Championship Week Prep + Hungry For More, Underdog Tips
Championship Week is upon us! On today’s fantasy football podcast, tips for title game underdogs, and tough Week 17 start/sit decisions to make! Plus, Hungry For More players, NFL News, and a preview of Thursday Night Football! Manage your redraft, keeper, and dynasty fantasy football teams with the #1 fantasy football podcast. — Fantasy Football Podcast for December 27th, 2023.
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Summary:
Hungry for More: Zay Flowers
- Zay Flowers has shown great potential as the number one wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens.
- Despite a blip in performance, he has scored 17 or more fantasy points in three out of four games.
Hungry for More: James Conner
- James Conner has been performing exceptionally well and is hungry for more rushing and receiving opportunities.
- Despite tough matchups, he has produced excellent fantasy numbers in recent weeks.
“Kenneth Walker‘s performance against him
- Kenneth Walker had a remarkable performance against this player.
- It seems like this player struggled to contain Walker.
“Kenneth Walker torched him.”
Dallas exceeding expectations
- Dallas surpassed expectations by scoring seven points above the predicted score.
“You saw Dallas go seven points above expectation.”
Giants’ optimism for Conner
- The Giants had optimism for Conner based on their previous game where they scored three and a half points above expectations with Saquon.
- There is a hope that Conner can perform well due to this optimism.
“You saw the Giants last week, three and a half points above expectation with Saquon. So there is a little bit of optimism there for Conner.”
Conner’s ability to perform despite bad matchups
- Conner has been able to consistently perform well despite facing challenging matchups.
“Look, the matchups have been bad for Conner for a while and he just keeps getting it done.”
Excitement about Saquon Barkley
- The speaker is thrilled that Tyred Taylor has been announced as the starter.
- The hope is that Saquon Barclay will have more opportunities to shine.
“I’m thrilled they just announced Tyred Taylor as the starter.” “What you need is some, like, I just want like bottom third, not dead last in moving the football. If you move the football down the field at all, Saquon’s going to have an opportunity.”
Saquon Barkley recent performance and challenging matchup
- Saquon Barclay performed decently in his previous game against the Philadelphia defense, with 23 rushing attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown, along with six targets.
- However, the Rams pose another tough matchup for him.
“He went 23 for 80 in a touchdown against that Philly defense. He had six targets in that game.” “The Rams, it’s another tough matchup for Saquon Barclay and he has been much like Zay Flowers.”
Mason Rudolph starting in week 17
- Mike Tomlin implied that Mason Rudolph will start again in week 17.
“Mike Tomlin implied Mason Rudolph will start again in week 17.”
Trevor Lawrence‘s shoulder injury
- Doug Peterson stated that Trevor Lawrence is dealing with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder.
- He has been progressing with his injury for the past three weeks, but it is unsure if he will play.
- The speaker thinks there is a decent chance he will not play, especially if Lawrence is still injured.
“Doug Peterson said Trevor Lawrence right shoulder injury is an AC joint sprain. This would be the third straight week that he’s progressing with an injury that we don’t think he’ll play.”
Impact of Trevor Lawrence‘s absence on Calvin Ridley
- If Trevor Lawrence is not playing, the speaker would be hesitant to start Calvin Ridley.
- The speaker believes there is a decent chance Lawrence will not play.
“Yeah. I mean, well, obviously if Lawrence isn’t there, I would be hesitant to start Ridley. I think there’s a decent chance he does not play.”
Curtis Samuel‘s performance
- Curtis Samuel has been underperforming and facing a tough matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
- The speaker is not looking forward to starting Samuel in this matchup.
“Samuel is a terrible matchup for wide receivers for quarterbacks. So I’m not really looking forward to that matchup.”
ETN’s potential with a injured Trevor Lawrence
- If Trevor Lawrence is banged up, the speaker believes that ETN will perform well.
“ETN, I mean, especially if you’ve got banged up Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, Ingram should be okay and ETN should be great.”
Updates on other quarterbacks
- Will Leviss is expected to practice on Wednesday, which provides some hope for DeAndre Hopkins.
- Chacoby Brissett will start, and his presence is good for Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson.
“Will Leviss will try to practice on Wednesday. Will Leviss would give you moderate flex hope for DeAndre Hopkins where there is none in Tannehill. Chacoby Brissett will start. It’s good. It’s good for McClaren. It’s good for Dotson.”
“Chacoby Brissette will start. It’s good. It’s good for McClaren. It’s good for Dotson.”
Breakdown of the Thursday night game
- The New York Jets are taking on the Cleveland Browns.
- The Cleveland defense is a lock to start.
- The Jets defense is also viable to start as they perform well against quarterbacks and wide receivers.
- The speaker expects a wild game with the Browns struggling to run the ball and relying heavily on Joe Flacco‘s passing.
“Thursday night breakdown.”
“The Cleveland defense is a lock.”
“I think the Jets defense is okay. They give up those points… like… really quickly.”
David Njoku‘s performance
- David Njoku has been performing consistently well as a tight end.
- He has a high number of targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
- Njoku has only had one week outside the top 12 at his position.
“One other guaranteed start is David Njoku. David Njoku… is on pace for 160 targets, 95 receptions, 1,000 yards and 10 and a half touchdowns.”
Expectations for the Cleveland vs. New York game
- The Cleveland Browns are favored by seven and a half points.
- The speaker is unsure about the Jets defense despite their strong performance against quarterbacks and wide receivers.
“The math says they’re the very best against quarterbacks and wide receivers…”
“There were people on Twitter… They, they said, please stop hyping up the Jets defense. They’re like, it’s awful.”
Fantasy football and health concerns
- The speaker wonders if there will come a time when medical associations discourage certain individuals from playing fantasy football due to health concerns.
- They jokingly compare it to warnings against smoking.
“You think we’re ever going to get to the point where like the medical associations, they come out and they say, we do not recommend men over 60 to play fantasy football men with high blood pressure, men with heart conditions. Like is that going to be, is this the next smoking?”
“I don’t think they will do that because they themselves play fantasy football.”
Njoku’s Performance and Target Pace
- Najoku is on a target pace of 175 over the last six weeks.
- He is comfortable and fine in terms of being targeted.
“He’s on 175 target pace over the last six weeks. So he’s going to be targeted and he is comfortable and fine.”
Revenge Game Stack with Joe Flacco and Elijah Moore
- Elijah Moore‘s challenge is that he can’t catch the football.
- However, he is expected to be extra angry in this game.
- Joe Flacco‘s narrative of playing against the Jets suggests potential for a good game.
- The Browns may be able to reach 21 points in the game.
“Well, Elijah Moore‘s challenge is he can’t catch the football? I understand, but he’s going to be extra angry… the Joe Flacco against the Jets, narrative 21 points.”
Evaluating Amari Cooper and Garrett Wilson
- Mari Cooper’s recent performance makes it difficult to bench him.
- Cooper is being hoped for to have high targets and potentially make big plays.
- Garrett Wilson‘s recent road game performances have been poor.
- Wilson is someone that can be considered for benching this week.
“But I think the majority of people, you just, you’re not going to be able to sit a Mari Cooper… Garrett Wilson to me is someone that I would prefer to bench this week.”
Discussion on Playing Amari Cooper
- There is debate regarding benching or playing Amari Cooper.
- Some argue that he should always be played due to his track record.
- Others acknowledge that there have been weeks where benching him may have been worth it.
- The majority opinion is to stick with Cooper in the championship game.
“That’s how you play fantasy… I get it. I think the discussion is important though… I think you probably are staying in the flames here.”
Other Quarterback Options over Joe Flacco
- Alternative quarterback options to consider over Joe Flacco include Derek Carr, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson.
- Geno Smith and Gardner Minshew can also be considered, but the matchup may not be as favorable.
“Do you play Joe Flacco or do you go with, you know, we brought up some, what I think are the process anyways, has some good streamers… I’m okay going Flacco.”
Expectations for Player Performances
- It is anticipated that in the game between Cleveland and the Jets, there will be a mix of good and bad performances from various players.
- The top performers may not necessarily include every player mentioned.
- David Ndukjoku has excelled recently and is ranked as the top tight end since week seven.
“It’s a tough one… You’re going to have a handful of guys you’re happy with and mostly sad… The Titan one in fantasy since week seven, David Ndukjoku.”
Kyle Pitts‘ potential
- Kyle Pitts came into the league as a young, talented player.
- Despite being young, he was already a standout player.
“He came into the league as a baby monster.”
Jets defense vs. other options
- The question of whether to start the Jets defense on the road against the Browns or pivot to another defense has been raised.
- Other options mentioned include Chicago against Atlanta, the Rams against the Giants, and the Las Vegas Raiders against Indianapolis.
- The hosts express their preference for playing all three of these defenses over the Jets.
“I play those three defenses. I play them all over the Jets.”
Joe Flacco‘s recent performances
- Joe Flacco, the Browns’ quarterback, has thrown five interceptions in the last two weeks.
- Despite his success in terms of winning games, he has been prone to interceptions.
“Flacco’s thrown five interceptions in the last two weeks. I know he’s been great for fantasy and he’s been winning ball games but, like, how you score in fantasy? You know, the interception is the highest.”
Deciding to start David Njoku over Stefon Diggs
- A fantasy football manager asks if they should start David Njoku over Stefan Diggs in their championship week.
- The hosts unanimously agree that it’s a bold move, but they would start Njoku over Diggs.
“Hey ballers, do I dare start David Njoku over Stefan Diggs this week somehow made a championship. Let me know. Oh my gosh. Yes. Do you dare? Yes, yes you do.”
Stefon Diggs‘ recent performance
- Stefan Diggs has had a significant drop in performance recently, coinciding with a change in offensive coordinator.
- He has not been targeted as deep and has not been as effective as he previously was.
“He just miss, they’ve been missing on some stuff. Well, there’s a couple of things, we talked about this on the Dynasty Show, but they’re not targeting them deep as much. They’re not connecting deep as much. And the way that he is being used since the coordinator changed, and the way that the team is operating since the coordinator changed, puts him in a less valuable situation.”
“I mean, he’s not someone that, you know, is incapable. He still looked all right to me on the field.”
Washington game analysis
- Devonte Adams plays Indy, which is a good matchup for wide receivers.
- However, it’s an average matchup for Adams, and a much better matchup for running backs.
“I’m going to play Diggs over Adams. Outside wideouts dominate Indianapolis.”
Ty Chandler start-sit decision
- The group doesn’t feel great about Ty Chandler this week.
- Chandler is inefficient and the Packers matchup doesn’t help.
- Although there is opportunity, it’s uncertain if Chandler can deliver.
“I don’t feel great about Ty Chandler this week. Ty Chandler really inefficient. I know it’s the Packers matchup. I’m not saying Chandler can’t deliver.”
Volume play and uncertainty with Ty Chandler
- The Packers have been a decent matchup recently, but so have the Chiefs.
- Chandler could end up with limited carries due to the return of Madison.
- Mixing has a more certain volume and success history with Browning.
“This is a volume play to me. The matchups are similar enough. I think Ty Chandler is a decent play this week. Whereas at least with Mixing, we’ve seen him have a lot of success.”
Broncos’ plan with Russell Wilson
- The Broncos are considering sitting Wilson to protect their financial flexibility.
- They want to safeguard a large salary that vests in March 2024.
- Jared Stidham’s agent is alerting general managers about the situation.
“The Broncos are strongly considering having quarterback Russell Wilson sit for the final two games preserving financial flexibility for the off season.”
Playing against a juggernaut in the championship
- When overmatched, look for high-ceiling and explosive players.
- Consider stacking your players with your quarterback for potential touchdown connections.
- Focus on getting touchdowns with your DST for an advantage.
“I think you’re definitely looking for more ceiling, more explosiveness, high upside… Focus on touchdowns with your DST.”
Defensive Performance in Fantasy Football
- Look at the quarterbacks who are prone to throwing interceptions.
- Target defenses playing against these quarterbacks for fantasy points.
“If you get an overwhelming defensive performance, that is massive.”
Importance of Defensive Points in Fantasy Football
- Scoring 15 points from your defense can help you defeat a strong opponent.
“Those 15 points from your defense can make all the difference if you want to beat a juggernaut.”
Personal Experience with Defense in Fantasy Football
- The speaker has been in playoffs and faced the Raiders defense on their 24-point week.
- Despite being the favorite, the speaker was eliminated in both instances.
“In two of them, I faced the Raiders defense on their 24-point week and I was eliminated in both of those and I was the favorite in both.”
Preview of Next Episode
- Tomorrow’s episode will cover matchup starts of the week for championship Sunday.
“Tomorrow, we’ll dig into the matchup starts of the week and get that going for championship Sunday, pretty much.”
Joining the Community and Supporting the Podcast
- Listeners can support the podcast by going to jointhefoot.com.
- By joining, listeners gain access to the community, discord channels, premium tools, and extra episodes.
- The community currently has over 30,000 members.
“If you’d like to support this podcast, if we have been bringing you entertainment advice, anything you appreciate, check out the community of 30,000 strong, more than that actually, you get access to all of the discord channels, premium tools and resources, extra episodes during the off season when we drop down to two regular shows a week.”
Denver’s Chance at the Playoffs
- If the Denver team wins, they will maintain a 12% chance to get into the playoffs.
- Despite being essentially eliminated, there is still a slim chance for them to make it.
“So Denver, if they win, they actually will maintain a 12% chance to get into the playoffs. So essentially eliminated, but not totally.”
Decision on Investing in Russell Wilson
- Sean Peyton and his team have to decide whether it’s worth investing $37 million for a 12% chance of success.
- There is speculation that he may have already made up his mind on Russell Wilson.
“So is it a 12% chance to lose $37 million? That’s the question that Sean Peyton and company will have to decide. Maybe he’s made up his mind on Russell Wilson already.”
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