The Fantasy Footballers’ Podcast Recap for Week 3
Welcome into a fun show today following an exciting weekend! After getting sophisticated, Andy, Mike, and Jason jump right in.
The FootClan resources are starting to cook, so check out the website with tools like the streamfinder, the strength of schedule, and more. Also, remember to listen to The Fantasy Footballers Podcast! Check us out on all the platforms –
Monday- Week 2 Studs & Duds + Monday Sunday, Turd Alert!
News
Tragedy has struck as Trey Lance has suffered a season-ending ankle injury. The Niners will be fine, but Lance’s future is in doubt, especially as his bread and butter was his ability to run. Dalton Schultz is undergoing an MRI for a knee injury, so plan to be without him for several weeks. Jerry Jeudy has a shoulder/rib issue which did not look great – the Broncos are not looking how we imagined them to be. James Connor exited the game early with an ankle injury but did stay in uniform on the sidelines, so hopefully, it was not too bad. Hunter Renfrow suffered a smoosh and, therefore, a concussion at the end of the game. The NFL will review Mike Evans’s actions from Sunday; he threw a punch in defense of Tom Brady. Gabe Davis is still considered questionable in one of two Monday night games.
Studs
Second place goes to Lamar Jackson, who scored over 50 points for Mike. It started a little rough for him, but he had a game for the ages, especially with his long-running TD. Tua had another game for the ages, throwing for almost 500 yards and showing he can support (at least) two pass catchers. Carson Wentz had a bad start but a solid finish. Begrudgingly, Wentz is an option. Jared Goff and Joe Flacco also had terrific games, and Kyler came from the pit of despair to save your fantasy day with the most extended pocket play in the history of the NFL.
Nick Chubb is good at football. He scored three TDs in his blowout game against the Jets. Sarcasm detected. Aaron Jones was finally free, and boy did he shine, scoring both on the ground and through the air. Andy believes this is the recipe for success for the Packers, yet Jason would consider selling him high if he can get a haul. Tony Pollard sneaks into the stud category with just under 100 yards rushing and one TD, and this does not ease any of the building Zeke anxiety. D’Andre Swift only had ten opportunities but made the most of them, Damien Harris had a solid showing for the Pats, and clearly, James Robinson never had an Achilles injury. CMC looks solid yet not prolific, and David Montgomery is Andy’s favorite trade-for candidate.
On to the WRs, which are highlighted with the Miami duo of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. The targets were insane, and they were the first teammates in NFL history with over 150 receiving yards and two TDs in the same game. Amon-Ra St. Brown has quieted all the haters and has proven he is the dude. Cooper Kupp is still the guy in Los Angeles, and Garrett Wilson in New York is a difference maker. Christian Kirk was dominant again, Mike Williams showed up, and several of the rookies have impressed. Moving forward, you might be able to start more than one Washington Commander pass catcher every week. Courtland Sutton looks to be potentially fed moving on with the Jeudy injury. TE wise, it was Mark Andrews, Darren Waller, and the Muth was Luth as usual.
Duds
Russell Wilson is not the QB we thought he would be, and Jason is concerned. Mike feels like this might be more of a coaching issue. Joe Burrow had six sacks with this so-called massively improved offensive line, and Andy is calling a red alert. Tom Brady also looked mortal, having lost most of his weapons before the start of the game and Evans during. Matt Ryan stinks without Pitty City. Among RBs – Jonathan Taylor, Joe Mixon, and Zeke all had disappointing games. Ring that warning bell in Seattle for Rashaad Penny after Ken Walker played. Cordarrelle Patterson had a bad game as well and the panic is real. Melvontae looked good but did not deliver, and they play San Francisco next week. Jason believes brighter days are ahead. Chase Edmonds was outplayed by Raheem Mostert, and concern abounds; he is currently not startable. Ja’Marr Chase and Mike Evans had bad Sundays, and it is time to move on from Darnell Mooney. All of the Kansas City WRs did not deliver. Moving to the TEs – Kyle Pitts is the priciest decoy money can buy. TJ Hockenson is a turd alert for Jason.
Enjoy the Monday night doubleheader!
Tuesday- Week 3 Waivers
Monday Night Recap
After debating why the NFL would air two games almost simultaneously, the guys start the breakdowns. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are very good at football, and you were quite pleased if you owned either of these gentlemen. Conversely, if you started Devin Singletary, you were disappointed, as the game was over quickly. Derrick Henry’s score saved you from complete fantasy disaster, but there was no saving Dalvin Cook owners, as he had ten total touches. If you are not concerned about these players, this is the ultimate buy-low window. Mike is less worried about Dalvin Cook, and Derrick Henry should have better days ahead with the Titans’ upcoming schedule. Andy has some concerns since Minnesota is functioning with a new system and coach. Some other takeaways – Jalen Hurts looked solid, Dallas Goedert was good, and Irv Smith was hot and will no doubt be a waiver wire target.
News
The Tampa Bay Bucs are signing Cole Beasley, which muddies the waters when it comes to starting a pass catcher from the team. Ty-David Price, the rookie Niners RB has a high ankle sprain because, you know, he plays for San Francisco. He will miss a few weeks, and Jeff Wilson and Jordan Mason are now the RBs in the bay area. The doctor is out – it’s a PCL injury for Dalton Schultz, injury expert Matthew Betz says this injury is somewhat a bit slow to heal. Pitty City is showing good progress in his recovery, and Mike is joyous.
Welcome to the Fold – Waivers
The guys start with the “probably rostered, but worth a look” – Curtis Samuel and Treylon Burks fall into this category. Garrett Wilson is at the top of the list for lower rostered players to pick up; he had fourteen targets from Joe Flacco, who will start another game this week. If you do not get him this week, you will never get him. Jahan Dotson had another solid week, running the most routes, and needs to be picked up. Jakobi Myers is also available, and Andy says now is the time to pick up Michael Gallup. Feel free to get Dortched as well. Jason also suggests Sterling Shepard. Drop candidates abound, starting with Andy’s fave, MVS. You can drop Darnell Mooney from the dismal Chicago offense.
The options with RBs are less abundant this week – look for Raheem Mostert and JD McKissic, who could be good spot starts. Outside that, you are picking up players looking to their usage in the future. Falling into this category are Jordan Mason and Darrel Williams. You can keep an eye on Tyler Allgeier from the Falcons, and Brian Robinson is working his way back. Andy is not dropping Ken Walker or Chase Edmonds, despite public sentiment. Conversely, he would drop Kenny Gainwell.
TE seekers are looking for a diamond in the rough. Irv Smith is worth a look. Hayden Hurst is Joe Burrow’s “in case of emergency” and had seven targets this week, and Tyler Conklin is an option if you drop Kmet this week. Which you should be. Defense-wise, pick up the Chargers, who have three great matchups coming down the pipe. The Chiefs could be a one-week rental, and the Dallas Cowboys are available in about half of leagues. If you are streaming a QB in week three, Mike suggests Jared Goff. Jason is streaming Marcus Mariota with a sprinkling of Jimmy G., and Andy likes Tua.
Wednesday- Unsolved Mysteries + Ride or Die
After some ride or die, the guys jump right in.
News
Mike Evans‘ suspension was upheld. Shocking. Marlon Mack has been brought up from the practice squad for the Niners, so note that he is relevant in the depth chart. He is a veteran to give a breather to another RB. In lying liar news, Pete Carroll came out and said the team needs to open up the passing attack, which offers DK Metcalf the option to be a buy low. Dallas coach Mike McCarthy says Michael Gallup could return this week, and Andy suggests a wait-and-see approach. He has potential but be conservative with Cooper Rush still under center.
Unsolved Mysteries
Kyle Pitts highlights this segment – he currently has ten total targets and 38 receiving yards coming off a year where he was TE7. There is not a landscape where high upside pivots exist, so you need to just play Kyle Pitts, believing in the market correction that will hopefully soon come. Jason agrees in that you have to ride it out, but Pitts will never pay off on his third-round draft capital. He is neverMariota’ss first read, similar to how it was for Allen Robinson in Los Angeles in week one. Mike reminds us that if the Falcons continue to lose, we will see Desmond Ridder on the field at some point, and all bets are off.
Next up is the Cincinnati Bengals and their offensive woes. The much-touted offensive line upgrade has not shown itself yet. It was fixed on paper, yet it has not manifested itself physically – Jason thinks Joe Burrow will still lead the league in sacks this year. Better years are ahead for Burrow, but this year could continue to be slightly questionable. It is crucial that the Bengals beat the Jets this weekend.
Let’s ride with another mystery. Russell Wilson has been ugly so far, QB14 and QB22 in Denver, which is not what he was drafted to be. Momentum has been an issue for the Broncos, and fantasy players are left wondering if Wilson will turn it around. Wilson has 18 red zone attempts through two weeks and zero TDs; however, several were called back, there were two delay of games, and there were many times a pass-catcher could not hold on. Perhaps this indicates better days once the coaching staff figures it out.
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Thursday Night Breakdown
The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Cleveland to take on the Browns in a game that has a low over/under. This game will be gross, and their will not be a plethora of fantasy options. The Muth is still getting his targets, you are starting Diontae Johnson as a volume PPR play, and Najee is in your lineup. On the other side, Nick Chubb is a go with all his opportunities, and Amari Cooper is your only passing option. Monitor the injuries on the Cleveland defensive side.
Thursday- Starts of the Week + Week 3 Breakdown, Playing the Odds
Andy, Jason, and Jay Grizz are in the house for the Thursday show! The guys jump right in.
Never Not Working
Last week we looked at QBs and garbage time and the narrative that garbage time is desirable for fantasy. Long story short, garbage time is not as beneficial as people often think. This week we look at RBs and WRs in reference to garbage time. If you want to dig deeper on this, check out MattDiSorbos’s article on the website, where he tracked every spread from every game for the past 20 years. He uncovered that favored teams win the games 66% of the time, and if the game is projected to be close, fantasy players score similarly, yet as the spread widens, the favorite becomes more heavily favored. The RBs favored average 27 more yards than underdog RBs and favored WRs average 42 more receiving yards than the underdogs. Picking players from the favored team is more predictable than depending on garbage time, and this can be a fantastic tiebreaker when you have start/sit decisions.
News
Justin Herbert participated in small team drills, Keenan Allen also has a chance to play this weekend, and Lamar Jackson was limited, but Jason is not worried. Gabe Davis also returned to a limited practice today, and the guys expect Alvin Kamara and Michael Pittman to play in week three. Jakobi Meyers is undergoing further tests on his knee and is dealing with something, and the guys remind you that George Kittle plays Sunday night, so you need to have a pivot option if he is held out because of his groin.
Fantasy Forecast
We start with a thriller – the Houston Texans head to the windy city to play the Bears. Both teams have some horrid stats across the board. Dameon Pierce had 89% of the RB touches last week, and Chicago had problems with the Packers RBs last week – he is a decent flex option. Brandin Cooks and David Montgomery are starts, and then log out. The Raiders head east to play the Titans in a battle of winless teams. We are not sending in the Carr this week. Davante Adams is always in your lineup, and Josh Jacobs is a go. Tennessee-wise, the question is, will the Yeti rise again? Treylon Burks has a 36% target per route run through the first two weeks, and if the team can find a groove, he can be highly successful moving forward.
Undefeated Kansas City takes on Indianapolis in our next matchup. You are always starting Mahomes and Kelce, but you do not know where the rest of the TDs will go. Jason thinks CEH is the ultimate sell-high candidate. On the Indy side, you have JT and Pitty City, and the guys think that this is not the bloodbath people think it could be. The battle of the undefeated takes place in Miami between the Dolphins and the Bills. It is scary to play guys against that great Buffalo defense, but you can stream Tua and play Tyreek and Waddle. This is fantasy gold with this up-tempo passing rate, and you should want every passing option in this game. Devin Singletary is not a great choice, Mike Gesicki has a pulse but is not worth a start, and you can’t start Dawson Knox.
In a battle of the NFC North, it is Detroit and Minnesota. If Dalvin Cook does not have a monster game, owners will be scared – going back to the start of 2021, he has four rushing TDs on his last 275 rushing attempts. Andy loves Kirk Cousins in a bounce-back game and is starting Justin Jefferson and Irv Smith in a pinch. You start D’Andre Swift. The Ravens play the Patriots in New England, and there are many offensive issues in New England. Damien Harris is startable, and Baltimore gives up a lot of points to WRs. You are starting Lamar, and we might see JK Dobbins in his 2022 debut. Do not start him. Finally, the Bengals head to New York to take on the Jets in what might be a get-right game for the Cincinnati offense. Joe Flacco has impressed, and he has provided some great value to his WRs. Garrett Wilson broke out last week, but the Bengals defense is solid, and Jason is not starting him this week. Breece Hall has not yet got the utilization you want, so you might prefer waiting to start Hall this week. Start your Bengals and Burrow in a bounce-back.
Starts of the Week
This week, Jason is starting Matt Stafford, David Montgomery, Michael Thomas, and Tyler Higbee. Andy loves Kirk Cousins, the Dump Truck Leonard Fournette, and Zach Ertz. He is also hooked on a Thielen. Finally, Mike is starting Jared Goff, Miles Sanders, DK Metcalf, and Evan Engram.
The show ends with the brilliant prose of Jason’s Boom Boom Kicker.
Friday- Week 2 Matchups + Market Corrections, Wheel of Shame
The boys are back together on a Friday, and Mike’s football time fills the void. If you want more of Mike, remember to check him out on Sunday Live with all the last-minute tips!
Thursday Night Recap
The Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last night and had a soul-crushing last-second play that fantasy owners felt everywhere. On the game’s final play, the Browns defense forced a fumble and scored, and Andy squealed with delight. Nick Chubb had a great evening, even without any catches. Steelers wise it was rough, and there will be continued calls for Kenny Pickett to take the field. David Njoku showed signs of life, but it might be too little too late for those that have dropped him. Jaylen Warren also looked good, and if Najee went down, he could have some success.
News
CMC was dealing with a bit of ankle stiffness but is off the injury report. Chill, Carolina beat reporters. Chill. Jakobi Meyers did not practice, and he might not play this weekend. Gabe Davis is also questionable, and Josh Jacobs missed practice with an injury. Pitty City should return this week. Big news – snow is hitting the ground in Vermont, so the Yeti might be out from hibernation this week.
Fantasy Forecast
Philly heads to Washington to take on the Commanders, and Jalen Hurts is looking solid. Carson Wentz attempts a revenge game, and he is entirely streamable. The Eagles are giving up a lot to the RB position, so you can start Gibson or Smooches. You can start your Washington pass-catchers, and Mike is into Miles Sanders on the Eagles side. This is Andy’s almost upset of the week. New Orleans plays Carolina in a battle of former number one overall picks. Jameis has his back issues, so there could be drops in all metrics of efficiency for him. That being said, Jason is still starting Michael Thomas as a WR2, and you can chase the volume with Chris Olave. You obviously start CMC, but you hope Baker starts throwing it more to him. The Jags head to Los Angeles to play the Chargers. Justin Herbert is a beast and is looking to play – we hope that he avoids any further injury by playing. You are starting all your Chargers; if Keenan plays, he is included. The Jags are starting to give us somewhat consistent fantasy goodness with Christian Kirk and James Robinson, but the matchup is more challenging than usual. Evan Engram is a start option.
The Los Angeles Rams travel to the desert to play the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams own the Cards, and you should confidently start all your players. Tyler Higbee is Jason’s start of the week. If you have to start a Rams RB, it should be Henderson over Akers, but you shouldn’t be excited about it. There is some opportunity available on the Cardinals side as the Rams are allowing the second most points per drive in the league. You can start Hollywood, you have an option to get Dortched in a pinch, and if James Connor plays, you play him even in this bad matchup. Start Zach Ertz. The Falcons and the Seahawks are the next matchup with a battle of the bridge QBs. There are very few must-start players in this game; DK Metcalf might be the only one on the Seattle side. Andy expects more Kyle Pitts involvement, and Cordarrelle Patterson might still be a flex play. You cannot start a Seahawks RB.
There is a battle of the bays with Green Bay and Tampa Bay, and Mike Evans is suspended. It is unclear who Brady will throw the ball to, and the dump truck Fournette is, therefore, a great option. The Packers pass catchers are also uncertain; Cobb is sick, and Lazard is still working his way back. The Bucs defense is solid, so starting any Packer is risky if they don’t fall into the endzone. In addition, it is a bad matchup for the RBs as well. You are benching Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Sunday night brings us the Jimmy G. led 49ers against the Broncos. You are starting Javonte and Courtland Sutton, and it looks like Jeudy will be sidelined. The Niners have not allowed a team to rush for 100 yards in seven straight games. There are better options than Russ. Jeff Wilson is your starting Niners RB, and he is in your lineup. Deebo is a go, and Kittle should be back out there.
Monday night closes out week three with a barnburner between Dallas and the New York Giants. Saquon is in your lineup, even after a dip in week two – he is a target after a down game. It is scary to start a Giants WR, and Sterling Shepard could work as a flex play. On the other side, you need to have a pivot option for Dalton Schultz. The Zeke utilization is confusing, and owners are left hoping he gets a TD this week. Go for CeeDee Lamb. With all the uncertainty, make sure to tune in to the injury blitz podcast with our expert Matthew Betz.
Jason spins the wheel of shame, and we are ready for week three! Good luck Foot Clan!