Talkin' Jake is going position by position across MLB to name his All-Underrated Team for 2024! Jake also recaps the weekend of NFL action.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro (Subscribe on YouTube?)
3:10 Catcher - Tyler Stephenson
7:35 First Base - Nathaniel Lowe
10:35 Second Base - Luis Garcia Jr.
13:45 Shortstop - Zach Neto
17:45 Third Base - Eugenio Suarez
19:25 DH - Brent Rooker
20:35 Outfield - Riley Greene, JJ Bleday, Victor Robles
30:00 Tua Concussed Again
32:50 Saints CRUSHED the Cowboys
35:30 Tampa Edged Out Detroit
36:50 Packers Beat Colts
37:50 Jets Beat Titans
38:05 Vikings Beat Niners
39:50 Seahawks Beat Rays
40:05 Giants Lose to Washington
40:45 Chargers Crush Panthers
41:45 Browns Beat Jags
42:10 Raiders Upset Ravens
43:40 Cardinals ROLL Rams
44:45 Steelers Beat Broncos
46:50 Chiefs BARELY Beat Bengals
49:10 Texans Beat Bears
50:45 Eagles vs. Falcons Tonight
#dpshow
Hello, and welcome to Waken Jake. It is September sixteenth, more than halfway through. Happens quick. There's gonna be playoff baseball in a couple weeks.
We'll be talking.
About the wild card matchups. Did the Braves figure it out? Did the Mets figure it out? Can the Tigers catch anyone? We've got a lot of time to talk about that. Talked a little bit on talking baseball today. I'm giving out one of my most prestigious awards.
The All Underrated Team.
YEP, a lot of opinions, and yeah, I think underrated is just interesting because you kind of had to be properly rated. So there were some young guys I ruled out because it was like, well, I think we don't know who they are yet, or we didn't rate them yet. That I think I came up with a good list. There was a couple couple things up for debate. Well, chew through some of the football weekend as we do recap. Kamara back, how about that they wrote them off? He wrote back, Gino and yeah, the other baseball main topics. I mean it feels I guess as from a personal standpoint, I don't want to say beating the dead horse, but a little bit like you know, it's those final wildcard spots. How is this seating gonna playoff? The Yankees have gotten a little lead on the Oreos, We'll see if they can maintain that. The Padres and Snakes, how they finish off their wild card seating is gonna be fascinating as they are the last series of the season.
And I guess everyone root against the.
Twins, And maybe that's a little bit because I'm about to see Trevor Plof in a couple hours. But if they flunk the dunk, bringing the Mariners or the Tigers back into the equation would be a lot of fun, kind of like how we've daydreamed about the Mets a little bit and it's like, oh Manaia Severino Quintana exactly the murderers row you think of, but they've all been pitching pretty well, and like, don't give the punch he Mets a chance. Imagine if you whoever would have to stumble in and see those Seattle Mariners, a Mariner's team, Seattle Gino wrote them off. If the Mariners found a way to get in in that top three going against the Orioles, or something like that.
I don't know.
We're gonna have to find that out in the next couple weeks. For now, I think it's the all underrated team brought to you by me, and it's brought to you by DraftKings. Go to the DraftKings Short Shorts book that's mine. Go to the Draftking Sports Book where you can bet on touchdowns, bet on anything I got in the mix this weekend. Had a nice college comeback. Bet just five dollars and you win two hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets instantly. Wow plus one month of NFL plus premium. This is one of the best ones they roll out there. Download the DraftKings sports we Gap now. New customers use Promo Code Bakers. Betches five dollars on any wager and get two hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets instantly. Promo Code Bakers only at the DraftKings Sports Book.
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Let's head around the horn. You guys know how I like to do it, Maybe you don't. I like to start with a catcher, then do the rest of the infield, and then see what's left there.
Uh catcher. There were a couple options.
There was one guy that stood out a little more and it's kind of interesting for him. It was like a hype post type. And this it's the fun thing with underrated because you can point to the top of the list sometimes like I don't know, cal Rally has been incredible. You could point at him and be like, is he underrated? No one has ever talked about him as the number one catcher Adlee was kind of supposed to take the throne and he has not this year. Anytime you mentioned a Contrari's brother, Patrick Bailey in San Francisco, what Austin Wells has done for our fine Yankee team. But I think the winner for me for contributing on both sides, offensively and defensively. A little post type for Tyler Stevenson of your Cincinnati Reds. Tyler Stevenson was a that in twenty twenty one. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year, played one hundred and thirty two games, getting in the mix for the young Reds. He played a lot of catcher, a lot of first base. He had a positive OPS plus. He comes back in twenty two fifty games and he rakes again, but he gets hurt. So over those fifty games, three nineteen batting average and eight fifty four OPS. Okay, Tyler Stevenson, Okay, it's twenty twenty three, Here come the Reds.
Let's go. He had a bad year.
I don't know if it's injury. I don't know if it's something in the swing, bad luck, whatever. A lot of guys have bad years. It's kind of why the greats in baseball are so great. Tyler Stevenson at a six ninety six OPS. That was an eighty five OPS plus because they play in a hitter's park there, So Tyler Stevenson, it was kind of like, all right, everyone kind of moved on, Like there was health concerns the year before, there was performance concerns the next year, and it was like, all right, I guess we'll see if we see Tyler Stevenson has bounced back two point fifty nine to three thirty six on basis seven eighty five ops.
That's a one.
Fourteen OPS plus this year, So he's been fourteen percent better than your average hitter while being a plus defensively behind the plate. And those numbers are fairly in line with his career. When you've got the one year of Leah and then the kind of season and a half of good Uh, you've got a young baseball player, twenty eight year old, former first round pick, And I think for catcher, it's important to be bringing it on both sides the list, both sides and for this list. I also kind of leaned into that a little more than I thought. It's nice that you can point to either side and be like, hey, they can hit or play.
Defense, sort of like the mindset that comes from the word underrated almost almost inherently implies good defense.
Yes, or I mean, I guess have to as we even sneak towards second base. Like Andres Jimenez, who's a Platinum Glove candidate most years he plays, I don't know if he can be underrated because he's kind of known as the defensive guy. So like if you're known as that unless your offense sneaky gets good on us. Kind of like when Yati or Molina just started hitting for a few years in the middle there, and when I was like, this is nice, Tyler Stevenson gets it for me. I told you why it was another candidate, so I won't elaborate. Sorry, Jake Rogers. I was surprised to see where Logan O Hoppy's numbers are. Some of the triple slash stuff is down just a little bit. Freddy for mean always comes to mind for me. But when you put his numbers in their numbers against Tyler Stevenson, he's put up a really nice year fifth and catcher war for Tyler f War. I'm an F four guy today, FYI I like to mix it up. What do you like, Let's go around the horn. First base is actually not one of the sexier ones, so I'll be quick about it. It's an infield. They got a lot of shine last year, not so much this year. It's Nathaniel Lowe from your Texas Rangers, you know the other The problem with underrated is a lot of the first base lists this year start with Bryce Harper, Vlad Guerrero, Freddy Freeman, tough. The next guy is kind of one of the I'm underrated, I'm underrated, I'm not underrated guys.
Christian Walker.
Christian Walker great on both sides, but I think he I think he'd been so underrated for so long he's become properly rated that there's Mets fans talking about, let's sign Christian Walker instead of Pete Alonzo this offseason. Now the crop that it really fell down to, and again, I kind of wanted an effort on both sides. First base defensively is kind of tough to judge unless you're Carlos Santana. He was in the running, and did I drop an old Carlos Santana on the list?
I did not.
Michael Bush again for me, that's a young player. This guy was a big prospect. The Cubs traded for him with the hopes of him being their first baseman, and he's done that.
So I don't know.
I mean, he's had a great breakout year. This could be standard Michael Bush and people look at him as like, yeah, he's he's a really solid first baseman. I don't have my Michael Bush expectations yet. I think Josh Naylor kind of broke out last year and he's followed that up. That Josh Naylor's where I think YONDI Diaz won the batting title and he had a bad start to the that for me.
Nathaniel Lowe, who when you go.
Around that infield you mentioned kind of everyone else on his team. And the other thing is he's not a pure home run hitter. But last year he had thirty eight doubles. This year he's got a one to seventeen oh ps plus he draws walks two sixty seven, three sixty two. He's just a consistently good hitter and he's now shown that the past three seasons, past four seasons while winning.
A gold Glove.
He's got a goal glove and a silver slugger in his back Christian Walker fans pissed off he did that last year that I think Nathaniel low for what he provides to a lineup, A consistent lefty bat with solid first base defense. I think he's gotten overlooked in fangrafts while playing first base. This year positional splits today, baby.
He ranks out as the sixth best first basement.
Sure why not said that was gonna be a quick one, and it kind of wasn't Not sure why? Good for NATHANIELO wasn't a lot of other sexy.
Picks there second base.
A guy that is, I don't want to say flummixed this program and talking baseball. He's a guy that we've seen for a while. He's a guy that has a name of another player in the league, and he's a guy that's just kind of been shadowed, overshadowed throughout for whatever reason. It's Luis Garcia Junior of your Nationals. How about a little natitude, babe. This kid got called up in the twenty twenty season at the age of twenty. He played forty games that year, yo twenty year old COVID season for Luis Garcia Junior and he struggled, and then he comes back the next year he only plays seventy games in a full season, and a very similar stat line that if you're playing at that age, it's kind of like, okay, what what's coming next? Twenty twenty two, he takes a slight leap a couple more games, a one oh one ops plus. Last year he kind of took the step back that he had a ninety ops plus, played one hundred and twenty two games. But I think, you know, it's kind of hitting one of these weird spots like Luis Garcia junior. Not that he's gonna start getting paid paid, but.
We kind of hit free agency at a young age.
And you know, it's twenty three, You've played three years in the majors. The Nats are figuring this all out. Over one hundred and twenty two games, nine homers, nine steals, a ninety like wasn't in gold glove consideration. This year, the light bulb has gone off a bit two eighty two three twenty seven sixty three ops, sixteen homers, twenty one steals. So I doubt he's going to get to twenty twenty at this point. But as a second Baseman. If you're getting one sixteen ops plus, Andy grades out pretty well defensively. Luis Garcia whenever anyone's talking second basement, I feel like he does not get brought up. The guys ahead of him on positional f war so far this year it's kateel Marte who him and Christian Walker on other lists could be you're right side of the infield, jose L twove pretty properly rated, Marcus Simion yep, Jonathan India his bounce back. I could have given a similar speech to Stevenson, but we also kind of how does everyone know Jonathan India baseball people do? And then Nico Horner. I feel like he was last year's kind of guy that does it on both sides. Offensively, it hasn't been an impressive year for him. Bryce Terrang could have very much been in this disco, but where his season numbers are kind of landing. I think Luis Garcia Junior he was the guy for me kind I don't want to say unopposed as Colt Keith is figuring it out, but Luis Garcia Junior's kind of been there and we've kind of haven't noticed him, kind of haven't noticed him, which brought on the shortstop position. Shortstop always interesting, right, because these are the guys we still kind of know best.
You know.
The top of this leader board is a special crop. I'll read the names down and this is by their war f war by position, Bobby wit Gunner, Lindore Ellie de la Cruz, Williadamis who if we were doing a high class underrated, I think he would have had an argument. I think if you follow ball, you kind of know Williadmis, Corey Seeger, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson, Trey Turner. I mean that soup to nuts, the top nine that you're like, damn, those are ballplayers.
The next group is.
Where I knew my answer was gonna come out of There's Yankees, Anthony Volpi, Mason Wynn from your Saint Louis Cardinals, and Zach Neto from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Where have I landed? I'm going Neto Uh. Neto came up. He kind of got called up during the Otawni times that everyone was like, ooh, who's this woonderkin uh maybe he can help show Hey. It was early and he contributed in his in a right, But you know, no one's really kept too many tabs on the Halos this year. A tough season. Anthony Volpi, We've watched a lot of him. The defense has been spectacular. I have no qualms with the defense. He's been great. The offense he has not been the two ninety four on base percentage. The three sixty nine slugging, twenty six steals is still pretty nice. But offensively he hasn't been a threat this year, and there's been some ugly butter knives of late Mason Win. I very much enjoy Mason Win, electric ballplayer. That arm strength is insane. He's got thirteen homers, eleven stolen bases, scored a ton of runs. He's been kind of stable for the Cardinals this year. He could have been the pick. But I think Mason Win gets a lot more love than zach Netto Nido. No one's even sure.
Neto, reasonably certain it's Neto, you'd think, so.
Zach Netto is having a twenty twenty season, twenty one homers, twenty nine stolen bases, so he has I mean Vulpian win eleven homers in thirteen. So Neto's got the closer guy. Win by eight homers in twenty nine steals. That's more than either of the guys uh and the triple slash is pretty two fifty two three twenty three a four to forty two slug from a guy that plays plus defense at shortstop. The Fangrafts numbers do like win in Vulpi slightly better defensively, but Neto the glove was kind of his calling card as he got called up that the season he's been having, I think it's underrated. There should be one other fan base that's a little mad at me. It's the Rockies and Zeke Tovar, who I could have made an argument for this list as well, but Neto gets it for me. If zach Netto was doing what he did this year in a or even if he was on the Dodgers team, I think we would talk a lot more about Zachnetto rounding out the infield. I'm gonna be high and tight. Third base didn't have a great answer. I'm putting a Henni A. Suarez. I feel like I've been talking about him a lot recently. I mean my other option was like go high end with Matt Chapman. I could have dropped Mark Vientos, but I feel like everyone's kind of in on that, and again that's kind of my rookie, Like, I don't know, this might just be Mark Vientos and that'd be sick.
Among the challenges of this list is what's underrated?
What's a breakout?
Right? Like I just I think and hope Mark Vento's is just this cat and for me, hose it. I'll go down the third base list Jose Ramirez, Matt Chapman, Rafael devers A. Henio Suarez is listed fourth by Fangrass, with Bregman, Bome, Aeronato Peretes behind him. Like, okay, if you want to talk about Pretes, if you want to talk about Joey Ortiz, Jordan Westberg. Again, it starts to get into the young guy thing. Josh Smith in his breakout earlier this season. Aoni Swearz has been around for a while. We get caught up in his numbers. We were doing the math if he's gonna hit four hundred big league home runs. He's been one dotting since the All Star break. He's leading in homer since the All Star break. Otani may have clipped him over the weekend. Either way, the fact that's any part of the discussion. And if I really want to be rude to Devers, who fangrass raids him out slightly negative defensively, if you were doing quote unquote two way third basement positive on offense and defense, it's Ramirez, Chapman, and Suarez. So again, maybe you could have brought Matt Chapman in the mix. He just signed for one hundred and fifty one MILLI, so you're out pop enjoy that basement. Let's round out the team with an outfield and a DH. You know what, I'm gonna do DH quickly because I thought it was gonna be sexier. I'm putting Brent Rooker. Uh, it's obvious he plays in Oakland. If you didn't. If he didn't, I think we'd all know Brent Rooker a lot more. He kind of had what we thought was his breakout last year, and he's done so much.
Better than that.
I think he's got thirty seven homers, He's he's been one of the best hitters in baseball, full stop and debate.
That.
Yeah, I wanted to put Jack Peterson in here because I'm big on the the jock hive and what he does yere in year out.
But in a way it's been Jock and Brent Rooker. Brent Rooker has.
Been toe to toe with jord On Marcelo Zuna kind of otani, no one kind of is. But the point is Brent Rooker has been It's not like Brent Rooker's good. Like Brent Rooker has been one of the best this year. That was my version of quick in the outfield. And as you guys know, I usually like to do a you need a center field. I can't just put three hefty left fielders out here, and I got myself a balanced outfield. So I'll go around the horn and then I'll give my reasons. Riley Green made the team for me. JJ Bleda also on that Oakland roster, and then Victor Robless snuck in for me. I'll reverse engineer this. Victor Robless got let go from the Nats talk about post hype and he comes over and he just starts bawling for Seattle. I wonder if we've gotten the article yet, like if him and the hitting coach are in love, or if they fix something in a swing, or if it was just change of scenery. It seems like every night he has multiple hits. He's had two plus hits just the last four games. I didn't really know this. And the stolen bases are crazy. In sixty seven games, he has twenty five steals, zero caught stealing. Let me do some quick math. Sixty seven times two, let's say seven times two would be fourteen one forty. So let's say in his Mariners one hundred and thirty five games pace, he's on pace for fifty stolen bases and his OPS is in the high eights. He's just been out of his mind. And I hope it's real. The Mariner signed him to a contract for next year. I've decided I want to root for it. Go Mariners, Go go Victor Robliz go. Defense has never been a problem for him, and he's just going Nutshohn so he makes the list. I hope it's real. I'm ready to be hurt by him. Riley Green's the guy that's probably on the furthest end of the spectrum where people could be like, dude, Riley Green underrated, like he's he's really good man. You're right, Riley Green is really good, dude. He top prospect, showed some signs and was good he's kind of taken that to a next level. That dude, He's had a five point two war on this season in eight forty eight OPS on the year, twenty three home runs, extra base hit machine, he's gonna end up with over fifty wait for that for JJ Bleda and yeah, like he was an All Star this year. I guess the point for me is and it's where underrated comes in. Riley Green is one of the best players in baseball. Like I feel like I just said full stop with Brent Rooker and I don't talk like that, but yeah, he's had a little bit of a lefty problem, although he hit two home runs off lefties over the weekend, and on talking Baseball, I listed all the left on left hitters with home runs above him, and it's all household names baseball household names. That brought him up to a seven to twenty six OPS first lefties, and unlike Jock being on the Tigers, he's gonna get a chance to play verse lefties and that's the only way to get better that. He's an eight eight eight OPS against righty's a.
Five oh four slug.
Riley Green against right handed pitching, he is one of the best hitters in baseball and it's just starting for him. He's twenty three. He's a big part why the Tigers are in the mix at all. And I don't know, if you're around baseball, you're like, yeah, Riley green Good, he's gonna end up having a six war season that he is a full blown baller. And I think people need to know. For my last spot, I am putting JJ Bleda out there. I thought about doing a whole thing. I forget if it was it was for an award on talking Baseball.
The A's and the Marlins.
Traded, which always gets people jacked up. But if you remember they traded for uh, Jesus Lozardo, it was for a starling Marte Rental. The A's punted on Lozardo and it was like, all right, whatever. Like at the time it was it was probably like, hey, the A's are going for this is sick. Lozardo goes over to Miami and he was lights out one of the best young pitchers in baseball.
Not this year.
Numbers are bad. Think he's been banged up a little bit. Either way, it was kind of like, lol, Kimang Marlins cooked because they got Jesus Lozardo from a Starling Marte rental. There was a trade before last season. Uh, that was AJ Puck for JJ Bludey. JJ blude a former first round pick and he had been traded a couple times that Sometimes you get nervous about those kind of guys. Is it something with their makeup? The teams just not Is there a fatal flaw that teams think aren't gonna click? Oakland trades for him, and they trade AJ Puck another very talented lefty that everyone's like, oh, no, baby, what is you doing? AJ Puck's probably gonna go all out for Miami. Long story short, AJ Puck is now balling out in the Arizona Diamonbacks pen. But JJ Bleday has given them one of the best center field seasons in Oakland A's history. Forty three doubles, twenty homers h so sixty oh, I was gonna say, sixty three plus four sixty seven extra base hits, gonna end up with seventy extra base hits on the season for JJ Bleday one twenty five ops plus playing in that ballpark, the Fangrafts defense doesn't necessarily love him, but it also doesn't hate him, and.
Yeah, man, it was. It's funny.
Go check out the outfield list on Fangrafts or I'm sure Baseball Reference gives you something too. Uh, let me just go down the list real quick to sell. Let me show you what I was looking at, and you guys can interpret in your own way. Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Sure, Jaron Durant kind of the breakout season and everyone's kind of been talking about.
You know, he's racking up some bass, running cool.
Four five six, Jackson Merrill, Riley Green, who I decided to tap on, and Jackson Trio. So the two Jackson's are listed in the top six YO as they're finding out for Rookie of the Year. Right below them is Colon Kowser, who's also finding out for ALE Rookie of the Year. Byron Buckston h YO. I debated putting him on there just because it's like, fuck, this guy's so good.
This guy's so good, even this year when we haven't even had like the Byron Buxton week, it feels.
Like when he plays, he's just he hits home runs and he can still get balls. I guess if he wants the defense liked him that I didn't.
Know games played so far below yeah, so good.
And then the other names that we end up running into. Profar who's been one of the stories of the season, Corbyn Carroll who was looking like a failed season and now he's all the way back up. Breton Doyle could have had an argument here, sorry Rockies fans. You know, after winning the Gold Glove, what he's done offensively, he very easily could have made this list.
I thought about putt our guy Ian.
Happ on there, just for how like steady Eddie I Happ has become as a baseball player. Is he underrated? People would have read through that because I'm God, I like me sa Ian Happ. The outfield situation has been bizarre this year, between Ronald getting hurt, Ronald blaming Ronald Acuna for all the outfield problems in baseball.
That's just dumb.
So that's my all underrated team again. I told you all the pain points along the way. Please feel free to comment below on who you thought I miss and who I didn't. I think my offense and defensive contributions, and if you're like too young, like I should double check some of my like JJ Bleda had he's two half years of being not good.
And I think even he's like post type enough, even.
If you know he's being good, I don't think people know how good he's being.
Well. Little wordplay there.
And then like, yeah, Riley Green. I think everyone thought his breakout last year was who he was, and his ops plus is twenty points higher this year, so maybe you think of that as a natural progression. But I think Riley Green has entered himself into the chat as one of the best players in baseball.
It's a heavy statement.
He and Nedo are the two that are like people might hear the breakout conundrum and be like, well, those two, it's like, well, Riley Green's bringing up a six four season at twenty three that people didn't see coming, big jump, and Nedo is like the numbers aren't insane, just like, hey, that's really solid.
Yeah, And I mean, I hate hate to bring Vulpey into this. If Zach net if Anthony Volpi had Zach Nettow's numbers, boy, would you know a lot more about Anthony Volty that Yeah, he he deserves his flowers. And I hope there's more in there. I hope we're at him to I guess they can't be on more underrated lists. That's kind of the whole point, right, Uh, maybe they can. We make the rules. You make your own comment below who I missed, who should have been there, and who should have.
Been talked about.
In the football segment, let's talk a little football, go through the weekend, the first normal weekend quote unquote of football start off with a scary Thursday night to uh yikes again, not not why you're listening to Waken Jake or coming to get my inside info. It was kind of wild scene the internet and the talking heads get all their votes in on what Tuas should and shouldn't do. I mean, I'm kind of like a what did the doctor say? Kind of cat. I mean, doctors are probably saying, no, don't play. I think everyone says no, don't get concussions. But it's pretty interesting when Tua's owed a lot of money, which people are saying, like, if.
He calls it, he would still collect on that money.
That's none of my business. And I'm a Ryan Rosillo guy, and you guys know this. And Rosillo was like, you know, guys like playing sports, like to his skill in life up until this point has been playing football. They're like kind of if he wants to play, should be playing, But he should also be doing that with a lot of advice from older people and doctors, because when you're young, you can't view things through the right lens. I don't know the answer, but it's scary and it sucks for him. And I don't want to say I've been anti Tua, but he's when he's played well, He's played a lot better than I thought Tula was going to be at the NFL level. It feels it seems like he still wants to play. A Chan had a monster game. When we wrap up with some fantasy talk, but Buffalo wins thirty one to ten defensive score, and yeah, it's just tough for that Miami. Can they beat good teams? They beat a Jaguars team that doesn't look good. They lost to a Bills team that looks good.
Tough.
No Friday or Saturday funny business or even an early game which I want to check next week?
Are we getting a euro game? No? No Europe game next week? When's that start? Week four?
I gotta wait till week five to watch someone play NFL in Europe?
What is this Roger?
He's gonna be on next episode of Talk with Us, looks like Jets at Vikes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium October sixth. We might be watching a little baseball around then too. Any Anyways, back to week two, the one pm games. I think there is ten games at one pm, which is kind of like the Max. They can do a little bit of overload. We were here with the Talking Giants guys watching them. One of the teams and stories the New Orleans Saints. Hello, they light up the Dallas Cowboys. How bout them? Camara with a four score game, like I joked about before, and everyone was kind of out on him before the season. I was a little surprised on the running back meter again, I think for I think a lot of people try to be a year at They kind of do the Belichick. They want to be a year ahead then a year behind on the running backs because it does just end oddly quick. Like the two that jump out for me recently, Dalvin Cook went from best top three running back to almost nothing instantly.
Was the oh Leveon hurt me?
I guess two guys that went to the Jets come on Jets one, But those two just happened so quick.
Yeah, those are too recently.
Like those two guys were, if they resigned with their team, we expect them to be a top running back again. They didn't and it was over, which is just crazy.
It's weird how like that position specifically, it happens so fast.
How is Zeke back to being the Cowboys running back? Explain that to me another time New Orleans balls out, this game becomes a blow out. Derek Carr's numbers were video game stuff. Let's be honest. No one really knows what to do with the Saints. Their offense has been the best offense in football. Rashid Shaheed has become a full blown one of the best deep threats in the league, which is kind of sick. He took the next step on that. And this was a team that kind of became like a joke a little bit. It's like, okay, the Super Dome school. They played decent defense, nobody's in on car with Kamara looking good, with Shaheed getting open, and they've got like a wide receiving corps. Now, I mean, Olave, he's supposed to be that guy. For him, did he have the biggest game before for eighty one?
We'll take that.
I mean dude, car was eleven for sixteen. This was a Madden game. It was just when they did something, they scored Dak the Cowboys, I don't know what to do with it. I don't think they know either. And I will preface this, which is really tough because this is me saying almost like a nothing matters. Anyways, these first two weeks of the season are still preseason ish. A lot of starters don't play leading up until the first game, so this second game is almost like your follow up.
Do we have our Sea legs? I don't know.
Everyone's gonna take their shots at the Cowboys, Saints in that division, they've got a shot. Although the Buccaneers did everyone have it wrong.
Forty four nineteen.
I mentioned the Bucks, So let's segue a grindy Bucks Bucks, Detroit Lions game golf and Mayfield, two guys written off the Bucks, come into Detroit and get it done. Holy cow, Baker was making plays with his legs and his arms. It feels like all of those people in Tampa have just found their second home. Between Baker Mayfield, who we got the clip of him being a scout d lineman for the Panthers, that was all over the internet today. Tough day for Carolina, but yeah, him and Todd Bowles kind of these second life quarterback head coach combo that to go into Detroit and get that victory. Tampa Bay's feeling great and part of the reason is Godwin looks good and so does Mike Evans and Baker can get them the ball. Bucks and Saints to and zero. Not a lot of people had that coming into this season. Other one o'clock games that jumped out Green Bay Indy. My god, if you watched credit to you, I suppose Green Bay wins with Malik Willis at quarterback, kind of a what is you doing? Baby?
For Indy.
The Anthony Richardson ride is going to be a crazy one this year. Jets Titans talk about a pivot point for two teams. One of them was gonna end up o going two. It ends up being the Titans. Will Levis with a couple more disaster class plays, which is just gonna be the book on him until he makes that stop. Rogers and the Jets get an NFL road win.
They're one in one. That Niners game was gonna be tough.
Rodgers has had moments of Rogers. They've also had moments of Jets and like, Rogers doesn't throw for a lot of yards in this game, and I think he has some crazy sad he hasn't thrown for three hundred yards since like mid twenty two. It's been a while and he's getting older. But Breeshall looks good. Garrett Wilson looks fine. They got to find a way to get them the ball a little bit more. Brayalen Allen youngest player in the in the league at running back. He looked good for them. Jets get a road win in the NFL. Did see a lot of Jets people in Nashville, which that's fun for them. And Rogers still getting his Sea League Sea legs under him after missing a whole season. So a pretty nice win for lose Jets. Speaking of nice wins, Minnesota, Man, they beat the Niners in Minnesota. Rock throws for three hundred, Jordan Mason runs for a hundred. If I told you that before the game, what would you have said? Minnesota wins. You know, like a lot of NFL games, a couple big turnovers kind of end up factoring in this. But Darnold has a solid day at the office. That with Tall handsome Kevin O'Connell. That's kind of what he does. They are two and zero. We get a Justin Jefferson ninety seven yard highlight that changed the game in this one. I read the stat Brock Purty has two regular season NFC losses, both to the Vikings. What's that about Brian Flores their defensive coordinator. He's the coach in Miami that the front off is actively coached against him winning.
Rock Purdy.
There's a good clip of Rock dapping him up after the game and he's like, man, you run a great scheme. Kind of weird, but we just got the clip and I don't know. It's nice football guy stuff. But the Niners lose. Let's see how quickly they can put that in their rear view. They have at rams Neck next week, which that's a whole Shanahan McVeigh.
Which one dominates two? I'm having a rainfall.
I think it's McVeigh dominates Shanahan. Hold up, Kyle Shanahan is nine and four against McVeigh. Excuse me, so I had that backwards. That's always fun. Same coaching tree, Seattle, New England. No thanks, really, Seattle pulls it out in overtime. My guy Gino dk Metcalf had a big day. There was big Fantasy days, which was fun to see, kind of coming off a week one where there was nothing happening. Giants Washington football team had to watch that whole game.
Tough.
Giants didn't have a kicker because Gano gets hurt on the first play. Otherwise they probably win this game like handily, end up losing it. Jane Daniels not passing the ball down on field, a lot a lot of screens on QB QB running, which really frustrated the talking Giants.
Guys, did I pick that right in my against the spread league?
I did on two and zero again whatever, Sorry to do that in their face, but had to happen.
Man.
One of the things that sometimes football seems to make sense. The Chargers, with Harbaugh going to Carolina, Carolina a disaster as bad as the first.
Game can go.
Los Angeles came in and ran the damn ball Dobbins for one thirty one. Herbert only has to throw for one thirty. They done twenty six to three on the road. West Coast team coming east Bing Bong bing. Bryce Young is getting benched this week for Zam darnold.
You even worse? Hity doll?
Wow, it is damn Are they both redheaded? Am? I canceled? Shit? I knew it would have happen. I just didn't know when. Love me.
Some Chargers all in on them. They have an identity. They believe in what they're doing. Harbaugh's kind of the best. He beats up Herbert every game. He does like the pad check, but he like he whales on.
Him, whales on him. They're crazy people.
The Harballs are crazy people, but they have the perfect outlet in what we like to call American football. Cleveland beats Jacksonville, No thanks, Jacksonville's oz and two. They should be probably two and oh, but it would be like a hideous two and oh. Brian Thomas Junior looks good. I guess that's a talking point if you want it. Cleveland wins a road NFL game. Nobody likes to Sean. I'll pass the other story from one o'clock. Maybe these story the Las Vegas Raiders upset Baltimore. Baltimore had a ten point lead. Late Vegas Gardner Minshew started finding his weapons. DeVante Adams brock Bowers. It's kind of fun. It was kind of fun Las Vegas Raiders football, and I don't know. I had a daydream this morning. What if Gardner Minshew's just the guy for them for like six years? How perfect would it be? Minshew and the Raiders just grindy. I don't know if it's gonna happen, but I know DeVante Adams had some sick catches.
It was cool to see him back.
Ended up with him in a Fantasy league or two just because he like kept He was the kept slipping guy this year because it's like, okay, so he's getting older, he's in Las Vegas.
They stink who's gonna throw Yeah.
And it was just like, I don't know he is he gonna demand a trade? And then what offense is he gonna be in? No, he had a big game. They come back against them. The Baltimore people I I saw weren't panicked. Baltimore's had one or two of these every year. It's tough that it had to go down like this. Good for the Las Vegas Raiders and Antonio Pierce, who turn things around for them a little bit last year that they might have. I don't know what they have going, but maybe they're not as bad as you may have thought the Las Vegas Raiders would be that shifted us into the afternoon slate. Rams Cardinals Cardinals boat race. Marvin Harrison Junior, after one of the worst debut games, comes in and balls out, has one of the biggest fantasy weekends. Him, James Connor, and Kyle get it done in every facet. Man they brought it to the Rams. I don't know what to do with it. I can't wait to see the rematch in La and see if the Rams get a little more up for that, or maybe Arizona with healthy Kyler is going to be more of a problem than we thought.
I do want to.
Get Arizona Cardinals head coach. I want to give him some love. Jonathan Gannon, he had them fighting even last year, better than we thought. And then I think their coordinator, Oh, Drew Petsig Petsing right, No, I thought it was someone else happy for them, but now we got a Drew Petsing shout out on the show. Pittsburgh thirteen Denver six started Steelers defense. In my fantasy leagues, I like the Broncos.
Bo Nicks is a rookie.
Against a really good Steelers d Whenever TJ Watts out there. Steelers are two and zero with Justin Fields. Shout out to Tomlin.
Dude, there was a thing that came out. Again.
I know some of my football analysis, you're looking for a gap B gap.
That's not where I live.
Mike Tomlin, when they beat a team or win a game, he gives out a revenge game ball to a player who playing against their former team. So I know that means nothing like that means nothing, but two guys in a locker room, it kind of means something. Means you were on a team, they didn't resign you, they didn't offer you as much money in free agency.
I forget who it.
Was on the on the Steelers who got it, but yeah, they got the revenge game ball.
Oh it was Russ. So let's think about this.
I guess, just in the scope of everything, Mike Tomlin is a good head coach. There's no argument against that. Maybe there's a high level head coach argument against that, but he's showing it now with Justin Fields in there, two to zero. If you're gonna be a good head coach, you need to motivate players. That's a way to motivate players, and hey, you got a guy in Russ that you know isn't the most popular cat in the league and was supposed to be your starting quarterback until we found out he got hurt. But right before the game, what's going on with all that? What's a great way to bring him in with the lads a little bit? Giving him a game ball in a game he didn't play in. Probably nothing, maybe something Broncos down bad.
What's that just seeing he calls it the petty game ball.
The petty game ball. Yes, that's great, Like admit that you're petty. Why not go beat your former team? Like the NFL needs more of that?
Uh?
The game that everyone wanted Bengals at Chiefs, Burrovers Mahomes. These guys have played only one score games, only great games. Joe Burr kind of had the leg up on him early. Mahomes gets another one. A bit of controversy at the end. There's a fourth down pass interference call. If it wasn't fourth down, if it was in the second quarter and it was second and eight, guess what everyone would have said, that's a pass interference. He went through the guy's body before the ball got there. It just is what it is. I realize that's how no one wants the game to end, but he got there a half second early, ball goes off the helmet. It's pass interference that sets up Harrison bucker uh for the game winning kick.
I know I've done this on here before.
The kickers are just way too good, but I think they had a stat that kickers from fifty plus yards in the NFL at one point were like thirty three of thirty six. Like that's fifty yards used to be like the coin flip, Like it's automatic. Aubrey's a freak. McPherson's a freak, Tucker's a freak. Who's the other guy that was banging them?
I don't know, fair.
Barn it's automatic, like sixty and in Mike Osecki with a good game for fantasy. Justin Pennock's been on that. And the Bengals look good, so I know they're owing two. I'm I'm probably gonna be right in some Bengals. Next two weeks are Washington and Carolina. Bengals will be two and two. They've got a fun Baltimore game, then it's Giants in Cleveland, so uh, Cincinnati at worst, Let's say they even lose to Baltimore. On two, three, four. The Bengals will be at least four and three by week seven. There's my update to you. Joe Burr and the Boys look good.
Tough.
It had to end that way, but that's baseball, Susan, It's football. Your final game the key Kamy Fairbairn Bowl, Pacheco hurt. See what that does to the Chiefs offense?
Uh?
Chicago at Houston? How was Caleb gonna bounce back from his first week? Where the Texan's gonna continue to roll and they've got all these talented fantasy guys on offense?
Ended up being a little slot fest.
Kayimi Fairbairn, four field goals, a lot of deep ones, only one TD pass to Nico Collins, which was pretty sweet because he just got an unsportsmanlike conduct before that, getting baited by a player, and he's supposed to be a pretty cool collected cat, so that was a.
Fun one for him. Man, the Bears had a chance.
There was a couple of times they got the rock down a score late and you're like, hey, is Caleb gonna do something? No, he still looks a little overmatched. Let's see if the light bulb starts to click there is no Keenan Allen in this game for them, and I think the Texans are a certain level of good that they are now two and zero. Tank Dell, who was sliding on fantasy draft boards because it seemed like he was gonna be the guy they got hurt the most by Diggs coming into town. I think he is. But also no one really lit it up in this game besides Nico Collins eight for one thirty five and a touchdown, digs four for thirty seven. Yeah, Tank Dell three carries for sixteen and one rush for minus three.
You give DeAndre Swift.
I was gonna say, give DeAndre Swift the ball morph but he was fourteen carries for eighteen yards.
So that was fantasy Jake kicking in.
And you'll see Fantasy Jake tonight watching Atlanta at Philadelphia Eagles minus five and a half point favorites. Uh, that line means no one knows what Falcons are gonna show up?
Are they gonna be a? Week one?
Was Week one and now we're figuring things out. If I had to put money on that, I would say Eagles. I thought they looked pretty good. They looked solid in Brazil while making a couple errors. Atlanta kind of did it, and I think Kirk in that offense if it is gonna figure itself out. I doubt it's week two, but that's why they play the games. We wouldn't have said that about Raiders and the Ravens. I wouldn't have said that about Minnesota and San Francisco. I would have said that about Green Bay and Malik Willis versus the Colts after the Colts had a highlight reel filled game the week before. And I'm half rooting for Kirk in Atlanta to be good because that would be fun, Like if Drake London and Kyle Pitts are good and Bijon's good and Kirk's getting the ball out, like, that'd be a fun team to watch, So I'm rooting for that. I do think Philly should roll in that game.
Sounds like I'm.
Gonna bet on them, and I probably will. The DraftKings sports Book probably do one of those. The fellas love a good teaser. Bring the Phillies, Bring the Philadelphia Phillies, Bring the Eagles probably down to like two points, bring the over underdown to like forty boom, call it, You're welcome, You're welcome fun weekend of NFL football back in a routine with it. Excited to enjoy a couple of weeks before the postseason and then watch MLB be intimidated by them come the postseason as they should be. NFL is king God, we get get me to Week five with a London game in some bye weeks.
I don't care about that at all. Tell them about Uncle Dan. Subscribe.
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