Week 7 Fantasy Football Key Questions: MUST-STARTS, Risky Sits & Biggest Rankings Debates! (Ep. 2288)

0:00 Hello, everybody.

0:01 Welcome to the Fantasy Pros Football Podcast. I'm Ryan Wormley, joined by Pat Fitzmaurice and by Derek Brown. We are talking through some Week 7 key questions, previewing the entire slate. Reminder, as always, all of our weekly consensus rankings and tiers can be found at fantasypros.com. Slash rankings. Also keep in mind for this week, a lot of really good offenses on by, at least a couple of them. Bills, Jaguars, and Chargers and Commanders are also on by this week. D-Bro, how are you doing here in Week 7?

0:31 Doing good, buddy. Trying to sift through what we were talking about pre-show, what that had to do with rankings and stuff for some of these players and injury situations. I know we're going to get into a lot of this stuff on this show, but it just feels like every week we have these black clouds hanging over our head of, will he play? Will he not play? We're not sure. Is the team even sure? Who knows?

0:55 Uh, Fitz, thank you for, uh, not saying anything as you can. I'm sure hear my dog barking like crazy in my room. I don't know what he usually is very quiet. I don't know what he's looking at outside the window. Uh, how are you doing on this Friday morning?

1:07 Doing pretty well. Great weather here in Chicago. Looking forward to the weekend. And, uh, we get a pretty good slate this week.

1:14 Let's, uh, let's jump into this slate before we do the talk a little bit about some Thursday night football action from last night. Bears 30 Patriots, 24, a high scoring game, fun Thursday night game. Drake May, 321 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Caleb Williams, 308 yards and two touchdowns, no picks. Obviously just a fun head-to-head battle with two guys that went inside the top three in their draft class a couple of years ago. Drake May also ran for a touchdown on the ground. DeAndre Swift got his 78 yards and a touchdown. Ramondre Stevenson got 93 yards and a touchdown receiving. Eli Raritan, a favorite of ours, had a nice game, 56 yards and a touchdown.

1:49 Luther Burden, 130 yards and a touchdown. He had a big day on just four receptions. and Colson Loveland, 69 yards and a touchdown. Fitz, where do you want to start with this recap?

2:00 I guess the two things I'm going to, uh, remember take away from this game, one, the, um, what the five yard Hail Mary pass to Ramondre Stevenson at the end of the first half. That was kind of bizarre. Um, yeah, I, I don't remember ever seeing that where a little dump off goes for a touchdown. Um, And Luther Burden, the usage that he got, I think he just got the four targets that he turned into four catches. He is so good. And there has been fair, I think, for Luther Burden investors to complain about the usage and the snap share and the target share. But I think a lot of that has to do with just Ben Johnson has sort of leaned into multi-tight end personnel this year with the a lot of 12 and some 13 personnel.

2:53 And I wonder now that Cole Komet, unfortunately, looks like he sustained a season-ending knee injury in that game. I don't know if they're going to be able to use as much multi-tight end personnel without Cole Komet because he was a pretty key piece for the Bears offense, solid blocker and pass catcher. So a useful piece for Ben Johnson.

3:17 I just wonder if without him, They're going to be forced to play a little less 12 and 13, maybe a little more 11 personnel. And that gets Luther Burden on the field more often because, man, that guy with the ball in his hands is so, so good. Yeah.

3:32 Debro, what do you think?

3:35 Why the hell is Luther Burden not getting 10 targets a game straight up? Like we talk about how smart and how awesome Ben Johnson is. why is this not happening like the assumption of rational coaching like I wasn't the biggest burden Stan as far as a prospect goes because I felt like he you saw the explosiveness the wiggle all that kind of stuff after the catch I thought he had like leaps and bounds that need to grow as far as a route runner but he looks freaking fantastic right now he gets four targets like it just it just it's weird to me um but to Patty's point like Could this lead to more– two parts to the Cole Komet injury. Like could this lead to more 11 personnel and a higher route share for Colston Loveland?

4:20 Like he's been in that kind of like 70% range. Does he become a 90, a 95% route share player? And, I mean, guys, for the last like three weeks, Colston Loveland looks like the guy we thought we were drafting in 2019. preseason during the summer i mean 12 targets in this game i know he had the drops and stuff like that could he even had a much bigger day without the drops but um so that was a big takeaway for me um two more is that deandre swift looks nothing like the player that was with the lions and the eagles like the way that he's running and the evolution his game has been awesome to see so he's an absolute freaking stud and aj brown is not fully healthy i watched a all I had to see what last night was anytime they ask him to

5:03 run a comeback or a curl and his D acceleration at the top of his routes were choppy footwork. He's not sharp. Like, he's not fully healthy coming off the ankle and stuff like that. So like, I know he had another down game. I kind of questioned what new England was doing as far as his usage and stuff like that. But I think we're going to see a few more down games for AJ Brown until he is fully healthy, but new England, why are you not using him?

5:29 Like when you know that the angle is an issue, you have to know he's not fully healthy. Why are we running them on comebacks and curls? Why are you not using this guy on in breakers? Like he's still physical. He still has the ability to win on slants and what have you and stuff. And, Just didn't see that usage last night for him. So a little bit frustrating, but overall a fun game.

5:47 Fitz, what are your thoughts on A.J. Brown before we get off this game?

5:50 Yeah, he does look a little labored running some of these routes. And we know that high ankle sprains, those are serious issues. So I guess it's not a big shock that he's not peak A.J. Brown coming back.

6:04 Let's get into the early slate here. We have a game in Paris, Steelers at Saints. So still have the international schedule and be sure to check, you know, setting your lineups extra early or really the night before or use autopilot through Fantasy Pros just in case there's any sort of surprise inactive or anything like that. That has happened with the Saints in an early international game before and burned a lot of Alvin Kamara owners.

6:25 So.

6:25 Just keep that in the back of your mind. My key question in this one, though, Jeremy Bernard had 11 catches, 87 yards and a touchdown in week six. What do you guys think we're going to see for a follow up from Bernard this week? I'll start with you, Fitz.

6:38 Yeah, it was kind of early career Wandale Robinson type usage for Jeremy Bernard. Last week, 12 targets at an average depth of target of 1.83 yards and. Earlier in the season, Aaron Rodgers was throwing downfield more often. His average depth of throw in his first four games was 9.1 yards. Over his last two games, his average depth of throw has been 4.3 yards. So if Rodgers is back to where he was last year, kind of looking to get the ball out quickly, not wanting to take hits, not throwing beyond 10 yards very often, we could continue to see heavy target volume for Bernard. Like he is a short area receiver, or at least he's going to be one for the Steelers this year. Um, but Rogers threw 49 passes last week. So Bernard had double digit targets.

7:26 Maybe he doesn't see double digit targets again this week, but he's probably getting at least six or seven and he's going to catch most of them because they're coming within five yards of the line of scrimmage. I would guess his stat line probably looks something like six for 60.

7:42 He is inside the top 24 in ECR. D bro. Is he inside that range for you? And by the way, that's still including like Luther Burden's in there, too, so it might even be a couple spots higher for you once those guys are removed having already played. But is he inside your top 24?

7:56 Wide receiver, 22. And I'll make this comparison, Patty. Does Jeremy Bernard's usage not look exactly kind of like Rasheed Rice's usage for the last few years with the Kansas City Chiefs? I mean, he's getting all this low A-dot, just checkdowns and stuff and just catch-and-run stuff, so... I think it's going to continue. And, dude, he's been the wide receiver 11 in fantasy points per game over the last two weeks. And the Saints suck as a defense.

8:21 They suck versus slot receivers. They're giving up the 12th most yards per target at the position. So, yeah, comfortable wide receiver two with upside to be a wide receiver one again this week.

8:31 He's actually back to back with DK Metcalf. Interestingly, if you remove Luther Burden from consensus again, he's Burden's already played. Do you like that? I was going to ask you deeper. Who do you like to match up better for?

8:44 I like it for both of them, but I like the matchup for DK Metcalf. I have a DK Metcalf at wide receiver 17. I think he shreds the Saints, and this comes down to they're horrible at defending deep passing. DK Metcalf is tied for the third most deep targets amongst wide receivers. His historic splits against single high should show up here. The Saints have given up the eighth most deep receiving yards and the highest passing success rate to deep passing. So while Rodgers... Has been kind of back and forth. Like he's had these games like last week.

9:15 I think it was like week one, two and three where it's low a dot check down stuff. He's also morphed into Jameis Rogers on some weeks where it's like high a dot DK's down there somewhere. I think we probably see a mix of both this week.

9:28 Fitz preference between the two.

9:30 I've got DK wide receiver 21 Bernard wide receiver 25.

9:31 Okay.

9:36 So still roughly in range with consensus, just a touch lower on Bernard, but still right in that spot. Yeah, let's go on to the next game here. 49ers at the Falcons. Debro, Kyle Pitts has three touchdowns combined across his past two games. Are you ranking Pitts inside your top 12 tight ends this week?

9:53 Hell no. I want nothing to do with Kyle Pitts. I've got him buried in my rankings as tight end 20. this week. And I know people are going to be surprised to hear that, but the coverage matchup for Kyle Pitts looks horrible. The 49ers have the 10th highest rate, a single high at 55% of their defensive snaps. And Kyle Pitts usage has been So the way that the Atlanta Falcons are running their passing attack, it is all Drake London versus single high. His target per run rate is through the roof. Kyle Pitts versus single high is nonexistent.

10:25 Over the entirety of the season right now, Kyle Pitts has a 15% target per run rate versus single high. You look at versus two high, that jumps to 24%. Yards per run versus single high, 1.04. Versus two high, 1.9. Outside of the coverage splits, which are Grand Canyon-sized, The 49ers are awesome versus tight ends. They've given up the seventh fewest yards per target, second fewest fantasy points per opportunity to the position. There is no way in hell I want to play Kyle Pitts this week.

10:53 I was kind of guessing based on our conversation yesterday that you would be lower than consensus on Kyle Pitts. I didn't expect you to be that much lower. Tight end 20 is pretty far. He's tight end 11 in consensus.

11:00 I do not want to play him.

11:01 Is he tight end 11?

11:03 He's tight end 11 in ECR for week seven.

11:05 No way. No way.

11:07 In fact, he's actually moved up in the last couple of days. He was tight in 13, but he's leapfrogged Juwan Johnson and Harold Fannin Jr. in the consensus rankings as of two days ago. So, yeah, he's ranked inside the top 12 of the position. Fitz, I assumed you would be lower than consensus as well. Are you as low as tight in 20?

11:26 Not quite. Tight end 18.

11:27 Okay.

11:29 Hey, same area code though, Fitzy. Let's go, baby.

11:32 The 49ers smother tight ends, and it is the Fred Warner effect. Fred Warner is often the guy covering tight ends for the 49ers, and he is amazing at it. He's the best off-ball linebacker in the league. And maybe Welsh threw this out on a show earlier this week. Is Fred Warner the best defensive player in the league, at least now without Myles Garrett and Mike Parsons playing football?

11:57 With Garrett Hurt, I think it's, I mean, he's probably not the most valuable just because of the nature of pass rushers, but I think he is probably the best. Like he's the best at what he does.

12:05 He's up there.

12:06 He's up there. Awfully valuable. But yeah, the 49ers have given up the third fewest fantasy points to tight ends. They have not given up a touchdown to a tight end this season. So I don't want to play Kyle Pitts this week.

12:18 I'm streaming tight ends over him. If I have him, there's no way I'm starting him this week.

12:23 Some of the guys in that lower teens range, because obviously you guys are starting anybody in his actual range in ECR over him, but some of the guys ranked lower, Pat Friermuth, Mark Andrews, Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz, Michael Mayer, AJ Barner. These are the names in the back half of the top 15 to 20. Debra, in that 15 to 20 range, are those all names you're starting over Kyle Pitts?

12:46 I would start almost every one of those names. I'll even give you, I would stream Darnell Washington over him. I would be even inclined to go to even further, like to the depths of streaming options and tight ends. There's a lot of good ones with good matchups this week. I will not play Kyle Pitts.

13:01 Any streamers for you, Fitz, that you're looking at?

13:04 I mean, there are two tight ends from a particular team that I would play ahead of Kyle Pitts, but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We'll talk about that team a little later.

13:13 Okay, we'll go to the Bengals at Ravens next up. Chase Brown has yet to live up to his ADP this season. Only one weekly finish better than RB22 and no finishes inside the top 12. That's in half PPR scoring. Can he break out against this Ravens defense fits?

13:30 Yeah, that is a good question. Chase Brown has faced a really tough schedule so far. Four of his first five opponents, the Buccaneers, Texans, Steelers, and Jaguars, rank inside the top eight in DVOA against the run, and the only Bengals opponent not in the top eight against the run, Miami. And that was the Bengals' most recent game, and Brown had 13 for 39 and was out-carried by Samaje Pirine, who had 14 for 68. So no excuses there for Chase Brown. Ravens, they're 12th in DVOA against the run, so not an easy matchup here either. Here's the concerning thing if you have Chase Brown on your team. The Bengals had planned on having Joe Burrow under center more often this season, in part because they thought it was

14:17 going to create more explosive runs for Chase Brown. Well, Joe Burrow, I think, is just more comfortable in shotgun. And if that's the case, the Bengals are probably going right back to a high rate of shotgun. Samaje Pirine is more of a downhill runner than Chase Brown is, and Pirine might be better at the gap runs that the Bengals call from shotgun. Bengals B writer Paul Danner Jr.

14:40 of The Athletic talked to Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher about this. And Pitcher said, and I quote, I think we'll continually assess how that touch share between him, meaning P. Ryan, and Chase Brown should play out. Every game's different. What type of scheme we lean into is going to factor into that. Obviously, what we ran more of yesterday against Miami leans into what Samaje does well, which is get downhill and run through contact. So, He was talking about that Dolphins game where P. Ryan had one more carry than Chase Brown. I do think Brown is going to get back on track as his schedule gets easier. But this shotgun thing is a little concerning just because maybe P.

15:19 Ryan is better running out of shotgun. I guess the one ray of hope, though, you have if you're a Chase Brown investor, he's on pace for 82 catches. And so far, he's actually played a higher snap rate this year than he did last year. He's playing over 70% of the snaps. And last year he was at 66.4. So I think the usage is okay. I don't think Samaj AP Ryan is an existential threat to his fantasy value, but the whole shotgun thing is a little troubling.

15:50 Debra, what do you make of the matchup against the Ravens defense? I struggled to kind of put my finger on what I think about the Ravens defense right now. They've been so good on early downs and so bad on third downs. It feels like I still believe in Jesse Minner, obviously guys like, um, you know, Matabuike are still like sort of working their way back in, in terms of coming back from the injury. As a rush defense, how do you view this matchup for Chase Brown?

16:15 I look at no matter how you slice this matchup, it's horrible for Chase Brown. To the point for Fitzy, by the way, with the shotgun stuff, since he is uh has the third they're 13th in a shotgun percentile so yeah they've been using a lot of shotgun but however you slice this matchup for chase brown whether it's on the ground or through the air it's god awful like the ravens have allowed the ninth lowest explosive run rate the fifth lowest rushing success rate they have the hot eighth highest stuff rate you even say okay well Chase Brown doesn't get it done on the ground. He'll get it done through the air. Oh, okay. Ravens versus running backs in the passing game. The lowest yards per target allowed. And the third, excuse me, the, where are

16:59 they at? I'm sorting poorly here. Third lowest receiving fantasy points per game. So bottom five through the air, bottom five, bottom 10 on the ground. Either way it goes. And then we have Samaj P Ryan concerns. it's not good for you.

17:14 So where's he ranked for you then? Oh, go, go ahead for two minutes.

17:17 I was just going to say, um, you said the Ravens don't really give up explosive plays in the running game. The Bengals are the only team in the NFL that does not have a run of 14 or more yards this season.

17:31 Where's a chase Brown at an ECR one 14th. Cause I could probably, Oh, I'm, I'm at RB 17. I've got him behind Bucky, Ollie Gordon, and even Woody marks this week. Yeah.

17:42 Fitz, RB14 in ECR, too high, too low, just right?

17:45 I'm at 15.

17:46 15, so also lower, but not quite as far as Debro. Guys, basketball season is here, and a new way to trade on it is this new prediction market called PolyMarket. PolyMarket is a prediction market, a stock exchange for sports, buying in and selling out on your terms. They are so confident you'll never go back to the other guys. They're giving you a free $ 25 on your first trade when you deposit just $ 10. Every bucket, every block, every scintillating matchup in basketball trades on Polymarket. So download the Polymarket app today and use FPPOD when you sign up. That's FPPOD to get $ 25 free after you deposit just $ 10.

18:22 All right, next game up here, guys, an NFC South battle. Buccaneers at Panthers. Let's look at the Panthers receivers. Is this going to be a Tedaro McMillan game, a Jalen Coker game, neither or both, D-Bro?

18:35 Coke Edge Unite, baby. It's Jalen Coker all the way. If you look at the usage for Ted Romney-Millen and Jalen Coker, and I love it when we get clean splits like this for passing games of how they want to use guys. Going back to last year, Ted Romney-Millen was basically Carolina's do everything, do all the things all the time. He was highly utilized. It was a single high and two high. This year, in the games where Coker has been a full-time player with Ted Romney-Millen, Coker is clearly their answer for single high, and the reason this matters is Tampa runs single high at the second highest rate in the NFL, 65% of their snaps. Against single high, Jalen Coker leads the team with a 29% target per route run rate, 3.21 yards per route run.

19:19 In those same games, Tedro McMillan, still a strong 22% target per route run rate, but yards per route run drops to 1.65. He has been their clear answer for too high coverage. So I think this is all Coker all day.

19:32 Fitz, what do you think?

19:34 I think it can be both just because the Buccaneers defense is such a pass funnel. Opponents are thrown in the box 63% of the time. That's the third highest rate. Only the Falcons and Lions have seen a higher passing rate against them. And Coker's involved. every game, like 9, 9, 4, and 13 targets in his four games. So only one game where he wasn't heavily involved. I've got McMillan wide receiver 15 and Coker wide receiver 17. So D-Bros won the war. I'm ranking T-Mac and Coker close together.

20:05 Hey, man, they're both freaking awesome. And to your point, yeah, I want to be very specific. I think both of these guys are going to have really good games. But yes, in the land of wide receiver twos, I do have Coker wide receiver 16 and I have Teter and McMillan wide receiver 21.

20:17 OK, I was going to ask if you actually had Coker ranked, you know, full on ahead, Debro, and you do here.

20:22 I do.

20:23 So you guys both like both of these players. Do you guys both like Bryce Young this week then, too? He's QB 10 in ECR.

20:30 That's too damn low, man. It's just too long.

20:32 Who would you put him over? Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams are the next– or Caleb's already played, but those are the next four ahead of him.

20:40 I'll put him over Matthew Stafford for sure, but I think he should be living in the same area code as like Brock Purdy and Joe Burrow this year– I mean this week. I mean just somewhere like in the mid-QB1 range.

20:50 Brock Purdy's QB1 in ECR this week, so that's– That's high, dude.

20:55 That's when he has only CNC and George Kittle, like, come on. We acting a little bit foolish here.

21:01 I mean, it's kind of an interesting week. Like, you know, think about the best players. Josh Allen is on by.

21:05 Drake May was my QB one for the week.

21:07 Well, I was going to say besides May, who was QB two on the week and has already played. So he's out. Cause he's already played. Lamar might, you know, is banged up, might not play. Josh Allen is on by like who, who is the elite fantasy quarterback that you want to make the case for a QB one. If it's not Brock Purdy, it's, Like Jordan Love and Jared Goff are the next two.

21:25 Jordan Love, Jared Goff.

21:26 Jordan Love, Jordan Love, and Jared Goff.

21:29 But Ice Cube would be one on the week besides Drake May. That's as high as you would go with them.

21:32 I mean, I have Young ahead of Burrow, Prescott, Stafford. Stafford's another one. Why would Stafford be top 10?

21:40 Stafford feels like an easy one to drop with the receiver.

21:42 When maybe he has Kanata Munfield and the tight ends to throw to? Like, come on, man.

21:47 He's also not playing especially well either.

21:50 Yes, I agree with that. Big time agree with that.

21:53 He's the one that you circle and say Bryce Young should be ahead of. But I think there's other names as well to your guys' point.

21:58 And if Lamar plays, I'm putting him ahead of him.

22:01 Yeah, I just– I don't know what's going on with Lamar. Shocker. It's a weird near recovery from an injury with him.

22:07 Yeah, yeah.

22:07 Big surprise. Oh, we don't know if he's going to play. Again, adding to the heartburn pain of the weekend stuff.

22:13 Let's go to Giants at Texans.

22:15 J.J.

22:15 McCarthy getting the start this week for the Giants. What are your expectations for him and the rest of the Giants' offense against this season? version of the Texans defense fits.

22:24 He looked great against the saints last week, almost pulled off a miracle comeback. Um, he had 243 yards and a touchdown in less than 12 minutes of clock time. That's what was crazy. Came in with like 1143 or 1147, something like that. Um, I do worry about this matchup Texans past defense. It's been pretty average this season and they're not even rushing the, the, passer as well as they normally do. The pressure has not been there. They're fourth in the league in sacks, but only 17th in pressure rates. But man, it's the Texans. Like it's a dangerous defense with a ton of talent on that side of the ball. D'Amico Ryan's is back to calling plays.

23:06 I am pulling for McCarthy. I think it would be fun for him to play well. And I want him to be good for Malik neighbors and Isaiah likely. And I think it would be fun to have a Jackson dart, JJ McCarthy quarterback controversy in New York next year. But my guess is that he's not going to have a good game against the Texans.

23:24 Does that extend to you ranking any of these other Giants players lower? Isaiah Likely, Malik Neighbors?

23:31 I think I'm at or a smidge below consensus on those guys. The targets are so polarized to those two guys, it's hard to drop them too far. I've got Neighbors, wide receiver 11, and Likely tight end 6th.

23:47 You're two spots lower than consensus on likely. You're two spots higher than consensus on Malik Nabors. He's at wide receiver 13 for the week here.

23:55 Oh, wow.

23:56 He's that low?

23:57 He's 13. He's behind Nico, Zay, Alave, Justin Jefferson, Matthew Golden, et cetera, et cetera. Where are you at on this offense for this week, D-Bro, and J.J. McCarthy specifically?

24:08 Just some fun stats for Vikings fans out there. In one quarter of football, J.J. McCarthy almost threw for more yards than Kyler Murray has thrown in any game. uh, this season, as well as versus the saints, Kyler Murray couldn't even surpass in a full game. What McCarthy did in less than a full quarter, but just throwing that out there. Um, JJ McCarthy, I think he can have a good game this week. Like, is there a wide range of outcomes considering how high variance, and I'm not saying that he's going to be chucking it all the way down the freaking field the entire time in this game. Um, the, uh, which version of the Texans defense do we get in this game? And really how well does the Giants offensive

24:47 line hold up versus pressure? Because Houston is 12th best in pressure rate, but in quick pressure, they're only 20th. So how many clean pockets does AJ get and which version of the Houston Texans defense we get? I think McCarthy, I view him as a strong QB too for this week, but Is he a QB one remains to be seen.

25:08 That kind of comes down to like, again, which version of the Houston Texans we get, but like, I think he can have a good game. It also depends on how much is he going to run in this game? Cause we saw that in the fourth quarter. So is that going to be a big part of the giants offense? Like, are they going to dial up like a handful of design runs? Cause that raised the ceiling on floor for McCarthy too.

25:27 Where are you ranking McCarthy fits?

25:28 QB 24.

25:30 Okay.

25:31 And Debra.

25:35 Um, I've got him at QB.

25:37 I got.

25:38 Him at QB 17. There's just like, there's a long list of QB twos that like, I could see them crash and burn. I could see them have good games like Bo Nix and Malik Willis. And so it's kind of, or Gino Smith, it's kind of like, he's in that kind of area code of like, could he be a high end QB two? Depends on how much he runs and, again, what the Texans do on defense this week. So, like, I've got faith he could have a good game. It's just there's a long list of guys with good matchups or you could see good games or bad games this week from.

26:10 You guys are both ahead of consensus. He's QB 26 in ECR for the week.

26:14 That's low.

26:16 Let's go to Colts at the aforementioned Vikings you were just talking about, Debro. I want to talk about the Vikings offense because I think we all expect the Colts to struggle against this Vikings defense, just the way Daniel Jones has been playing, the way this Vikings defense has been playing. So I want to kind of focus on the other side of the ball here. What do we expect out of the Vikings offense? Will they specifically have a great game, a good game, a neutral game, a bad game, or a terrible game? Try to throw them into one of those categories here. Debro, I'll start with you.

26:43 I think they can have a very good game. Like maybe I'm not going to, I don't want to go great game because we haven't seen this offense performed that well to this point, but they're, they're definitely a lot healthier. The matchup is great. The Colts are garbage at basically everything you look at. Like they're not a good pass defense.

27:00 They're not a good run defense. Like Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason can both get it done on the ground this week. Like Kyler can, could he be a QB one this week? Yeah. I mean, he was QB 10 versus the saints. So like, Could it be a low-end QB1 considering Indy is allowed the eighth most yards per attempt, tenth highest passing touchdown rate? It's definitely possible. I'm ranking all these guys. I want to be near consensus or above on Justin Jefferson, near consensus or above on Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason. TJ Hawkinson's a tight end one for me this week. I guess the only guy that I'm really looking like I'm kind of down on this week is Jordan Addison. If there has been anything the Colts have been pretty good against, it's been perimeter wide receivers. Now, again,

27:44 faith that Justin Jefferson can outkick a tougher matchup.

27:48 Yes.

27:49 But again, like we're looking into the fray of out of this entire offense, who walks away with good games versus bad games. I think Jordan Addison is the only guy that I could see got to get left out in the cold here.

28:00 I like how I gave you five different options of how to describe your expectations for this offense. You still were like, well, it's between options one and two. You couldn't even just pick one of them. You said it's a very good game. Not quite great, but a little better than good. Fitz, what do you think? Can you stick to the prompt in one of these five?

28:17 I think it'll be a good game. And I think especially good on the ground. The Colts just have a really bad run defense. And the Vikings hit Jordan Mason back from his broken thumb. Kind of anxious to see what the split looks like between Mason and Aaron Jones. I've got Jones ranked higher this week. I think maybe they give Mason sort of a ramp-up game, and we'll see what it looks like after this. I don't know that I expect big numbers from Kyler Murray, but maybe he'll be efficient if the running game is clicking against the Colts, as I expect it to. And, yeah, the one thing the Colts have been okay at defensively is taking perimeter receivers. keeping them in check, but probably no Sauce Gardner for the Colts in this game. He's got

29:04 a calf injury, has not been practicing. Sauce has not been great this season, but his absence should make things a little easier for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. I'll say Jefferson gets a touchdown this week.

29:17 Where do you have Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason ranked, Fitzy? I've got Jones at RB20 and Mason at 25. I just... I agree with you. I think that Aaron Jones leads the backfield, but, like, bro, his bell cow usage on one good leg has been wild. Like, they have to dial that back or he's not making it through.

29:35 The rest of the season. Yeah, I'm uh, I'm kind of leaning into Jones this week. He's, uh, I've got it 17 and 30, a big, kind of a big gap between those two this week.

29:47 Okay.

29:47 The gap in ECR is almost identical to Debro. It's 20 and 26 is where, uh, where consensus has it. So Debro almost exactly aligned with consensus there. Um, Yeah, do you guys, like, are you guys betting on the Vikings in this game? I mean, I think they opened at something like five and a half was the spread, and then that got bet up just given the, like, if we like the matchup for the Vikings offense and we really like the matchup for the Vikings defense, is that number big enough? It's still under a touchdown, Fitz.

30:15 I do have a ticket on the Vikings.

30:17 Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine with that. I just think this comes down to, like, even, you know, depending on whatever I think about the Vikings, I can tell you the Colts suck. So, yeah.

30:27 It is game time. The free game day app by fantasy pros is like red zone for your fantasy teams and bets. Follow every play, see highlights and know exactly who to root for all in one place. Download the game day app at fantasy pros.com slash game day app. They get ready for kickoff. That's fantasy pros.com slash game day app. D bro. I didn't tell you I was going to do this, but I know you love this new game day.

30:47 App, bro.

30:48 I love this app so freaking much. And they're adding so many new, like little cools, cool bells and whistles to this. Like if you're keeping up with your scores in real time, I love just the graphics they've added to this. You know, when a long pass is completed, what have you and stuff. And just not only tracking all your fantasy action, but your betting action through this.

31:09 I just think it's the best scores app out there.

31:11 Bar none period it just looks really cool like like even it's very functional of course like i just i love the way it looks it's they.

31:17 Updates faster like i've used other score apps over the last few years and been so frustrated about whether they crash or they lag or they're just garbage as far as an interface game day just dunks on all of.

31:30 Them yeah fitz i see you nod and i know you.

31:31 Agree Yeah, completely. Our devs are amazing. And this is a fantastic app. It's like, yeah, great to like have in my hand or next to me on the coffee table while I'm watching games on Sunday. So, yeah, fantastic.

31:46 The first week I used it, I went ahead and I was like, oh, OK, I deleted every other scores I had on my phone. I was like, I'm not going back to it. There's no point in having them. Like, what's the point? Agreed.

31:56 Yeah, it's a great app. I just wanted to give them a shout and let you guys give them a shout, too, because I know you guys are both fans as well. Let's get to the next game here in the early slate. Dolphins at Jets. Ollie Gordon has been RB13 or better in three straight games, but he's not ranked that high this week. Now, he is higher than when I originally put this into the sheet. He was RB21 as of just a couple of days ago. He's now at least up to RB19 in consensus rankings. Still, obviously, several spots lower than where he's been for a few games in a row. So RB19, guys, is that too high, too low, or just right for Ollie Gordon Fitz?

32:26 I guess it's just right for me. I have him at RB19 also. Um, so he has averaged 16.3 touches, 5.2 yards per carry. Um, and he's had a rushing touchdown in all three of his games. So that's two games without Devon HN plus the one where HN, uh, got hurt. Jets defense has actually been pretty good, but it is a run funnel. Teams are running on the Jets at the seventh highest rate in the league and the Dolphins run the ball at the seventh highest rate in the league. So yeah, Jets have a lot of the sixth most, most rushing yards to running backs. I think Gordon has another good game. The only catch with him is that he's been targeted five times this season and has 14 receiving yards. So this is a dude

33:06 who really does need those touchdowns if he's going to provide fantasy value. But I think he's got a pretty good chance to get one this week.

33:14 Is he, Fitz, in your opinion, a better running back maybe than you expected? Or how would you say just as a running back? Or is this like the offense is working a little bit better than you expected without A-Chan and The matchups have been maybe more favorable than expected without 8chan. Or is this like, Ali Gordon is maybe just a good player who's really performing right now?

33:30 Dude, he was a monster in college his sophomore year when he had like, what, 1,800 rushing yards and like 21 TD runs. And then before his last year, he had like a weird, he got like a DUI the summer before his final year. Wasn't the same his junior year. Came out anyway. So there were flashes of him being really, really good. And I think he's kind of proven that he's the better player than Jalen Wright. Because it was sort of ambiguous the last year plus who was the actual backup behind A-chan. Like, I don't think it was crystal clear. And a lot of people, I think, believed it was Jalen Wright. But now I think Gordon has clearly surpassed Wright.

34:11 Deaver, where are you at on Gordon, the player, but also ranking this week?

34:16 RB 15. I'm above consensus for a lot of the points that Fitzy laid out there. I think he gets another touchdown. He's really surprised me, man. And I know that even going back to prospect days, but I think the comparison is still apt here in the evolution of this player. His evolution as a runner that we've seen so far in the NFL, even from last year to this year, Just, I mean, a lot of it just reminds me of Chuba Hubbard, like where he wasn't a rugged runner in college was more of like, I don't want to say like a full Braylon Allen type, but more of like, I'm going to try to finesse you.

34:53 It's like, bro, you're big. Stop doing that. Like run, run hard, run behind your pads, like drop your shoulder if you freaking need to. And I mean, this year amongst 39 qualifying rushers, guys, he's fourth best and explosive run rate and yards up to contact per attempt. And this is a massive shift because if you look at previous years, he wasn't breaking tackles. He wasn't doing anything on the ground. He was very inefficient. He looks like a different guy this year. So against jets run defense, that's given up the ninth highest Russian success rate, 12th highest missed tackle rate. I think all he can get it done again.

35:26 Is he somebody that you guys would be looking to trade for right now? He's already had his bi-week. So you don't have that over your head in the future. The schedule, man, like, He goes, Jets, Patriots, Lions, Colts, Bills, Jets, Broncos, Bears, Packers, Chargers, Bills. That's through week 17. Like, I know the Dolphins aren't very good, but, like, those are some really gettable run defenses, D-Bro.

35:51 It's a fantastic schedule. It's a wonderful run defense schedule. And especially, like, you look at towards, yeah, like you said, the back end of it, it's, like, the Bears you can run on, the Chargers, the Bills, like, The only thing I should worry about with Ali in any of these games is getting game scripted out. But again, it's like the Dolphins are so run heavy. If they can like impose their will, like not impose their will, but like if he can get rushing production in the first half of games or they can keep it close and stuff like that. Or if they're just saying, look, we're going to run the ball. It's all good. We're just still going to run the ball. then he can, yes, I think he's definitely producing also outside of his production

36:32 doesn't really probably align with probably his trade value right now. Like the fact that he has been a rock solid RB2, has this type of schedule, I don't know if he's viewed high enough. So you're probably getting cheaper in a trade than you think.

36:45 That was going to be my point in the updated consensus rest of season rankings of FantasyPros.com. He's RB24, Fitz. That feels like that's just too low given what we've seen. I know it's not an offense we really trust, and I know it's only been a few weeks, but he's been way better than that every game he's been the starter this season.

37:02 Yeah, the only thing is not much pass-catching value, and it might be an uphill climb for him to get to 10 touchdowns in this offense, but... I do wish I had him in more places than just the Fantasy Pros Company League where I spent $ 77 on him in waivers.

37:18 Oh, wow. I mean, but that's like a 16-team league. So, you know, you got to open up the purse if you want to start running back there.

37:26 It's tumbleweeds on waivers in that league at running back and receiver. And I kind of went with a zero RB build. And then the running backs I had were getting hurt like Jordan Mason. So I was pretty desperate and I felt gross doing it. But man, I'm glad I spent that $ 77 on him right now.

37:45 See, and I went the opposite route, Fitzy. I spent like the $ 2 on J.O. and Wright and I'm not feeling so great in that deep league that I'm in.

37:52 It's a good lesson in waivers approaches and being willing to spend early and sort of reaping the benefits here. So yeah, nicely done by you, Fitz. We've got one more game in the early slate here. Browns at Titans. I think this is the lowest total this season so far. It was at 36.5 earlier in the week. Then last I checked, it was 37.5. With this low total and obviously not a ton of expectations offensively in this game, is there anybody that you were actually above consensus on this week, D-Bro?

38:20 Where is Tony Pollard in consensus right now? Because I'm probably above consensus on him this week.

38:24 Let me switch back. I was on the rest of season ranking still. So for week seven, Tony Pollard, half PPR, RB21.

38:31 Okay, I haven't met RB20, so technically, theoretically, I'm above consensus. But I like Pollard this week only because it is a gross game. The spread is close. He's getting a crap ton of early down work. Since week two, he's averaging 17.4 touches per game. He's quietly been very good with the work he's gotten. Amongst 39 qualifying backs, he's 15th in yards after contact per attempt. And the Browns' run defense is not good. They're bottom 12 in rushing success rate, bottom 5 in explosive run rate, and yards up to contact per attempt. So it's like Pollard, if he gets the 15 to 17 carries, gets you 80 on the ground, maybe a catch or two, and he actually scores a touchdown this week, very strong RB too.

39:17 Fitz? I am six spots ahead of consensus on Denzel Boston because he's a budding star and I always want to be above consensus on him. And I am like three spots above consensus. on Harold Fannin who's been really quiet the last couple of weeks just one catch each of his last two games but Fannin is a terrific player he's too good to be quiet for very long and I know it's not a great matchup for Fannin the Titans have actually been pretty tough on tight ends but I am still starting Fannin in the leagues where I.

39:46 Have him where do you have Boston at Fitzy.

39:50 He is 20. Sorry, I had my rankings page on the running backs. I've got Boston at 20, 27. Okay. I'm at 25. So we're, we're.

40:02 The same area.

40:03 Okay.

40:07 Am I six spots ahead, Worm? Is he RB 33 in consensus?

40:12 He is now wide receiver 28. He was lower earlier in the week, so he has jumped up now. So you are actually now more just aligned with consensus from where the rankings have landed. So do you have to bump him up now because you always want to be too high?

40:26 Yeah, I might have to. I've got him directly behind Michael Wilson, who I'm not exactly... The.

40:31 Guys in front of him in ECR, this is Denzel Boston we're talking about, Jalen Waddell, Jameson Williams, Carnell Tate, Michael Wilson. Those are the four names directly ahead.

40:40 I've got Boston above all those guys.

40:43 Ahead of Jamo?

40:45 Yeah, I don't like Jamo this week.

40:47 Yep.

40:48 You don't like him in a game with a total of 53 and a half.

40:52 Nope. We'll get to that game. Not when Jameer Gibbs is going to score touchdowns and not when it's a great game for Amon Ross St. Brown and the coverage structure is not in JMO's favor. We'll get to it.

41:02 Let's not spend too much time on a Browns-Titans game that nobody's looking forward to. Let's go to this Sunday late afternoon slate. Broncos at Cardinals in the Denver backfield. J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey are ranked just three spots apart in the weekly consensus rankings. Which Broncos running back has the better game in Arizona fits?

41:18 Jonah Coleman?

41:21 He went option C!

41:24 He went option C! Jonah Coleman has been designated to return from injured reserve and has practiced with the Broncos the last two days. There is a chance he could be activated ahead of this game, and I think it's very possible that Jonah Coleman is the best running back on the team. J.K. Dobbins averaging negative 0.9 rushing yards over expected per carry. RJ Harvey averaging negative 0.6 rushing yards over expected per carry. Jonah Coleman plus 0.1 rushing yards over expected per carry. And all 10 of his rushing attempts came against the Jaguars, who have the best run defense in the league. Dobbins is averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Harvey 3.9 yards per carry. If Coleman doesn't play this week, I'll say Dobbins just because he's getting

42:12 rushing volume. He's gotten double-digit carries in five straight games. He's had 18 carries and 17 carries the last two weeks. But, man, a month from now, I think Jonah Coleman is going to be the most valuable fantasy asset in this backfield.

42:28 It's interesting. I mentioned that there was a few spots ranking these two guys, obviously not Coleman, but the other two guys I mentioned, Dobbins and Harvey, in consensus. That gap has actually shrunk to no gap at all. They are back-to-back in ECR now, RB22 and RB23, respectively. Debro, what are your expectations for those two? And then also what Fitz is saying about Jonah Coleman?

42:48 Well, Fitz, he had a cheeky answer for you. I got a cheeky answer for you, too. I will say it depends on your scoring format in half point PPR that I'm more on. J.K. Dobbins just touchdown chasing. But in PPR formats, boy, it's all R.J. Harvey. I love him in this game. And this goes back to the coverage structure. Arizona runs too high at the highest rate in the entire freaking NFL, almost 70% of the defensive snaps.

43:15 I was so shocked to find this. R.J. Harvey against too high has a 41% target per run rate. That's astronomical. And so looking at him in this game, also Arizona has given up the 11th most yards per target to opposing running backs. I think this could be one of those games where Harvey gets like seven or eight targets in the passing game. But so really it comes down to scoring preference, but I love Jonah Coleman, man. I think that like, yes, the all JK Dobbin struggles to this, this year. Like if he struggles in this game and Jonah Coleman, like he starts out the game and he gets the nod on like the first few drives and it is brick walls in this type of matchup. Cause Arizona's run defense is not good. I think you could

43:59 see Sean Payton be like, all right, let's let's go hot hand here on early downs. If J.K. is not getting it done, let's put in Coleman. If Coleman rips off a few different runs, you could see J.K. Dobbins just they just move away from him. And Coleman gets all the early down stuff. And RJ is still the passing down back.

44:16 Fantasy Pros users can now get 30 days of betting pros premium absolutely free. Unlock powerful NFL betting tools, including the prop bet cheat sheet, prize picks optimizer and the brand new parlay wizard. You can even sync your sportsbooks to track all your bets live in one place. Start your exclusive three-day free trial in the Betting Pros app or at bettingpros.com slash apps with code FP1month. That's bettingpros.com slash apps and promo code FP1month. Next game up here, Packers at Lions. We were alluding to it earlier. Very high total. A lot of players who are ranked very aggressively here. I want to talk about a couple of guys at their same position. Sam Laporta and Tucker Kraft are back-to-back in consensus tight end rankings this week. as

44:57 are Jordan Love and Jared Goff at quarterback in this game as well. So at each position, I want to know which of those two guys you are ranking higher fits.

45:07 Laporta at tight end and Love at quarterback. I do have Laporta and Kraft right next to each other. Laporta tight end four, Kraft tight end five. But Laporta is averaging 7.4 targets a game, Kraft 6.2 targets a game. Laporta's been targeted nine times inside the red zone, seven times from the 10-yard line or closer to the end zone. Kraft, six red zone targets, three targets, 10-yard line or closer.

45:34 Laporta just has the more valuable role right now. So he's the pick there. And with the Love Goff thing, I've loved QB2, Goff, QB5, but it's a smaller gap between them than those rankings would suggest.

45:47 I just.

45:48 I have Goff in like half of my redraft leagues this year. I was waiting on quarterback in drafts, and I love Goff as a guy you could just get in the middle rounds pretty easily without reaching for him. Both guys have been great. Love has the easier matchup. The Packers' pass defense has been sneaky good. Green Bay ranks third in EPA per pass behind only the Vikings and Seahawks. They're second in DVOA against the pass behind only the Vikings. There would have only seven teams to have held opponents under a 60% completion rate. And the Lions pass defense, meanwhile, 25th in DVOA, 29th in EPA per pass, 29th in opponent passer rating, 23rd in yards allowed per pass attempt. I think both guys have good

46:35 games in a game that should be the shootout we were hoping we would get in Packers-Cowboys last week. But I think Love is going to have the better game.

46:45 Pitsy, why do you like J-Mo this week? You always kind of made the case for me. Why do you like J-Mo?

46:51 Oh, because it's a 53.5 point total. I think both guys are going to be great. J-Mo's 12th in expected fantasy points among wide receivers. I know he's dramatically underkicked that, but his role has been really valuable.

47:05 Okay.

47:07 Debra.

47:08 So I've got Love above Goff for the reasons that Fitzy kind of stated here. I have Kraft above Laporta because Detroit has been hemorrhaging just bloodletting versus tight ends, six most yards per target, second most fantasy points per opportunity to tight ends. Kraft's role as we've kind of gone through the season has grown like over since week four in those three games, he has five red zone targets.

47:33 His first reach here is at 23.7%. So I love Kraft also like, and not that like I'm digging in either one of these guys, but also like Christian Watson's a little bit banged up. So is Matthew Golden. So if we're, again, we're just kind of splitting hairs here. I really like Tucker craft. And the reason I do not like JMO this week is for a lot of the reasons Fitzy pointed out, but also the, the coverage structure, like I can't make a good sound analytical case to be high on him this week. Like green Bay has the fourth highest, too high rate against too high JMO, his target per route run rate drops to 15%. His yards per route run goes from 1.65 to 1.36. Like Fitzy is talking about green Bay has been good versus

48:14 perimeter wide receivers, 11th fewest yards per target. 10 fewest fantasy points per opportunity, even if I wanted to say, well, you know what? JMO gets a deep target. He pays off on the deep target, except for Fitzy's Packers are giving up the lowest passing success rate to deep passing in the entire freaking NFL. So I think Laporta has a fantastic day. Amon Ross, Sam Brown, Jameer Gibbs, fire him up. I'll be lower on JMO.

48:40 Can I add one quick thing about Tucker Kraft?

48:43 Please do.

48:44 Like, the lines have been really bad against tight ends, but they do get Brian branch back this week. There's strong safety and branches.

48:51 I'm curious what his snap rate looks like though. That's my only thing.

48:54 It's like, they have, you know, like they have said he might not play full snaps, I believe. So it's possible. And like, he would not be covering craft every time craft ran a route, but sometimes he will be. So he's going to help their defense. I just don't know if he can completely repair this past defense.

49:13 It's fair.

49:14 Let's go to the next game here. Rams at Raiders last in the late afternoon slate. Who is stepping up for the Rams? in the passing game this week i you know whatever your roads are beyond puka nakua but maybe even you know with him not there given that there's now this calf injury he's dealing with and i guess a little uncertainty there so just in the passing game in general debra who's stepping up for the rams this week.

49:34 Well, I was prepared to come in here and be like, Oh, you know, I'm a little bit lower on Tyler Higbee and stuff like this. The uncertainty of Colby Parkinson. Now Puka's dinged up. So it's like, well, nevermind. Tyler Higbee. I think it's, I think when you're looking at who needs to step up and who can step up in this game, whether Puka plays, he doesn't play, he's limited, whatever. However, we're going to talk about this. No Devante Adams. I think it's the running backs and the tight ends in this game. And you look at what the Raiders have been doing, whether the Rams decide to lean into more of the run or, Um, or they're using, is this a Kyron game where he goes CMC ask again, and he gets like seven targets and Blake Corum gets three

50:11 or four targets because Las Vegas versus running backs in the passing game, giving up the second most yards per target, the fifth most receiving yards to running backs. Um, as well as they're not great versus tight ends, third, most receiving touchdowns, fifth, most fantasy points per opportunity. So it's like, regardless of whatever Puka does, like, I think Blake Corum, Kyron Williams are going to get more utilization in the passing game. Tyler Higbee and a good Lord. If you're in a dynasty league and you're like, I got Colby Parkinson.

50:39 Does he score a touchdown this week? Maybe.

50:42 Fitz. I've got Higbee like tight end, tight end eight, I think. And Parkinson like tight end 17. Higbee has 22 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown over his last four games. And Colby Parkinson led the Rams tight ends in all receiving categories last year. So I think he's a good streaming options. I would not be surprised to see Davis Allen have a decent game. It's kind of a shame Terrence Ferguson is still on IR with his ankle injury and can't get in on the action.

51:16 But yeah, Debro just said it. Raiders have given up the third most receptions, third most touchdowns, sixth most half point PPR fantasy points per game to tight ends. And last year, this was last year, the Rams tight ends combined for 150 targets, 103 catches, 1,128 yards, 17 touchdowns. And that was with Pukunuku and Devontae Adams missing only four combined games. So yeah, if both of those guys are out, and for sure Devontae is going to be out, I think the Rams tight ends are going to eat.

51:47 But I also think Kanata Mumfield, especially if Puka Nakua doesn't play, I think he would be the Rams wide receiver. You could like sneakily throw into a flex spot in deeper leagues. But Debro also pointed out Rams did not throw to their tight ends or their running backs very much last year. They're throwing to the backs a lot this year. And it's weird seeing Blake Corum get targets now.

52:10 Like every once in a while, I'll see a... Stafford throw to one of his running backs, like, oh, there's Kyron. No, wait, that's Corum. Wow. Because Corum was just a non-factor in the passing game last year. All of a sudden, he's involved.

52:24 It's been both the guys. Like, how long did we say for how many years, Fitzy, where it was like, Kyron's pass-catching profile coming out of college. Why is he not using the pass game more? And this year, it's like, they were like, Sean McVay was like, you know what? We could use him as a receiver this year. How about that? Hmm.

52:42 Do you guys, so the line moves on this game. It was, I think six and a half early in the week. It's now Rams minus three and a half with all the receiving issues that they have injury wise. Is that a number that you guys like going in that direction? Are you interested in the Rams with a number that low? Like, what do you think D bro?

53:00 I dude, I don't want to touch that number because I've seen too many freaking weeks, just like versus the Cardinals where the Rams play down to competition and And the Raiders have been playing up all year. So I don't want to touch that number because this easily could be a game where, you know, we're like, oh, yeah, the Rams are doing good things. And then they come out and they play down to competition just like they did versus the Cardinals. And they lose this game.

53:25 Fits.

53:26 Same. I'm not touching it at three and a half.

53:29 No. No, we've seen we've seen this script too much over the last few years where it's like, oh, they should crush them. And then they don't.

53:39 Let's go to Sunday night football chiefs at Seahawks. Really fun primetime game. Obviously this week, uh, we clearly have to discuss the Kenneth Walker revenge game narrative here. So I think for this question, it's very simple. Give me a stat line prediction for Kenneth Walker in his return to Seattle fits.

53:57 I'll say 17 for 65 rushing and three for 25 receiving 50, 50 on whether he scores a touchdown. Seattle defense is no joke, man. they're giving up 76.8 rushing yards per game to running backs, 3.5 yards per carry to running backs. And do you think Mike McDonald and the guys on that defense want to get shown up by their old teammate on national TV? Nope.

54:22 Nope.

54:23 So Fitz, are you fading his ranking at all then if you're kind of expecting maybe a more muted performance from Walker in that return? He's already four in consensus this week. He actually was three and then He and Christian McCaffrey swapped places.

54:35 I also have him four behind Christian McCaffrey.

54:39 There's like a point where it's like you can't have him too low, right?

54:42 Yeah, I mean, it's kind of a big drop from four to five.

54:45 I was going to say him versus Kyron is interesting. Just the total volume I'm expecting Kyron to get this week, given everything going on with the Rams. So that one I could see the case for. I don't think I could see the case dropping for Walker beyond five, though. Like Gibbs, Bijan, McCaffrey, and then maybe Kyron to me feels like the most he could get ahead.

55:02 No Derrick Henry, huh? No Derrick Henry love for you then, Worm. I'm nervous.

55:05 Like, man, I get really nervous about this Ravens offense when Lamar isn't 100%. Like, that's, I cannot rank.

55:11 And if Lamar plays?

55:13 He's practicing today. Actually, while we were taping, there was like video of him walking out onto the practice field. So like, who knows? We'll see what that Friday practice support looks like. But even if he plays, like, it's been so weird that I just don't want to go in totally trusting the offense. And Walker has been so good that if there's any question for any of these other guys, I think it's worth just keeping Walker ahead based on the principle of what he's done so far this season. Um, where are you at on, on Kenneth Walker Debro? What are you predicting for his stat line?

55:39 I was curious where we have him projected on the site. So right now on the site, uh, 18.7, uh, carries 86 rushing arts. It feels kind of heavy. Uh, three receptions, 21 receiving arts. I'm, I'm pretty much in line with, uh, especially from the pass game perspective. Like I got him for three receptions, 20 yards. I do have him with a touchdown, but 19 for 79 on the ground. So, and I'm willing to push the rushing yardage lower just because like Fitzy pointed out, like Seattle's no freaking joke, man.

56:10 They're going to, if you're McDonald, you just load the box up and you say, fine, I'm not allowing Kenneth Walker to beat us. Patrick Mahomes, what you got?

56:22 Do you like– And you beat us. Do either of you guys are interested in Walker as an anytime touchdown bet just with the idea of like not just that the Seahawks will want to stop him but that the Chiefs will want to get him a touchdown if they get in close? Yeah.

56:32 What's the number?

56:34 I'm sure it's like minus 120 or minus– I'm sure.

56:37 It's not– Consensus is minus 130. First touchdown score is about plus 400. No.

56:43 You will never see me bet any touchdown at minus money ever. Okay.

56:47 Well, speaking of prop bets, I want to hear your guys' favorite prop bet cheat sheet bets, three or four star bets for the week that can be found at bettingpros.com on the prop bet cheat sheet. Excuse me, Debra, I'll start with you. What's your favorite one for this week?

56:59 So I didn't see any three or four stars that jumped out to me. I went lower on the cheat sheet for a two star bet. I'm taking the over for A.J. Brown's or A.J. Brown, A.J. Barner, excuse me. I've taken the over for his two and a half receptions. Again, if you're looking at the Chiefs matchup, it's like, okay, dude, can Seattle outside of JSN get anything done in the air versus these corners? The Chiefs have quietly given up the third most receiving fantasy points per game, 12th most fantasy points per opportunity to tight end. So I think A.J.

57:31 Barner actually will be highly utilized in this game. Bits?

57:36 Kenneth Walker under 85.5 rushing yards.

57:40 Yes, love that look.

57:41 Yeah, that's where I was kind of expecting you to go that way, giving your answer to the question here. Those were our top prop bets for Sunday Night Football, courtesy of the Betting Pros Prop Bet Cheat Sheet. Find the best NFL player prop bets with the Betting Pros Prop Bet Cheat Sheet. Quickly compare lines from leading sportsbooks against our daily NFL projections to uncover the props offering the most value. Make smarter prop betting decisions all season long at bettingpros.com slash props. All right, guys, Monday night football Cowboys at Eagles. What did you guys think of Tanner McKee in his first start filling in for Jalen Hurts for the rest of the season? And what are your expectations for McKee and the Eagles offense against this

58:18 poor Cowboys defense fits?

58:21 He averaged 4.8 yards per pass attempt last week and the Eagles scored 14 points. So McKee is in a pretty tough spot. The Eagles offensive line has gone from best in the league to just flat out bad. Even against the Dallas defense, I cannot get excited about Tanner McKee.

58:39 Debra?

58:41 Yeah, I'm kind of there. I mean, I think the biggest thing for Tanner McKee in this one for me is just like, A lot of passing volume and comeback mode, like if the Cowboys can snap back as far as an offense and stuff, and they're just going to be throwing. Also, Saquon Barkley, if he's back, can give an element to this offense that he didn't have, because obviously that's a massive upgrade from Damian Pierce. I'm not high on McKee, though, like low-end QB2. The passing volume can definitely be there for Devonta Smith and Dallas Goddard, but yeah. I'm not rushing to go start McKee this week.

59:13 Time now for Fresh from the Oven takes brought to you by DiGiorno. Just like a pizza fresh out of the oven, these takes are hot, fresh, and ready for Monday night. Debra, I'll start with you. What's your bold prediction for Monday night football this week?

59:26 I mean, maybe this isn't that bold because the line is really low of demarcation here, boys. But I think Mekhi Lemon has his best game of the season. I know I just talked about I'm not very high on Tanner McKee, but a lot of passing volume possibly in catch-up mode versus the Cowboys. I think Mekhi Lemon has his best game of the season and gets at least 60 receiving yards and maybe gets a touchdown in this one. Really, it comes down to Dallas has been god-awful versus slot receivers.

59:52 They're giving up the most yards per target, the most receiving yards, and the third most fantasy points per opportunity to opposing slots. So this feels like one of those games where the matchup is so glorious that maybe Mekhi Lemon has a massive surprise game in his best game.

1:00:09 Of Wide receiver 51 in consensus rankings for the week. D bro, where are you at on him ranking? I mean, is this just like a bull call, but you're not ranking him higher or are you ranking him?

1:00:17 No, I got him higher. No, I got him higher than that. I've got him like in the wide receiver four type of range. Um, but I, I think I, again, like I don't want to be like over the moon, but I will definitively be like aggressively above consent, but above that ranking and consensus fits.

1:00:32 Would you rather start McKay lemon or Marvin Harrison jr. This week?

1:00:35 McKay lemon.

1:00:37 Okay.

1:00:37 They're back to back with Harrison ahead. in ECR fits. What's your bold prediction for Monday night football?

1:00:43 It is not that bold until you consider just how flammable the Dallas defense has been this season. I'm going to say the Eagles throw for fewer than 200 yards.

1:00:53 Okay. Is that, um, are you ranking some of these other guys then pretty low? I mean, obviously you just talked about Makai Lemon is at least higher than Marvin Harrison jr, but are you fading anybody else in the rankings as a result?

1:01:04 Um, Devontae Smith is the only Eagle I want to start, and the guy I'm probably fading hardest in the rankings relative to ECR would be Dallas Goddard. Not one of my favorite streamers this week.

1:01:17 For my bold call, I will go with Devontae Williams. He's already ranked pretty aggressively in ECR, so this isn't to say he should be ranked any higher than RB7 where he's at. But as a bold prediction, I think he scores three touchdowns in this game. We are coming in hot and fresh with that take here. Just, I kind of agree with what, you know, you're saying Fitz about the Cowboys defense, not allowing much from this Eagles offense.

1:01:40 I think the Cowboys will be winning in this game throughout the game, but I think it will be close enough that they do need to keep kind of like running the ball and trying to run out the clock and not just, you know, giving it to backups or anything. So I Javante's, I think Javante's in there enough with a lead that he ends up getting to the end zone three different times. He scored in all but one game this season and he has had a three touchdown game this year already. I think he gets another one in Philadelphia on Monday Night Football this week. Those were your fresh-from-the-oven takes brought to you by DiGiorno. Make Monday night pizza night with fresh-from-your-oven taste. It's not delivery. It's DiGiorno. Guys,

1:02:15 we'll wrap up the show there. For D-Bro and Fitz, I'm Ryan Wormley. Thanks, everybody, for tuning in. Best of luck setting those week seven lineups. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football Podcast. If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts at fantasypros.com slash review or on Spotify. Follow us on X, Instagram, and TikTok at Fantasy Pros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com slash fantasypros.