The Fantasy Football Podcast Recap – Week 15
It is fantasy playoff time, FootClan! Andy, Mike, and Jason are here to lead you to victory. Remember to listen to The Fantasy Footballers podcast, available wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Monday – Week 14 Studs & Duds, Fantasy Burns, Playoff Time
The guys start by getting sophisticated and jump right in.
Ready to Roll
You have to stay water in fantasy football and be willing to change your opinion. The guys look at the season’s first three weeks and reflect that half of the top 10 fantasy WRs on the year were outside the top 30 after three weeks. You are looking at players like Terry McLaurin and Jerry Jeudy, and things change very quickly. Implications from this remind us not to overreact early. Players to consider relating to this moving forward are Jayden Reed, Adam Thielen, and Cee-Dee Lamb—it takes grit to make it through the season.
News
Derek Carr suffered a fracture in his left hand and is heading to the shop, and this isn’t great for the Saints’ offensive weapons. Isaac Guerendo left the game with an injury Sunday, and whether or not he will return is up in the air. Bucky Irving also left the game, and Jonathon Brooks left with a non-contact injury to the same leg where he had a torn ACL in college. Sad Montana has a shoulder injury, and Aidan O’Connell looks to have a season-ending injury as the team circles the drain.
Studs
Usually, on a week like this, the guys would talk about Sam Darnold, but then Josh Allen happened. He had three rushing and three passing TDs in a loss. Matthew Stafford also got it done in the same game. Jalen Hurts barely passed the ball and did not play well, but the rushing TD saved him. Tua deserves tons of credit for what he has been doing lately and has been the QB1 over the past month.
Zach Charbonnet highlights the stud RBs, and Kyren Williams and Guerendo were close behind. Hopefully, the foot is okay. Josh Jacobs had three more TDs against Detroit, and Rachaad White did it again for Tampa. James Conner also scored, and he just needs to hold his body together over the final few weeks. Chuba Hubbard was the last man standing in Carolina. Puka and both of the Minnesota WRs were incredible, and welcome back to the studs, Tyreek Hill. Davante Adams also scored. Jalen McMillan was successful with Andy’s TD guarantee, but Jason cautions not to get too excited. George Kittle had another great week, and Juwan Johnson was start-worthy. Unfortunately for him, losing Carr may be too much to overcome. The Muth got back into the end zone.
Duds
Kirk Cousins, sigh. Way to waste the money, Atlanta, and if you roster parts of that offense, you should be concerned. Jordan Love was unsuccessful on Thursday, and Patrick Mahomes had a rough outing but still came out as a victor. RB James Cook was a huge dud but the guys aren’t too concerned. Both Chiefs RBs were disappointing and Pacheco is not startable every week.
With the WRs, you aren’t concerned with Amon-Ra and his lousy week, but starting Jayden Reed after the goose is scary. However, the matchups are good in the fantasy playoffs. A.J. Brown had a bad game, and Andy is concerned. You need to be benching Deebo, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine returned to earth. Brock Bowers had a dud week, and it will be tough to bench him. T.J. Hockenson and Travis Kelce did not give us what we wanted, and Kyle Pitts had his classic one catch.
Hope you get what you need in the Monday night game!
Tuesday – Week 15 Waivers and Difference Makers, Playoff Bound!
Monday Night Recap
Mike screams in joy at Rico Dowdle’s performance last night. He was right all along. CeeDee Lamb had a good game, and Ja’Marr Chase is unstoppable. Joe Burrow came out after the game, stating that Tee Higgins would be on the team next season, so we will see how management makes that happen.
Difference Makers
The guys try something different and toss out six names to debate whether they can make a difference in the playoffs. The guys say no to Brock Purdy, Zach Charbonnet, and Rome Odunze. Conversely, the guys are going yes on RB Sincere McCormick—if you need him, you really need him. Adam Thielen is also a yes, and don’t be embarrassed to put him in your lineups. Jordan Addison is also a yes.
News
Jonathon Brooks re-tore his ACL in his right knee, and he will be on the same recovery timeline. Will Dissly is expected to miss a few weeks, and Kenneth Walker will undergo more tests, which sounds ominous. Aidan O’Connell avoided the season-ending injury and might actually play this week. Derek Carr will miss some time and Ben DiNucci has signed with the Saints. Cedric Tillman is still in the concussion protocol, and George Pickens looks to miss this week.
Waiver Wire
Goodbye to the byes, and the guys start with Sincere McCormick for the Las Vegas Raiders. Spend it if you have it. Adam Thielen is the other big spend this week. Patrick Taylor is an option for San Francisco, but he is down the depth chart for a reason. Jason’s spidey sense says Abanikanda might be the guy if Guerendo doesn’t go. You can also look at the Jets’ guys—Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Mike would go with Davis, but it seems to be a timeshare if Breece misses again. Denver’s Jaleel McLaughlin is also in play, and don’t forget Kendre Miller.
The waiver mindset shift is real in the playoffs, and your primary concern is winning your week instead of stashing for the future. Besides Thielen, QJ is under consideration with a good matchup this week. When considering pickups, you are looking for players who have a chance to score a TD. Andy mentions Ray-Ray McCloud, who is stealing all of Kyle Pitts’ targets.
You can move on from Juwan Johnson, but Hunter Henry and Zach Ertz return from the bye. Grant Calcaterra slides into the TE1 role in Philly with Goedert out, and Noah Gray remains an option in Kansas City. There are some attractive defensive options this week, starting with the Washington Commanders. You can also consider Arizona, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. The Jets against Mac Jones is a great matchup as well. Look ahead a week and pick up Atlanta.
Full Stream Ahead
Andy is streaming Justin Herbert, Jason is dangerously going with Caleb Williams, and Mike is streaming Bryce Young.
Wednesday – Start Your Studs? Playoff Mailbag, TNF Preview
Hungry for More
Andy says it is not always the diamond in the rough, and he is hungry for more from Brock Purdy, not for him, but for the pass-catchers. Jason wants to see more from Jaylen Waddle. Finally, Mike is hungry for more from Brian Thomas Jr.
News
And like that, he was gone. Zamir White heads to IR, and Breece Hall is uncertain about playing this week. Jason doesn’t think he will play. Isaac Guerendo did not participate in the walk-through; it is still unsure if he will play this week.
Thursday Night Breakdown
The Rams take on the Niners this week, and this game could be significant. The NFC West is competitive, with all four teams still in the mix. The RB is the question mark for San Francisco; the Rams are vulnerable against the run. If Guerendo is out, Mike is firing up Patrick Taylor—if you are riding one of the backups, Taylor should be the best choice. The last time these two teams played, Jauan Jennings had a phenomenal game, and he is in your lineup. Andy suggests benching Deebo if you have a better option. You can fire up Purdy. On the other side, you are starting your Rams studs.
The guys jump into the mailbag and sign off.
Thursday – Starts of the Week and Week 15 Breakdown, Clown Ghidorah!
It’s playoff time!
News
Isaac Guerendo is listed as questionable tonight but plans to play. Monitor his warm-up, but you don’t want to miss out on this matchup. George Pickens did not practice, and the guys think he will miss this week. Bucky Irving did not practice, and you must monitor this as he is banged up. Welcome back under center to Tommy Cutlets in New York. It is still uncertain if Chris Olave will return this season.
Starts of the Week
Mike is putting on his steel underpants and is starting Kyler Murray, Rico Dowdle, Jauan Jennings, and the Muth. Andy is going with Justin Herbert, Rachaad White, Darnell Mooney, and T.J. Hockenson. Finally, Jason is starting Tua, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison, and Zach Ertz.
Fantasy Forecast
Kansas City takes on the Browns in Cleveland to start us off. The Chiefs’ offense has been disappointing, and the passing weapons have become flex options. You are still starting Kelce. Isiah Pacheco is a good start. On the other side, David Njoku is in jeopardy of missing the game, making Elijah Moore a better start, and you know Jameis will try to air it out. The Bengals play the Titans in the next matchup. Tony Pollard is Jason’s start of the week, and Calvin Ridley is an option. Start your Cincy studs and clock out.
Washington heads south to play the Saints. Fire up the Commanders after their bye week, and Jayden Daniels should be running the ball plenty. Chris Rodriguez is a potential nasty boy with Austin Ekeler out. For New Orleans, Kamara is always in your lineup and hold steady with Kendre Miller. Andy does not expect the Saints to move the ball efficiently with Derek Carr out. Baltimore is a 16-point favorite over the Giants, and best of luck if you are facing Derrick Henry. You are starting all the Baltimore stars, but temper expectations for Zay Flowers. For New York, don’t feel forced to start Malik Nabers.
Dallas and Carolina duel next, and the Panthers are favored. This is a battle of bad rush defenses, and you are starting the RBs on both sides. It is Adam Thielen in the passing game, and Legette should only be used in a pinch. CeeDee Lamb should be fine in your lineup, and Jake Ferguson is in play. The Jets head to Florida to play the Jaguars. Wilson and Adams are safe, and Mike is okay with Brian Thomas Jr. The only tough decision is related to the New York RBs with Breece Hall hurting.
Miami and Houston play next, and this one could be fun. There are tons of fantasy points here, and you can start most players on both sides of the ball. There is opportunity past Nico Collins, but Mike wants to avoid it. The Colts are off their bye and head to Denver to take on the Broncos. Andy is nervous about Anthony Richardson in this matchup, but he always has the chance to hit it big with his legs. Bo Nix can be started, but the RB room is complicated, and Jason does not want to start any of them. Start Courtland Sutton. Looking at the Colts, Andy says you can start JT if your team is a heavy favorite in your matchup. The guys have little confidence in Josh Downs if he returns.
Enjoy the Thursday night game!