- 9 hours ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome back to Newswire here on Sports Grid. Big week in fantasy football. For those of you,
00:04it could be make or break. It's Thanksgiving Day and night. We have three games Thursday,
00:10one game on Friday. So by the time you get to the weekend, you can know your fate and your
00:14opponent's fate as well. Let's bring in Joe Pizzoppia from, of course, Sports Grid and
00:17Fantasy Pros and Fantasy Black Book as well. Joe, great to have you here on the show. Happy
00:22Thanksgiving. And here we go, man. You know, a lot of fun usually on Thanksgiving Day. A lot
00:28of players that people are going to be using. I don't see a dud on the schedule, at least to
00:32start with. So this is going to be a very active week. A tremendous slate of games. In fact, I
00:36would say in recent memory, it's the best slate of Thanksgiving games we've ever had in theory,
00:42which means I'm sure they'll all be super boring and they will underperform, right? That's exactly
00:45what we're thinking. But that Kansas City-Dallas game means a lot to both of those teams right now.
00:50That's going to be a very hot game right in the middle. You get the Joe Burrow return at night
00:53and you get that old rivalry, right? A game that really matters is these two teams in the NFC North,
00:58the Lions and the Packers are jockeying for a position in that division behind the Chicago Bears,
01:02if you can believe it right now. So a really interesting slate for sure. And then, of course,
01:07Black Friday game too, Eagles and Chicago Bears, two, eight, three teams, a very good holiday slate.
01:14Definitely so. Can't wait to get through them all. All right. So there's no bye weeks this week.
01:18Everybody is playing, which does create the issue, at least for the best player in fantasy this season,
01:22Christian McCaffrey is going to have a bye week next week, which really stinks for a lot of people
01:26there. But this past week, we had the top, I think, performance of anybody in fantasy football
01:31this season, if I'm not mistaken. Jameer Gibbs, 15 attempts, 219 yards, three total touchdowns,
01:37and also 11 receptions. Number one overall. Speaking of number one overall, Joe Jackson,
01:41Smith, and Jigba, his pace is for 2,000 yards. He had a huge week. And then the Cowboys came back to
01:46beat the Eagles as well. So highlight the winners for me here.
01:50Well, certainly Jameer Gibbs, let's start there. Now, the amazing performance by Jameer Gibbs,
01:56an underwhelming performance by the Giants defense too. Finally, the coordinator got fired.
02:00I mean, you blow so many fourth quarter leads. It's unbelievable. But how he breaks free in that
02:06overtime without even a hand on him is beyond me. I don't understand that, but great job by Jameer
02:11Gibbs. Now it's a short week coming back from that monstrous performance too. I don't have a lot of
02:15questions of how he's going to perform. Obviously you're not taking him out of your lineup,
02:18but I think your expectations should still be pretty high regardless of the fact it's a quick
02:22turnaround because it's such an important in-division game. It's all hands on deck here
02:26as the Lions again are fighting for spot there. You know, right now everybody is behind Chicago
02:31and JSN. You mentioned it. We were having that conversation during the week already. Is JSN the
02:37number one overall pick next year? And it's a conversation we have to have. You look at the
02:41amount of volume he has, the way the funnel of targets goes towards him next year. That is
02:47incredibly, incredibly enticing because sure you have Jamar Chase. We'll see what the Vikings do
02:53a quarterback next year. Justin Jefferson back on that mix. Jonathan Taylor, let's see how his carry
02:58volume carries over year over year. But JSN, the fact that he is the guy and all the targets go to
03:03him and nobody seems to have an answer for it right now. That is incredibly tempting to anoint him as at least
03:09a top three pick, maybe even consideration for number one overall. Yeah, I agree. I mean,
03:14I think he could be the number one overall pick. I think McCaffrey could capture that again. Maybe
03:19Jonathan Taylor based on the end of the season, but certainly Jackson Smith and Jigba has been
03:23fantastic this year. All right. So those are the winners this week. Now let's go to the other side
03:29of the coin, which unfortunately is the Minnesota Vikings at this point. You know, I mean, how do you
03:34even start Justin Jefferson at this point? Addison, I guess he got a bench now. He gets nothing.
03:39But J.J. McCarthy has just been awful for the Vikings that people are calling for Max Brosmer
03:45to start this week. Baker Mayfield got hurt. All of a sudden, the Bucs offense has gone downhill.
03:50And speaking of which, the Raiders. Oh my gosh, Joe, they're playing like the worst team in the NFL
03:55and it's not close. No, we could start with the Raiders. They fired their offensive coordinator.
04:00Finally, Chip Kelly, which I did not realize this until he got fired that he was the highest paid
04:05offensive court in the NFL. And what a joke that has been on the Las Vegas Raiders. So we'll see
04:11what happens to them offensively. They've got to do a better job of protecting Gino Smith.
04:14And also, I don't think the secret sauce is Gino Smith throwing the ball 40 times in a game.
04:18Like, I don't think that's what you want it for either. J.J. McCarthy is a tough one because I think
04:22a lot of us, you know, if you like football, you like the energy that J.J. McCarthy brings.
04:26But the fact that he was a younger quarterback who missed significant development time, missed
04:29an entire year of football. And this isn't, you know, him trying to figure things out here in
04:34September and October at the beginning of a season. He's trying to figure things out here
04:37after another injury in the middle of a season, in the heat of the moment. And it's just a really
04:42bad set of circumstances and timing. And I would be shocked, Craig, if we go into next year with him
04:47as the only quarterback or the starting quarterback, at least a veteran to compete. I could see a
04:53Jameis Winston. I could even see a Jacoby Brissett, who's played incredibly well. Could
04:56you imagine Brissett, what he's done there with some of those weapons in Arizona, going
05:00there with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison? I mean, that could be a really spectacular
05:04fit. He is going to end up somewhere considering how well he's played down the stretch. So
05:08McCarthy, unfortunately, I think is going to be a guy that's going to have to sit back
05:11and let somebody else play next year. Otherwise, the Vikings are going to be in a complete
05:15rebuild mode. And I don't think they want to be there. And then last but not least,
05:18that's Baker Mayfield injury with the shoulder. We've been here before with that other
05:22non-throwing shoulder. It's going to have a huge effect here, his health. We're going to monitor
05:25it the rest of the week. But still, it seems like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just can't get
05:30outside of the injury bug. They get Bucky Irving returning, Godwin returning, and now Baker Mayfield
05:36hurt. They just can't seem to catch a break and Mike Evans still on the shelf. Yeah, they were
05:40playing great football early in the year. That's sort of gone the other way. Okay, it's a little bit
05:44of a quiet week, I think, in fantasy for the waiver wire too, especially when you consider,
05:50yes, Joe Burrow is back. And so some folks will jump on Andre Yosivas of the Bengals. But generally
05:57speaking, Joe, the way that this works is I think some people love the fact that they'll have a guy
06:02on Thanksgiving. There are other people who'll be like, oh, I'll just wait till Sunday and have
06:05somebody better for the matchup. But he's been the hot pickup at wide receiver because Tee Higgins
06:08is not going to play. You know, the name that's interesting to me, and I know the Saints are horrendous,
06:14but Devin Neal, I mean, I don't know. I could see the Saints just not playing Alvin Kamara the rest of the
06:19year. And I believe New Orleans plays Miami this week. So that's not a horrendous matchup there.
06:23I would expect him to get picked up as well. It's rare, Joe, at this stage of the game that
06:27any starting running back could potentially be available. So I would assume Neal's number would
06:32go up before the end of the week. It would. I mean, he wouldn't be the only guy getting work
06:36there. But Miami's actual defense against the run has been better in the last couple weeks very
06:41quietly. So it's not the cakewalk that it was in the first six, seven weeks of the season.
06:45However, I do agree with you, Devin Neal. We have Alvin Kamara. You have to add him this
06:49week. There's no doubt about that. And he is a guy that has some upside. And of course,
06:53going to get a lot of volume with that rookie quarterback, Tyler Shook, under center.
06:58Jaden Higgins, certainly, I think, appealing as well. You've seen him start to work into
07:00this offense more. Davis Mills has made the most out of that time with Jaden Higgins.
07:04He's just rostered in 23 percent of leagues. He looked good last Thursday against Buffalo,
07:08had a touchdown in that game. Yoshi Voss is in play, as you mentioned, as well, because of
07:12the T Higgins injury. But again, I think a lot of us have big fat question marks on whether
07:16or not, you know, Joe Burrow's really ready to come back. I know the season's hanging on
07:20by a thread. They have a 1% chance to make the playoffs. But, you know, that's like telling
07:24Joe Burrow in Dumb and Dumber. So you're saying there's a chance, right? That's what Joe Burrow
07:29hears. And then the last guy, too, that I would not overlook on this list is John Mechie.
07:34Now, back in the day, I know Craig is old enough and so am I to remember Alabama, John Mechie,
07:38who was the guy that moved the chains for teams that went to the national championship.
07:43Jameson Williams was the guy that took the top off the defense. He was the big play guy.
07:46But the receiver who was that guy who was just getting the volume was John Mechie,
07:50came into the league with a terrible Houston Texans team, then got diagnosed with cancer,
07:55then a long comeback a few teams later. Here he is. And that was getting an opportunity
07:59with Tyrod Taylor. And he's looked good these last couple of weeks. So Tyler Lockett.
08:02And I think that John Mechie are two guys that if you're in deeper leagues,
08:06you mentioned there's no buys. So everybody's playing. So a lot of people just kind of ignore
08:10guys on the waiver wire. Don't because week 14 is going to have a lot of teams on the buy again,
08:15a lot of important players, especially a receiver. So go ahead and get ahead of that curve this week.
08:19Don't be lazy about it as we're getting very, very close to the fantasy playoff starting.
08:24Let me go back real quick to Arizona. You mentioned it maybe for dynasty leagues, too.
08:28I mean, Joe, as somebody like yourself who watched Brissette play with New England,
08:33do you really believe what you're seeing here that he legitimate? I mean, he's never done what
08:37he's doing right now with Arizona. I know Geno Smith had never did what he did also when he came
08:42to Seattle. But I sort of feel like, you know, again, no disrespect that there's some fool's gold
08:47here. Like, I don't know. I mean, he was with Miami and played when Tua was out. He did nothing
08:51at all the whole time he was there. But do you remember he I believe they were five and three or six and
08:56two when he was the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns a few years ago, played very well for them.
09:01And then Deshaun Watson came back and took over. So Brissette's had some moments. You can't compare
09:05anybody having good work with that Gerard Mayo team of last year. It was a complete disaster for
09:10the Patriots offense. So I think Brissette is at least showing, hey, I'm a viable competitor for a
09:15job next year. Yeah, it should be Michael Wilson. Thanks him, by the way, for playing. No doubt about
09:21that. All right, Joe, happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, by the way. We'll see you next week.
Be the first to comment