NFL Fantasy Football Podcast: Week 8 Starts & Sits + Hot Takes!

0:10 Couldn't be more excited to bring you another edition of NFL Fantasy Football.

0:14 Mikey, I'm Trevor Sikama, Matt Acata, who.

0:16 By the way, if you frequently watch or listen to this show, you know, Matt's segment starts, it's something that I tease off the stop. But when you can hear his voice and see him off the top of the show, you're like, well, wait a second.

0:27 What's happening right now? Well, I'll tell you what's happening.

0:29 You got to go back to the player of our show, DK Metcalf, week number six. You guys were on opposite sides of a start, Sid. Sure enough, Trevor, you were right about that. You guys doubled down the sick flex. And as you can see there, player number 99, DK Metcalf, didn't necessarily play out.

0:45 Well for you, Trevor. So Matt Okada said, you know what?

0:47 I need to go and make sure that we can potentially talk some smack here.

0:51 But Trevor, what do you have to say for yourself?

0:53 Okay, look, the process was correct here.

0:55 31 routes for DK Metcalf, had 56 receiving yards. He got a fade in the end zone, which was egregious pass interference that didn't get called. And then Darnell Washington got the next fade, and it should have been DK right there.

1:09 Should have had at least 60 yards and two touchdowns. I stand by it.

1:12 Could have, should have, would have.

1:15 Yeah, I mean, it kind of feels like with Metcalf that the process is always right, and then the result is just whatever the heck happens to happen that week. If Rodgers happens to hit him, okay, it works. If he gets a bunch of garbage time catches and yards, okay, it works. Otherwise, it's super inconsistent.

1:32 Okay, got an opportunity, guys. Let's make it round three. Triple down on this one. Trevor Cleveland, the opponent, man.

1:38 Do we like DK?

1:42 No, I don't.

1:42 I'm sitting DK Metcalf this week. I like Cleveland's defense a little too much here. I think their linebackers have the speed to match up with them. I think the safety is in the corners as well.

1:51 I'd sit DK Metcalf this week.

1:53 Okay.

1:53 All right.

1:54 Well. Oh, boy.

1:55 Well, now we're going the opposite because I'm going to.

1:58 Flex on this week.

1:59 Oh, there it is.

2:01 There it is. It's really only because the last time these two teams played, he had like 90-something yards in the fourth quarter. It's just garbage time for Metcalf. If Metcalf's getting garbage time, touches, yards, he ends up being good for fantasy. I think it happens again. Hopefully, maybe.

2:16 Matt, you're like a producer's dream because I didn't think in a million years you were going to go down the path of saying, yeah, I'm on this train.

2:23 You know what?

2:24 It's going to make for great television. We'll find out who's going to win round number three next week on the show. The reality is if you had some of these players, you had probably a pretty good chance of winning your week. Joe Burrow, the ones, your top fantasy quarterback. Tony Pollard did not see that coming in the running back spot. JSN, who's on my fantasy team, he's the reason why I'm in first place in our league. Trey McBride, the tight end, just continues to ball out a slew of kickers. Aubrey Santos and Lutz all sitting with 14 points in the Bucs defense.

2:52 Well, they actually had a pretty good performance. And welcome back to the party, Baker Mayfield.

2:57 So if you look inside that crystal ball there that's in front of you, or at least to the side of your camera right now, Trevor, tell me the quarterback that you think could be in the number one spot next week.

3:07 I like Drake May this week.

3:08 He's going up against some IMB Dolphins team that is a little bit more competitive than I think people expected this season.

3:15 But all that to say, they are still one of the lower tier teams in the NFL.

3:20 And I think Drake May is going to have the ability to, one, take advantage of their defense and rack.

3:24 Up points just in general that way.

3:25 But I also wonder if on the other side of things, the offense is really starting to hit their stride and the Dolphins.

3:31 Maybe are going to put up more points than you would expect.

3:33 That forces the Patriots to keep their foot on the gas pedal a little bit more. That means More Drake May yards, more Drake May points. I got Drake May in the QB1 spot this week. And then for running back, I'm going to go with B. John Robinson this week. He's taken on a Buccaneers team that he has absolutely destroyed before, especially as a receiver out of the backfield.

3:52 I know the Bucs are coming off of a really good performance where they really stifled the Carolina Panthers and really the Panthers just looked out of sorts on all three phases. But Bijan, especially going up against a linebacker unit that has struggled in coverage already. He took advantage of them in a big way last year. I know it was Sabasier Dennis who was playing in that game, but not necessarily the guys who are out there full time right now. But Bijan and this offense, I mean, they just know the Buccaneers defense really well.

4:19 So I'm going to go Bijan to be RB1 this week.

4:21 You know, it's interesting.

4:22 We showed you the ones in Joe Burrow and his team. They were scoreless in the first half against Baltimore, and it was an explosion in the second half.

4:28 We're going to keep that theme with your wide receiver.

4:30 Yeah, I'm starting with Jamar Chase here, and obviously Chase had a really good second half of the day versus the Baltimore Ravens, but if you watch the clip of him when he was talking about the game afterwards, he was fired up. He said, hey, yeah, I was one of the guys who got in the locker room after the first half, and I'm yelling at people. I'm like, hey, it's not good enough. We're not playing to our capabilities, and obviously it lit a fire under them or certainly helped with 35 unanswered points for them in the second half.

4:57 He's going up against a Titans team that... as not so great in the secondary. We kind of know that from this team. And so give me Jamar to keep that focus and that competitiveness going on in this week. And then tight end one, this is an easy one, but Trey McBride. I mean, Trey McBride is tight end one right now when it comes to fantasy overall. And I'm going to have him be the top tight end this week.

5:17 Why?

5:17 Because he's going up against the Dallas Cowboys defense that has just struggled all the way around, it feels like, to start this season. Now, with DeMarvian Overshawn back at the linebacker level, he covers tight ends a little bit better, I should say a lot of it better, than what they had out there previously, so it'll be a little bit more tough sledding, but it's still Trey McBride. I'm still betting on him here, and I think he'll be the top tight end this week.

5:39 Yeah, watching the Monday night game for Dallas, Overshawn did make a difference to that defense. By the way, I know for a fact, not the last time on today's show that we will talk about an Arizona Cardinals, so they are definitely part of the fantasy theme.

5:51 Trevor, more from you in just a moment.

5:52 But as far as the starts and sits and who you got to make sure are in your lineup and who maybe should be parked on that bench, Matakata back with us right now. And Matt, when I think about some of these quarterbacks, who's the guy that you like to make sure that we got locked in, ready to go?

6:07 Let's start it off with Kyler Murray, Amber. I know he hasn't had that kind of vintage Kyler Murray game yet with Minnesota, but I think it's coming this week. For one thing, He's averaged 45 rushing yards a game over his last two. That is super crucial to his upside for fantasy. But really, this is almost entirely about the matchup. Detroit, they just continue to elevate whatever quarterback they face. Nearly 26 fantasy points per game. They've surrendered multiple touchdown passes to every single QB they've faced. 330 offensive yards per game. I think Kyler's in line for his first 20-point outing. And then let's go from Kyler to Kirk. I don't understand the Kirk Cousins disrespect in fantasy, Yammer.

6:55 He has scored more than 18.5 fantasy points in five of his last six games. He's the QB5 over that span. He's one of just three quarterbacks averaging more than 250 passing yards and two touchdown passes per game. And the Jets have been like a mostly middling matchup, but they have given up more than 50 fancy points the last two weeks to Drake May and Malik Willis, who had a huge game against them. So I think Cousins should be rostered in every league, which he's not, and absolutely started this week.

7:25 I think the problem is there's some NFL fans, I'm going to raise my hand, and I'm going to say one of them, that thought if the losses continued to mount, this was going to be the week that we see the number one overall pick, Fernando Mendoza. It's not the case. Clint Kubiak doubled down. He's like, bro, there's a plan.

7:40 He'll eventually play. This is all about Kirk Cousins. So I think your advice on Kirk being, from a fantasy perspective, is very shrewd.

7:47 Quarterbacks to sit. You're going to stick with the Detroit game with Minnesota?

7:51 I am, and I'm taking a little bit of a risk here, Yamra. I'm going to say sit Jared Goff. Look, he has been incredible this season. He's been so efficient, honestly, in the MVP conversation. At least 18 fantasy points in every game. But this Vikings defense is terrifying. They are number one in every relevant QB metric, including fantasy points per game, where they've allowed... Hold on to your hats.

8:15 Fewer than eight fantasy points per game. Two quarterbacks, and they're very good at getting pressure, obviously with Brian Flores and his blitz. The one way to throw Goff off his game is pressure. I think they can do it on Sunday. He's still a borderline play because he's so good, but there's a handful of streamers I'd rather have. And then, all due respect, Yammer, I am not buying the Bo Nix breakout. Yes, he scored 26 fantasy points against Arizona last Sunday, which is not a tall task. But he scored 11 of those points on a single broken play rushing touchdown, which is not going to happen again. He also completed just 52% of his passes in that game.

8:53 And he's still thrown multiple touchdowns just once this season. That was back in week three. And when he faced this Chiefs defense in week one, he had 5.4 fantasy points with multiple turnovers. So I have no interest in playing Knicks even as a QB2.

9:09 Just to be fair here, Bo Nix was my bold prediction last week, so you're right. It doesn't matter how you get the points as long as you get the points, and Bo did.

9:18 I do think you make a whole.

9:19 Lot of sense, though, against this Kansas City squad here.

9:22 Running backs, I am in desperate need of one. Help me out.

9:27 Yeah.

9:27 Look, Chase Brown has been pretty disappointing this year, especially for anybody who drafted him at that 1-2 turn, but I have optimism for Week 8. He is currently one of the only running backs to have 15 plus touches in every single game, so he has that volume, just needs the boost in efficiency. I think it comes this week against the Titans. They've allowed 4.9 yards per carry and a very high explosive run rate to running backs over the past few games. Over that span, 34 fantasy points to the Quinshawn, Judkins, Dillon, Sampson combo, 21 to Jonathan Taylor. They even made Woody Marks an RB2. So I think Chase Brown has an RB2 floor and an RB1 ceiling this Sunday. And then let's go to Blake Corham.

10:08 He's been breaking out in Los Angeles. 37 touches, 233 yards, and three touchdowns over the last three weeks, which puts him basically even with Kyron Williams in fantasy points. for this offense, and I don't think it's a fluke, and the big reason, Yammer, is his red zone usage. Ten touches on 22 snaps in the red zone these past three weeks. He had one touch on five red zone snaps through week four, so McVay likes him in the red zone a lot now. He's using him there, and that role for McVay in the Rams offense has always been huge for fantasy, so I'm starting him up.

10:43 Yeah, it's ginormous and a huge win for the Rams. I think Blake's performance sort of eye-opening for fantasy owners. Who are you sitting now at this point based off of what you've seen at least last.

10:53 Week or the last few weeks?

10:55 Yeah, last few weeks, J.K. Dobbins has been surprisingly good because he scored a touchdown in three straight weeks. But I think regression is coming, Yammer. Even before last week, he was averaging fewer than 50 total yards a game. And then Jonah Coleman returned and cratered his opportunities. 21% of the snaps for Dobbins. 23 yards on six carries against the Cardinals. I don't like that usage. And then they get the Chiefs, who have allowed the fifth fewest rushing yards per game. And very importantly, the second lowest red zone touchdown rate in the entire league. So they are a perfect counter to Dobbins and what he's been lately.

11:33 I do not like him at all, even in flex territory. And then Travion Henderson, Yammer. I think he's frankly closer to drop territory at this point than start territory. He has scored fewer than five fantasy points in five straight games. He's been outproduced by Corey Kiner, who's supposed to be the third stringer, but really has not been these past few weeks. Henderson has not been efficient. He doesn't have the early down roll, the pass catching roll, the goal line roll. He doesn't even have the salt the game away roll, which might be useful against Miami. So I don't like him at all this week. And if he has another dud, He might be hitting waiver wires as far as I'm concerned.

12:11 Yeah, he's sitting in my RB1 spot. I just want to.

12:14 float that i told you man i'm in desperate need dude i am in desperate need of a running back i think i've peppered the entire uh league at this point asking begging for anyone who has that designation just to go and start so uh matt more from you in just a moment including trevor by the way unique perspective on jsn in just a moment but josh allen yeah joshy poo in the bazooka arm why chase daskalos is putting his money behind the biggest arm in the nfl dfs we're chasing the points next.

12:46 Guy is an absolute machine.

12:48 We told you a little bit earlier, week seven, your wide receiver number one, Jackson Smith and Jigba. JSN right now on a fantasy record pace. He's got 196.16 fantasy points so far this season. That is the most through seven games of a campaign, passing his teammate Cooper Cup when he was with the Rams back in 2021.

13:07 Your start sits receivers coming up in a couple minutes.

13:10 But time to roll. Chase and points. Chase Daskalos is with us right now. Got an opportunity to build a DFS lineup for you.

13:18 Chase, always good to have you on the show, man. Let's start with the quarterbacks. Where do you want to spend some of your money?

13:23 Yeah, if we're spending up and paying top dollar for a quarterback, the whole idea here is guaranteed fantasy points. The definition of that is Josh Allen. I mean, the guy's averaging nearly 27 fantasy points per game. He's well rested coming off a bye week. and I really like this game against the Ravens, especially if Lamar Jackson does end up playing. A much cheaper option, it's not always pretty, but Jacoby Brissett can get it done, especially in friendly matchups.

13:47 He actually leads the NFL in dropbacks so far this year, so you know the volume is going to be there. The Cowboys defense has allowed the fourth most Fantasy points to quarterbacks so far this season.

13:56 I like the Brissette call by you coming up a little bit later here on the show.

13:59 I'm going to make a case for Michael Wilson as one of my bold predictions. Running backs.

14:04 Tell me the guy out of that backfield that you think is worth every single penny.

14:08 So Jameer Gibbs is normally the standout play here, but the matchup against the Vikings has me leaning a different direction. We're going to go with Kenneth Walker against the Broncos. And when I say Broncos defense, that normally creates a cause for concern for Not this season. They've actually allowed the fifth most rushing yards per game through week seven.

14:26 I think this is a very underrated bounce back spot for Kenneth Walker and the Chiefs. If you're paying down in that middle tier, there's a guy that sticks out and it's Bashal Tootin. He has been so close multiple times to massive games on the ground. Just hasn't quite happened yet. But this is a really good spot with his workload against a Colts rush defense, allowing the fifth most yards per carry.

14:45 Feels like Tootin is definitely starting to turn a corner here. Wide receivers, man, it could be all the difference from a win or a loss, especially in some of those PPR leagues from a fantasy perspective.

14:54 DFS, who do you like?

14:57 Well, if you told me that the NFL's leader in targets so far this season was getting to play against the Arizona Cardinals defense, I would not care how much he costs. That's what you're getting with CeeDee Lamb in Week 8. 81 targets, the most in the league. Arizona is allowing the second most fantasy points per opportunity to wide receivers. If you're looking for that salary saver, Omar Cooper Jr. is on fire and his price is still super cheap. He is fantasy's wide receiver four over the last two weeks since returning from IR in week one.

15:25 I see no good reason why this shouldn't continue against a very struggling Raiders defense.

15:29 Yeah, I like the call on Cooper Jr.

15:31 There's been some flashes and some moments from this Jets team where you start saying like, hey, there's some opportunities right now. For the squad, maybe they can pick up some wins. More importantly, score some points, especially if you are a guy that likes Cooper and agrees with Chase. My man, it's always good to have you on the show.

15:45 Always appreciate the insight. And let's get right back to the start sits. Matakata back with us right now. I know you were just sort of like dishing some serious intel on everyone who's not a pass catcher.

15:56 So a wide receiver. Give me two. Give me guys that I need to make sure are ready to go and will ball out.

16:02 Yeah, I had him as a sit last week, and he was not good, but I like Garrett Wilson for a bounce back this week against the Raiders. Omar Cooper Jr., the rookie over there in New York, he is breaking out, but Wilson is still the wide receiver one, and I actually like both of them against Vegas. Their defense has allowed double-digit fantasy points to six wideouts over their last three games and 11 touchdowns to the position all year, which is the most in the league. And they've specifically allowed the highest success rate and EPA per play on short throws, which is where Wilson sees more than 60% of his targets. So I think he's a wide receiver one or borderline wide receiver one once again this week.

16:42 And then from one wide receiver one to another, a new one in Washington, Stephon Diggs is now the top dog for the Commanders with Scary Terry McLaurin out for the season. For what it's worth, he was already seeing the highest target share on the team. Diggs was at just over 20%. But with McLaurin and his 18% share now sidelined, I think Diggs will have to step up for Jaden Daniels and company in this offense. He was a wide receiver, too, for fantasy in a similar role for New England last year. And this week, on Sunday night, he gets the Eagles, who have allowed the second most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. So I think you start him up for sure this week, and I think he has a strong role the rest of the

17:23 season and can be played throughout the year.

17:26 You know, Matt, I'm going to take everyone a little inside baseball here because we have researchers that work on the show. Raza, who usually wears commander's gear, did inform me that this is the first time. It took about two months to hear anything positive about his Washington squad. So, look, we got here. It took a little bit of time, but we did get here. Part of it coming off of an injury to Scary Terry, so I don't know what to make of that. Who are you making sure is sitting on the bench?

17:51 I am all the way out on Roma Dunze this week. Look, he's been kind of oddly consistent this year, but it's been consistently about seven fantasy points. He scored 11 or more just once, and he does not have a single touchdown in 2026. And now he takes on the Seahawks secondary. Seattle has allowed The fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers, just under 92 receiving yards per game to the entire position, which is roughly 60 yards under the league median per game. The upside has not been there for Odunze all year. I just don't see it appearing in this matchup against this defense. He's outside wide receivers.

18:32 Three territory for me.

18:34 Yeah, it's wild, man.

18:35 Hasn't scored since week 10 of last year. And you think about some of the issues without Caleb Wilson. You almost want to give the mulligan, but you're right. The sample size, at least right now, big enough where you say, hey, make sure he's sitting on the bench. By the way, Matt just gave us some starts and sits across the board.

18:48 He goes way deeper, way more names. All you have to do is check out NFL.com slash start sit. You're right at the bottom of the screen. And if you're listening, that's where you need to go. Matt, more from you in just a moment. But got an opportunity to find out who Trevor thinks needs to find a spot in your lineup.

19:03 Time for sick flexes. So sell me on some names, man. Which way are we going?

19:08 Okay. I know Matt talked about correctly that this matchup is sort of tough when you're looking at the defense you're going up against, but I am going to go with Jonah Coleman here, the running back for the Denver Broncos. And the reason why is because one, I think that we're trending in that direction. I think they really, really, really, really want Jonah Coleman to work. So they're going to put him out there and give him a lot of opportunities for that to be the case. Also, I think game script wise, you want to keep Mahomes on the sidelines.

19:34 So yes, the Chiefs have been fantastic holding the line of scrimmage, getting to backs as they are hitting the line, top and stuff rate and average at the tackle.

19:43 They're really good as well.

19:44 But I feel it's just that Coleman is in for the volume, in my opinion, in this game. So I think that is what makes him special. a flex play there. I also like wide receiver Michael Wilson here, and we talked about this a little bit.

19:58 For Trey McBride, but.

20:01 they're going to have to keep pace with Dallas' offense. And we know that Dallas' defense has not been the best in the NFL, to put it lightly or diplomatically, this season. And it feels like every time the Cardinals need a big day on offense, Michael Wilson has that volume.

20:18 They are not afraid to go to him.

20:20 You know, if it's a game where it's a little bit more low-scoring, Okay, they're going to try to get the run game going. Obviously, they're going to run things through Trey McBride. Yes, Wilson gets some action. But in those games where you go, oh boy, we might have to score 35 or 40 points this week, Michael Wilson's targets and honestly his return on investment goes up a lot.

20:39 So he's my play there. And then the last one that I have here is you're kind of taking a throw at the dartboard with one of the tight ends for the Los Angeles Rams.

20:50 But give me Tyler Higbee in this one. He's somebody who.

20:54 Obviously, the Rams want to get their tight ends involved a lot more. And I just like him overall here with this matchup. He ran 16 routes last week. He got three targets, only two catches for 14 yards. But I feel as though when I watched the Rams last week, they wanted to get a little bit more diverse in where the ball was going beyond just Puka Nakua. Now, Nakua was obviously the leader of the passing attack, but not quite as much from a percentage standpoint. They want to get those more tight ends involved, and I know it's tough picking one of these guys, but give me Higby in this.

21:25 One just because of the matchup, and I think that's where that softness is going.

21:28 Yeah, no, I like it.

21:29 By the way, just to be on the record here, Jonah Coleman, who was sitting on IR, I did send you a trade request, which you flat out said no.

21:37 Now I know why, because he's one of your sick flexes. Because I manifest.

21:41 Because that's what we do here on this show. We manifest, yeah.

21:44 We do a lot of manifesting on this show.

21:47 All right, let's get to some bold predictions now, an opportunity to make a claim things are going to go in a good way.

21:52 Time for hot takes.

21:53 So we add the thought here because we're knocking on the door of Halloween. We got a Halloween theme edition of some bold takes right now.

22:00 So, Matt, I'm going to let you tee it off here. Give me your guy.

22:05 All righty.

22:05 Let's start with Dak Prescott. I think he drops everything. Five touchdowns on the Cardinals. We've hit on this game multiple times. There's good reason. It's going to be high scoring. Our producer came up with the name Scream for this hot take, Yammer. This would be Scream 5, I think. Is that fair to say, Scream 5?

22:23 Or 22, one or the other.

22:26 Correct.

22:26 The Cardinals are one of the best matchups in the league for fantasy quarterbacks. Second most points per game to the position. League high touchdown rate. League high 17 touchdown passes. They're particularly bad against wide receivers, and we know what Dak has at that position. So I think they're a perfect victim for him, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens. He throws four through the air and adds one on the ground just for fun to make it five.

22:51 So by the way, I butchered that. I didn't even realize there really is a Scream 5. I just knew that there was like a million of them. Five touchdowns for Dak Prescott. I see where you did there, by the way. Nev Campbell, who was in Scream. Sidney Prescott, the character name. So we're coming full circle here.

23:07 Trevor?

23:09 Dude, you're like, yeah, we got there. Who's your guy?

23:12 So I feel bad because Matt just said that Dak Prescott was getting five touchdowns. I thought calling Jaden Daniels getting two and two, two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns.

23:23 Was enough, but that's what I think could happen this week.

23:26 Going up against a Philadelphia defense that, man, feels like a shell of itself from what we saw a couple of years ago and even last year. And Jaden Daniels, look, I know a lot of people harp on some of the mental mistakes that he had with those two big plays. He's playing really good football when he has been out there and healthy. So give me Jaden Daniels going two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns against the Eagles.

23:47 He could be shining, as in the shining. By the way, boy's character name is Daniels. Anthony Torrance. Like, just this much of a stretch, but it still works here. Michael Wilson, his name has now popped up. Trevor told you about him. I'll double down, and I'm going to talk about this dude as potentially a top five wide receiver. Number one, love the matchup against Dallas. Number two, hasn't had a 100-yard receiving game so far. There's no Marvin Harrison into the mix. I think he gets to the century mark with the touchdown, and this, the layup of layups.

24:15 Yeah, of course, Halloween. It's Wilson. It's Michael Wilson. How about Michael Myers, right?

24:22 I don't know. I'm not a scary movie type of person. I just want to throw that out there. Producer Mossy is. He comes with all the creative things that we do on the show.

24:29 So kudos. Brush your teeth after eating the candy.