The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast

In the opinion of one of our two hosts, this is the best NFL weekend of the season. Championship weekend routinely brings together at least three of the four best teams in the league, if not all four, and this season is no exception. The Packers and Buccaneers get things going on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, and then the Chiefs and Bills cap off the night in the AFC Championship Game. Star...

The 2021 fantasy football draft season is just about six months away. Crazy, right? Kidding aside, we in the fantasy football community are always ready to talk about the next season at this time of year, and that's exactly what Michael Beller and Jake Ciely do on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. How should fantasy managers treat the bevy of attractive second-year backs, from...

The NFL is down to its final eight teams, which means we're running out of opportunities to bet on the league this season. Michael Beller and Vic Tafur have you covered on this week's precious few games with our latest episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Can the Rams keep rolling, or will Aaron Rodgers and the Packers cover the 6.5-point spread. Who comes away with the win and cover...

No season is complete without handing out some awards. That's exactly what we do on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Show, highlighting the best, brightest, and, in some instances, worst of the 2020 fantasy football season. Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston hand out the hardware with a little twist. Jake's our resident video game guru, so instead of simply naming a fantas...

The most wonderful time of the year may be behind us, but the most wonderful time of the NFL season is just beginning. The playoffs are here, with Saturday kicking the first ever six-game Wild Card weekend. Michael Beller and Vic Tafur are back to dive into their top plays against the spread. The guys get into all six games this weekend, discussing leans for all six, while highlighting the ones on...

The regular season is over, but the fantasy football season isn't. The NFL postseason provides the fantasy community with another opportunity to play fantasy football before closing the book on this season. On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston walk through the different ways to play playoff fantasy football with a focus on the mos...

When is the right time to start thinking about the next fantasy football season? Right after the current one ends! That's what we're doing here at The Athletic, having already conducted one early mock fantasy football draft for the 2021 season. On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, the last in 2020, Nando Di Fino, Chris Vaccaro and Eric Moody break down that early mock draft. T...

Still playing fantasy football in Week 17? Good news! We're still here to help guide you through your overlooked championship week. On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston dive into the unique problems related to playing fantasy football in Week 17. Namely, what do you do if you've been riding Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis...

On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller and Vic Tafur run through the Week 16 slate from a gambling standpoint, highlighting their favorite picks against the spread.  Can the Cardinals move one step closer to a playoff berth and, more importantly, cover against the 49ers? Can the Browns get another double-digit win against a team from New York? Will the Steelers bo...

It's Wednesday of Week 16, and that can only mean one thing for this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. It's time for championship week rankings. Michael Beller, Brandon Funston and Jake Ciely get you ready for your championship by discussing the most confounding players in Week 16. Can Baker Mayfield keep it rolling? Is Le'Veon Bell worth starting with Clyde Edwards-Helaire out? Ca...

Fantasy football championship week is here, and so are Nando Di Fino and Chris Vaccaro to take a look at Week 16. At the same time, 2021 is on the minds of many fantasy managers, including those who are playing for titles this week. Nando and Chris mix Week 16 with 2021 on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. The guys discuss the players who have great matchups in Week 16, the of...

Aaron Jones, Calvin Ridley, Dalvin Cook, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray and plenty of others helped send their fantasy football managers to championship games with their performances in Week 15. You already knew you could lean on those guys going into their matchups, however. On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, we're more interested in the surprise stars of Week 15 who could repeat...

On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller and Derek VanRiper break down the Week 15 DFS slate. They discuss the high-priced players who should be at the center of your lineups, the abundance of $6,000ish receivers who look good this week, love for rookie running backs, and more. Later, Beller runs through the slate from a gambling standpoint, highlighting his favorit...

A few weeks ago, it would've sounded crazy to say that fantasy managers would be trusting Jeff Wilson, T.Y. Hilton and Mitch Trubisky in their semifinal matchups. Even though those three, and many others deemed newly worthy of our trust, will be in lineups, should we be thinking harder about how much we're willing to lean on them? Nando Di Fino, Jake Ciely and Eric Moody dive into the question of...

It's semifinal week in the fantasy football playoffs, and while we know almost everything we need to know about almost every player with fantasy relevance, there are still questions to be answered. Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston dive into the most vexing ones on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Among them: Can Baker Mayfield and Philip Rivers keep things rolli...

Ravens-Browns wasn't just the game of the year. It also likely swung more than a few first-round matchups in the fantasy football playoffs with huge late touchdowns by Rashard Higgins, Baker Mayfield, Marquise Brown and Kareem Hunt, plus a lateral-fest safety on the last play of the game. Now that we've all settled down from that crazy end to Week 14, it's time to turn the page to Week 15 and the...

One month ago, neither Jalen Hurts nor Mitch Trubisky were starting for their real-life teams. Now, they could both legitimately carry fantasy teams to championships. On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston discuss Hurts and Trubisky, as well as the other big Week 14 storylines that could weigh heavily on the fantasy football playoff...

On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller and Derek VanRiper break down the Week 14 DFS slate. They discuss an abundance of attractive players across the three major positions priced between two $7,000 and $7,700, Dalvin Cook vs. Derrick Henry vs. Davante Adams, the lack of cheap pivots at quarterback, and more. Later, Beller and Vic Tafur run through the slate from...

The fantasy football playoffs have arrived, and they have brought into focus the meaning of a certain fantasy buzzword: trust. A bad game from an individual player sprinkled here or there throughout the regular season isn't a big deal. One in the fantasy football playoffs, however, could send a fantasy manager home. And that's why we ask, "Who can you trust?" Nando Di Fino, Jake Ciely and Eric Moo...

The fantasy football playoffs are here, with Week 14 kicking off a three-week sprint to championships all across the fantasy football world. Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston are also here, helping you make the tough start/sit decisions with an in-depth look at the Week 14 rankings on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. The guys got into more than 30 of the most con...

Week 13 was not kind to our friend Chris Vaccaro, but he's still here to dive into the week's biggest stories from a fantasy perspective, and break down how we can use what we learned in the fantasy football playoffs. Chris and Nando Di Fino discuss, among other topics, Cam Akers' usage, Washington's offense without Antonio Gibson, the Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa back at the helm, Corey Davis ful...

Week 13 isn't quite over, but the fantasy football playoffs are upon us. Some berths will be earned on Monday and Tuesday, but most people who are headed to the playoffs have already punched their tickets. And yet, there are still many questions to be answered that could determine who raises the trophy in any fantasy league. Among them: Has Cam Akers' time finally arrived? Are Miles Sanders and Ky...

On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, Michael Beller and Derek VanRiper break down the Week 13 DFS slate. They discuss building lineups around an elite back or receiver, finally paying up for a quarterback, the desire to get invested in Browns-Titans, and more. Later, Beller and Vic Tafur run through the slate from a gambling standpoint, highlighting their favorite picks agains...

Week 13 has arrived, and not a day too soon. Instead of Thursday and Monday night games this week, we're getting a Monday night doubleheader and Tuesday Night Football to wrap up the final week of the fantasy football regular season. The last part of that sentence is, of course, the operative part, with fantasy managers looking lock up regular season championships and playoff berths. On this episo...

It's the final week of the fantasy football regular season in most leagues, meaning that regular season championships will be won and playoff berths will be secured when this week comes to an end. Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston help you get ready for it all with a deep dive into Week 13 rankings on this episode of Fantasy Football in 15. How much have our expectations for Deshaun W...