NFL Fantasy Football Podcast: Start Keenan Allen, Sit Ladd McConkey + Hot Takes for Week 4

0:00 Wow.

0:10 Let it begin.

0:11 Welcome to NFL Fantasy Football. Mikey, I'm Trevor Sikama with you. We got a jam-packed show today. If you're doing a little DFS, we got you covered. Chase Daskalos is going to be with us creating a lineup. Matakata is going to be with us. We got another edition of Starts and Sits. We got Sick Flexes. But I just need to say this right off the top. The only person happier besides Clint Kubiak and Kirk Cousins that Brock Bowers is out there, it's my guy Trevor Sikama, man.

0:33 Welcome to the win column in our fantasy league.

0:37 It was a tough two weeks to start the season, but here we go.

0:41 We're rolling.

0:41 The stars are back in there. We're feeling good, baby. It was good to get the dub this week.

0:46 You better believe it. Yeah, I got throttled.

0:48 And it was one of those weeks where at halftime of the early games, you just go.

0:52 You know what? I'm not even going to look. I know that this is not going to end well for me.

0:56 If I had some of the best guys in the league this week, the ones who in fact led their categories, maybe I'd have... a very different conversation as we get to the ones. Yeah, I would have rathered Brock than Dak, who's my starting quarterback. Brock Birdie leading the way with the most quarterback points. Jameer Gibbs, not a surprise. JSN is one of my dudes, and I still got Ronald.

1:15 Brock Bowers, as I made reference to, handling business. Colts kicker Spencer Schrader delivering 17 points. And how about that Vikings defense delivering with 19?

1:24 All right, look inside that crystal ball for me.

1:26 If I said to you the quarterback, Trevor, that's going to lead the way this week, who's the guy?

1:31 I like Trevor Lawrence this week. Now he's going up against a Cincinnati Bengals team that plays man coverage at a top eight rate in the NFL. And when you look at Trevor Lawrence, he's been better against only he's been against man, but he's been very good at both. And so this is also a defense that, Could not handle Aaron Rodgers at all last week. And we've seen Aaron Rodgers be handled by defenses over the last couple of seasons. So that worries me now that they are playing one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL to start the season. A fearless quarterback and a very confident quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. I think he's got the opportunity to be quarterback one this week.

2:07 All right, can you just explain this to me?

2:09 Because if I own Trevor Lawrence and maybe I lost my week by just a couple of points, what just happened there?

2:17 Get in!

2:18 Give me my points! Hey, hey, he's a team player. Team player. He's making sure that he's getting the dub for the team, putting it over his fantasy numbers, his own stat numbers. You love to see. And you know what? Even though he didn't get you the rushing touchdown this week, It's that kind of attitude that you love to put in your starting lineup, and he will reward you in the future. Maybe even this week. That's how we get to, I don't know. I'm telling myself it is. I'm convincing myself that it is because I just picked him to be QB1 this week.

2:47 And he understands fantasy.

2:48 I saw a clip where he was saying, hey, we've got to get Basial Toot in the ball to live up to that fantasy hype.

2:52 Speaking of running backs, how about this, dude? Bajon Robinson, you like him to lead the way.

2:57 Of course I do. I mean, he's going up against New Orleans Saints team that's bottom six in the NFL in terms of rush yards per game allowed. Obviously, he's coming off of a phenomenal performance last week on Thursday night football. And I just feel as though the matchup could be there for him. They know the recipe for this team. Get the ball in Bijan Robinson's hand. We know the volume is going to be there. When you talk about a premium matchup where he's facing a defense that has struggled to stop teams on the ground, well, of course, I like that. So it's the talent, it's the volume, it's the opportunity, and it's also... who they are playing against. So yes, Bijan Robinson in this one.

3:30 You know, I was looking at your notes and Chris Alavi is a guy that you love and I'm going to let you talk about him here. I just want to say he is the superstar that doesn't get nearly enough attention.

3:40 Yeah, look, and he's got a great matchup this week. Again, I just talked about Bijan going up against the Saints on the ground, but when you look at the Falcons, they're the fourth worst team in the NFL when it comes to passing yards allowed per game this year. The Saints, they're coming off a loss where I think they're licking their wounds and realizing what could have been for them in the passing game last week. And, of course, they're going to run all of those things through Chris Olave.

4:03 So he's been stacking it up early in this season. That should give you confidence for him at all times. But I think he's got a real shot to be wide receiver one this week for him. And when it comes to the tight end position, I'm going to go with Tucker Kraft here. I know, I know, I know. I went with Tucker Kraft last week and it didn't work out for me. However... I do still think it's a juicy matchup for him this week. He still got eight targets last week. He still played quite a bit.

4:27 And he's going up against a Buccaneers team that has one of the worst coverage rates amongst their linebackers this season. And so I just think it's a really great matchup. And I felt as though the game plan for them to get the ball in his hands early was something that I predicted. We just didn't get the explosive plays from him. I think that we could get both this week against a struggling Buccaneers linebacker unit.

4:49 Yeah, I'm with you there.

4:51 Bucks boy are in some trouble, especially because of Baker Mayfield and the dislocated finger injury. All that being said, one of my favorite segments on this show, Trevor Sigma's sick flexes. You've done well with some of these selections, man. Give me the wide receiver that you think is worthy of.

5:06 Hitting that lineup.

5:08 Hold on, wait a second. You sounded way too surprised with giving me props that I've been nailing it here with these players. That's all I'm saying.

5:15 No, no, you're the expert.

5:16 You're the expert.

5:16 You're right. You're right. That's my bad. Hold on, let me do that again.

5:19 Trevor Sikama has been dominating, and you should not at all be surprised.

5:23 So, all right, take it away. There it is, baby.

5:25 And the person that you shouldn't be surprised to see on this list to start is Josh Downs, the wide receiver from the Indianapolis Colts. Especially with Alec Pierce out of the lineup, this is their guy that they are going to. You've looked at the nine targets two weeks ago, 11 targets this past game. I know he hasn't gotten into the end zone quite a bit, but the volume is there, and you want to bet on guys that are giving you big volume. Josh Downs is one of those players that I think week in and week out, he can feel pretty good about getting you a decent amount of points in that flex spot.

5:52 I like it.

5:53 Coker, by the way, is another player who I've gotten some buzz just on the friends and family text thread about his production.

6:01 Yeah, so obviously Coker was great in week one against the Chicago Bears, and that absolute shootout was a little bit quiet since, but He's going up against a Detroit Lions team that has allowed the most passing yards per game this season. This is a juicy matchup for me. And Coker, I think just from usage, volume, all that stuff, he's not a regular in a lot of leagues when it comes to wide receiver spots specifically. But in that flex position, I think that you should feel pretty good about starting Jalen Coker this week. I think his numbers are going to look a lot closer to week one than they have in other weeks.

6:33 Yeah, I'm with you there.

6:34 You know, we were talking about this dude and really his team and the Bucs struggling, but Bucky Irving, because of the Baker injury, might be a dude worth considering.

6:41 Yeah, it's a volume thing for me. On top of the fact that the Packers have allowed the fifth most rushing yards per game this season, he's still got a really high snap count percentage, and you mentioned it. I mean, they're starting an undrafted free agent in Jalen Daniels, who I think is going to play pretty free, and I think it's going to be a chance where we're getting some fun plays from him, but you better believe they're going to try to get the ball in No. 7's hands as much as possible. So to me, it has the potential to be a massive Bucky Irving game. And I think that he should be a strong consideration in your flex spot this week. Double down, man.

7:11 This is desperate times right now for the Bucs and this team looking for a win. All right, Trevor, there's more from you in just a minute. I want to make sure that I properly introduce Matt Akata. And I don't know if we just say masters of the start and sits because I don't want to disappoint you. I disappointed Trevor with the introduction. I want to make sure, Matt, you are comfortable as we get you to the quarterbacks that you think should be in that starting lineup.

7:34 I'm not picky. Yeah, I'll take anything. But I will say I love the Josh Downs sick flex, and it leads perfectly into my start at quarterback Daniel Jones against this Washington Commanders defense in London. This one is all about the matchup. The Commanders allowed nearly 25 fantasy points to Jalen Hurts, nearly 30 fantasy points to Dak Prescott, more than 27 to Sam Darnold in his return last week.

8:00 They have surrendered the highest passer rating in the league, headlined by 11 touchdowns in just three games. So Danny Dimes is normally like a low-end QB2, but he should score around 20 fantasy points across the pond and is an excellent streaming option. And then it's also time we gave Tyler Shuck his flowers, Hammer. Through three weeks, he is the QB3 overall. He leads the NFL in attempts and completions, and he's second in passing yards with 917 touchdowns.

8:28 He is the only quarterback, no Josh Allen, just Shuck, to top 22 fantasy points in all three games this season. At this point, the only guy I'm playing over Shuck without hesitation every week is Josh Allen. Get him into your lineup for Monday Night Football against the Falcons. And honestly, don't take him out again until the week eight by for New Orleans.

8:49 Dude is burning up red hot.

8:51 His three highest fantasy games all have come this week.

8:54 Who are we parking on the bench, man?

8:58 It's got to be Justin Herbert. Listen, I gave him one last shot last week in a great matchup with the Bills, and he disappointed us again. He still has not hit 14 fantasy points once this season. He's thrown three touchdowns and four picks, and he just looks lost in this new offense. And now he draws a matchup with the Seahawks in Seattle. They have allowed just over 12 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. We've seen very little reason to trust the Chargers offense against any matchup, but against the Seahawks defense, I'm not interested at all.

9:30 Bench Herbert for any viable streamer. And then there's Dak Prescott, who's, unlike Herbert, been mostly fine this season, but whose only really great fantasy day was against the Commander's defense, which kind of doesn't count. We just talked about that defense. In his other two games against the Giants and Ravens, Prescott's averaged just fewer than 16 fantasy points per game.

9:50 And in week four... He gets the Texans, who have looked progressively better each game this year. That defense, I think, is ramping back up into shape. Prescott's not must-bench. like Herbert, but for me, he's outside my top 12, comfortably below guys like Shuck, Danny Dimes, Bryce Young, Brock Purdy for sure.

10:08 He's on the bench.

10:09 As a DAC owner, it has been feast or famine so far through these first couple weeks. Take me to the running backs, man. Who's the guy that's going to tear it up in week four?

10:19 Yeah, I'm finally boarding the baseball tootin' train, Yammer. This week, I'm on. I'm fully on board. He's been better each successive week in fantasy. He scored 17 points last Sunday. And among all qualified running backs this year, he is second to B. John Robinson in success rate and has hit 15-plus miles per hour on a league-high 42% of his runs. That's from NextGenStats. So week four, he gets a Bengals defense. They're allowing a very high explosive run rate.

10:47 Second highest rate of rushes over expected. It just feels like a great analytical matchup for Tootin's skill set. So I see him posting a 20-point breakout performance. And then I've got a running back with a very different style, Cam Scadaboo, against the Cardinals. Look, the Giants back, he hasn't been particularly efficient this season, but he's had the volumes.

11:07 At least 16 touches in every outing, averaging nearly 80 scrimmage yards a game, seven receptions over the last two weeks. Arizona just gave up 21.6 fantasy points to CMC on 15 carries and four catches. That's the exact recipe for me for Skadaboo in week four. So he's a high floor volume based start in the game. The Giants are actually currently favored to win.

11:29 Yeah, kind of wild considering the quarterback situation. At some point we're on J.J. McCarthy watch. Who's the guy that you don't think you should start?

11:39 Somewhat like Herbert with the last chance. I gave Quinn Sean Judkins one last chance last week. He had near-ideal circumstances. 20 touches, a close game, a soft run defense. He still could not hit double-digit fantasy points. So I am done. He is bottom six among running backs in rush yards over expected, success rate, EPA per carry. He has a pitiful 4.8% explosive run rate. None of these things are encouraging.

12:06 And then Pittsburgh's defense... who he's taking on this week, just held Chase Brown to 8.9 fantasy points. This has all the makings of an ugly, low-scoring, classic divisional grind on TNF. I don't think there's any upside with Judkins right now, and I'm parking him on the bench until further notice.

12:22 Yeah, massive buzzkill from that perspective.

12:25 Matt, I know you've got more on the wide receivers coming up here on the NFL Fantasy Football Show. Trevor's back with us as well, but still to come, yeah, Brock Purdy. leading the way among the quarterbacks. I started to think a little bit about DFS. We're going to build a lineup for you. Chase Daskalos is going.

12:40 To be stopping by.

12:46 I mean, look, I always think about Kyle Shanahan with the creativity. Nothing better than sort of the backyard type of football right there. Keep in mind that 82-yard touchdown. That was very helpful in keeping Brock Purdy number one among the quarterbacks. In fact, your top ten, not exactly what I would have anticipated before the week, but Sam Darnold number two, Geno Smith three, Jacoby Brissett four. Case Keenum 5. Think about that from a fantasy perspective. Those top five guys, not exactly the dudes that we think carry your teams. Bo Nix, Tyler Shuck, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow.

13:19 Closing things out at number 10, it is our guy Kirk Cousins. Oh yeah, a little in and out once again.

13:24 All right, welcome to the family.

13:26 And by the way, when it is official, I have to say congratulations. Chase Daskalos is officially now part of our family.

13:32 Appreciate you, man.

13:33 And in honor of you signing the contract and being a part of the show, I got to tell you, we're going to unveil a new segment, Chasing Points, from a DFS standpoint.

13:42 Which I love.

13:43 We haven't even done that on the show. So if you're in one of these leagues, Chase has got you covered. He's going to give us a couple names. You give me the high-priced guy and then the dude who's, I don't want to say on the cheap, but maybe strategically a bargain benefit. All right, let's start with these quarterbacks here.

13:56 Give me the guy that you're willing to splurge on.

13:59 Trevor Lawrence has been playing incredible football, the best of his career, maybe the best in the NFL, but the Jacksonville offense hasn't been pushed at all yet. They've been trailing on just 3% of their offensive plays. I think the Bengals offense can put up points and create a fantasy environment for Trevor Lawrence to have a massive Sunday.

14:16 If you want a cheaper option, I think this is a great spot for CJ Stroud. He gets a home dome game against a Cowboys defense that has allowed the eighth most points per game this season. Sounds like the Texans are hopeful that Nico Collins will be back. Houston's been airing it out this year. They rank fourth in called pass rate, so they are not afraid to let Stroud sling it.

14:35 A little surprised that that's been the case because David Montgomery got 11 carries the other day, and I thought he was going to be the focal point of the offense. Just saying, speaking of the running backs, give me the guy that you're willing to spend some coin on.

14:47 Look, so Jeremiah Love took over the Cardinals backfield last week. He saw a career-high 26 opportunities. He out-carried Tyler Algier 21-2. Gets a pretty soft matchup against the Giants this week. I think we get a full display of what made him the third overall pick in the 2026 draft. I don't want to miss out on that. The best bargain option at running back has to be Braylon Allen. Bresol's going to miss multiple weeks, and Allen is the next man up in this Jets offense. The matchup against Chicago is incredible. The Bears have allowed the fourth most fantasy points per carry, so you get a big workload and a friendly matchup at a cheap price.

15:21 I love that call.

15:23 The Jets knocking on the door here. Is this potentially the team or the game that we see them break out? Wide receivers. There's one guy in particular. I think you might go in this direction. My God, he's been awesome.

15:35 I mentioned Trevor Lawrence as my favorite option at quarterback. So, of course, I want a stacking partner with him. And it's very clearly Parker Washington. Same thesis applies. Jacksonville hasn't been pushed at all this year. But when it happens this week against the Bengals, Parker Washington is going to explode.

15:50 Where I'm not going bargain hunting is at tight end because Brock Bowers in his first game of the season was a tight end one in week three. He's doing it again in week four. He is a matchup nightmare. Him and Clint Kubiak are a match made in heaven and the three and O Raiders need him in a massive game against the chiefs.

16:07 Yeah. I know Trevor is smiling ear to ear because Trevor Sikma owns him in his fantasy league, and it was really cool to see Kubiak and how he was utilizing him, lining him up as a wide receiver. Guy's going to be a machine the rest of the way if he's able to stay healthy.

16:19 Chase, you're the best, man.

16:20 Always appreciate you dropping some knowledge for us. And from DFS, we go back to Start and Sit. It's NFL.com slash StartSit to see Matt Okada's work. He went through some of the other positions like quarterback and running back.

16:32 We left off on the wide receivers, man. Who's a lock for the lineup?

16:38 I got a PSA for anybody who is worried about Tedaro McMillan's 3.7 point dud last week. Forget about it. Through the first two weeks, McMillan had 176 yards on 18 targets, and now he faces the Lions. Detroit's defense has allowed double-digit fantasy points to five wide receivers through four games, more than 26 fantasy points apiece. to Chris Alave and Garrett Wilson, the wide receiver ones on those teams.

17:09 Jalen Coker maybe still a little bit banged up. I think McMillan could see easily 10-plus targets in what should be a very high-scoring game. Rolling back out is a top-end play. And then I've got one much deeper play, if you need a gamer. Keenan Allen against the Commanders in London. This Washington defense, speaking of bad defenses, allowed a league-high 140 fantasy points, two wideouts through the first quarter.

17:34 Three games. That's absurd. And I love Josh Downs. We talked about him earlier, who Trevor highlighted. But Allen is kind of the ultra sneaky play if you need one after 20 targets through the first three games. Great game against Houston last week. He's still widely available on waiver wires. If you've got someone who's banged up, if you need a good flex, I think Keenan Allen is a really, really good play this week.

17:55 I like where your head's at. More on Keenan Allen coming up in just a bit.

17:59 But take me through the guys that maybe are bigger names that you would consider not starting.

18:05 Yeah, I got a couple actually pretty big names that might hit the bench this week. It's been a real yo-yo experience with Jalen Waddell. Ah, in Denver, new offense, new chemistry, it's not working great. Yes, he had eight catches for 138 yards in week two, but he had three catches for 12 yards in the other two games combined.

18:26 I think O.C. Davis-Webb, who's now calling plays, it I don't think he's using Waddle right. Too vertical, not enough of the in-breakers and the intermediate strikes that Waddle was always great on in Miami. I think it's risky to bench Waddle because he has that 20-point upside, but the two duds have hurt us more than the one strong performance has helped, and I don't trust him. So to the bench. And then I also don't trust Justin Herbert, Mike McDaniel, Jim Harbaugh, anyone involved with the Chargers offense right now. So I am trying to sit Ladd McConkie.

18:57 this week as well. LA is averaging the fourth lowest EPA per play on offense. And while McConkie has been decent on limited opportunities, the ceiling is slowly slipping for him. And then most importantly, we talked about it with Herbert earlier in the show, he's facing the Seahawks this weekend. They've allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points and the fewest receiving yards by far to wide receivers. So I think McConkie is a touchdown or bust play in week four, and considering Herbert's only throwing one of those per game right now, I'd rather not play McConkie at all.

19:30 Yeah, it is tough, man, because if you're a fantasy owner and you spent the draft capital to draft a guy like Waddell or McConkie, it stings just a bit, but there just seems to be better option, and maybe it's that guy Keenan Allen that Matt just made reference to. Once again, for a complete analysis of all the start sits, all you have to do is head to NFL.com slash start sit for more analysis all right it is time to go a little bold and look inside that crystal ball make some significant predictions it is time for hot takes Trevor kick me off man what do we got I'm going Jeremiah Love Two touchdowns this week. I don't care if it's two rushing, two receiving, one or the other.

20:13 But when you look at him this past week, played almost 65% of the snaps for the Arizona Cardinals. And we know that this offense can still go.

20:20 Defense is going to be a little up and down, but they're going to be able to put points on the scoreboard. And I think that the longer this season goes, the more they are going to get Jeremiah Love involved.

20:29 So to me.

20:31 I'm saying that he's got the chance, especially after five targets and 21 carries last week, to have his opportunity to get into the end zone multiple times. So they're going to continue to invest in their superstar more and more every week. Jimmy Jeremiah Love, two touchdowns against the Giants.

20:48 Matt, who do you like?

20:50 Well, first of all, I really like that one. Another guy I really like and who I think is breaking out as a superstar is Zay Flowers. I think he tops 200 receiving yards this week against the Titans. Look, he had a hamstring injury in week one, and then he was out week two, and then he was kind of limited in week three. So he's only run 26 routes this season, but he's earned a target on 46% of those routes and averaged nine yards per route run.

21:20 That is absurd, Yammer. It is nearly double JSN's. elite mark of 4.6 at the number two slot among wide receivers he should be back to a full complement of routes in week four which is some usually right around 26 so at his current pace that should translate to double digit catches well over 200 yards plus the titans have allowed the seventh most fantasy points per target to wide receivers do not be surprised when zay flowers is the top scorer in fantasy this week he's been incredible.

21:51 Brother Preach, man, I'm telling you, coming off a tough.

21:53 Loss, didn't look good.

21:54 I didn't even play Zay, wasn't able to get him into my lineup because it was the later section of the games, and I was like, I don't know if he's going to be playing, game time decision.

22:01 I'm with you, man.

22:02 I need a big performance, and I hope Zay gives it to me. By the way, Matt, you and I are kind of on the same page with some of these hot takes. Last week, we were similar with some of our selections, and I'm going to double down on a guy that is, and you put it pretty appropriately, available in a lot of leagues, and that's Keenan Allen.

22:18 I look at the last couple weeks without piercing that lineup. Target share is up for him. Commanders, you talked about that matchup and the amount of points that he has given up. I love Keenan Allen. I'm saying $ 1. 50 and two touchdowns. By the way, our producer Todd Mossberg actually said to me, hey, because I said like 101. He goes, dude, we got to level up, man. This is like red hot takes. So $ 1. 50 and two touchdowns against the Commanders.

22:39 Love the matchup. Not to mention Daniel Jones is another guy who I feel is on the upswing right now.

22:44 I know they lost that game Sunday Night Football a couple.

22:47 Weeks ago against the Kansas City Chiefs, but I felt like they actually played a pretty good game, and I love Keenan Allen to pick up the load here. I mentioned, Matt, the fact that you and I are on the same page. Last week, and it was the last time I said it, if Justin Herbert doesn't play well, man, I'm not going down this path once again.

23:03 You said sit, Justin. You said sit, lad.

23:06 Trevor, I want to get your take on Hampton in that backfield because he's another guy where I thought the expectation would be better. Got a touchdown early on.

23:14 He's been quiet. Would you play him in your leagues?

23:17 I don't know if I would at this point, honestly, and it's just because it's hard to trust anything like Matt was talking about. Specifically, when you look at the thing that Justin Herbert should be great at passing the ball deep down the field. He's in for by far career lows in success and completion percentage above expected on any deep passes. So defenses don't fear the deep pass.

23:37 And because of that, they're stacking the box. So until Herbert can really unlock that deep passing game, it's going to be tough sledding for Omari and Hampton. So it's just, if you have him on your team, you drafted him early. So it's tough to sit him, but man, it's so unknown moving forward.

23:53 Yeah.

23:54 Yammer, if you need any more encouragement, Hampton is my sit of the week in the article.

23:59 Okay. Yeah, not great, not great.

24:03 By the way, sometimes I ask questions, and it's selfish. You know, it's like guys that I got in my lineup. He happens to be one of them. Appreciate you guys checking us out. We will do it again next week.

24:14 Happy playing, and get some wins.