Fantasy Football Podcast
Episode Guide To Help You Win Your Fantasy Football League!
9/1/23: 2023 Draft Season Huggy & Baggy Awards
We've finally reached the end of fantasy football draft previews, strategies and conundra. Today we'll hand out the hardware, talking about the potential fantasy draft picks that make us nervous and hopeful, nominating most- and least-valuable players for fantasy in 2023, and deciding what business Calvin Ridley should start with Rashaad Penny. It's our annual end-of-summer special: the Huggy Awards followed by the Baggy Awards. Big fun! Guest: Cousin Josh (@DetectiveFisch).
8/31/23: Listener Request Episode 2023
It's the time of draft season when we turn the show over to *you*, and answer your questions. Are changes to the NFL permanently changing fantasy positional strategies? Who's the last QB we'd feel confident starting without drafting another QB? Is Justin Fields being overrated? Who would win in a 40-yard dash? We'll tackle serious questions and silly ones, and also react to the news that Jeff Wilson has headed to Injured Reserve! Guest: Andy Behrens of Yahoo! Fantasy (@andybehrens).
8/30/23: Late-Round Players We Love & Jonathan Taylor's Fate
When the double-digit rounds arrive, who will you take? Today's episode is devoted to the players *we* find *ourselves* taking late in fantasy drafts; some have high-upside, some have undervalued safe floors, and all of them could wind up being fantasy football bargains in 2023. We'll also discuss NFL Cutdown Day, and in particular what remains now that Jonathan Taylor apparently will not play in September and perhaps beyond that. Guest: JJ Zachariason from LateRound.com (@LateRoundQB).
8/29/23: Players For 2023 We're Worried We Might Be Wrong About
In this business, you have to make a call on everyone! And so we do it, we come up with the players you think will overachieve in 2023 and the players we wouldn't select at their current ADPs...but what if we're wrong? Today we'll look at players we aren't changing our takes on, but we understand how those takes could come back to bite us because of each guy's particular talent and circumstances. Also we'll talk some more about how pick location is influencing snake-draft roster construction this season. Guest: Scott Pianowski of Yahoo! Fantasy (@scott_pianowski).
8/28/23: Unbuzzed-About Players & Superflex and No-TE Draft Strategies
No news can be good news! As the rest of our fantasy football drafts approach, today we'll discuss some possible draftees who've had very quiet Augusts. You haven't heard lots of debate about them, they haven't suffered injuries or had to worry about very much about losing their jobs -- they're just plugging away, and as such might not be front of mind when your draft day arrives. Also we'll talk about general superflex strategies and also about leagues where tight end has been folded into a flex with wideouts. Guest: Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com (@SigmundBloom).
8/25/23: Super-Deep Sleepers Part 2 - And WARP ZONE Players
Today we'll continue listing our super-deep sleepers for fantasy football in 2023: players you really probably shouldn't draft in a regular 12-team, 16-round league, but who could wind up making an impact if things fall correctly for them during the season. These might be the waiver wire guys we're in early on, and who win us leagues! Plus we'll do Cousin Josh's Warp Zone players: guys Josh thinks will outperform their ADPs by at least two rounds! Guest: Cousin Josh (@DetectiveFisch).
8/24/23: Super-Deep Sleepers For 2023 - Part 1
Today we're giving you names you shouldn't draft! This is the annual Super-Deep Sleeper list, which contains guys who probably aren't draftable in most 12-team leagues, but they're cool players we think might have a chance to pop if given an opportunity in 2023. This is not your typical sleeper list, but it will put names on your radar screen for if/when they become viable waiver claims as the season progresses. Guest: Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Fantasy (@MattHarmon_BYB).
8/23/23: Dynasty Ups & Downs Plus Kyle Pitts Film Study
Today we'll talk about some younger players who've seen their fantasy football stocks change over the past six months or so. Certainly this is useful for those of us who participate in dynasty leagues, but it's also another angle for us to discuss our expecations for 2023 as well. Plus we'll break down Kyle Pitts's game film to decide what the heck happened with him last year, and review the injuries to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf. Guest: Pat Fitzmaurice of FantasyPros (@Fitz_FF).
8/22/23: Five Safe Players Plus Auction Values & Positional Runs
At certain points in your fantasy draft, you need to go *safe*! That's the main theme of today's podcast: players you can take in the early/middle rounds who'll minimize the risk in your fantasy football build. It's a day for high floors! We'll also discuss why default values aren't particularly necessary for your auction drafts, and what strategies you should think about when positional runs happen early in your snake draft. Plus a snarkbag and a mixtape! Wow! Guest: Jeff Erickson of Rotowire (@Jeff_Erickson).
8/21/23: Five Busts For 2023 & Updating Ranks
What makes a fantasy football bust? Is it someone who "craters" your team? Is it someone whose price tag is too high? Is it someone who flat-out cannot play? Yes! Any of these! Today we'll dig into the NFL players we will *not* be taking in fantasy football leagues this year, in our 2023 Bust List. We'll also update the ranks with particular attention paid to the news about Javonte Williams and Josh Jacobs, and discuss what to do with the other contract-holdout RBs if you're drafting this weekend. Guest: Patrick Daugherty of Rotoworld (@RotoPat).
8/18/23: Flag Players 5 Thru 1 & Cousin Josh's Frag Players
We're down to the best of the best. We'll resume our Flag Players list from Thursday and find the players we think represent the best value in your fantasy football drafts in 2023. It's no easy thing, as the early/mid rounds of drafts are probably more jumbled and filled with warts than ever before, but we'll pick out the guys we're targeting. And then we'll also do the opposite: Cousin Josh will point out five ADPs he absolutely hates, and therefore players he absolutely will not be drafting. Big fun! Guest: Cousin Josh (@DetectiveFisch).
8/17/23: Flag Players 10 Thru 6 & Offenses We Might Be Wrong About
It's that time of year. It's time to plant some flags on some players for fantasy football 2023. Which running backs and wide receivers (and quarterbacks!) are coming at good value in most fantasy drafts, and where should you consider taking them? It's an annual tradition: the Flag List...and we'll count down the first half on today's show. Then we'll also start questioning the assumptions that underpin a bunch of our rankings by listing the offensive players and situations we simply might be wrong about. Guest: Dave Kluge of Football Guys (@DaveKluge).
8/16/23: Handicapping The NFL In 2023 & TJ Hockenson Film
Who's winning the NFL's rushing title in 2023? Who'll lead the league in passing yards? Which team has the most favorable odds to make and miss the playoffs? Today we're hunting over/under season win totals we like, talking about teams we think the market is undervaluing, and digging overall into the upcoming season from a handicapping perspective! We'll also discuss some changes in our overall fantasy ranks, and watch some film on Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. Guest: Chris Raybon of the Action Network (@ChrisRaybon).
8/15/23: ADP Surprises & Dalvin and Zeke Sign!
Dalvin Cook and Zeke Elliott have new teams! And their landing spots matter very much for fantasy football. We'll discuss Cook to the Jets and Elliott to the Patriots. Then we'll dig into Average Draft Position for 2023 as we currently understand it, and discuss the things the fantasy market is doing so far that surprise us most, both in terms of actual players being over- and under-valued and overall positional trends. Guest: Jake Ciely of The Athletic (@allinkid).
8/14/23: Rookies For 2023 & NFL Injury Updates
There's too much rookie hype in 2023! That's because there's too much rookie hype *every* year! We'll try and sort through the noise and figure out what we should do with the 2023 fantasy football rookies, including the big names like Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and then also find a few rookie busts and some first-year players who we think will surprise on the positive side! We'll also review the weekend's injury news and camp buzz. Guest: MattWaldman of FootballGuys.com and the Rookie Scouting Portfolio (@MattWaldman).
8/11/23: Risk Factors & ADP Of First 3 Rounds
For the first time this summer, we crack open ADP just a little bit! We'll examine what players are going in the first three rounds of fantasy football drafts, and comment on what we think of the order. But the main event today is to discuss the risk profiles of each player in 2023's top 36, and rank how scary they might be to draft on a scale of 1 to 10. Big fun! Guest: Cousin Josh (@DetectiveFisch).
8/10/23: Players We Love & Michael Pittman Film
Sometimes you just wanna discuss things you supremely enjoy seeing on a football field. That's our main topic for today: players we heart-emoji. Some of them are good for fantasy football -- and we'll point out which ones -- but some are just ballers whose games we admire. We'll also break down Michael Pittman's disappointing 2022 film, do a listener snarkbag *and* play a great listener mixtape. Guest: Brandon Funston of The Athletic (@BrandonFunston).
8/9/23: Post-Hype Sleepers For 2023 & Joe Mixon Film
Sometimes the fundamentals we liked about a player still apply even after a season in which he disappointed. That's the philosophy behind today's episode: we'll try and dig out some names of guys who were going higher in drafts last year, but who still have a decent amount of sneaky value for 2023. We'll also dig into Joe Mixon's '22 film and try and figure out whether he's in danger of tanking your team if you make him an early pick. Guest: Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Fantasy. (@JameyEisenberg)
8/8/23: Five Swing Players For 2023
Every year in the early rounds of your fantasy draft, you'll have to make a call on someone you know carries immense risk: a running back, wide receiver, quarterback or tight end who could win your league if he hits, or deliver a devastating blow to your chances if he doesn't. Today we'll count down some "swing players" who fit that description -- they can swing your league one way or the other -- and talk about whether we'll take the plunge in our own drafts. We'll also reflect on the podcast's talent evaluation methodologies and try and understand some of our highest profile "misses." Guest: Andy Behrens of Yahoo! Fantasy (@andybehrens).
8/7/23: Film Room Zeroes & Elijah Moore Film Review
What's the opposite of a Film Room Hero? A Film Room Zero! Because it rhymes! In fact, the players we mention on today's show aren't *really* "zeroes," but they're guys we suspect aren't as good on the football field as their reputation would have you believe. That doesn't necessarily mean we'd *never* take them in a fantasy football draft, but it does mean we approach them with some suspicion. Plus we'll review Elijah Moore's game film from his disastrous 2022 season with the Jets and wonder whether there'll be more meat on the bone in his first season with the Browns. Guest: Jim McCormick of ESPN (@_JimmyMcCormick).
8/4/23: Acid Reflux All-Stars & The State Of NFL RBs
Hope drafting that guy doesn't give you the stress farts! Today we'll count down a list of players we may actually *take* at their draft value, but we'll feel pretty stressed while we do it. Which quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends will produce the very worst upset tummies in 2023? We'll tell you today. Plus we'll weigh in on the NFL discourse around running backs and their contracts. Big fun! Guest: Cousin Josh (@DetectiveFisch).
8/3/23: Film Room Heroes & Chris Olave Film Review
We watch a *lot* of game film, and sometimes guys just stand out. We're devoting most of today's show to players whose film we simply enjoy, because they have some trait on film that makes them stand apart from other players at their positions. We'll also talk about second-year Saints receiver Chris Olave who we (and everyone else) project to take a leap into the fantasy stratosphere...will review *his* game film and tell you why! Guest: Brett Kollmann of the Film Room YouTube channel (@BrettKollmann).
8/2/23: Offensive Line Grades, Khalil Herbert Film & More!
O-lines matter! We may not be perfect when it comes to predicting whether new offensive line configurations will work, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try! Today we'll assess a few blocking units that could surprise and provide fantasy value to skill weapons, and some that might wind up being a mess in 2023. We'll also review film on Bears RB Khalil Herbert, do a snarkbag, play a music digression, and more! Guest: Ross Tucker of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast (@RossTuckerNFL) with music from Buck St. Thomas.
8/1/23: Players Who Could Lose Their Jobs & Diontae Johnson Film
We always enter August believing we completely understand the NFL depth charts, and we're always surprised when it turns out that we don't! On today's show, we'll forecast some veteran players we're a little nervous about, and the newer players who could threaten their depth-chart primacy. We'll also discuss a couple training camp injuries, and dig into the disastrous 2022 game film from Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson to decide whether he'll be hopeless again in '23. Guest: Denny Carter of Rotoworld (@CDCarter13).
7/31/23: Most Important August Storylines & Brock Purdy Film
We're back to daily! The Little Podcast That Could returns to its every-day routine, building up to your fantasy football draft. Today we'll pick from along all the training camp stories we talked about in July, and come up with the players and situations that we'll be paying *most* attention to throughout August. Which fantasy RBs are on the hot seat? Which young QBs could set our ranks spiraling? Plus: some revisionist film-watching on 49ers QB Brock Purdy. Guest: Dave Richard of CBS Fantasy (@DaveRichard).
7/28/23: Brandon Aiyuk Film And Previewing AFC East Training Camps
Aaron Rodgers brings a new hope to the Jets. The Bills and Patriots could feature new-look backfields. The Dolphins have a mess of running backs and a quarterback who could explode if he stays healthy. Today we'll dig into the teams of the AFC East and discuss what we'll be watching out for as training camps proceed. Plus Brandon Aiyuk's fantasy football stock gets dinged because the 49ers have "Too Many Mouths To Feed." Is that a good argument? We'll look at Aiyuk's game film, and discuss! Guest: Cousin Josh (@DetectiveFisch).
7/25/23: James Cook Film And Previewing NFC East Training Camps
The Bills and Eagles *NEVER* use full-time running backs! NEVER NEVER NEVER! Except...psst...what if they did? What if one RB on their roster was talented enough to justify something more like full-time use? Today we'll talk about whether the guys in the Buffalo and Philadelphia backfields are good enough to be "full-time" players: James Cook, D'Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny. We'll also dive into what we'll be paying attention to in training camp when it comes to the likes of Saquon Barkley, Darren Waller, Tony Pollard, Antonio Gibson, Terry McLaurin and many more. Guest: Jeff Erickson of Rotowire (@Jeff_Erickson).
7/21/23: Josh Jacobs Drama And The Rest Of AFC West Training Camps
How should you draft a fantasy team if Josh Jacobs holds out through the end of August? That’s a tough one! We’ll speculate a bit on strategies you might employ in the Vegas backfield, and also discuss what we’ll be paying attention to in training camps for the Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos. Is it worth listening to next month’s hype on Kadarius Toney or Quentin Johnston? How realistic is it that a different Chargers RB becomes part of Kellen Moore’s plan? And how will you be able to tell if Russell Wilson fluff-talk is real? Guest: Chris Raybon of the Action Network (@ChrisRaybon).
7/18/23: DeAndre Hopkins Film & Previewing NFC West Training Camps
The 49ers have great skill weapons who’ll have to rely on an unproven QB to achieve fantasy relevance (and Super Bowl glory) in 2023. We’ll preview what we’ll be looking for in Niners camp this August, and also discuss position battles and relevant news about the Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals. We’ll also break down DeAndre Hopkins’s 2022 film to decide how he might fair with his new team, the Tennessee Titans, in ‘23. Guest: Jake Ciely of The Athletic (@allinkid).
7/14/23: Justin Fields Film & Previewing AFC South Training Camps
Is Justin Fields ready to join Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts as true dual-threat game wreckers? We’ll do our best to predict the future by digging into Fields’s 2022 game film, and then we’ll preview training camps of the AFC South to help determine which storylines you should keep close tabs on and which ones you should ignore come August. Anthony Richardson, Dameon Pierce, Tyjae Spears…come on down! Guest: Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Fantasy (@MattHarmon_BYB).
7/11/23: Rachaad White Film & Previewing NFC South Training Camps
Rachaad White has a huge opportunity to take hold of the Buccaneers backfield with Leonard Fournette no longer in town. Will he take advantage? We'll dig into White's rookie tape to determine whether he has breakout potential in 2023, and also preview other teams in the NFC South to determine which players we should pay most attention to once training camps come along, including the likes of Miles Sanders, Kendre Miller, Michael Thomas, Bijan Robinson and many more. Guest: Andy Behrens of Yahoo! Fantasy (@andybehrens).
7/7/23: Calvin Ridley Film & Previewing AFC North Training Camps
What happens if Joe Mixon leaves Cincinnati? What should we pay attention to when listening to reports about Deshaun Watson and Odell Beckham? Are the Steelers doomed to repeat an unexciting offensive season? We’ll dig into the Bengals, Ravens, Steelers and Browns while focusing specifically on what we want to hear (and not hear) once August training camps arrive. Plus it’s been a long time since Calvin Ridley looked good on a football field, but let’s remind ourselves exactly how well he played back in 2020. Guest: Patrick Daugherty of Rotoworld (@RotoPat)
7/4/23: Dalvin Cook Film & Previewing NFC North Training Camps
Season 9 of the Little Podcast That Could begins now! We’ll start our preview of NFL training camps with a look at the Vikings, Lions, Packers and Bears. How might our opinions change *and* not change on players like Alexander Mattison, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Christian Watson, D.J. Moore, Khalil Herbert and more? We’ll also do a deep dive into Dalvin Cook’s 2022 film to determine whether his statistical haters have a point about his supposed loss of ability. Big fun! Welcome back! Guest: Jim McCormick of ESPN (@_JimmyMcCormick).