sean and that's what it was.

Was.

Yeah, okay, Farrel, I have no emails here and we're up against it here. Let's let's ask Craig the final question of tonight before we let him go enjoy his championship weekend.

You've got to come strong our last Uh what did abuco score last week?

Full catch?

Yeah, that's what it was, catch for forty yards.

You are right, Craig, one catch forty yards yep, that's all I got. Our guest last week chose as our noted player, a fantasy favorite who would bomb and bust.

Uh.

He chose a Buka and that was that was ballsy and impressive. So that's what you're going up against. Then you've got to pick a sleeper. You've got to pick a sleeper. I think Baky picked Quinn yours last week, I believe, but whoever, you know, we're interested not in so much last week, but we want you to uh Buka and then we want you to give us the guy nobody's thinking about that's gonna get us there.

I don't know if he's gonna bust per se. I think Josh Jacobs, who I don't own, is a difficult clique this week, only because he's been hurt. Yeah this I'm playing. Yeah, Wilson's capable. Willis is playing. I know he's good. But now the Packers have already clinched a playoff spot. Do the Lion's losing, so I don't know how much incentive they're going to have tomorrow. The Packers to give Jacobs a heavy workload, so I think unless he gets a touchdown, it's hard to see him coming through.

Jacobs is your bus. You said that like a six or eight point game.

I could straw. I could definitely see that happening. And honorable mention to lad Mconkie.

I don't yes, just get on that train, Craig, get on the jump on there.

For us for a sleeper this, you got to have a very strong stomach.

I'm gonna go Dalton kind who gave me a zero last week on my big Gorilla team. But I think the Eagles Bills game, I think the total is way too low. I think that game is going to pop and Alan and Cook are going to need some help. So shak Heire's the short area target. I would go with Dalton and k Interesting and Craig.

We talked about this at the at the top of the pro Farrell was one who brought this up, saying that that game could turn into a shootout and forty three and a half is not a shootout type totals. So yeah, and I think you guys convinced me here tonight. I think there will be some scoring. Kinkaid, for what it's worth, did not practice Wednesday, did not practice Thursday. He did get in a limited practice today, which I know is a little bit concerning.

But that's sort of been his He did that last week and that was his routine, and we did absolutely.

Nothing last week.

He only got one target, but they were playing the Browns and running all over them, and the Browns weren't I know, they almost you know, they kept the game close, but I think they managed his workload a little bit.

And the other thing to keep in mind too, when you think about Dalton Kinkade, this is the guy that can just pop off out of nowhere and get like a you know, six for eighty and two touchdown games.

If he goes six for sixty in a touchdown, it wouldn't chock me.

It wouldn't chock me at all. And and that's well within his realm of possibility here, uh as well, all right, I think I am yeah that that that, I am fresh out of questions here and and here's what I'm gonna do, Craig. I'm gonna wish you the best of luck because and I do this to all our guests, but I give you extra luck this weekend because it is difficult to find a guest who wants to come on this specific weekend when they are so far high up on the on the main event or big eer

See.

Thank you Craig Luwandowski, Ladies and gentlemen joining us tonight, seventeenth coming in to the main event this week and well within striking distance, still within the top fifty. Farah, because he had nobody play in the three Christmas Day games.

So there's that was his best move. And you know this is a Jay Ready guy that's supporting Craig.

That.

Yeah, that's the way I talk about you when.

You're not around. Just oh, thank you. I appreciate that. And by the way, I fully expected that.

I think the thing is too And when I looked at his lineup and you talked to him about this, how many teams in the top fifty, he might be the only one in the top fifty right now in the main event that is starting both Steelers running backs this weekend with no DK Metcalf playing in.

Some special with that Bauer situations. That hurts.

Yeah, that does hurt. But the fallback here, it's weird. But he might be starting the number one running back and the number one wide receiver for Pittsburgh and they just both happen to play in the back. Yeah, it's so we'll see what happens with that. I'm very intrigued to see what happens. Okay, Pharaoh, let's go rapid fire on these starter sits here as we are up against it. First one is Phil in New York, New York. He wants to know DeAndre Swift or Tyrone Tracy at the running back position.

Here.

Swift this week is going to be playing on Sunday Night football against the San Francisco forty nine ers, and then Tyrone Tracy is going to be at Las Vegas.

You leave that Tyrone Tracy along, you play your mister Swift. Swift sixteen points a game, three touchdowns over the last four.

Come on, It's no contest.

The Bears have had one of the best offensive lines in the league this year, and I think a struggling against the run. Yeah, the Niners defense is not carrying him right now. I think that could be a potential shootout on Sunday Night Football. I am one hundred percent with you. It is Swift over Tracy this week. Now, here's an interesting wide receiver question here as we go to Gary in Moreno Valley, California. He wants to know

I would love to know what's left on his roster because you know the thing about Godwin is Mayfield. Mayfield has been so bad. Yeah, last six games, six touchdowns versus seven interceptions. I might have those numbers transposed six to seven.

BOK No.

Six seven is right, you got it right, Whatever it is, it equals thirteen, which is bad, bad luck for all the receivers in Tampa. Now, the athletic talent, the upgrade that you can get with Harrison in this situation is just so strong that that's going to be your guy. But yeah, I wish we could see the rest of his roster.

Yeah, I mean, I'm assuming he has given us the best two options that he has as far as he's got to sit. I worry about Mike Evans, Jayleen McMillan.

Who's the other guy?

Mecha Buca obviously there and who does Harrison have to worry about? It's just two guys with McBride and Wilson. And quite frankly, last week when he made his return, Wilson only caught like two or three passes, So I think there's something there. And at Cincinnati give me Marvin Harrison over Chris Godwin for him this week? That is who did I say that?

That was?

That was that?

Phil? That's our cat out in California.

In California, Okay, yeah, Gary and Marino Valley. Okay, here's here's a fun one. Tom from Cincinnati wants to know Farrell the two rookie tight ends. Who do you go with this year? The two top drafted rookie tight ends. Is it Tyler Warren against Jacksonville or is it Colston Loveland again Sunday night football at San Francisco in Santa Clara.

I love that Colston Loveland is only twenty one years old. Yeah, that's all I love about it. Tyler Warren is the guy you're gonna play Colson. Loveland hadn't had a four catch game since the swimming.

Pools were still opening. Dagas.

Come on, let's get real. Tyler Warren could blow up in this game. It's not even a contest Tyler Warren all the way. It's Loveland someday, you know, yeah, casting he's twenty one years old.

Man, I'm excited.

I have to have Loveland going in a few leagues this week, which I don't love. You shouldn't because of the injuries or whatever. It's it's the best to borrow a line from Argo Ferrell, and I've said this on the show many times. It's the best bad idea we have. It's most in Loveland to me. In my starting lineup

Mo Ali Cox may catch more than Loveland. It's in a backup road to Warren. It's yeah, to borrow our line from Lawson.

Quarterback One quarterback question is our last one that we're gonna have tonight, pharall. And this one comes to us from.

Oh God, who is this?

Oh?

Greg? Yeah?

Greg in Framingham, Massachusetts wants to know Jalen Hurts this week at Buffalo or Trevor Lawrence at Indianapolis.

Why don't you answer that one? You know what?

Why guy from Massachusetts not gonna listen to.

Southern Okay, well, I don't know if you listen to a midwesterner either.

Yeah, you know, Bunkie, you're you're worldwide.

I'm not.

As weird as this is. You asked me last last week. I would have said Hurts all the way. But what Lawrence was able to do against then, you know the thing is the acid test with Lawrence this past week was the Denver Broncos defense. Lawrence has been crushing it against all these mid to bad defenses over the course of the last month, month and a half. Then he gets Denver.

Last week and he goes ham On.

So I don't the way that he's playing right now. I'm gonna ride the hot hand. I will play Trevor Lawrence over Jalen Hurts this week.

Well, you know, the great thing that's happened for Trevor Lawrence is he's welcomed Jacoby Myers into the fold, and that's improved his passing game. It's improved vector receivers could do that. Probably the only thing that would have worked better is if they had acquired Pittman. I got it in Booky, Yeah, I was worried I got it in there.

Seventy minutes into the show. You finally got it in, So good to do it on you.

You were talking about baseball in the first minute, so that's what you normally would have weaved it in. Hey, this cat with a bunch of numbers and his name's got a question.

Yeah, this is rt uh three oh two eight two one two nine four on YouTube. Quarterback question Jackson Dart this week Farrell at Las Vegas or Tyler Shook at Tennessee.

I'll weigh in on this. You feel free to agree or disagree.

Shuck and Dart, surprisingly have both used their legs, and I would say that Chuck has actually been using his legs a little bit more lately than Jackson Dart. The numbers that Shuck has put up over the course of the last month has been really, really surprising to me.

You look at.

His finishes over the course of the last four weeks, quarterback sixteen, quarterback sixteen, quarterback six, and quarterback twelve. And now he gets that Titans defense. Yeah, gimme Tyler Shuk this week over Jackson Dart.

I agree, Bucky, and I think that was a fantastic breakdown of it.

And Chuck's just playing a.

Little looser, It's true, and I think that looseness has gotten him into the conversation of he could be the starting quarterback, not only in twenty twenty six, non zero chance, he's their long term solution, and I believe you will be.

Yeah, it's always great to talk about a University of Louisville players.

No matter no matter if the eighteen twenty eight or in Tyler Shuck's case, sixty eight, it is a blessing to talk about University of Louisville players. It's always a blessing to talk to anybody from Louisville, especially my favorite person from Louisville, the k FFFC Commissioner, One Farrell Elliott. Now, Farrell, we have to talk about if people want to get

Go online, check it out. It's under Super Sunday Sweet sixteen. There's six live spotslav Bulky in It's ninety sixteen field Drafting Live is Caesar Southern Indiana. Ninety sixteen is playing for ten thousand dollars grand prize and lots of other cashing prizes.

And then the the UH.

The online element is currently scheduled for the Tuesday night after the Super Bowl. If we sell it out, we will have it then. If we need to push it back, a couple of days we will, but it's this event is in its fourth year or fifth year, one of those, and it's selling out quicker. It is somewhat exclusive because the people that love it love it and a lot of the guys that are in our our chat will be there and you will be there, which is the

K f f SC dot com is where to go to register and get involved. Draft against me and draft against a lot of the people in the chat tonight. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Tom Smith, I'm holding out that he's still coming. I hope he's recovering, but hopefully that's very possible. Farrel a Merry Christmas to you. I will wish you a happy New Year, and we will do this again. Coming up on January second, is the next time you and I will go live. It's gonna be a lot of fun. Man, Thanks so much.

Enjoy your holiday weekend. Thank you sir.

That is Ferrel Elliott, the Definitive Commissioner of Fantasy Football. KFFFC dot com is where to register it for the Kentucky Fantasy Football State Championship. That will complete our broadcast, our our stream tonight, at least not our broadcast, but it will complete our stream tonight. Shout out to Craig Luwandowski, Ferrell Elliott, the f f PC, Rob Brice, and of course each and every one of you for watching tonight. We will be back next Friday at ten pm Eastern Time.

My FFPC dot com.

If you want to get your spots locked up for the FFPC World Famous Playoff Challenge, you can do so as well. My f FPC dot com is where to go. There's no draft, there's no salary cap, no convoluted rules. Just pick your twelve players and watch them ride all the way to perhaps a half million dollar grand prize. Two hundred dollars entry fee will get you eligible for five hundred thousand dollars. A thirty five dollars entry fee still gets you eligible for a one hundred thousand dollars

This has been another episode of the Hot Stakes Fatasley Football Hour, presented by my f FPC dot com.

It was broadcast live and was watched around the world.

Bulky and Farrell will be back next week with more analysis, more interviews, add more advice from guests much smarter than they are.

Thanks for watching, and we'll talk with you again. Next week.

One last thing, and I think I bring this up every year.

I'll just make this brief Listen, chances are you're not winning a million bucks this weekend with the f FPC.

It's very, very difficult to do so.

But and I think Chris but Caro said this best on the Fantasy Empire podcast this past week. All you want is just to have that chance to have that sweat this weekend where you know, if you put up a two hundred twenty, it could be you taken down that million dollar grand prize. Could be Craig Lewandowski we talked with tonight, could be Brian Carrero who I'm gonna

That is what you want.

That's what we all want every single year. Enjoy the weekend, enjoy football, and.

I'll leave it at that. It's going to be very exciting. We'll talk with you again next week. Everybody, be good,