September 18, 2024 • 31 mins
It's Fox Sports Radio's official fantasy football podcast! Mike Harmon and Dan Beyer give you some of their final thoughts on Week 2 as we transition into Week 3! They react to the Panthers benching their number one overall pick from a year ago, Bryce Young, and share some thoughts on what this means for Carolina's fantasy outlook going forward... Are guys like Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen worth hanging onto now? Plus, a fun discussion on the emotional roller coaster that is fantasy football!
Hosts: Dan Beyer, Mike Harmon
Producer: Ian Roddy
#fsrweekends #jss #douggottliebshow
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ladies, you want experience during your football season, We'll buckle up,
sweet cheeks. All We've got all the experience in the world.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is I.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Want Your Flex with Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon. Mike
and Dan break down everything you need to set your lineups,
from position rankings to starts and sits. The guys help
you make those hard decisions and now let's get your flex.
Ond Here's Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
A humpday edition of I Want Your Flex. He is
Mike Carmon on Dan Byer. The executive producer is Ian Roddy.
We are not benching Ian Roddy after two games and
replacing him with a veteran like the Carolina Panthers did.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Mike Carmen, Thanks, guys.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, you're welcoming and you get a little more ron pal. Yeah,
you still have the job. Unlike Bryce Young does, Ian
didn't throw for eighty four yards this past weekend. Like
Bryce Young did yet to throw a touchdown pass. No,
that's not out of the norm for some of the
rookie quarterbacks around the league. But here's the thing. Bryce
Young isn't a rookie quarterback. He's in his second year
(01:09):
and now headed to the bench in Carolina.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
I will say the funniest memes and things that popped
up where everybody going, Hey, JJ McCarthy has as many
touchdown passes as all of these rookie quarterbacks combined. As
we know, JJ McCarthy, he's not with us this year.
For Bryce Young, fifty five percent completion rate, the interceptions,
the ineffectiveness, the missed opportunities, the air mailing of throws,
(01:35):
everything there, Dave Canalis was.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Expected to work him.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I don't want to call it a miracle, but with
the roster he's got, with everything that the front office
has set on him, I e. Roster construction, which has
improved in theory since last year's debacle, but still not
enough to push ahead that. I gotta think David Tepper
just did the the go to the bullpen motion. I
(02:04):
he cursed him out in a long phone call because
we looked at the audio can Alice trying to hey,
did this come from the top, and he kind of
danced a little bit and whatever. It's like, Okay, the
code read was ordered from above to try to jumpstart things,
and for Bryce Young now it becomes the Hey, if
you you need a backup quarterback and you're willing to,
(02:24):
you know, wait and work with the guy. You might
be able to get him for a bucket of balls
right now.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
It's crazy because number one, it's nineteen games in the
you know, his career that we're at this point. But
I actually think that it could help. I think that
it's one of those well you might as well try
it because this isn't working.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
You know, like, let's do something even if it's wrong.
You've got a guy that you know what he is.
And now Andy Dalton, and let's face it, he knows
what he is at this point. Sure, and it's like
we talk about all the time, like a guy like
Gardner Minshew. It's an other shot, but it's the I'm
just going to be me and I'm not gonna worry
necessarily about changing my style and becoming a captain checkdown, no, no, no.
(03:11):
My whole thing is I can make plays downfield and
push the ball with Andy Dalton.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
We know what he is.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I've said this before and it's not meant to be
disparaging towards Bryce Young. I never understood the extreme hype
about him entering the draft. I understood the extreme hype
about Anthony Richardson. I can understand that completely his lack
of experience, but his body type, the arm, the whole deal.
(03:39):
But I never understood the love for Bryce Young outside
of winning quarterback from Alabama because I felt there was
such a a size factor with it. CJ. Strouds was
more of a pro ready quarterback. So maybe it is
going to take Bryce Young sometime. But with all that
being said, you're Mike, the call did come from upstairs.
(04:02):
I also think that when your GM is a former
NFL player and Dan Morgan, you also understand, all right,
we kind of have to do this for the locker room,
or we kind of need to do this for the franchise.
And I'm not saying that Dan Morgan made the call.
If Dave Temper made the call, Dan Morgan's gonna make
the call to Dave Canalis and say, all right, this
(04:23):
is what this is what we're gonna do. But you
need to get something going there because your season can't
end after two weeks. Andy Dalton, as he said, knows
what he is and who he is fantasy wise. It's
gonna help you be Hubbard. It's gonna help Deantay Johnson.
It's gonna help Adam thiel It's gonna help all of
those guys, you know. So for a fantasy perspective, it's
(04:45):
welcome news to anybody who had any Carolina panther. But yeah, man,
they needed they just need something. They need something to
go their way. Otherwise they are fast tracking to an
ozh to seventeen season.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, I look at it.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
You know, when we talk about the distribution in past
attempt thus far, fifty five targets out there, Deontay Johnson's
got twelve five catches, and we talked about the inefficiency
of what Young was doing, fifty five percent completion rate.
Adam Thielen might be the biggest beneficiary here because it's
that veteran to veteran, you know, sit down and just
(05:18):
try to extend drives kind of mentality as opposed to,
you know, getting behind the sticks and having to try
to make a hero play. So and Chewba Hubbard thus
far sixteen carries seventy eight yards. It's a nice average.
He'll catch the ball out of the backfield a little bit.
But the key is, you know, at this point, it's
(05:40):
the first two weeks were just such a disaster, such
a disaster to try to to watch and when you've
got opposing players, Sam, they felt.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Bad for you.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
Yeah right, I think those are in the postgame comments.
It's like, Okay, now we've hit a whole other level.
So just curious to watch this next iteration again. Andy Dalton,
long tenured NFL player, But it's the shake it up.
Maybe you learn from the bench, maybe canals behind the scenes,
(06:11):
there's some other work to be done. Do you expect
the hook quite so fast? No, but we know Tepper
is not exactly the most patient man in the world,
So I guess it can't. It can't shock us too much.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'll tell you, I'll tell you something else. I know
it's the Raiders home opener on Sunday, but it's an
actual winnable game now, Like the Raiders are coming off
of a huge win in Baltimore. Gardner Minshew loves to
thrive as the underdog, right, He's actually now not the
underdog in this game. You're right, you know, Like it's
the Carolina Panthers and Andy Dalton, so maybe they've got
(06:47):
a shot. Maybe you know, the Raiders may be a
little bit better than we thought, but by no means
are they coming in as the underdog, They're gonna be
the favorite. It's gonna be their home opener. Maybe this
is an opportunity for Carolina to slide in. I think
Bryce Young will start at some point this season. I
don't see Carolina reeling off a bunch of wins. So,
you know what, let Andy Dalton navigate this middle portion
(07:08):
of the year and when the season's done, maybe you're
towards the end of the season when you think things
are maybe going, you know, headed towards the sunset. If
you will, of your season, see how those seven eight,
nine weeks ended up helping Bryce Young, then you could
make your decision for this offseason and how you're gonna
do which they still owe your Bears draft capital coming up.
(07:32):
So but you're gonna have to make the decision. Bryce
Young is going to have to play again this year
at the time being, it's gonna be Andy Dalton and
then the silver lining again. It's good for fantasy owners
if you have any Carolina panther at.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
Least a little bit of juice. There no question about it.
Looking at the line, it started as Raiders minus seven
dan it's as low as.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Minus four wow three points.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
Three points for good old Andy Dalton's That's good to know.
But here's all of the curiosity, because you know, hey,
we need to get some hot takery going on in
some of this stuff. If you were a quarterback prospect
and the say the Panthers are there, and you know,
I don't know one or two?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Are you going Eli Manning?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well?
Speaker 5 (08:16):
Because canalist may not survive the season? Again, it's the
temper effect. Yes, the idea that I could be with
this quarterback guy, whatever we did with Baker Mayfield, whatever,
he may not even be there to be the hey
that can massage things.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure, Hey, coaching coaches did it. Ben Johnson didn't want
to go to Carolina. They wanted him the last two
years and he didn't want to go. So there even
t J huschman Zada even said on Fox earlier this
week he was down with with Doug Gottlieb and said
this this is a job that not many people want
(08:51):
to take in the National Football League as a head coach.
So now to your point, Mike, if you're a prime quarterback,
do you really want to go to Carolina? Yeah? And
pull that Eli Manning. Probably the only thing that I
would say to that though, is if you are Carolina,
maybe don't draft the quarterback and try to build up
your actual team so it isn't dog crap around him.
Speaker 5 (09:14):
No, But that's the other part of it, right, is, Yeah,
everybody wants the shiny toy that they can sell. And
I think that's the other thing that maybe as a league,
you know, sending a memo might help of you know,
we need your teams healthy, not just a short push
to sell a couple extra season tickets. Yeah, right, because
(09:35):
look at what the Chargers did. They already bought the
they already bought the quarterback, right, they already paid justin Herbert,
but in the first round instead of going and getting
a receiver, knowing that Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were
going out the door to add to a roster full
of secondary and tertiary guys and wishing upon a star
that your number one pick from last year pans out.
(09:57):
And he did right week two, two touchdowns for Johnson.
They go into draft Joe alt So now you've got
bookend tackles and you can start playing the horrorball style
that you want.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Was it sexy?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
No?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Was it popular? In Los Angeles?
Speaker 5 (10:11):
Oh, hell no. You can read plenty of articles. It's like, well,
I guess reluctantly, begrudgingly, Yeah, I guess that's a horrorball
kind of pick. Well, we wanted it a shiny we
wanted a league neighbors man.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Yeah, everybody does. In the draft, I have said to
the cows, come home. I would just draft offensive and
defensive linemans. If I was an NFLGM, it's all I
would draft, because that's where you win. The Pana Sewel
Jamar Chase argument seemed real, real fun when the Bengals
were rolling and going to the Super Bowl a couple
(10:45):
of years ago. Now, who would you rather have? Sure,
who's happier with their draft pick right now? Cincinnati with
Jamar Chase or Pana Sewel with the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
Yeah, to that point, Dan, I would just say, it's
the old adage of Hey, the Chiefs have won the
last two Super Bowls. Guess who wasn't there number right
right all these years? And it's not that you don't
need great receivers and complimentary players and all that other thing,
But if you can't keep a guy up right, what
happened against the Buccaneers. Patrick Mahomes ran for five hundred
(11:19):
yards sideline to sideline because you had no offensive line
to keep him upright and healthy to where he could
stick in the pocket.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
There's just it's just it's a rough, rough go around Carolina,
and it's been like that, and it probably does lead
up the ownership may not be all Frank Reich's problem
may not be all gush. Whoever has been there, I've
already forgotten.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah, I did love the fact that you you immediately
had folks chiming in in the meme land and photos
of the restaurants in around Carolina that you know, don't
like David Temper that we're putting up the records of
Sam Darnell, Yeah, the other quarterbacks that have run through.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
There, so hilarious. That was all because of their sign
that they put outside right, And then Tepper and went
in and his buddy went in and I think told
the guy to take his cap off. The whole deal, Like,
how embarrassing. Not as embarrassing as the Carolina Panthers football
team right now? You know what else is embarrassing? Mike
(12:23):
having fantasy football ruin your day or week. It does
happen and it happens way too often. We're going to
talk about it. He's Mike Carmon, I'm Dan Byer. Ian
Roddy's going to join the mix as well next here,
and I want your flex. It is a funky week
in the National Football League. We'll get to that reason
why in week three coming up in just a little bit.
(12:46):
He is Mike Carmen, I'm Dan Byer. Our executive producer
is Ian Roddy. And guys, I gotta be honest with this.
I'm in multiple leagues, in Survivor pool's, in pick contests.
I think, like all of us are. We have a
Geen league going on at work. We have a lot
going on fantasy football wise. Here. And the funny thing
(13:07):
is is, no matter what happens, I need to get
everything right. I have to win every single game. Otherwise
I am completely frustrated with my fantasy week. Are you
guys in the same boat with me on this? Can
you even and out at all? Or is there any
way that you can you know, empathize with me? Be
(13:29):
in my Misery Loves Company group because I was dead
to write in two leagues on Monday night and then
Drake Lung London saved me, and I still was sour
that I lost in another league, Like there's no goodness
that comes from a fantasy weekend for me unless I
get everything right.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Well, and part of part of you wants to, you know,
send a card to Vic Fangio. Yes, thanks, but you know,
when it comes down to it, I get more concerned
with whatever ice I've laid out here, or that I've
done on Twitter or through text message whatever.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Then I don't steer somebody wrong.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
You're a man of the people, Mike, Well.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
You know my own stuff. You draft enough teams. They
I don't know about you, but mine mine kind of
looked familiar. Right, there's guys that you latch onto that
suddenly are a common theme. So as soon as one
of them has a bad day, I'm like, all right,
it's all going now, right, or an injury happens, there's
no way I'm hitting the equal replacement to all of
(14:30):
these games you.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Nailed Wandelle Robinson in this past week.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
I picked on your advice.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Yes, and he scored.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Well, see small victories? Can he kick?
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Don't ask Brian dayboll because he's not prepared for it.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
No, no, no, not to not at all talk about
a game that you you had right.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Until you didn't.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
But it's just the idea that you know, you draft squads,
and you know between a lot of the leagues that
that I I've done and Dan you've done some of
these as well.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
The draft happens so far ahead of.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
The league, you know the start date, so your opinions
on players is maybe you've watched a little bit of
training camp, or maybe you've you know, been in contact
or read some articles and breakdowns of what people around
the team are theorizing going to happen. So my feeling
is completely changed. I'm like, there's no way in hell
I would have ever drafted that guy. You know what,
(15:26):
You're stuck with him now, so let's make the best of.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
That's why you got a draft as soon as or
as late as you can before the season.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
No, no, no, But that's the point. It's like I'm
in all these industry things, right, so like they're all
long lead. Give folks an idea of what a draft
board would look like, as opposed to all right, we're
gonna draft now. Never mind the leagues where suddenly somebody decides, hey,
we've been playing by these rules. But now I've added
this position, and we're gonna add defensive players, like no, no, no,
(15:54):
come on, now, you're just killing me.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
At least you then have an excuse built in though,
because if you don't like your team, you can always say, well,
I you know, I liked him a few months ago,
but I don't like him now, you know, as opposed
to if you dropped him right before the season, that's
your guy. You've staked your claim.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Well. I also think Mike is in a little different
spot than Ian and I are. Like on this podcast
as we have it set up, Mike's the fantasy expert,
like like he is. Listen to the podcast, He's breaking
down the rankings. He's giving you hot plays. Ian's gonna
give you a streaming defense, and I'm gonna give you
a bad advice on a survivor like that.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Come on.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Now, that's the layout of the show. I can tell
you what I see with my eyes and how I
think about how these teams play, but from a true
fantasy perspective, like that's Mike's business. And it's kind of
like working at KFC, right, Like you probably don't like KFC,
but I love KFC because guess what. I don't work there.
(16:52):
It's awesome, it's amazing, and so that portion of it,
like I can get why Mike probably doesn't live and
die because it's part of his life where Ian and
I are sitting here, you know, and it's not even
about the moment he is making the decisions of Like
I'm in two fantasy leagues. I've got a Bunzer survivor pools.
(17:14):
Most of them are shot but still alive in some
and I'm doing picks and again. I got saved on
Monday night by Drake London, absolutely saved grab me a
victory when I was destined for a loss and I
was still mad about the other league that I only
had one point from the Eagles defense and lost by
a point and a half. It truly does Like not
(17:36):
that it ruins my night, because I wouldn't want it
to ruin my night, but it pisses me on.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
Oh no, I'm not saying it doesn't. It doesn't get you.
I'm just trying to temperate. Like when I give someone
a hot play and then the guy has one catch
for three yards, that ticks me off because I probably
gave some thousands of people that advice and if they
took it, now now there their lineup's gone, and maybe
(18:01):
I ruined all their days. So now I've really upset
the balance of the world. Maybe that guy has a
bad shift at the KFC.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
I mean it's all that that in the leagues that
I'm playing in, I also could be used for content
a lot, and that's part of the motivation not wanting
to lose, right, is that, Yeah, I beat Harmon, I
beat his ass, and that gets a jerk. So yeah,
I get mad and nose, especially if they're near misses.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Don't you have a fantasy podcast, Yeah, do I get
blown out?
Speaker 5 (18:31):
I get blown out right the circumstance and let's face
at the NFL on a week to week basis. You know,
it's a topsy turvy thing, as we've been talking about
and chronicling here, coming off of a huge upset week
in the in the league in week two. But it's
just that I become fodder of here's a graphic and
a picture of Harmon looking all disheveled and defeated.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Why because I beat his.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
Ass in week two. I don't want that to be
the case. So there's another motivation.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm in five fantasy football leagues
this year plus the Guillotine League, so really six And yeah,
to that point, Dan, I'm I'm just bound to be
playing against someone that I have on one team, so
I just never know whether to be rooting for them
or against them. And it's like, you know, they score
a touchdown, I'm like, yes, oh no, what's the Which
(19:20):
league do I care more about?
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Which? You need to build that appy?
Speaker 5 (19:23):
And that's a there you go, You're eating all your
fantasy lunch.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
What's the net benefit prioritize?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Yeah, it spits out of value for how happy you
should be based on each touchdown, each catch.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
I love that it is. It is. It's just such
a frustrating, stupid game. Sometimes it truly is like it
like it is. It's it's amazing on how we get
so excited about it, but by Monday night, I'm exhausted. Sure,
and I know not everybody is in our business as
well of having to follow games, but I think I'm
(19:58):
more invested. I might you about the survivor pool that
I had. I had the Texans on Sunday night against
Mike's Bears, and you know, that's supposed to be all right,
six point game as we saw, and guess what, that
was one of the few upsets that didn't happen in
Week two. Yet I'm like, you know, just felt like
I went through a three hour boxing match and just
(20:19):
have all the bruises and cuts to show for it.
And again on Monday night with the Falcons and Eagles
of just needing a little bit like I just wanted to.
I wanted to put it on cruise control. That's what
I wanted. Sure, Hey, Kirk Cousins throw a pick, gets sacked.
Guess what. Rest of my night, feet are up and
I'm enjoying it. But I just am not able to
do that. I need to hit everything. And then I realized,
(20:42):
when I'm in so many contests, yeah, you're not going
to hit any everything. You're never going to have a
perfect week. So each week after the NFL season, I'm
ticked off about something.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
You want to know Another thing too, that's really annoying
is when you are the second highest scorer in your
league out of all the teams, but you just happen
to be playing against the high scorer, so you get
the loss that week. Yeah, yeah, yes, Yeah, that happened
to be a couple of times today.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
So sure, just this week already.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeap, just this week. Like I said, I'm in five leagues,
which is way too many. I am never doing that again.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Now, you're a liar.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
I'm never that next year.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
You're right, it is your Yeah, once you do too many,
you scale back.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
I can't. I can't do this many again. It's too much.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
I was a one guy league for so long.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
That's what I feel like. You get the most enjoyment out.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
Of Yes, well you've been doing the league with your
buddies for how long though, Dan?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Yeah, this is year twenty seven. So this is our
twenty seventh year of this league. About half the league's
been in it for all of the twenty seven, or
about twenty six of the twenty seven, and our newest
member has probably been in it for probably about twenty years.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
I'm twenty four years old. I know your league is
older than me.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
I thanks, thanks, thanks for throwing that in.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Oh really we were. We were drafting Jerome Benn first
round before Ian was born. Yeah, those were those are
some of.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
The drafts taking us all the way back in nineteen
ninety three and a young Jerome Bennis coming.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Out of Oh we had we had the first we
had our first year of this league was in the
fall of ninety eight, and we had actually a league
the year before that that just had like way too
many people and so we kind of settled on a core,
you know, group and worked through that. But this one
has been twenty seven leagues. But my point was when
(22:35):
I when I just added one extra team. It took
me a whole season to remember that I had another team. Sure,
and I remember when Calvin really didn't make the flight
to London or it was or or he wasn't playing
in the London game, and that was an early morning game.
I completely forgot to change my lineup.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
But you know what that was the Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
That and when we start getting the international games on
a bigger scale. Yeah, like getting used to oh that's
a six thirty sure Pacific time kickoff. That that got
lost in a lot of leagues.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
For sure, I completely forgot. But and that was blasphemy
to me, like how could I play someone who never
played But it's just I knew that he wasn't in
my main league, and then then I just completely spaced
on the other league. But it took me a while
to let alone. Now I have to remember five leagues.
I don't know how you do it. Ian.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Yeah, you got to prioritize for sure, like you know,
some are more important than others. So I guess to
that point, I can get more excited for certain players
scoring touchdowns, but there's always that thing in the back
of your mind that you know, I'm going to be
playing someone that I have. It's just bound to happen.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Mike, is there any like one league that you enjoy
or is it still just all again working at KFC.
Here's your here's your eight piece meal with your four sides.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
No, look, there's there's the one industry league. I've done
well in most years. I've had a couple of absolutely
disastrous where all the theory testing went wrong, But you know,
it's it's one that's been around forever, and I got
invited to that back when Fantasy was more or less
all I was doing, writing columns and doing videos and
(24:23):
working of course on the Sunday Show on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
And so being invited into that club.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Was was pretty cool because it was a lot of
guys magazine publishers and back when you know, the news
stand was full of them, not that we still don't
get our share of them, but you know, their level
of importance and throughput and whatever being different, but like
being invited into that club, right, because sometimes when you
work at a bigger place, when I worked at Yahoo
and certainly coming over to Fox, you're on that side
(24:55):
because you're on the big you know, you're with the
big corporate entities. So it gets a little different of
a look, see, and that's not a woe is me,
it's just a reality. So to be invited in that club,
you know, and being able to stay there for all
those years, yeah, that that holds a little more resonance.
And you know, there's some smack talking, but mostly it's
a space not to you know, the mutual admiration society
(25:18):
kind of thing, but just a hey, we've been in
these you know, in this space a long time together
and now it's the next iteration of matching wits and
which guys are adapting to new new ways of doing
things and evaluating players and stats and kind of like
they're doing with Major League Baseball.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Right.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
It was a joke and moneyball of hey, you're out,
you know, with in terms of the old timey stats
of what you see versus you know what expected values
and all of those things. And we see it right
now in Major League Baseball a lot. There are a
lot of changes in scouting departments here. Likewise in doing
fantasy evaluation. You know, I'd always relied on you know,
I watched the games and did all that, and then
(25:58):
you'd have guys that are just running numbers and may
may not want It's like, you know, the gambling side
of things too. A lot of folks who all, right,
these are the numbers, this is what it spits out.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Do you watch the games?
Speaker 5 (26:09):
Nope, I still enjoy watching football to where, you know what,
I'll be wrong with my eye test as opposed to
just spinning out some numbers. But that's where the great
divide is and where the fun of those leagues are,
because there still are a number of folks who kind
of look at it the old way like I did.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Sure, and those and those betters are only in it
for the money. Yeah, they don't like We like football.
We enjoy football, We get a kick out of it.
We want to think that we know more than maybe
someone else, or want to get that right pick. But man,
sometimes and it just reminds me. You know, actually how
I got like reminded of this aside from the ulcer
(26:52):
that I usually get weekly on Monday night, you know,
for something happening. Mancy belaanyos who people know what Fox
Sports are Idea like out the door when Marvin Harrison
scored his second touchdown and she was like, you know,
he's to Ian's point, like he's in my most important
league or to what you're saying, like you know, he
was excited about that, and I'm like, man, like I
(27:15):
do have a more important league for sure. You know,
that's the one that I that I lost on on
Monday night. But man, I'm like, god, I got to
figure out a way to enjoy this more, you know,
like to get the highest because otherwise I'm like, this
is why am I doing this?
Speaker 5 (27:30):
Well, that's and like Ian, like Ian, you were in
the hallway on Monday night before the football game's on
a one screen. We have our multi screen us set
up and we're waiting in the bullpen. The Odd couple
Kelvin Washington in with Rob Parker and they're in the studio.
So Smith and I my partner Jason Smith for the uninitiated.
(27:53):
We're sitting there in huge Jets and Mets fan and
he starts screaming as the final out of the Metsgan
is recorded like he's been talking like for twenty minutes,
as if he's either the third base coach or the
loudmouth in the front row who's watching all the action
and has to call it all and like. But his
level of excitement to a full woo that was not
(28:16):
a Rick Flair impression, right, It was all just you know,
genuine excitement to it. It's like, I get that to
a degree, but not to that same level. And I
hate him for it that it's still that kid like
wonder and excitement ride the lightning thing. And he's the
same way with fantasy. And I'm jealous of that. Yeah, right,
(28:39):
that I get it in spots, and certainly when I
watch my teams, I have it.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
I don't do it as outwardly.
Speaker 5 (28:44):
Maybe I did a little bit on Sunday night with
the Bears Texans on the wishing, wanting, hoping that they'd
steal that game, but I don't. I don't have that
big visceral reaction to it the same way. Maybe it's
all the years of losing that had beat me down
from my actual teams. That's now translated back into the
fantasy world, right, I mean, I got a World Series
that's two thousand and five. I got a super Bowl
(29:05):
that was nineteen eighty five. We did get another appearance
down in Miami, but all anybody remembers was Prince's Purple Rain,
So you know all of that to say, you know,
and nobody cares about the Blackhawks winning titles and nineteen
ninety eight is a distant memory in the basketball side,
So you get years of losing and a lot of
(29:27):
hope built up.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Fantasy is the same way.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
You start out great and then you lose one or
two guys like all right, it's gone to hell and
it's done it again.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
So riding the lightning.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
But I'm jealous of those that had that juice like
Ian describes right that momentum, or Monsey running out of
a studio because she's that jacked up, Like I wish
I still got to that, And it's not what was me.
Mike's an old man whatever, it's just a different way
of approach that you do. Now you put me on
the sideline of one of my kids games, I'm a
(29:58):
different animal right, individual investment and whatever else. Yeah, versus
I know I have to go talk about all thirty
two teams.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Well yeah, and when Manci did that, the reason why
it also resonated with me was I had Marvin Harrison
Junior on one of my teams, and I wasn't running
out of the room, you know, like yelling and jumping
up and screaming, and I'm like, maybe I should be,
because that's what this is all about.
Speaker 5 (30:24):
Oh, that's it, buddy, Yeah, trying to figure that out,
you know, is you know, making sure that we're still
finding the proverbial wins and excite me because it's a
hell of a time and especially if you can then
send a quick note to your friend saying did you
catch this? Here's the highlight, you know, retweeted from Twitter.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Well I'll tell you Ian, go down to two leagues
next year. You don't need the other three.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
You don't even tell me twice. Yeah, that is exactly
what I plan on doing.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Oh man, all right, well this is fun. This is
a good little little break from the norm to just
talk fantasy, not even about the NFL teams, but the
actual exercise itself. So yeah, we'll do it again, and
when we do it again, Mike Carmon will give you
his rankings for Week three plus the Hot Place, Cold Soars,
and so much more. Ian will have a streaming defense
and I will not have a survivor pick for you again.
(31:17):
Self imposed one week ban for how bad I've been
so for Ian, Roddy, and Mike Carmon. I'm Dan Bayer.
Can't wait to talk to you next time right here,
and I want your flex
Ladies, you want experience during your football season, We'll buckle up,
sweet cheeks. All We've got all the experience in the world.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is I.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Want Your Flex with Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon. Mike
and Dan break down everything you need to set your lineups,
from position rankings to starts and sits. The guys help
you make those hard decisions and now let's get your flex.
Ond Here's Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
A humpday edition of I Want Your Flex. He is
Mike Carmon on Dan Byer. The executive producer is Ian Roddy.
We are not benching Ian Roddy after two games and
replacing him with a veteran like the Carolina Panthers did.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Mike Carmen, Thanks, guys.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, you're welcoming and you get a little more ron pal. Yeah,
you still have the job. Unlike Bryce Young does, Ian
didn't throw for eighty four yards this past weekend. Like
Bryce Young did yet to throw a touchdown pass. No,
that's not out of the norm for some of the
rookie quarterbacks around the league. But here's the thing. Bryce
Young isn't a rookie quarterback. He's in his second year
(01:09):
and now headed to the bench in Carolina.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
I will say the funniest memes and things that popped
up where everybody going, Hey, JJ McCarthy has as many
touchdown passes as all of these rookie quarterbacks combined. As
we know, JJ McCarthy, he's not with us this year.
For Bryce Young, fifty five percent completion rate, the interceptions,
the ineffectiveness, the missed opportunities, the air mailing of throws,
(01:35):
everything there, Dave Canalis was.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Expected to work him.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I don't want to call it a miracle, but with
the roster he's got, with everything that the front office
has set on him, I e. Roster construction, which has
improved in theory since last year's debacle, but still not
enough to push ahead that. I gotta think David Tepper
just did the the go to the bullpen motion. I
(02:04):
he cursed him out in a long phone call because
we looked at the audio can Alice trying to hey,
did this come from the top, and he kind of
danced a little bit and whatever. It's like, Okay, the
code read was ordered from above to try to jumpstart things,
and for Bryce Young now it becomes the Hey, if
you you need a backup quarterback and you're willing to,
(02:24):
you know, wait and work with the guy. You might
be able to get him for a bucket of balls
right now.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
It's crazy because number one, it's nineteen games in the
you know, his career that we're at this point. But
I actually think that it could help. I think that
it's one of those well you might as well try
it because this isn't working.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
You know, like, let's do something even if it's wrong.
You've got a guy that you know what he is.
And now Andy Dalton, and let's face it, he knows
what he is at this point. Sure, and it's like
we talk about all the time, like a guy like
Gardner Minshew. It's an other shot, but it's the I'm
just going to be me and I'm not gonna worry
necessarily about changing my style and becoming a captain checkdown, no, no, no.
(03:11):
My whole thing is I can make plays downfield and
push the ball with Andy Dalton.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
We know what he is.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I've said this before and it's not meant to be
disparaging towards Bryce Young. I never understood the extreme hype
about him entering the draft. I understood the extreme hype
about Anthony Richardson. I can understand that completely his lack
of experience, but his body type, the arm, the whole deal.
(03:39):
But I never understood the love for Bryce Young outside
of winning quarterback from Alabama because I felt there was
such a a size factor with it. CJ. Strouds was
more of a pro ready quarterback. So maybe it is
going to take Bryce Young sometime. But with all that
being said, you're Mike, the call did come from upstairs.
(04:02):
I also think that when your GM is a former
NFL player and Dan Morgan, you also understand, all right,
we kind of have to do this for the locker room,
or we kind of need to do this for the franchise.
And I'm not saying that Dan Morgan made the call.
If Dave Temper made the call, Dan Morgan's gonna make
the call to Dave Canalis and say, all right, this
(04:23):
is what this is what we're gonna do. But you
need to get something going there because your season can't
end after two weeks. Andy Dalton, as he said, knows
what he is and who he is fantasy wise. It's
gonna help you be Hubbard. It's gonna help Deantay Johnson.
It's gonna help Adam thiel It's gonna help all of
those guys, you know. So for a fantasy perspective, it's
(04:45):
welcome news to anybody who had any Carolina panther. But yeah, man,
they needed they just need something. They need something to
go their way. Otherwise they are fast tracking to an
ozh to seventeen season.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, I look at it.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
You know, when we talk about the distribution in past
attempt thus far, fifty five targets out there, Deontay Johnson's
got twelve five catches, and we talked about the inefficiency
of what Young was doing, fifty five percent completion rate.
Adam Thielen might be the biggest beneficiary here because it's
that veteran to veteran, you know, sit down and just
(05:18):
try to extend drives kind of mentality as opposed to,
you know, getting behind the sticks and having to try
to make a hero play. So and Chewba Hubbard thus
far sixteen carries seventy eight yards. It's a nice average.
He'll catch the ball out of the backfield a little bit.
But the key is, you know, at this point, it's
(05:40):
the first two weeks were just such a disaster, such
a disaster to try to to watch and when you've
got opposing players, Sam, they felt.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Bad for you.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
Yeah right, I think those are in the postgame comments.
It's like, Okay, now we've hit a whole other level.
So just curious to watch this next iteration again. Andy Dalton,
long tenured NFL player, But it's the shake it up.
Maybe you learn from the bench, maybe canals behind the scenes,
(06:11):
there's some other work to be done. Do you expect
the hook quite so fast? No, but we know Tepper
is not exactly the most patient man in the world,
So I guess it can't. It can't shock us too much.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'll tell you, I'll tell you something else. I know
it's the Raiders home opener on Sunday, but it's an
actual winnable game now, Like the Raiders are coming off
of a huge win in Baltimore. Gardner Minshew loves to
thrive as the underdog, right, He's actually now not the
underdog in this game. You're right, you know, Like it's
the Carolina Panthers and Andy Dalton, so maybe they've got
(06:47):
a shot. Maybe you know, the Raiders may be a
little bit better than we thought, but by no means
are they coming in as the underdog, They're gonna be
the favorite. It's gonna be their home opener. Maybe this
is an opportunity for Carolina to slide in. I think
Bryce Young will start at some point this season. I
don't see Carolina reeling off a bunch of wins. So,
you know what, let Andy Dalton navigate this middle portion
(07:08):
of the year and when the season's done, maybe you're
towards the end of the season when you think things
are maybe going, you know, headed towards the sunset. If
you will, of your season, see how those seven eight,
nine weeks ended up helping Bryce Young, then you could
make your decision for this offseason and how you're gonna
do which they still owe your Bears draft capital coming up.
(07:32):
So but you're gonna have to make the decision. Bryce
Young is going to have to play again this year
at the time being, it's gonna be Andy Dalton and
then the silver lining again. It's good for fantasy owners
if you have any Carolina panther at.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
Least a little bit of juice. There no question about it.
Looking at the line, it started as Raiders minus seven
dan it's as low as.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Minus four wow three points.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
Three points for good old Andy Dalton's That's good to know.
But here's all of the curiosity, because you know, hey,
we need to get some hot takery going on in
some of this stuff. If you were a quarterback prospect
and the say the Panthers are there, and you know,
I don't know one or two?
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Are you going Eli Manning?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well?
Speaker 5 (08:16):
Because canalist may not survive the season? Again, it's the
temper effect. Yes, the idea that I could be with
this quarterback guy, whatever we did with Baker Mayfield, whatever,
he may not even be there to be the hey
that can massage things.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure, Hey, coaching coaches did it. Ben Johnson didn't want
to go to Carolina. They wanted him the last two
years and he didn't want to go. So there even
t J huschman Zada even said on Fox earlier this
week he was down with with Doug Gottlieb and said
this this is a job that not many people want
(08:51):
to take in the National Football League as a head coach.
So now to your point, Mike, if you're a prime quarterback,
do you really want to go to Carolina? Yeah? And
pull that Eli Manning. Probably the only thing that I
would say to that though, is if you are Carolina,
maybe don't draft the quarterback and try to build up
your actual team so it isn't dog crap around him.
Speaker 5 (09:14):
No, But that's the other part of it, right, is, Yeah,
everybody wants the shiny toy that they can sell. And
I think that's the other thing that maybe as a league,
you know, sending a memo might help of you know,
we need your teams healthy, not just a short push
to sell a couple extra season tickets. Yeah, right, because
(09:35):
look at what the Chargers did. They already bought the
they already bought the quarterback, right, they already paid justin Herbert,
but in the first round instead of going and getting
a receiver, knowing that Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were
going out the door to add to a roster full
of secondary and tertiary guys and wishing upon a star
that your number one pick from last year pans out.
(09:57):
And he did right week two, two touchdowns for Johnson.
They go into draft Joe alt So now you've got
bookend tackles and you can start playing the horrorball style
that you want.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Was it sexy?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
No?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Was it popular? In Los Angeles?
Speaker 5 (10:11):
Oh, hell no. You can read plenty of articles. It's like, well,
I guess reluctantly, begrudgingly, Yeah, I guess that's a horrorball
kind of pick. Well, we wanted it a shiny we
wanted a league neighbors man.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Yeah, everybody does. In the draft, I have said to
the cows, come home. I would just draft offensive and
defensive linemans. If I was an NFLGM, it's all I
would draft, because that's where you win. The Pana Sewel
Jamar Chase argument seemed real, real fun when the Bengals
were rolling and going to the Super Bowl a couple
(10:45):
of years ago. Now, who would you rather have? Sure,
who's happier with their draft pick right now? Cincinnati with
Jamar Chase or Pana Sewel with the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
Yeah, to that point, Dan, I would just say, it's
the old adage of Hey, the Chiefs have won the
last two Super Bowls. Guess who wasn't there number right
right all these years? And it's not that you don't
need great receivers and complimentary players and all that other thing,
But if you can't keep a guy up right, what
happened against the Buccaneers. Patrick Mahomes ran for five hundred
(11:19):
yards sideline to sideline because you had no offensive line
to keep him upright and healthy to where he could
stick in the pocket.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
There's just it's just it's a rough, rough go around Carolina,
and it's been like that, and it probably does lead
up the ownership may not be all Frank Reich's problem
may not be all gush. Whoever has been there, I've
already forgotten.
Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah, I did love the fact that you you immediately
had folks chiming in in the meme land and photos
of the restaurants in around Carolina that you know, don't
like David Temper that we're putting up the records of
Sam Darnell, Yeah, the other quarterbacks that have run through.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
There, so hilarious. That was all because of their sign
that they put outside right, And then Tepper and went
in and his buddy went in and I think told
the guy to take his cap off. The whole deal, Like,
how embarrassing. Not as embarrassing as the Carolina Panthers football
team right now? You know what else is embarrassing? Mike
(12:23):
having fantasy football ruin your day or week. It does
happen and it happens way too often. We're going to
talk about it. He's Mike Carmon, I'm Dan Byer. Ian
Roddy's going to join the mix as well next here,
and I want your flex. It is a funky week
in the National Football League. We'll get to that reason
why in week three coming up in just a little bit.
(12:46):
He is Mike Carmen, I'm Dan Byer. Our executive producer
is Ian Roddy. And guys, I gotta be honest with this.
I'm in multiple leagues, in Survivor pool's, in pick contests.
I think, like all of us are. We have a
Geen league going on at work. We have a lot
going on fantasy football wise. Here. And the funny thing
(13:07):
is is, no matter what happens, I need to get
everything right. I have to win every single game. Otherwise
I am completely frustrated with my fantasy week. Are you
guys in the same boat with me on this? Can
you even and out at all? Or is there any
way that you can you know, empathize with me? Be
(13:29):
in my Misery Loves Company group because I was dead
to write in two leagues on Monday night and then
Drake Lung London saved me, and I still was sour
that I lost in another league, Like there's no goodness
that comes from a fantasy weekend for me unless I
get everything right.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Well, and part of part of you wants to, you know,
send a card to Vic Fangio. Yes, thanks, but you know,
when it comes down to it, I get more concerned
with whatever ice I've laid out here, or that I've
done on Twitter or through text message whatever.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Then I don't steer somebody wrong.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
You're a man of the people, Mike, Well.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
You know my own stuff. You draft enough teams. They
I don't know about you, but mine mine kind of
looked familiar. Right, there's guys that you latch onto that
suddenly are a common theme. So as soon as one
of them has a bad day, I'm like, all right,
it's all going now, right, or an injury happens, there's
no way I'm hitting the equal replacement to all of
(14:30):
these games you.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Nailed Wandelle Robinson in this past week.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
I picked on your advice.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Yes, and he scored.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Well, see small victories? Can he kick?
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Don't ask Brian dayboll because he's not prepared for it.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
No, no, no, not to not at all talk about
a game that you you had right.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Until you didn't.
Speaker 5 (14:51):
But it's just the idea that you know, you draft squads,
and you know between a lot of the leagues that
that I I've done and Dan you've done some of
these as well.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
The draft happens so far ahead of.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
The league, you know the start date, so your opinions
on players is maybe you've watched a little bit of
training camp, or maybe you've you know, been in contact
or read some articles and breakdowns of what people around
the team are theorizing going to happen. So my feeling
is completely changed. I'm like, there's no way in hell
I would have ever drafted that guy. You know what,
(15:26):
You're stuck with him now, so let's make the best of.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
That's why you got a draft as soon as or
as late as you can before the season.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
No, no, no, But that's the point. It's like I'm
in all these industry things, right, so like they're all
long lead. Give folks an idea of what a draft
board would look like, as opposed to all right, we're
gonna draft now. Never mind the leagues where suddenly somebody decides, hey,
we've been playing by these rules. But now I've added
this position, and we're gonna add defensive players, like no, no, no,
(15:54):
come on, now, you're just killing me.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
At least you then have an excuse built in though,
because if you don't like your team, you can always say, well,
I you know, I liked him a few months ago,
but I don't like him now, you know, as opposed
to if you dropped him right before the season, that's
your guy. You've staked your claim.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Well. I also think Mike is in a little different
spot than Ian and I are. Like on this podcast
as we have it set up, Mike's the fantasy expert,
like like he is. Listen to the podcast, He's breaking
down the rankings. He's giving you hot plays. Ian's gonna
give you a streaming defense, and I'm gonna give you
a bad advice on a survivor like that.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Come on.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Now, that's the layout of the show. I can tell
you what I see with my eyes and how I
think about how these teams play, but from a true
fantasy perspective, like that's Mike's business. And it's kind of
like working at KFC, right, Like you probably don't like KFC,
but I love KFC because guess what. I don't work there.
(16:52):
It's awesome, it's amazing, and so that portion of it,
like I can get why Mike probably doesn't live and
die because it's part of his life where Ian and
I are sitting here, you know, and it's not even
about the moment he is making the decisions of Like
I'm in two fantasy leagues. I've got a Bunzer survivor pools.
(17:14):
Most of them are shot but still alive in some
and I'm doing picks and again. I got saved on
Monday night by Drake London, absolutely saved grab me a
victory when I was destined for a loss and I
was still mad about the other league that I only
had one point from the Eagles defense and lost by
a point and a half. It truly does Like not
(17:36):
that it ruins my night, because I wouldn't want it
to ruin my night, but it pisses me on.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
Oh no, I'm not saying it doesn't. It doesn't get you.
I'm just trying to temperate. Like when I give someone
a hot play and then the guy has one catch
for three yards, that ticks me off because I probably
gave some thousands of people that advice and if they
took it, now now there their lineup's gone, and maybe
(18:01):
I ruined all their days. So now I've really upset
the balance of the world. Maybe that guy has a
bad shift at the KFC.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
I mean it's all that that in the leagues that
I'm playing in, I also could be used for content
a lot, and that's part of the motivation not wanting
to lose, right, is that, Yeah, I beat Harmon, I
beat his ass, and that gets a jerk. So yeah,
I get mad and nose, especially if they're near misses.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Don't you have a fantasy podcast, Yeah, do I get
blown out?
Speaker 5 (18:31):
I get blown out right the circumstance and let's face
at the NFL on a week to week basis. You know,
it's a topsy turvy thing, as we've been talking about
and chronicling here, coming off of a huge upset week
in the in the league in week two. But it's
just that I become fodder of here's a graphic and
a picture of Harmon looking all disheveled and defeated.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Why because I beat his.
Speaker 5 (18:55):
Ass in week two. I don't want that to be
the case. So there's another motivation.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm in five fantasy football leagues
this year plus the Guillotine League, so really six And yeah,
to that point, Dan, I'm I'm just bound to be
playing against someone that I have on one team, so
I just never know whether to be rooting for them
or against them. And it's like, you know, they score
a touchdown, I'm like, yes, oh no, what's the Which
(19:20):
league do I care more about?
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Which? You need to build that appy?
Speaker 5 (19:23):
And that's a there you go, You're eating all your
fantasy lunch.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
What's the net benefit prioritize?
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Yeah, it spits out of value for how happy you
should be based on each touchdown, each catch.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
I love that it is. It is. It's just such
a frustrating, stupid game. Sometimes it truly is like it
like it is. It's it's amazing on how we get
so excited about it, but by Monday night, I'm exhausted. Sure,
and I know not everybody is in our business as
well of having to follow games, but I think I'm
(19:58):
more invested. I might you about the survivor pool that
I had. I had the Texans on Sunday night against
Mike's Bears, and you know, that's supposed to be all right,
six point game as we saw, and guess what, that
was one of the few upsets that didn't happen in
Week two. Yet I'm like, you know, just felt like
I went through a three hour boxing match and just
(20:19):
have all the bruises and cuts to show for it.
And again on Monday night with the Falcons and Eagles
of just needing a little bit like I just wanted to.
I wanted to put it on cruise control. That's what
I wanted. Sure, Hey, Kirk Cousins throw a pick, gets sacked.
Guess what. Rest of my night, feet are up and
I'm enjoying it. But I just am not able to
do that. I need to hit everything. And then I realized,
(20:42):
when I'm in so many contests, yeah, you're not going
to hit any everything. You're never going to have a
perfect week. So each week after the NFL season, I'm
ticked off about something.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
You want to know Another thing too, that's really annoying
is when you are the second highest scorer in your
league out of all the teams, but you just happen
to be playing against the high scorer, so you get
the loss that week. Yeah, yeah, yes, Yeah, that happened
to be a couple of times today.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
So sure, just this week already.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeap, just this week. Like I said, I'm in five leagues,
which is way too many. I am never doing that again.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Now, you're a liar.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
I'm never that next year.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
You're right, it is your Yeah, once you do too many,
you scale back.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
I can't. I can't do this many again. It's too much.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
I was a one guy league for so long.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
That's what I feel like. You get the most enjoyment out.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
Of Yes, well you've been doing the league with your
buddies for how long though, Dan?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Yeah, this is year twenty seven. So this is our
twenty seventh year of this league. About half the league's
been in it for all of the twenty seven, or
about twenty six of the twenty seven, and our newest
member has probably been in it for probably about twenty years.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
I'm twenty four years old. I know your league is
older than me.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
I thanks, thanks, thanks for throwing that in.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Oh really we were. We were drafting Jerome Benn first
round before Ian was born. Yeah, those were those are
some of.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
The drafts taking us all the way back in nineteen
ninety three and a young Jerome Bennis coming.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Out of Oh we had we had the first we
had our first year of this league was in the
fall of ninety eight, and we had actually a league
the year before that that just had like way too
many people and so we kind of settled on a core,
you know, group and worked through that. But this one
has been twenty seven leagues. But my point was when
(22:35):
I when I just added one extra team. It took
me a whole season to remember that I had another team. Sure,
and I remember when Calvin really didn't make the flight
to London or it was or or he wasn't playing
in the London game, and that was an early morning game.
I completely forgot to change my lineup.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
But you know what that was the Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
That and when we start getting the international games on
a bigger scale. Yeah, like getting used to oh that's
a six thirty sure Pacific time kickoff. That that got
lost in a lot of leagues.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
For sure, I completely forgot. But and that was blasphemy
to me, like how could I play someone who never
played But it's just I knew that he wasn't in
my main league, and then then I just completely spaced
on the other league. But it took me a while
to let alone. Now I have to remember five leagues.
I don't know how you do it. Ian.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
Yeah, you got to prioritize for sure, like you know,
some are more important than others. So I guess to
that point, I can get more excited for certain players
scoring touchdowns, but there's always that thing in the back
of your mind that you know, I'm going to be
playing someone that I have. It's just bound to happen.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Mike, is there any like one league that you enjoy
or is it still just all again working at KFC.
Here's your here's your eight piece meal with your four sides.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
No, look, there's there's the one industry league. I've done
well in most years. I've had a couple of absolutely
disastrous where all the theory testing went wrong, But you know,
it's it's one that's been around forever, and I got
invited to that back when Fantasy was more or less
all I was doing, writing columns and doing videos and
(24:23):
working of course on the Sunday Show on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
And so being invited into that club.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
Was was pretty cool because it was a lot of
guys magazine publishers and back when you know, the news
stand was full of them, not that we still don't
get our share of them, but you know, their level
of importance and throughput and whatever being different, but like
being invited into that club, right, because sometimes when you
work at a bigger place, when I worked at Yahoo
and certainly coming over to Fox, you're on that side
(24:55):
because you're on the big you know, you're with the
big corporate entities. So it gets a little different of
a look, see, and that's not a woe is me,
it's just a reality. So to be invited in that club,
you know, and being able to stay there for all
those years, yeah, that that holds a little more resonance.
And you know, there's some smack talking, but mostly it's
a space not to you know, the mutual admiration society
(25:18):
kind of thing, but just a hey, we've been in
these you know, in this space a long time together
and now it's the next iteration of matching wits and
which guys are adapting to new new ways of doing
things and evaluating players and stats and kind of like
they're doing with Major League Baseball.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Right.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
It was a joke and moneyball of hey, you're out,
you know, with in terms of the old timey stats
of what you see versus you know what expected values
and all of those things. And we see it right
now in Major League Baseball a lot. There are a
lot of changes in scouting departments here. Likewise in doing
fantasy evaluation. You know, I'd always relied on you know,
I watched the games and did all that, and then
(25:58):
you'd have guys that are just running numbers and may
may not want It's like, you know, the gambling side
of things too. A lot of folks who all, right,
these are the numbers, this is what it spits out.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
Do you watch the games?
Speaker 5 (26:09):
Nope, I still enjoy watching football to where, you know what,
I'll be wrong with my eye test as opposed to
just spinning out some numbers. But that's where the great
divide is and where the fun of those leagues are,
because there still are a number of folks who kind
of look at it the old way like I did.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Sure, and those and those betters are only in it
for the money. Yeah, they don't like We like football.
We enjoy football, We get a kick out of it.
We want to think that we know more than maybe
someone else, or want to get that right pick. But man,
sometimes and it just reminds me. You know, actually how
I got like reminded of this aside from the ulcer
(26:52):
that I usually get weekly on Monday night, you know,
for something happening. Mancy belaanyos who people know what Fox
Sports are Idea like out the door when Marvin Harrison
scored his second touchdown and she was like, you know,
he's to Ian's point, like he's in my most important
league or to what you're saying, like you know, he
was excited about that, and I'm like, man, like I
(27:15):
do have a more important league for sure. You know,
that's the one that I that I lost on on
Monday night. But man, I'm like, god, I got to
figure out a way to enjoy this more, you know,
like to get the highest because otherwise I'm like, this
is why am I doing this?
Speaker 5 (27:30):
Well, that's and like Ian, like Ian, you were in
the hallway on Monday night before the football game's on
a one screen. We have our multi screen us set
up and we're waiting in the bullpen. The Odd couple
Kelvin Washington in with Rob Parker and they're in the studio.
So Smith and I my partner Jason Smith for the uninitiated.
(27:53):
We're sitting there in huge Jets and Mets fan and
he starts screaming as the final out of the Metsgan
is recorded like he's been talking like for twenty minutes,
as if he's either the third base coach or the
loudmouth in the front row who's watching all the action
and has to call it all and like. But his
level of excitement to a full woo that was not
(28:16):
a Rick Flair impression, right, It was all just you know,
genuine excitement to it. It's like, I get that to
a degree, but not to that same level. And I
hate him for it that it's still that kid like
wonder and excitement ride the lightning thing. And he's the
same way with fantasy. And I'm jealous of that. Yeah, right,
(28:39):
that I get it in spots, and certainly when I
watch my teams, I have it.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
I don't do it as outwardly.
Speaker 5 (28:44):
Maybe I did a little bit on Sunday night with
the Bears Texans on the wishing, wanting, hoping that they'd
steal that game, but I don't. I don't have that
big visceral reaction to it the same way. Maybe it's
all the years of losing that had beat me down
from my actual teams. That's now translated back into the
fantasy world, right, I mean, I got a World Series
that's two thousand and five. I got a super Bowl
(29:05):
that was nineteen eighty five. We did get another appearance
down in Miami, but all anybody remembers was Prince's Purple Rain,
So you know all of that to say, you know,
and nobody cares about the Blackhawks winning titles and nineteen
ninety eight is a distant memory in the basketball side,
So you get years of losing and a lot of
(29:27):
hope built up.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
Fantasy is the same way.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
You start out great and then you lose one or
two guys like all right, it's gone to hell and
it's done it again.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
So riding the lightning.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
But I'm jealous of those that had that juice like
Ian describes right that momentum, or Monsey running out of
a studio because she's that jacked up, Like I wish
I still got to that, And it's not what was me.
Mike's an old man whatever, it's just a different way
of approach that you do. Now you put me on
the sideline of one of my kids games, I'm a
(29:58):
different animal right, individual investment and whatever else. Yeah, versus
I know I have to go talk about all thirty
two teams.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Well yeah, and when Manci did that, the reason why
it also resonated with me was I had Marvin Harrison
Junior on one of my teams, and I wasn't running
out of the room, you know, like yelling and jumping
up and screaming, and I'm like, maybe I should be,
because that's what this is all about.
Speaker 5 (30:24):
Oh, that's it, buddy, Yeah, trying to figure that out,
you know, is you know, making sure that we're still
finding the proverbial wins and excite me because it's a
hell of a time and especially if you can then
send a quick note to your friend saying did you
catch this? Here's the highlight, you know, retweeted from Twitter.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Well I'll tell you Ian, go down to two leagues
next year. You don't need the other three.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
You don't even tell me twice. Yeah, that is exactly
what I plan on doing.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Oh man, all right, well this is fun. This is
a good little little break from the norm to just
talk fantasy, not even about the NFL teams, but the
actual exercise itself. So yeah, we'll do it again, and
when we do it again, Mike Carmon will give you
his rankings for Week three plus the Hot Place, Cold Soars,
and so much more. Ian will have a streaming defense
and I will not have a survivor pick for you again.
(31:17):
Self imposed one week ban for how bad I've been
so for Ian, Roddy, and Mike Carmon. I'm Dan Bayer.
Can't wait to talk to you next time right here,
and I want your flex
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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