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00:00All right, welcome back to Newswire here on SportsGrid.
00:02Get ready over at Fantasy Pros all season long.
00:05They got you covered for fantasy football, betting pros as well.
00:08And the Fantasy Black Book for 2026 is due out next week.
00:13No, I'm just kidding.
00:13I'm going to have to wait at least two more months for that.
00:17Joe Pisapia joins me now here on the show.
00:19You like that joke, right?
00:20It's kind of accurate, though.
00:21Hey, man.
00:21It's not funny, though.
00:23It's not funny because the reality is in mid-October is when I'm going to start
00:28running the baseball one with all my friends.
00:30So it's like it never stops.
00:33Joke to you, it's real life for me, Mish.
00:36The Fantasy Flag Football Book comes out in December, too.
00:41All right, so Joe is with us here to break down the games.
00:44He promises he's going to take some dogs, so we like that.
00:48Let's start off with the first game that we're going to discuss on the board here,
00:51one of the biggest favorites of the weekend.
00:53It's the Denver Broncos.
00:55I thought this line was eight and a half.
00:57If I stand corrected, it is now down to seven and a half,
01:00so some money coming in on Tennessee.
01:01Total, 42 and a half in this game.
01:04The Broncos, super high expectations.
01:07If I had to go back and look last year,
01:09I would guess Denver was more than seven-point favorites.
01:12Maybe once.
01:13Maybe once all last season.
01:15But they're certainly expected to make a big jump.
01:18Does that happen in week one, Joe, against Tennessee?
01:21Well, I think a lot of this has to do with the opponent.
01:24And I like Cam Ward as a prospect.
01:25I'm actually cautiously optimistic.
01:27He's a very serious kid.
01:29He works really hard.
01:30I like Alec Ayo Manor a lot.
01:32He's a deep league, fantasy stash, pickup kind of guy.
01:35We're going to talk about him on FST on Sunday, too.
01:38He's available in a ton of leagues still.
01:40But at the same time, you're asking a rookie quarterback in his first start in the NFL
01:43to go on the road to mile high, and then on top of that, face that secondary.
01:49And I just think that's a really tall order for the Tennessee Titans and Cam Ward straight
01:53out of the gate.
01:54This was in Tennessee.
01:55Maybe I feel a little differently, but not at home, not against Denver, not with all
01:58the weapons they have, too.
02:00I mean, they brought in Evan Ingram.
02:01They drafted R.J. Harvey.
02:02They've got a lot to work with there.
02:04Mims looks like he's going to play this week.
02:05So it's a pretty big number here for Denver.
02:08You're not wrong.
02:08And normally, I wouldn't be comfortable with a seven and a half for a Denver team that grinded
02:12out some wins last year.
02:13But again, I keep coming back to the same thing.
02:15Rookie QB in that scenario is just a really tough spot for a young kid.
02:18I think it will get better.
02:20So if you're going to buy low on Cam Ward or Titans after this week, probably a good
02:24spot in week two to do that.
02:25But week one, I think it's going to be a really tough sale.
02:28Broncos against the spread at home in week one and week two, one of the best bets in the
02:33NFL in the last 20 years.
02:34So maybe that continues this week at mile high because of mile high.
02:38All right.
02:38So now the new look Seahawks, of course, getting a couple points here this week as they open
02:44up at home against the San Francisco 49ers.
02:45The 49ers last year, Joe, the 49ers, a horrible team betting against the spread.
02:50One of the worst teams in the NFL.
02:51They fell completely flat, but allegedly pretty healthy going into the season.
02:56Although again, their wide receiver, Jawan Jennings, has had some issues.
03:00Ayuk, of course, is hurt and he's out.
03:01McCaffrey, we believe to be healthy going into the year.
03:03They're laying two and a half points on the road.
03:06Total 43 and a half common thread this week in the NFL.
03:09We are seeing some very small road favorites this week.
03:12Are the 49ers one of those to back?
03:16No, I actually like Seattle in this game.
03:18And I'm going to tell you, look, Ayuk, not going to be playing right for a couple of weeks.
03:22Jawan Jennings wants to be traded.
03:24I think that, you know, you're looking at Christian McCaffrey, who didn't play a single snap in
03:28the preseason.
03:29I get it.
03:29Some guys did not.
03:30But for Christian McCaffrey, I think it was important for everybody to see how healthy is
03:34he really.
03:34And normally you would see him for a series or two when he was healthy.
03:38So I think it's a really bizarre pick here where everybody seems to be on the 49ers.
03:43A lot of the money's coming in on there.
03:44But I don't think people give the Seattle Seahawks defense enough credit.
03:47It is in Seattle and they're building underdogs at home.
03:51Give me Seattle with the points here on this one, because I just feel like despite the fact
03:55that there's offensive line issues in Seattle, the one thing they're going to be able to
03:58do is run the football, control the clock a little bit.
04:00And if you can run the football effectively on the 49ers, don't give that offense a whole
04:04lot of time to operate and then play good defense, which I think they're capable
04:07of doing both of those things, I think the Seattle Seahawks are in a spot here where
04:11they could even upset the 49ers.
04:12We see this every single week, right?
04:14Week one, every year, this always happens where we say, oh, well, 49ers, whatever, they're
04:19just going to go in there and they're going to take care of the Seattle Seahawks.
04:21Why?
04:22Why do we think that?
04:23Seattle was a pretty darn good team last year, and that defense came a long way year
04:28over year.
04:28So again, Seattle had a perfect football team, but I think home underdogs week one, I think
04:33this is one of the biggest trap games you're going to find on the slate.
04:36I like Seattle with the points are.
04:37I think this one's going to be really tight.
04:40At the end of the season, I think most people feel the Steelers will have a better record
04:44than the Jets, but they do match up the two teams in week one with Pittsburgh as a slight
04:49favorite, minus two and a half in New Jersey, the total of 38 and a half.
04:55That's one of the lowest on the board in the NFL this week, Joe.
04:58No, either of these two teams are expected to throw the ball a ton.
05:02Lots of running from the Jets, lots of running from the Steelers.
05:05I mean, is this game going to just come down to the last two minutes of the game?
05:09Who has it last and kicks a field goal?
05:10Because it sure feels that way.
05:12Maybe.
05:13But if a game has, you know, 1410 written all over it, it's this one.
05:17I can tell you that you got two new quarterbacks and two new offenses, right?
05:20Neither of these offenses run at a very high pace, right?
05:23These are not high octane offenses.
05:25This is grinding football, running the football, running the football, running the football some
05:29more.
05:30You got a quarterback on one side that's 100 years old and a quarterback on the other
05:33side that has struggled, you know, over his period of time in the NFL to be a steady
05:38completer of the football.
05:40And with Elijah Vera Tucker also hurt here, that's another big one, too.
05:44I'd be looking at props here for sacks on the Steelers side a ton.
05:47You know, everyone always wants to bet all the props on the offensive side because those
05:51are the sexy ones.
05:52We make a ton of money over betting pros, betting on those defensive guys to get sacks, too.
05:56You're usually getting some really good plus money, guys like Watt and some other Pittsburgh
05:59Steelers guys that are going to get after the quarterback, Cam Hayward.
06:01So I'm looking at this as a scenario right now where 38 and a half, I'm shocked by this
06:06number that it's so high.
06:08This is a huge under for me, and that's the way I'm playing this one.
06:11I don't care who wins this.
06:13Everybody's going to lose because it's probably going to be a very boring football game.
06:16And at the end of the day, I don't see either team getting into the 20s here in terms
06:21of points.
06:21I would be shocked if it happened.
06:23I think the crowd will be into it for a while, too, giving Aaron Rodgers the business in
06:27New York.
06:27I think that's definitely out there.
06:29But again, we know what the Arthur Smith offense is.
06:31We kind of know what the Jets want to do.
06:33And now this Veritaker injury on top of that to the offensive line, that's going to prohibit
06:36the Jets, I think, from doing some of the things that they feel good about coming out of
06:40camp.
06:41So this is a really bizarre one here.
06:4338 and a half, I think it's way too high of a number.
06:45And I would be looking at the under.
06:47And don't be surprised if by the time we get to Sunday, that 38 and a half is long gone.
06:51I think this is the time to pound that number.
06:54Giants take on the commanders.
06:56And the spread does seem right.
06:58It seems like Washington should be about a five, five and a half, six point favorite.
07:03But this is where I think this game is peculiar.
07:06If that is the case, why is this total 45 and a half on the higher side?
07:10It sort of leads me to believe that there is not a lot of backing on this Washington defense.
07:15We know that their offense is going to be among the very best in the NFL.
07:17But the total is sort of telling me that the Giants could have their way a little bit with
07:22Washington, Joe.
07:24Look, the pass rush of the New York Giants is going to be for real.
07:27I think this defense is a lot better than people are going to give it credit for.
07:30Abdul Carter is a huge addition.
07:32You're having him and Burns and you have this whole group now that can really get after
07:36the quarterback.
07:36And that's going to cause some problems, I think.
07:38You also have a running back committee now where roles are still kind of fluid.
07:43Ja'Cory Krosky Merritt was listed as fourth on the depth chart.
07:46That shocked a lot of people, not me necessarily.
07:48I think he was getting way overhyped in drafts.
07:50I think Chris Rodriguez, a score of touchdown, might be the best bet in this game.
07:54You're probably getting an enormous number right now.
07:56But I think the Giants can keep this one close.
07:58And what do we see every single year, right?
07:59We always see these in-division games get a little chippier, a little bit tighter.
08:04I think the Giants have a lot to prove.
08:06I think Russell Wilson can go in there and he showed you he could beat Washington last year,
08:09right?
08:09He's not intimidated by that situation.
08:11He's a veteran quarterback.
08:12He's got Malik Nabors.
08:13He's going to be on the field.
08:14I think there's a really good chance that not only can the Giants cover this number,
08:19but they could even win outright.
08:21I think that would shock a lot of people, but not me.
08:23So the safe bet here is to take the Giants with the points because I think you could also
08:28sprinkle just a little bit on the upset on the money line as well.
08:31You're getting nice plus money there.
08:32But I am not sold that the Washington Commanders are going to come out of the gate and just
08:36duplicate what they did last year.
08:38I think whenever a team comes out and starts to play with expectations after they had none,
08:42take a look at last year, for instance, the Houston Texans, right?
08:45Two years ago, CJ Stroud, Will Anderson, they came out of nowhere.
08:49They were a playoff team.
08:50And then the year after, they struggled a little bit.
08:53And all of a sudden, when you play with expectations,
08:54things are a little bit different than when you're the underdog darling.
08:58So for me, I'm looking at the New York Giants as a team that I think can really stay close in week one.
09:03Six and a half is a lot of points.
09:04I think this is closer to a field goal game myself.
09:07All right.
09:07We'll take a quick break.
09:08And Joe will be back with us to go over the fantasy landscape as we enter week one
09:13of the fantasy football season.
09:15We'll hit the waiver wire and a whole lot more.
09:17You're watching Newswire here on Sports Grid.
09:19We'll be right back each and every Sunday morning.
09:21Getting you ready for fantasy football's landscape is Joe Pizzoppia and Matt Stryker.
09:26They'll be ready to go this Sunday,
09:27although a couple of games will already be in the books with games Thursday and Friday as well.
09:31Let's talk some waiver wire and talk some fantasy with Joe.
09:34Of course, also has the fantasy black book for those of you who are still waiting to draft.
09:39You're running out of time.
09:40The season begins tomorrow.
09:41So Joe, let's take a look at some waiver wire claims this week.
09:45And the hottest names are at running back as they usually are.
09:49The Dolphins place Jalen Wright on the pup list or injured list.
09:52One of those two things.
09:53So Ollie Gordon becomes the backup running back.
09:56How about that?
09:56In Miami.
09:58And by the way, Devon A. Chain, not 100% healthy as well.
10:00Dylan Sampson is the backup in Cleveland, but could certainly get a lot of time.
10:05Chris Rodriguez, who you mentioned before, wildly underrated, by the way, near the goal line.
10:10I mean, I think this guy is going to play more than the three-name guy that everybody's taking.
10:14And then Demario Douglas at wide receiver for the New England Patriots, 20% owned.
10:20So let's focus on those four.
10:21In fact, I think most leagues at this point, the first two names that we're mentioning are going to be off the board.
10:27The three-name guy, Mish?
10:29We've fallen very far.
10:30McCory, Crosby, Barrett?
10:33Crosby.
10:33Crosby.
10:34You know it's been a holiday weekend.
10:36I don't think he's going to be anything.
10:37I don't think he's going to be anything this season.
10:40Whether he is or isn't, I think the fact that he got pushed up into the almost top 100 players overall, I think, was just a little absurd.
10:47Because nobody knows.
10:49And where he was going, some of the other names around there, I just found hard to believe.
10:52And, you know, Chris Rodriguez is a guy that I think could get some early down work.
10:56And as you alluded to, the goal line work.
10:59And that's important.
11:00You know, so if you're looking for bench depth at running back, the guy who is the goal line back is a nice thing to have.
11:05If you get lucky and he scores a touchdown, you're looking at like a 10-point day potentially for a back like that.
11:10And Austin Eckler is a guy with a lot of mileage on him.
11:14Ja'Cory Krosby, Merritt, is, you know, I think a fun running back that I think people should be excited about.
11:19But we don't know how long it's going to take to really get going for him.
11:22And I think the big unknown here is a problem.
11:25Now, Rodriguez is the guy that I want because especially in those, you know, non-PPR formats or even half-PPR formats,
11:31that guy is probably going to be the one when you get down to the goal line.
11:34And when you have Jaden Daniels, as great as he is rushing the football,
11:36I think you're going to see a little bit more of that development like you started to see even last couple years here,
11:43especially last year with Derrick Henry along with Lamar Jackson,
11:46where Lamar got pulled a little bit away from working the goal line.
11:50I mean, keep those guys healthy.
11:52Keep those guys upright.
11:53Don't let them take too many shots there.
11:55You can't have that happen.
11:56And I think Rodriguez is going to fill that role.
11:58And look, make no bones about it.
12:01Moving Brian Robinson Jr. was more than anything about salary relief so they could get the deal done for Terry McLaurin
12:08and get him a couple extra million dollars.
12:09That's what this was all about.
12:11So they could pretend like, oh, we didn't really want him.
12:14We didn't need him.
12:14It was really about, we've got to cut something somewhere.
12:18And it turned out that's what they needed to cut.
12:20Now, Ollie Gordon, that's the one that's the most intriguing to me of all these guys,
12:24because Ollie Gordon, we've seen the Miami backfield in the past yield to fantasy running backs.
12:29We saw Raheem Moser just go off on a touchdown binge a couple years ago.
12:32And yes, it was A-Chan's rookie season.
12:34But A-Chan hasn't always been the picture of health in college or in the NFL.
12:39And he's already dealing with a calf issue.
12:41So running backs with calf issues, I mean, these are dangerous things potentially.
12:45I would be shocked if there was a full workload in week one for him.
12:48So Ollie Gordon, I think, has a lot of flex appeal this week.
12:50I think he's got touchdown equity.
12:51I think he has shown you he can be a three-down back as well.
12:54At OSU, he was a really solid running back.
12:57And I think the fact that he ended up in Miami, a lot of people just sort of dismissed it
13:00because they thought, well, he's going to get buried on the depth chart
13:02until he came out in the preseason at 126 rushing yards and a couple touchdowns
13:06and looked spectacular.
13:07And Jalen Wright, frankly, looked awful.
13:10And now he's on the pup.
13:11So the pathway has cleared for Ollie Gordon.
13:13And I think this late surge of running backs, that's the one that I want.
13:18Dylan Sampson on the Browns, another guy, too, that I think has some appeal
13:21with the whole issue surrounding Quinshawn Judkins.
13:24And I think everybody knows what Jerome Ford is, which is he is an OK complementary back.
13:28I would say a jag, just a guy is probably what we're talking about when it comes to Jerome Ford.
13:33But Dylan Sampson, another running back that I think in the draft process, a lot of people
13:37in the scouting world really liked.
13:39A lot of us fantasy nerds and dynasty nerds really liked.
13:42But then he got drafted after Quinshawn Judkins.
13:45And a lot of us thought, well, again, buried on the depth chart.
13:47Not now.
13:48Now that pathway is open for Sampson.
13:50So if you came out of your drafts a little light, the running back position,
13:54those are three guys in particular at RB that I think can really help you.
13:57The most immediate, I still say, is Ollie Gordon.
14:01Because there's an upside where Devon HN either has a re-injury of that calf issue
14:05or just gets kind of a mild workload week one to manage him a little bit.
14:09And next thing you know, Ollie Gordon looks great.
14:12And maybe Ollie Gordon really works into an interesting tandem with HN.
14:15There is that potential there.
14:17Don't discount it.
14:18Ollie Gordon is a very talented back.
14:20Yeah, the thing with Gordon is kind of more of an indictment on last season with the Dolphins.
14:26I mean, when Mostert wasn't scoring, they could not get in from the one-yard line,
14:31and they couldn't do it in the preseason either.
14:33So I just don't think HN is going to be the goal line back.
14:36It's going to be somebody else.
14:38Gordon, honestly, Gordon may only get five, six carries,
14:41but a lot of them may be in that red zone in the goal lines.
14:44That's six points if he gets in the end zone.
14:46Meanwhile, Washington's running backs, Eckler, McNichols, Rodriguez, and Bill, Krosky, Merritt.
14:53Those are the four running backs in Washington going into that Giants game.
14:56Let me close out with this.
14:58And I think I'm going to ask the question that a lot of other people are asking themselves too.
15:02How is it possible, and I'm going to throw Yahoo under the bus,
15:06how is it possible that you can give a draft grade of a D plus or an F after a draft?
15:13Like, what do they base this on?
15:15Like, I'm very happy with the draft that I had in my league on Monday night, Joe.
15:18I got a D plus, and I'm thinking it was because I drafted the players that I wanted to,
15:24and it wasn't because I drafted who they wanted me to in that spot.
15:28What gives?
15:29Well, remember, any sort of those pre-draft rankings, that's like polling, right?
15:35It's not the truth.
15:36It's just a consensus.
15:37It doesn't mean right or wrong.
15:39Last year, Brock Bowers was the 10th tight end being taken in draft,
15:43just like Tyler Warren this year.
15:44If you could do it all again last year, I guarantee you a lot of people would have taken Brock Bowers a whole lot sooner, right?
15:50So I think a lot of it has to do with the rankings at that site,
15:53and that's why you go to Fantasy Pros, right?
15:54You can upload your rosters, and you can go ahead for free and sign up there,
15:59and then you can have me grade your draft and give you an F because you deserve it, Craig Nish,
16:03because I know what kind of drafter you really are.
16:05But in all seriousness, you can choose the graders of your draft.
16:08You can look there.
16:09The Yahoo grades, I've seen a lot of them.
16:11They've been very tough this year.
16:12So don't be disheartened, everybody out there.
16:15If Yahoo gave you a bad grade, that's okay.
16:19You'll live.
16:19It's about the grade at the end and whether or not you get a championship.
16:22It's not about what you get after the draft.
16:24Yeah.
16:25They said I drafted with one hand behind my back.
16:29That was the quote that Yahoo gave me.
16:31So I would give – here's my quote for Yahoo.
16:33I can't do it on the show, but you see one of these fingers?
16:36I have one of these fingers for you.
16:38Oh, I see.
16:40Joe, have a great show this weekend.
16:42I have one of these fingers for you.
16:43I have one of these fingers for you.
16:44I have one of these fingers for you.
16:45I have one of these fingers for you.
16:47I have one of these fingers for you.
16:47I have one of these fingers for you.
16:48I have one of these fingers for you.
16:49I have one of these fingers for you.
16:50I have one of these fingers for you.
16:51I have one of these fingers for you.
16:52I have one of these fingers for you.
16:53I have one of these fingers for you.
16:54I have one of these fingers for you.
16:55I have one of these fingers for you.
16:56I have one of these fingers for you.
16:57I have one of these fingers for you.
16:58I have one of these fingers for you.
16:59I have one of these fingers for you.
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