The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast

Week 3 is one of a handful of moving weeks in the fantasy world. We've got desperate 0-2 teams, some of which will be even more desperate by the end of Monday night. We've got 2-0 teams riding high, some of which will move to 3-0 and feel they're unstoppable. Every team, no matter where they are in the standings, can use a win this week. And that's where Beller, Jake and Funston start when they di...

After everyone survived THE EASIEST SURVIVOR WEEK EVER™, a more challenging slate confronts us in Week 3. The Broncos are the big favorite laying 10.5 at home against the seemingly hapless Jets. Three other big favorites—the Panthers, Ravens and Cardinals—are on the road. The Browns are laying a touchdown at home against the Bears, but do you trust them with all those injuries against a team now l...

Nando, Chris and Brandon discuss the Ravens’ offense through two weeks, the sluggish start from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ezekiel Elliott’s floor amidst the rise from Tony Pollard, the general disappointment around several early-round running backs, more uncertainty in the San Francisco backfield. Plus, the massive breakout from Mike Williams in Joe Lombardi’s offense, the return of Courtland Sutton,...

It's beat writer Tuesday on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Bengals reporter Jay Morrison, 49ers reporter Matt Barrows, and Chargers reporter Daniel Popper join Beller and DVR to discuss the latest on their teams from a fantasy perspective. First, the guys get into Joe Burrow's volume concerns and Joe Mixon's workload with Morrison. Then Barrows jumps on the show to talk about the new backf...

When is the right time to smash the panic button in a fantasy football league? If you're staring down an 0-2 start, it might feel like now is that right time. In many instances, that won't necessarily be the case. In others, however, panic just might be the appropriate reaction. Beller, Jake and Funston break out the panic meter on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Is now the...

Beller and DVR take an early look at the players that will likely be among the most popular players on the waiver wire heading into Week 3. Shallow league managers should be taking a look at Michael Carter, Zack Moss and Darnell Mooney, while deep leaguers will be more focused on the likes of Henry Ruggs and DeVante Parker. Could Parker also have value in shallower leagues? And could everyone take...

Beller and DVR take a look at the Week 2 DFS main slate, focusing first on the highest totals on the board. Do you have to find exposure to Cowboys-Chargers? Are there better angles to play in Vikings-Cardinals or Titans-Seahawks? The guys also look beyond those high totals for games they want to target, including Saints-Panthers. They also discuss where they're going to splurge this week, and whe...

Beller, Vic and Zac run through the Week 2 slate, with all three of them offering up their favorite plays for each of this week's remaining 15 games. Within those 15 picks apiece, the guys all highlight five favorites. Among their favorites: Panthers +3.5 over Saints (Zac), Titans on the moneyline at +190 (Vic) and Jonathan Taylor to go over 15.5 receiving yards (Beller). We'll give you those in t...

Elijah Mitchell, Jameis Winston and Christian Kirk were among the surprise standout players in Week 1. But that was last week. Where do they rank in Week 2? And who will join them in the 2021 Surprise Standout Club this week? Beller, Jake and Funston dig into those questions on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Among the 30-plus players the guys discuss are Teddy Bridgewater,...

Week 1 was a relatively quiet one on the Survivor front, with the Jaguars the only semi-popular pick that went down. Week 2 looks like it could be a comfortable one, too, with three double-digit favorites on the board, all of whom happen to be considered Super Bowl contenders (even though one of them struggled mightily in Week 1). Beller and DVR say there's no reason to get cute and not pick one o...

Nando, Chris and Brandon discuss the approach to Elijah Mitchell as a Week 1 standout commanding large bids and top waiver-wire priority, how they are reacting (and overreacting) to Week 1 — including the role of Corey Davis with the Jets, regrets in the Elijah Moore v. Mike Williams decision, the strong showing of several rookies in their debuts, and concerns on the heels of the Packers’ Week 1 d...

Every Tuesday on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, we'll check in with a handful of our beat writers around the country to get the latest on-the-ground knowledge from teams making news in the fantasy world. We kick it off by touching base with three teams that struggled mightily in Week 1: the Bills, Titans and Packers. Is there legitimate cause for concern for the fantasy-relevant players on...

Week 1 is just about in the books, with the Monday night game between the Ravens and Raiders the only one left on the slate. We've got a lot to look back at and forward to, and that's exactly what Beller, Jake and Funston do on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. How triumphant should the Ja'Marr Chase victory lap be? Are we worried at all about the Packers or Titans? Are there...

The first Sunday of the season is in the books, which means it's just about time to turn our full attention to Week 2. Beller and DVR start turning that page by taking an early look at the waiver wire, where they find Mark Ingram and Christian Kirk among the players that should be the top targets in leagues of all sizes. Follow Beller on Twitter: @MBeller Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Watc...

Every Friday, Beller and DVR will give you the nuts and bolts they're using to build their DFS lineups. The guys will highlight the games they want to target, discuss the players and positions on which they want to spend major resources, and the areas in which they'll be finding savings. In Week 1, DVR has his eye on the elite running backs, while Beller finds comfort in spending up for a reliable...

Week 1 has arrived, and we're celebrating with the new-look gambling edition of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Every Friday, Beller, Vic and Zac will run through all the remaining games on the slate, with each of them picking one play from every matchup. It could be a side, total, player prop or game prop, providing you with a full menu of betting options to kick off your weekend. The guys...

The NFL season kicks off on Thursday with an expected doozy between the Cowboys and Buccaneers, and the first full Sunday of the season follows just a few days later. Our friends...we did it. It won't be hard to figure out your starters from the Cowboys-Buccaneers game. But the rest of the slate? That's a different story. Beller, Jake and Funston help you lock in your lineups on the Week 1 Ranking...

Every Wednesday evening, Michael Beller and Derek VanRiper will bring you strategies to help you survive and advance in your survivor pools. Things are pretty straightforward in Week 1, with all 32 teams available to everyone. It's a challenging Week 1 slate, however, with no real slam-dunk pick on the board. Should you go 49ers over Lions? Rams over Bears? Buccaneers over Cowboys? Or should you a...

Nando, Chris and Brandon discuss their varying opinions about Mike Davis as the lead back in Atlanta, Ryan Tannehill as an undervalued QB, Nando’s unusual interest in Tyrod Taylor, value in the Colts’ receivers, Melvin Gordon’s role in tempering a Javonte Williams breakout, and the draft market’s failure to adjust to D.J. Chark.  Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino Follow Brandon on Twitter: @Br...

Everyone's got their Guys. The ones they went after in every single draft this season. You may share some of your Guys with other people, but it's likely that no one has the exact same list as you. Those Guys are Your Guys. These Guys our Our Guys. Individually, we refer to them as My Guys. Some of the Guys who made our My Guys lists: Kyle Pitts, Courtland Sutton and Mike Davis. Aaron Jones, Rober...

Beller, Zac and Vic dig into the team-based futures market, finding more than a few bets they want to make before this season begins. The guys discuss Super Bowl picks (Bills and Chiefs), division winners (Browns and 49ers) and fun playoff bets (hello, Cardinals and Panthers). They also get into win total over/unders, find some places to go negative (do we really trust the Colts?) and get into a h...

The NFL season begins one week from today. That means there's really only one thing to do on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast: make some bold predictions. Beller, Jake and Funston come in hot with five bold predictions apiece. Some are positive (Jalen Hurts is a top-five QB!), some are negative (Derrick Henry is NOT a top-five RB!), all are bold. Follow Beller on Twitter: @MBe...

Nando, Brandon and Chris discuss last-minute risers and fallers now that the calendar has flipped to September. How will the Ravens utilize Gus Edwards and the rest of their running backs following J.K. Dobbins’ injury, Sony Michel’s opportunity in Los Angeles, their expectations for Marquez Callaway, and changes in New England with the Patriots decision to roll with Mac Jones as their starting qu...

The biggest piece of news emanating from Week 3 of the preseason is also the worst. J.K. Dobbins tore his ACL and will miss the 2021 NFL season. That makes three exciting young backs we won't see this year, with Dobbins joining Cam Akers and Travis Etienne. Beller, Jake and Funston have the icky, yet necessary, fantasy takeaways for you on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. The...

The gambling edition of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast is back for another season. Every Friday, Michael Beller, Vic Tafur and Zac Jackson will discuss their favorite bets from every game on the slate. Sides, totals, player props and team props are all fair game, and the guys will likely throw in a parlay or two along the way, as well. Before the season, however, is futures time. On this ep...