December 6, 2023 • 32 mins
It's Fox Sports Radio's Official Fantasy Football Podcast! Dan Beyer, Mike Harmon, and Patrick Swieca discuss the recent hot streaks in fantasy and whether to stick with the hot streaks or knowing when to be cautious and bench players. The guys discuss Tank Dell's recent season ending injury and what to pivot too in lieu of his absence. Plus, the guys do a quick preview for the Thursday Night Game and what to expect or who to play! #fsrweekends
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ladies and gentle you want experience during your football season,
We'll buckle up, sweet cheeks. We've got all the experience
in the world. This is I want your flex with
Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon. Mike and Dan break down
everything you need to set your lineups, from position rankings
(00:22):
to starts and sits. The guys help you make those
hard decisions. And now let's get your flex on. Here's
Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome in to I want your flecks and mic up
at Swallendome. You's gonna find me at Dan byer on
box getting set for a week fourteen slighte with the
fifteen games. Cardinals and Commanders are on buy, so you
don't have to worry about those teams. But we'll worry
about the other thirty mic and we'll dive into those teams.
But I think we need to start today at a
point that I think every fantasy player that plays in
(00:56):
a league has this dilemma, and it's riding the hot
hand because the hot hand doesn't always stay hot. I
think like back in the day, you go back to
the Marshall Falk days, Priest Holmes, the uh heck, even
the Emmett Smith days way back when you were playing
(01:17):
your running back Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders could give me
a stinker now and then. But you know, Marshall Falk,
Priest Holmes, you're playing those guys. It's like an automatic
twenty five.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Point sure, And Barry Sanders would drive you nuts in
game if you were actually sitting and watching the Lions.
One negative one negative seven zero zero three seventy five
in a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, absolutely, And you're like, all right, Okay, I guess
I can't be too mad at what he just did
to me for the first two and a half quarters.
But I do think that now in the NFL because
we don't see that at the running back position. Christian
McCaffrey is the closest that we've seen to it, and
it's basically two as well, because of his touchdown streak
that he had. We're not seeing the hot streaks, those
(02:02):
those those great, great big numbers from the running back position.
We're starting to see them with some wide receivers. And
maybe it's because the the game, you know, changed, and
Tyreek Hill is the name that that pops in first
and foremost in my mind. But I'll tell you what
I have a really big problem with, and that's that's
the topic we're starting here, is I do think hot
(02:23):
streaks come to an end, and I'm trying to guess
in trying to figure out, all right, when when do
I not play the guy that is on a hot
streak if I've got that, you know, like at some point,
you know, aj Brown had his one hundred yard game
streak this, you know, earlier this season, and was was
just on fire, but you know it was going to
end at some point. And and so that's the part now,
(02:47):
because we're in winning time where playoff spots are on
the line, playoffs are going to be starting, I try
to figure out a way to balance you know, the hotness,
the the hot streaks and figuring out if a guy
is just getting his workload. It's one of the toughest
things that I end up battling in my mind when
I'm trying to figure out my lineups.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Well, no, and that's just it, right. It's the trust
longevity sample sizes, cause look, unless you're playing in a
Best Ball league, it's week to week, so you're looking
at individual matchups. How good is that cornerback in coverage
how good is this defense in terms of limiting the
painted grass, because I don't care how many yards they
(03:27):
give up.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Right, it's the old adage.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, you know, pile up your receptions, but you still
need to score touchdowns to win on the field and
certainly in your fantasy games as well. You know, say
nothing for those twelve reception forty yard efforts we've seen.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
From some running backs in the best.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
But you know, to your point about AJ Brown, as
hot as he was for that stretch over the last
five weeks, he ranks twenty ninth. Right, you have a
bye week mixed in there, so fine, but twelve point
six point eight, nine point seven, an eleven point four
and again fantasypros dot Com scoring for that. But you've
(04:05):
got so many other guys who've been routinely more productive
and on a week to week basis giving you big
efforts running back position.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Look, I haven't been able to catch a cold in that.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
In terms of Daniel you want to talk about cold,
soares I'm walking around littered with him and picking running
back rankings this year because you do have all those
efforts and then someone else vultures a touchdown or you
get the random tight end who's not your primary pass
catching tight end but comes in and vultures a touchdown,
throw a little jump pass or the quarterback sneaks and
(04:43):
whatever else, which more and more teams are going away
from because we do the dopey shotgun. Let's hand the
ball off and have a guy get hit three yards
in the backfield as well. But you know, writing writing
running backs has been impossible. Like virtually everybody save McCaffrey
has had massive letdown weeks, and even the one week
(05:05):
he didn't score, he was apologetic about it. Yeah, I stunk,
had a pretty good game, but you know, didn't find
the end zone, and that streak ended consistency. Being king
quarterback position, we've seen a little more stability, so you
feel a little more confident of doing the old all right,
I don't even have to touch that kind of like
(05:26):
we used to do in our golf leagues back in
the day, Dan, when I was running things at Yahoo,
we had to put in the rule that you could
only use tiger Woods so much like we called it
the tiger Woods rule there, and it was the Dale
Earnhardt Senior rule for auto racing. You only got to
use him nine in the first half. So at least
half the time he's got to be out or you
(05:47):
don't occrue any points at People would still leave him
there because they liked the look of him being on
their roster. But you know, at least the quarterback position,
we have some stability, except for old father in coming
in and kicking us in the teeth routinely.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I you know, I think that's basically there. There's nothing
that you can do about it. When when it's the
the guys that are producing, I think that you just
kind of have to I think you just have to
ride it out. Like I look at someone like I'm
on rus saying Brown for the Lions, who had a
great streak. Maybe wasn't a J. Brown esque but at
(06:25):
one point during the season he had a span of
six one hundred yard games over seven contests. So he's
getting double digit receptions in some of those games. If
it's PPR only scored a couple of touchdowns three touchdowns
in those matchups, but that was not going to be sustainable.
(06:46):
And so now you're saying to yourself, Okay, if you've
got those streak of one hundred yard games, he's obviously
not going to be able to continue that. So he's
going to be in the double digits. Well, what about
if he doesn't get a touchdown? And what about if
those twelve and thirteen reception games come down to four
or five? How can I survive that? Perfect example was
this past week against the Saints in a game and
(07:07):
they score thirty three points, took advantage of some turnovers.
He ends up having two catches for forty nine yards.
Luckily for you know, owners of Amarra gets into the
end zone. But there's no reason that I'm thinking about
benching him, you know, Like I'm just I'm gonna have
to deal with that. Maybe that's something that I have to,
you know, come to grips with. And I just I
(07:29):
wonder if I want my guys on a bit of
a slide mic, because I know that at some point
it's gonna show up. Evan Ingram's a perfect example. Had
not a touchdown all season long. I didn't acquire a
tight end in my league's because I have Evan Ingram
and I said he's gonna score at some point. There's
no way he's going to go the entire season without
a touchdown. What happens on Monday Night against the Bengals
(07:50):
finally gets into the end zone. I felt so vindicated
because they knew at some point. Now I think, hey,
if Trevor Lawrence is out for any amount of time,
now his value has grown more. But I also thought
to myself, this could maybe be a streak. I don't
think this could be a one off, and that's maybe
the thing that I should you know, the advice that
I should give is maybe if a guy is slumping,
(08:12):
write it out anyway if you believe in that player
enough where they have produced previously, because at some point
it's going to cash in. Yeah they did cash in
with e an anchor for me, but.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, I mean that that play pays off. And look,
he's had opportunity, not red zone opportunity.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Yeah, go on opportunity.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
But if you've got a guy who's seeing six targets
a week, and again, quality of targets, we can always
fight about that, like because it's simplified, but that's we're
not going to go game by game quality. Like I
don't have a rating system for quality. I know when
there's a bad throw, I know when a guy drops
(08:51):
a ball, and you know, opportunities come up if you
have six targets per game, and that's what you were
averaging with Ingram. The law of average is said, the
offense is prolific enough and moving the ball efficiently enough
that eventually he's going to find the end zone. If not,
you're still seeing six targets. It's a matter of what
(09:12):
he's going to do with them at the tight end position.
Otherwise you're rolling the dice with most of these guys
that you're getting a goal line, red zone opportunity anyway,
because the production week to week has been so varied
across the position, the highs and lows across the web.
I mean, you look over these last five weeks. Jake
(09:33):
Ferguson is your high scorer. He's got two games below
four points in them.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
TJ.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Hockinson is second. He had a bye week six point
nine points back in week nine, the high of nineteen
point four in week ten. Again, fantasypros dot Com and
their scoring system here, you know, talking standards we can play.
Take that out to the PPR world and yes, then
(10:01):
it changes some. So we get Trey McBride would be
your most valuable with a five point two and a
nine point three mixed in with two twenty plus point efforts.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
TJ.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Hockinson with the bye week his second, well, he had
that thirty point blowout performance in week ten, otherwise thirteen
point nine, nine point five, sixteen, and then Ferguson's third,
so you know, and then you know, you start looking
at the distinction and rolling down there's like there's no
level of consistency, Like the most consistent guy has been
(10:36):
in Djoku. Yeah, like week thirteen a three point seven performance,
but he had averaged like his prior four were right
around twelve points.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Sure each week.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Laporta of the huge game in week thirteen, but there
was even a dip with him, right, and he went
out like gangbusters, yeah yeah, then slowed.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Up yeah bye week eight point six point eight points,
and then the last two weeks back on seventeen point
seven and twenty nine. But it feeds into your point,
like because that's one of the positions where you're trying
to eke out points if you didn't get one of
the big boys, right, So you're trying to look at
trends like what's the offense doing, how's it focusing and filtering?
And at this point we've got mostly backup quarterbacks for
(11:18):
these teams that you know, the tight end is usually
gonna be the best friend of those young quarterbacks or
at least you know, target number two perhaps just beyond
their running back in a lot of these squads. So
it's it's a curiosity, you know, it's in depending on
your league set up. Most leagues what two wide receiver
(11:39):
before we get into the flexes anymore. So it changes
a little bit of the perspective there. And then sometimes
you just get that gut feeling that sends you another way.
But you know, I think I'm with you, Like the
Aman Ross, Saint Brown's and whatever. It's it's gonna you know,
streaks are gonna end, but that's he's still gonna have
more opportunity yep, in those offenses than well most maybe
(12:02):
would you rather take the number one receiver from I
don't know, say New England for ins or the like,
even Garrett Wilson, Right, I name the Jets as a
team that I can argue that you don't start anybody.
As much as I may love Garrett Wilson, I could
easily argue him out of my top twenty four most
weeks because of what the quarterback position is.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Well, continue to play your studs. That's I get you know,
like that would be my advice after you know, we
talked this whole thing out. It is a problem that
I have. But there is also nothing worse to Mike
then benching a stud for someone who doesn't live up
to the expectations and then your stud does what he does.
So we're not, by no means of my advocating, you know,
(12:45):
benching a stud and like Las Vegas or any sort
of betting, if you try to mess around too much,
you're just gonna end up behind and then the hole.
So if you're trying to, you know, to play everything
and try to be cute, it's in the end, it's
not going to work out for you in the long run.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
No, that's true.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
But you know it does go to one of my
old adages, Dan, if you're gonna fail, fail spectacularly.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Do it in absolutely fabulous fashion. He's Mike carbon I'm
Dan Byer. It is I want your flex. There is
some injury news in the NFL, plus a look ahead
to the Week fourteen slate. The executive producer of the
show is Patrick Sweeke, so Patrick is in for the
vacationing Ryan Berschinger. We appreciate all the work that Patrick
has done. I love him hanging out and bringing this
(13:33):
Fantasy football podcast some good vibes because we had good
Week thirteen's hopefully it carries over in Week fourteen. I'll
look at that. Week fourteen is slate is next here
and I want your flex welcome back it is. I
want your flex at Mike up at Swollen Dome. You
(13:54):
can find me at Dan Byer on Fox. Great to
have you hanging out with us on this podcast all
season long. We really appreciate everything that you guys do
for us and downloading every single weekly truly appreciated. Let's
get into this week fourteen slate and it's a slate
that the Houston Texans are now going to have to
(14:15):
Mike just to life without one Tank Dell. Tank Dell
was an active guy in the leagues that I was
in trade deadline target because usually the teams that had
multiple wide receivers, Tank Dell is one of those guys
somebody took a flyer on and what do you know,
They've got an overflow of wide receivers, so maybe they're
(14:36):
willing to deal. Tank Dell was a guy in advance
of our trading deadline in at least one of my
leagues that I saw on the move, but now he
has done for the season. Texans go to New York
to face the Jets, who we have no idea what's
going to happen with the quarterback situation as it develops.
But it is a big blow to CJ. Stroud on
that offense because he did rely on Tank Dell a lot.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Oh one. I mean you stretching the defense, creating some
under routes. They played this week without Dalton Schultz, so
waiting to see on his injury status. Brevin Jordan stepped
up nicely three catches sixty four yards, but the rest
of receiving corps is a giant question mark Behind Nico Collins. Right,
he goes for nine on twelve targets one hundred and
(15:19):
ninety one and one. But now you're gonna have to
try to find another guy to step up, whether that's
Noah Brown, who was back his first game back off
missing time due to injury, only two targets in this
one available in a lot of leagues he'd been kicked
back based on the injuries, So maybe a waiver wire
pickup and a wait and see, but certainly not the
(15:41):
defense to get cute with to owing to the prior segment.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah, Robert Woods could even be a name, sure, not
like if you know Noah Brown of the Big Game
for you know, a couple of weeks. But that was
when Nico Collins was out. So I think you're seeing
some correlation there. You also have a weird situation on
their back, feltie. Now Damian Pierce ends up getting a
majority of the carries. Devin Singleton Singletary, excuse me, was
(16:07):
was the you know, workhorse for a while when Pierce
was out. I felt Singletary was a little bit more effective.
But just some changes in Houston with the Texans. It
could affect some fantasy stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Yeah, just good enough to screw it up in that.
Neither one is startable now because Pierce had a long
of twenty two forty one yards in a score. In
his other fourteen carries, he had nineteen yards. Dan, that's
not even falling full.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Hey, Devin Singletary only got the eight carries. I don't
know what's going on, right.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah, and in his he had a long of fourteen,
so seven for twenty two. I mean that's at least
longer than his body length and maybe an outstretched arm.
So but but what it means for fantasy purposes is
it's c J. Stroud, Nico Collins and a giant question mark.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I'll give you another question mark, okay, And I think
that I don't know how it's going to operate, but
I think that we I think we kind of saw
a little something in Miami the return of Devon a
Chan gets into the end zone twice for Miami and
their win against the Commanders. But again, this was a
(17:24):
game that was not competitive, and so you kind of
work him back into playing shape. Do you think that
he ends up wrestling that from Raheem Mostert or both
guys plays that you can go forward with. What do
you do with the Dolphins backfield?
Speaker 3 (17:40):
I think they're both plays. I think the offense is
too prolific. And this again gets into the schedule, watching
and stuffed in to where you know there's gonna be
those hand ringing. It's like, all right, you know we've
seen some and I hate to now use it. The
bum slaying effort that we ascribed to both Miami and
to Doubt to a degree. Look, you can only beat
(18:01):
who's on the schedule. But eventually you have to pass
one of those tests against the big boys along the way.
But look, the NFL is littered with mediocre to terrible teams,
so go beat them up as you will. And I
think that's still gonna be a split because I think
they're going to need both of those guys down the stretch,
and certainly to win in the playoffs, because not every game.
(18:23):
I mean, right now, they're the number one as we
tape this tonight, they are in the number one seed
slot in the AFC.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
Does that continue?
Speaker 3 (18:33):
If so, cool, then you know whether isn't an issue
through the AFC playoffs. If not, you got to make
sure that ground game is ready for the road show.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah, and you know, a Chan got a lot of
carries when they were just way ahead. So I'm trying
to decipher myself saying, all right, if Moster is the
main guy, they're bringing eight Chan back? Are they trying
to get a Chan into the fold? And if that
was the case, Mike, I don't think that they would
have played them as much as they did in the
second half.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
I would have thought we'd seen more of Wilson.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Yeah, that's that was my thinking as well, so that
actually in my mind tells me, all right, Mostard is
safe because there was a while where I was concerned. Sure,
and they have had, you know, used two backs in
the past, but I thought after Chan's huge games before
the knee injury that maybe it was you know, bye
bye Raheem Moster. But I don't think that's the case.
(19:26):
I do agree with you that both guys are playable.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
And I think they've got to be smart about it too,
because now you've got two guys with injury histories, right,
Chan having gotten hurt this year and Moster's history in
San Francisco, et cetera. So you also don't want to
wear that out. No disrespect to Jeff Wilson who was
in Look, you could have a lot worse RB three's
sitting on your roster, and we've seen plenty of them. Yes,
(19:52):
in NFL twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
That's that is for sure. Kudos to Mike Evans. The
funny thing about the Buccaneers is I just with the
emergence of overshad White and really how dominant Mike Evans
has been this year, I actually think the Buccaneers have
been a fantasy delight if you have Chris Godwin, you
(20:16):
probably aren't, you know, saying those same things, But there
wasn't anybody else that you were really going to play
on those teams. Those guys have come up huge for
the for the Buccaneers.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
When you look at Rashad White, what you're You're at
a thousand total yards for the year, You're at six touchdowns.
That's not bad considering, you know, we are a pass
happy society most of the in most circumstances. And for
Evans to get over a thousand yards again and he's
(20:45):
at double digit touchdowns with five games left to play, Yeah,
I mean that that's the thing that stands out right.
Sixty catches on his one hundred and three targets, already
over one thousand yards and ten touchdowns. He had the
seventy five yard sprint and that he said he went
over and threw up a little bit, which I thought
was kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
And I've got he's an every man Falcons, Packers, Jaguars,
Saints and then the Panthers to end it up. That's
that's that's a that's doable.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Oh, absolutely, guys. And then you look at Baker Mayfield.
People may not be excited by him at almost sixty
four percent completion rate.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Eighteen and eight, I think you'd take that.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah, coming into the year, if you were expecting anything
grander than that, your kidding yourself. I think he's he's
earned the right for a longer.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Look see here, and he's going to be a new father.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Oh is that's right? Yeah, big big news this week,
So congratulations.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
The big reveal for that one. What do we expect
with your Bears entertaining those Lions coming up on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (21:49):
A lot of short and intermediate passes zero to five
yards as.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Same as it ever was. Look the Lions.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Yeah, the Lions secondary is gettable. I've seen the run
game be a little more productive. The hard part is
if you're trying to buy in Herbert versus Johnson, I
don't know that I want to go down that rabbit
hole for starting for fantasy purposes, but DJ Moore cole Comet,
I mean they're locks up starters for you right now.
(22:17):
And Justin Field's making plays with his legs. He's been
more efficient and certainly coming back off his injury. Short
sample size, but making plays and for fantasy purposes, giving
you some highlights. So I you know, he's definitely at
least you know top twelve, he's a starter for you.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I also think with the two enormous matchups that we
have Eagles Cowboys on Sunday night, but you have Bills
in Kansas City to face the Chiefs. Chiefs still trying
to find their way. I think I don't want to
say we're gonna get in a shootout, Mike, but I
think that this is good medicine for Camp the city
(23:01):
of having Buffalo come in and so I like, I
like your Chiefs if you can play him. Another hasn't
been a huge, huge boom with them, but I think
we're gonna get a good one in Kansas City on
Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Yeah, forty seven is the total. As you and I
sit and record this episode, Dan, looking at the Chiefs,
the opportunity, you're trying to pick the needle in the
in the haystack as far as the wide outs go.
Next to Travis Kelce or she Rice is a WR
three with upside?
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Yeah, but is it? Is it necessarily a go?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I can't bank on it right because I can't bank
on him finding the end zone.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
No, but Daily Fantasy could be an option.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
No, absolute hundred percent and then Pa Checko, you know,
if he can take a full workload, then yeah, he's
He's been fantastic. The run game has been been better
at and Mahomes against Buffalo and the defense trying to
find its way. I don't know what they would have
figured out during the bye week, but it came at
a good time for them, you know, wondering if you
(24:05):
know Josh Allen who's done some really good things. Focus
people have focused on the turnovers, and rightly so, some
his faults, some not some basically the equivalent of us saying, hey,
punt check, you know you have to be past that
edge of the buick to receive my punt throw. You
know that kind of thing. You know, some of the metrics.
(24:27):
He's the MVP of the league based on what he's
done for this squad. So it's really just an interesting
continuum that that he is on week to week. I
dare say, I think they come out and score some
points like that's a that one. I think we get
ourselves a little bit of a shootout here.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
I wish we could say the same for Thursday night.
That's where we will end this podcast. No Hawkeyes patron
its Steelers color scheme. The same for the Steelers in
the Iowa Hawk. Guys, what do we got because we
don't have Kenny Pickett out with his ankle injury, so
Trubisky gets the start. Do you like a little nause
(25:12):
Harris h Jalen Warren? What are we looking at for
Thursday night? Mike?
Speaker 4 (25:18):
They are injury back end number Two's right?
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I mean my week only has two teams, so we're
not really impacted much there. So now it becomes all
right the injury updates. If you don't get spears off
waivers and Henry can't go, then yes, maybe one of
these Steelers. Of course it's a Thursday night, so it's
an early decision point as well. Think for the Steelers
side of things, I'll start Friarmouth.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Okay, right, tight end position, yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Target count should be up beyond that. No, thanks, I'll
start the defense.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I think I'm I have a team defense as well.
In Witzburg let me down against the Cardinals, but you
were let down if you played any Steeler.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
What a letdown effort that was?
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Like, That's not something you can often say about a
Pittsburgh you know, Mike Tomlin led squad. That was just
a poor effort all around. And I know they had
the weather delays and all of that stuff.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Shouldn't that have favorite Pittsburgh doing all that?
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Yeah, Instead, James Connor comes back and you know, he
reminds them of what he once was.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
One hundred yeah, two scores. And Trey McBride, a guy
that you know we've talked about a bunch here coming
through as well, but he had nothing for Pittsburgh. I
think there was a lot of a lot of excitement
on the Jalen Warren train, but that even slowed to
a bit of a halt. Just nine carries, fifty nine
yards on those nine carries. But yeah, just a Steelers
(26:49):
team that committing a lot of penalties. And now you
don't have your starting quarterback. So that's a tough one.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
And now we'll go on the other side, Dan, if
you want, yes, do it, the Patriots do it. It's
Ezekiel Elliott, right because at least as we record this,
the presumption is that Stevenson's not rallying on a short week.
Maybe he does, but you know, Elliott at least running
(27:17):
the football, I would expect him to see twelve to
fifteen touches showed a little bit of burst, which is
shocking to say against the Chargers in a game that
they scored zero points.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Oh, I can't recommend anyone.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
It's so hard, right, it's like all right daily for
a dollar.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And again it's just the fact, Mike of I will
usually tell you to play a guy just so you
can watch the game, but I just can't do it
this week. I think I would be disingenuous in doing so.
I think that you can avoid this game.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Yeah, no, it's Look the over under. I've seen it
as low as twenty nine and a half. I'm staring
at Bovada as we record this and it's at thirty
and a half. Steelers favored by six.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
That's a lot of points.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yes, I think like that's like when we were looking
at all those Iowa spreads and going and over unders
and going, nah, there's no way they're scoring.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Like even this.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Past week, you know, they said ninety nine percent of
the money for Iowa versus Michigan first half at point
five points was on the under and they cashed.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
They all cased crazy.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I think in this game we might get much of
the same. Man, I'm running for the punters.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
I I you know, we had we had twenty years
where we had to watch like the Patriots and Steelers
play in divisional playoff games or playoff or AFC championship games.
And I really hated both teams. I hated both teams
and they were good. So for me to have any
interest in this when they're bad, it's going to be
a very, very tough sell. I'll watch it, but I
(28:57):
just don't recommend anyone to play it.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
Now.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I celebrate all to seventy two. They make fun of
me on the evening show with Smith and Frostville on
the executive chair. It's like, no, you don't. All you
do is bad moth, and I'm like, no, no. I still
celebrate them. But on the continuum there are there are
some that are worse. It doesn't mean I don't love them.
I just love them less. So they're ranked to seventy
to seventy one and two seventy two.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
And that's that's this one. You just blow out the
candles and move on. That's what you can do with
Thursday night.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
I think I'm just gonna order a giant bucket of
wings and while I sit in the studio I'll just eat.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
The good news my feelings.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
The good news is the next time you hear us
and I want your flex, that game will be in
our rear view mirror. Yeah, buddy, there is no episode
on Thursday. There will be new episodes on Friday with
Harmon's rankings and his hot plays and cold source. I
do want to give our executive producer Patrick social media wise,
Patrick Sweeka, Where can people follow you if they want
to follow you on various platforms of social media?
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Well, Dan and Mike on Twitter or actually x formally
known as Twitter. My Twitter handle is actually my name,
Patrick Sweeka, but if you needed the at, it is
actually at sweaky P and as s w e e
k y P.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
There is sweaky P.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
Yeah, definitely. No, that's sweek as the last name. So
everybody's done a variant of my last name. So I'm
like sweaky pe. I don't know, it's it's unique. No
one has.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
It, and uh, he doesn't follow me, so that's that's great.
It's all right. I didn't. I didn't realize that Patrick
was on Twitter either.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
So I forgot I was until you just reminded me.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Right.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Now, there you go. That means there's a lot of
value add on that account. Poe go At.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
The last time you tweeted was August. But if you
wanted to find him and hit him up, that's where
you can get Patrick and all of it's good stuff.
We appreciate the work this week, and you'll be back
with us on the pod that launches Friday. Thanks, Patrick,
appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
Man of course, of course, pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
So for Patrick SWEEKA and Mike Carmen, any last words, Mike.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
What are you drinking for that?
Speaker 2 (31:17):
I'll tell you what for a guy that doesn't drink
and the the wife is going to be out of
town for the first overnight since we had our baby boy,
so he's now two and a half. I am going
to be solo, yes and a half years, the solo
for one overnight, me and him. Yeah, the first time
(31:41):
it's been that long. I don't know how she's going
to handle it. I hope I can keep everything in
one piece. But yeah, it's gonna be a guy's you know,
a guy's vaca here on Yeah, yeah, with mom out
of town.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
You got that for two and a half years. I
think I was at like eight weeks.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Maybe that was at a different time, you know. It's
just that's the way it is. But yeah, so who knows.
Maybe I'll start drinking after that. But we're gonna have some.
Speaker 4 (32:10):
Fun giant milkshakes for everybody.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yeah there, It is awesome, all right. So for my
Carmin and Patrick Sweeta, I'm dan Byer. Pray for me
and I can't wait to talk to you next time here.
And I want to reflex
Ladies and gentle you want experience during your football season,
We'll buckle up, sweet cheeks. We've got all the experience
in the world. This is I want your flex with
Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon. Mike and Dan break down
everything you need to set your lineups, from position rankings
(00:22):
to starts and sits. The guys help you make those
hard decisions. And now let's get your flex on. Here's
Dan Bayer and Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome in to I want your flecks and mic up
at Swallendome. You's gonna find me at Dan byer on
box getting set for a week fourteen slighte with the
fifteen games. Cardinals and Commanders are on buy, so you
don't have to worry about those teams. But we'll worry
about the other thirty mic and we'll dive into those teams.
But I think we need to start today at a
point that I think every fantasy player that plays in
(00:56):
a league has this dilemma, and it's riding the hot
hand because the hot hand doesn't always stay hot. I
think like back in the day, you go back to
the Marshall Falk days, Priest Holmes, the uh heck, even
the Emmett Smith days way back when you were playing
(01:17):
your running back Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders could give me
a stinker now and then. But you know, Marshall Falk,
Priest Holmes, you're playing those guys. It's like an automatic
twenty five.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Point sure, And Barry Sanders would drive you nuts in
game if you were actually sitting and watching the Lions.
One negative one negative seven zero zero three seventy five
in a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, absolutely, And you're like, all right, Okay, I guess
I can't be too mad at what he just did
to me for the first two and a half quarters.
But I do think that now in the NFL because
we don't see that at the running back position. Christian
McCaffrey is the closest that we've seen to it, and
it's basically two as well, because of his touchdown streak
that he had. We're not seeing the hot streaks, those
(02:02):
those those great, great big numbers from the running back position.
We're starting to see them with some wide receivers. And
maybe it's because the the game, you know, changed, and
Tyreek Hill is the name that that pops in first
and foremost in my mind. But I'll tell you what
I have a really big problem with, and that's that's
the topic we're starting here, is I do think hot
(02:23):
streaks come to an end, and I'm trying to guess
in trying to figure out, all right, when when do
I not play the guy that is on a hot
streak if I've got that, you know, like at some point,
you know, aj Brown had his one hundred yard game
streak this, you know, earlier this season, and was was
just on fire, but you know it was going to
end at some point. And and so that's the part now,
(02:47):
because we're in winning time where playoff spots are on
the line, playoffs are going to be starting, I try
to figure out a way to balance you know, the hotness,
the the hot streaks and figuring out if a guy
is just getting his workload. It's one of the toughest
things that I end up battling in my mind when
I'm trying to figure out my lineups.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Well, no, and that's just it, right. It's the trust
longevity sample sizes, cause look, unless you're playing in a
Best Ball league, it's week to week, so you're looking
at individual matchups. How good is that cornerback in coverage
how good is this defense in terms of limiting the
painted grass, because I don't care how many yards they
(03:27):
give up.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Right, it's the old adage.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, you know, pile up your receptions, but you still
need to score touchdowns to win on the field and
certainly in your fantasy games as well. You know, say
nothing for those twelve reception forty yard efforts we've seen.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
From some running backs in the best.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
But you know, to your point about AJ Brown, as
hot as he was for that stretch over the last
five weeks, he ranks twenty ninth. Right, you have a
bye week mixed in there, so fine, but twelve point
six point eight, nine point seven, an eleven point four
and again fantasypros dot Com scoring for that. But you've
(04:05):
got so many other guys who've been routinely more productive
and on a week to week basis giving you big
efforts running back position.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Look, I haven't been able to catch a cold in that.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
In terms of Daniel you want to talk about cold,
soares I'm walking around littered with him and picking running
back rankings this year because you do have all those
efforts and then someone else vultures a touchdown or you
get the random tight end who's not your primary pass
catching tight end but comes in and vultures a touchdown,
throw a little jump pass or the quarterback sneaks and
(04:43):
whatever else, which more and more teams are going away
from because we do the dopey shotgun. Let's hand the
ball off and have a guy get hit three yards
in the backfield as well. But you know, writing writing
running backs has been impossible. Like virtually everybody save McCaffrey
has had massive letdown weeks, and even the one week
(05:05):
he didn't score, he was apologetic about it. Yeah, I stunk,
had a pretty good game, but you know, didn't find
the end zone, and that streak ended consistency. Being king
quarterback position, we've seen a little more stability, so you
feel a little more confident of doing the old all right,
I don't even have to touch that kind of like
(05:26):
we used to do in our golf leagues back in
the day, Dan, when I was running things at Yahoo,
we had to put in the rule that you could
only use tiger Woods so much like we called it
the tiger Woods rule there, and it was the Dale
Earnhardt Senior rule for auto racing. You only got to
use him nine in the first half. So at least
half the time he's got to be out or you
(05:47):
don't occrue any points at People would still leave him
there because they liked the look of him being on
their roster. But you know, at least the quarterback position,
we have some stability, except for old father in coming
in and kicking us in the teeth routinely.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I you know, I think that's basically there. There's nothing
that you can do about it. When when it's the
the guys that are producing, I think that you just
kind of have to I think you just have to
ride it out. Like I look at someone like I'm
on rus saying Brown for the Lions, who had a
great streak. Maybe wasn't a J. Brown esque but at
(06:25):
one point during the season he had a span of
six one hundred yard games over seven contests. So he's
getting double digit receptions in some of those games. If
it's PPR only scored a couple of touchdowns three touchdowns
in those matchups, but that was not going to be sustainable.
(06:46):
And so now you're saying to yourself, Okay, if you've
got those streak of one hundred yard games, he's obviously
not going to be able to continue that. So he's
going to be in the double digits. Well, what about
if he doesn't get a touchdown? And what about if
those twelve and thirteen reception games come down to four
or five? How can I survive that? Perfect example was
this past week against the Saints in a game and
(07:07):
they score thirty three points, took advantage of some turnovers.
He ends up having two catches for forty nine yards.
Luckily for you know, owners of Amarra gets into the
end zone. But there's no reason that I'm thinking about
benching him, you know, Like I'm just I'm gonna have
to deal with that. Maybe that's something that I have to,
you know, come to grips with. And I just I
(07:29):
wonder if I want my guys on a bit of
a slide mic, because I know that at some point
it's gonna show up. Evan Ingram's a perfect example. Had
not a touchdown all season long. I didn't acquire a
tight end in my league's because I have Evan Ingram
and I said he's gonna score at some point. There's
no way he's going to go the entire season without
a touchdown. What happens on Monday Night against the Bengals
(07:50):
finally gets into the end zone. I felt so vindicated
because they knew at some point. Now I think, hey,
if Trevor Lawrence is out for any amount of time,
now his value has grown more. But I also thought
to myself, this could maybe be a streak. I don't
think this could be a one off, and that's maybe
the thing that I should you know, the advice that
I should give is maybe if a guy is slumping,
(08:12):
write it out anyway if you believe in that player
enough where they have produced previously, because at some point
it's going to cash in. Yeah they did cash in
with e an anchor for me, but.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, I mean that that play pays off. And look,
he's had opportunity, not red zone opportunity.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Yeah, go on opportunity.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
But if you've got a guy who's seeing six targets
a week, and again, quality of targets, we can always
fight about that, like because it's simplified, but that's we're
not going to go game by game quality. Like I
don't have a rating system for quality. I know when
there's a bad throw, I know when a guy drops
(08:51):
a ball, and you know, opportunities come up if you
have six targets per game, and that's what you were
averaging with Ingram. The law of average is said, the
offense is prolific enough and moving the ball efficiently enough
that eventually he's going to find the end zone. If not,
you're still seeing six targets. It's a matter of what
(09:12):
he's going to do with them at the tight end position.
Otherwise you're rolling the dice with most of these guys
that you're getting a goal line, red zone opportunity anyway,
because the production week to week has been so varied
across the position, the highs and lows across the web.
I mean, you look over these last five weeks. Jake
(09:33):
Ferguson is your high scorer. He's got two games below
four points in them.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
TJ.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Hockinson is second. He had a bye week six point
nine points back in week nine, the high of nineteen
point four in week ten. Again, fantasypros dot Com and
their scoring system here, you know, talking standards we can play.
Take that out to the PPR world and yes, then
(10:01):
it changes some. So we get Trey McBride would be
your most valuable with a five point two and a
nine point three mixed in with two twenty plus point efforts.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
TJ.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Hockinson with the bye week his second, well, he had
that thirty point blowout performance in week ten, otherwise thirteen
point nine, nine point five, sixteen, and then Ferguson's third,
so you know, and then you know, you start looking
at the distinction and rolling down there's like there's no
level of consistency, Like the most consistent guy has been
(10:36):
in Djoku. Yeah, like week thirteen a three point seven performance,
but he had averaged like his prior four were right
around twelve points.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Sure each week.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Laporta of the huge game in week thirteen, but there
was even a dip with him, right, and he went
out like gangbusters, yeah yeah, then slowed.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Up yeah bye week eight point six point eight points,
and then the last two weeks back on seventeen point
seven and twenty nine. But it feeds into your point,
like because that's one of the positions where you're trying
to eke out points if you didn't get one of
the big boys, right, So you're trying to look at
trends like what's the offense doing, how's it focusing and filtering?
And at this point we've got mostly backup quarterbacks for
(11:18):
these teams that you know, the tight end is usually
gonna be the best friend of those young quarterbacks or
at least you know, target number two perhaps just beyond
their running back in a lot of these squads. So
it's it's a curiosity, you know, it's in depending on
your league set up. Most leagues what two wide receiver
(11:39):
before we get into the flexes anymore. So it changes
a little bit of the perspective there. And then sometimes
you just get that gut feeling that sends you another way.
But you know, I think I'm with you, Like the
Aman Ross, Saint Brown's and whatever. It's it's gonna you know,
streaks are gonna end, but that's he's still gonna have
more opportunity yep, in those offenses than well most maybe
(12:02):
would you rather take the number one receiver from I
don't know, say New England for ins or the like,
even Garrett Wilson, Right, I name the Jets as a
team that I can argue that you don't start anybody.
As much as I may love Garrett Wilson, I could
easily argue him out of my top twenty four most
weeks because of what the quarterback position is.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Well, continue to play your studs. That's I get you know,
like that would be my advice after you know, we
talked this whole thing out. It is a problem that
I have. But there is also nothing worse to Mike
then benching a stud for someone who doesn't live up
to the expectations and then your stud does what he does.
So we're not, by no means of my advocating, you know,
(12:45):
benching a stud and like Las Vegas or any sort
of betting, if you try to mess around too much,
you're just gonna end up behind and then the hole.
So if you're trying to, you know, to play everything
and try to be cute, it's in the end, it's
not going to work out for you in the long run.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
No, that's true.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
But you know it does go to one of my
old adages, Dan, if you're gonna fail, fail spectacularly.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Do it in absolutely fabulous fashion. He's Mike carbon I'm
Dan Byer. It is I want your flex. There is
some injury news in the NFL, plus a look ahead
to the Week fourteen slate. The executive producer of the
show is Patrick Sweeke, so Patrick is in for the
vacationing Ryan Berschinger. We appreciate all the work that Patrick
has done. I love him hanging out and bringing this
(13:33):
Fantasy football podcast some good vibes because we had good
Week thirteen's hopefully it carries over in Week fourteen. I'll
look at that. Week fourteen is slate is next here
and I want your flex welcome back it is. I
want your flex at Mike up at Swollen Dome. You
(13:54):
can find me at Dan Byer on Fox. Great to
have you hanging out with us on this podcast all
season long. We really appreciate everything that you guys do
for us and downloading every single weekly truly appreciated. Let's
get into this week fourteen slate and it's a slate
that the Houston Texans are now going to have to
(14:15):
Mike just to life without one Tank Dell. Tank Dell
was an active guy in the leagues that I was
in trade deadline target because usually the teams that had
multiple wide receivers, Tank Dell is one of those guys
somebody took a flyer on and what do you know,
They've got an overflow of wide receivers, so maybe they're
(14:36):
willing to deal. Tank Dell was a guy in advance
of our trading deadline in at least one of my
leagues that I saw on the move, but now he
has done for the season. Texans go to New York
to face the Jets, who we have no idea what's
going to happen with the quarterback situation as it develops.
But it is a big blow to CJ. Stroud on
that offense because he did rely on Tank Dell a lot.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Oh one. I mean you stretching the defense, creating some
under routes. They played this week without Dalton Schultz, so
waiting to see on his injury status. Brevin Jordan stepped
up nicely three catches sixty four yards, but the rest
of receiving corps is a giant question mark Behind Nico Collins. Right,
he goes for nine on twelve targets one hundred and
(15:19):
ninety one and one. But now you're gonna have to
try to find another guy to step up, whether that's
Noah Brown, who was back his first game back off
missing time due to injury, only two targets in this
one available in a lot of leagues he'd been kicked
back based on the injuries, So maybe a waiver wire
pickup and a wait and see, but certainly not the
(15:41):
defense to get cute with to owing to the prior segment.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah, Robert Woods could even be a name, sure, not
like if you know Noah Brown of the Big Game
for you know, a couple of weeks. But that was
when Nico Collins was out. So I think you're seeing
some correlation there. You also have a weird situation on
their back, feltie. Now Damian Pierce ends up getting a
majority of the carries. Devin Singleton Singletary, excuse me, was
(16:07):
was the you know, workhorse for a while when Pierce
was out. I felt Singletary was a little bit more effective.
But just some changes in Houston with the Texans. It
could affect some fantasy stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Yeah, just good enough to screw it up in that.
Neither one is startable now because Pierce had a long
of twenty two forty one yards in a score. In
his other fourteen carries, he had nineteen yards. Dan, that's
not even falling full.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Hey, Devin Singletary only got the eight carries. I don't
know what's going on, right.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah, and in his he had a long of fourteen,
so seven for twenty two. I mean that's at least
longer than his body length and maybe an outstretched arm.
So but but what it means for fantasy purposes is
it's c J. Stroud, Nico Collins and a giant question mark.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I'll give you another question mark, okay, And I think
that I don't know how it's going to operate, but
I think that we I think we kind of saw
a little something in Miami the return of Devon a
Chan gets into the end zone twice for Miami and
their win against the Commanders. But again, this was a
(17:24):
game that was not competitive, and so you kind of
work him back into playing shape. Do you think that
he ends up wrestling that from Raheem Mostert or both
guys plays that you can go forward with. What do
you do with the Dolphins backfield?
Speaker 3 (17:40):
I think they're both plays. I think the offense is
too prolific. And this again gets into the schedule, watching
and stuffed in to where you know there's gonna be
those hand ringing. It's like, all right, you know we've
seen some and I hate to now use it. The
bum slaying effort that we ascribed to both Miami and
to Doubt to a degree. Look, you can only beat
(18:01):
who's on the schedule. But eventually you have to pass
one of those tests against the big boys along the way.
But look, the NFL is littered with mediocre to terrible teams,
so go beat them up as you will. And I
think that's still gonna be a split because I think
they're going to need both of those guys down the stretch,
and certainly to win in the playoffs, because not every game.
(18:23):
I mean, right now, they're the number one as we
tape this tonight, they are in the number one seed
slot in the AFC.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
Does that continue?
Speaker 3 (18:33):
If so, cool, then you know whether isn't an issue
through the AFC playoffs. If not, you got to make
sure that ground game is ready for the road show.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah, and you know, a Chan got a lot of
carries when they were just way ahead. So I'm trying
to decipher myself saying, all right, if Moster is the
main guy, they're bringing eight Chan back? Are they trying
to get a Chan into the fold? And if that
was the case, Mike, I don't think that they would
have played them as much as they did in the
second half.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
I would have thought we'd seen more of Wilson.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Yeah, that's that was my thinking as well, so that
actually in my mind tells me, all right, Mostard is
safe because there was a while where I was concerned. Sure,
and they have had, you know, used two backs in
the past, but I thought after Chan's huge games before
the knee injury that maybe it was you know, bye
bye Raheem Moster. But I don't think that's the case.
(19:26):
I do agree with you that both guys are playable.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
And I think they've got to be smart about it too,
because now you've got two guys with injury histories, right,
Chan having gotten hurt this year and Moster's history in
San Francisco, et cetera. So you also don't want to
wear that out. No disrespect to Jeff Wilson who was
in Look, you could have a lot worse RB three's
sitting on your roster, and we've seen plenty of them. Yes,
(19:52):
in NFL twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
That's that is for sure. Kudos to Mike Evans. The
funny thing about the Buccaneers is I just with the
emergence of overshad White and really how dominant Mike Evans
has been this year, I actually think the Buccaneers have
been a fantasy delight if you have Chris Godwin, you
(20:16):
probably aren't, you know, saying those same things, But there
wasn't anybody else that you were really going to play
on those teams. Those guys have come up huge for
the for the Buccaneers.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
When you look at Rashad White, what you're You're at
a thousand total yards for the year, You're at six touchdowns.
That's not bad considering, you know, we are a pass
happy society most of the in most circumstances. And for
Evans to get over a thousand yards again and he's
(20:45):
at double digit touchdowns with five games left to play, Yeah,
I mean that that's the thing that stands out right.
Sixty catches on his one hundred and three targets, already
over one thousand yards and ten touchdowns. He had the
seventy five yard sprint and that he said he went
over and threw up a little bit, which I thought
was kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
And I've got he's an every man Falcons, Packers, Jaguars,
Saints and then the Panthers to end it up. That's
that's that's a that's doable.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Oh, absolutely, guys. And then you look at Baker Mayfield.
People may not be excited by him at almost sixty
four percent completion rate.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
Eighteen and eight, I think you'd take that.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah, coming into the year, if you were expecting anything
grander than that, your kidding yourself. I think he's he's
earned the right for a longer.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Look see here, and he's going to be a new father.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Oh is that's right? Yeah, big big news this week,
So congratulations.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
The big reveal for that one. What do we expect
with your Bears entertaining those Lions coming up on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (21:49):
A lot of short and intermediate passes zero to five
yards as.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Same as it ever was. Look the Lions.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Yeah, the Lions secondary is gettable. I've seen the run
game be a little more productive. The hard part is
if you're trying to buy in Herbert versus Johnson, I
don't know that I want to go down that rabbit
hole for starting for fantasy purposes, but DJ Moore cole Comet,
I mean they're locks up starters for you right now.
(22:17):
And Justin Field's making plays with his legs. He's been
more efficient and certainly coming back off his injury. Short
sample size, but making plays and for fantasy purposes, giving
you some highlights. So I you know, he's definitely at
least you know top twelve, he's a starter for you.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I also think with the two enormous matchups that we
have Eagles Cowboys on Sunday night, but you have Bills
in Kansas City to face the Chiefs. Chiefs still trying
to find their way. I think I don't want to
say we're gonna get in a shootout, Mike, but I
think that this is good medicine for Camp the city
(23:01):
of having Buffalo come in and so I like, I
like your Chiefs if you can play him. Another hasn't
been a huge, huge boom with them, but I think
we're gonna get a good one in Kansas City on
Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Yeah, forty seven is the total. As you and I
sit and record this episode, Dan, looking at the Chiefs,
the opportunity, you're trying to pick the needle in the
in the haystack as far as the wide outs go.
Next to Travis Kelce or she Rice is a WR
three with upside?
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Yeah, but is it? Is it necessarily a go?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
I can't bank on it right because I can't bank
on him finding the end zone.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
No, but Daily Fantasy could be an option.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
No, absolute hundred percent and then Pa Checko, you know,
if he can take a full workload, then yeah, he's
He's been fantastic. The run game has been been better
at and Mahomes against Buffalo and the defense trying to
find its way. I don't know what they would have
figured out during the bye week, but it came at
a good time for them, you know, wondering if you
(24:05):
know Josh Allen who's done some really good things. Focus
people have focused on the turnovers, and rightly so, some
his faults, some not some basically the equivalent of us saying, hey,
punt check, you know you have to be past that
edge of the buick to receive my punt throw. You
know that kind of thing. You know, some of the metrics.
(24:27):
He's the MVP of the league based on what he's
done for this squad. So it's really just an interesting
continuum that that he is on week to week. I
dare say, I think they come out and score some
points like that's a that one. I think we get
ourselves a little bit of a shootout here.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
I wish we could say the same for Thursday night.
That's where we will end this podcast. No Hawkeyes patron
its Steelers color scheme. The same for the Steelers in
the Iowa Hawk. Guys, what do we got because we
don't have Kenny Pickett out with his ankle injury, so
Trubisky gets the start. Do you like a little nause
(25:12):
Harris h Jalen Warren? What are we looking at for
Thursday night? Mike?
Speaker 4 (25:18):
They are injury back end number Two's right?
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I mean my week only has two teams, so we're
not really impacted much there. So now it becomes all
right the injury updates. If you don't get spears off
waivers and Henry can't go, then yes, maybe one of
these Steelers. Of course it's a Thursday night, so it's
an early decision point as well. Think for the Steelers
side of things, I'll start Friarmouth.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Okay, right, tight end position, yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Target count should be up beyond that. No, thanks, I'll
start the defense.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
I think I'm I have a team defense as well.
In Witzburg let me down against the Cardinals, but you
were let down if you played any Steeler.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
What a letdown effort that was?
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Like, That's not something you can often say about a
Pittsburgh you know, Mike Tomlin led squad. That was just
a poor effort all around. And I know they had
the weather delays and all of that stuff.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Shouldn't that have favorite Pittsburgh doing all that?
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Yeah, Instead, James Connor comes back and you know, he
reminds them of what he once was.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
One hundred yeah, two scores. And Trey McBride, a guy
that you know we've talked about a bunch here coming
through as well, but he had nothing for Pittsburgh. I
think there was a lot of a lot of excitement
on the Jalen Warren train, but that even slowed to
a bit of a halt. Just nine carries, fifty nine
yards on those nine carries. But yeah, just a Steelers
(26:49):
team that committing a lot of penalties. And now you
don't have your starting quarterback. So that's a tough one.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
And now we'll go on the other side, Dan, if
you want, yes, do it, the Patriots do it. It's
Ezekiel Elliott, right because at least as we record this,
the presumption is that Stevenson's not rallying on a short week.
Maybe he does, but you know, Elliott at least running
(27:17):
the football, I would expect him to see twelve to
fifteen touches showed a little bit of burst, which is
shocking to say against the Chargers in a game that
they scored zero points.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Oh, I can't recommend anyone.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
It's so hard, right, it's like all right daily for
a dollar.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And again it's just the fact, Mike of I will
usually tell you to play a guy just so you
can watch the game, but I just can't do it
this week. I think I would be disingenuous in doing so.
I think that you can avoid this game.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Yeah, no, it's Look the over under. I've seen it
as low as twenty nine and a half. I'm staring
at Bovada as we record this and it's at thirty
and a half. Steelers favored by six.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
That's a lot of points.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yes, I think like that's like when we were looking
at all those Iowa spreads and going and over unders
and going, nah, there's no way they're scoring.
Speaker 4 (28:13):
Like even this.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Past week, you know, they said ninety nine percent of
the money for Iowa versus Michigan first half at point
five points was on the under and they cashed.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
They all cased crazy.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I think in this game we might get much of
the same. Man, I'm running for the punters.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
I I you know, we had we had twenty years
where we had to watch like the Patriots and Steelers
play in divisional playoff games or playoff or AFC championship games.
And I really hated both teams. I hated both teams
and they were good. So for me to have any
interest in this when they're bad, it's going to be
a very, very tough sell. I'll watch it, but I
(28:57):
just don't recommend anyone to play it.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
Now.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I celebrate all to seventy two. They make fun of
me on the evening show with Smith and Frostville on
the executive chair. It's like, no, you don't. All you
do is bad moth, and I'm like, no, no. I still
celebrate them. But on the continuum there are there are
some that are worse. It doesn't mean I don't love them.
I just love them less. So they're ranked to seventy
to seventy one and two seventy two.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
And that's that's this one. You just blow out the
candles and move on. That's what you can do with
Thursday night.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
I think I'm just gonna order a giant bucket of
wings and while I sit in the studio I'll just eat.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
The good news my feelings.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
The good news is the next time you hear us
and I want your flex, that game will be in
our rear view mirror. Yeah, buddy, there is no episode
on Thursday. There will be new episodes on Friday with
Harmon's rankings and his hot plays and cold source. I
do want to give our executive producer Patrick social media wise,
Patrick Sweeka, Where can people follow you if they want
to follow you on various platforms of social media?
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Well, Dan and Mike on Twitter or actually x formally
known as Twitter. My Twitter handle is actually my name,
Patrick Sweeka, but if you needed the at, it is
actually at sweaky P and as s w e e
k y P.
Speaker 4 (30:15):
There is sweaky P.
Speaker 5 (30:20):
Yeah, definitely. No, that's sweek as the last name. So
everybody's done a variant of my last name. So I'm
like sweaky pe. I don't know, it's it's unique. No
one has.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
It, and uh, he doesn't follow me, so that's that's great.
It's all right. I didn't. I didn't realize that Patrick
was on Twitter either.
Speaker 5 (30:42):
So I forgot I was until you just reminded me.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Right.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Now, there you go. That means there's a lot of
value add on that account. Poe go At.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
The last time you tweeted was August. But if you
wanted to find him and hit him up, that's where
you can get Patrick and all of it's good stuff.
We appreciate the work this week, and you'll be back
with us on the pod that launches Friday. Thanks, Patrick,
appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
Man of course, of course, pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
So for Patrick SWEEKA and Mike Carmen, any last words, Mike.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
What are you drinking for that?
Speaker 2 (31:17):
I'll tell you what for a guy that doesn't drink
and the the wife is going to be out of
town for the first overnight since we had our baby boy,
so he's now two and a half. I am going
to be solo, yes and a half years, the solo
for one overnight, me and him. Yeah, the first time
(31:41):
it's been that long. I don't know how she's going
to handle it. I hope I can keep everything in
one piece. But yeah, it's gonna be a guy's you know,
a guy's vaca here on Yeah, yeah, with mom out
of town.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
You got that for two and a half years. I
think I was at like eight weeks.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Maybe that was at a different time, you know. It's
just that's the way it is. But yeah, so who knows.
Maybe I'll start drinking after that. But we're gonna have some.
Speaker 4 (32:10):
Fun giant milkshakes for everybody.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yeah there, It is awesome, all right. So for my
Carmin and Patrick Sweeta, I'm dan Byer. Pray for me
and I can't wait to talk to you next time here.
And I want to reflex
Host
Mike Harmon
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