Ripper, what is the deal, my man?
I'm going to send you the co-host invite now.
Parlay, what's up, Parlay?
He's about to do some work.
I'm just locking in here.
I'm going to do this from the car while I drive, but it'll be perfect.
I'm excited to talk about...
I guess we're wrapping it up, man.
You know, although, you know, we're wrapping up the fantasy portion of the season, the NFL
goes on year round, you know?
And fantasy does, too, really.
I mean, when you have dynasty leagues, you've got trades, you've got the drafts coming up.
I was on the space with Bob Harris on Monday, and we were talking about how, like, 365 the
NFL really is, because even though there's an off season, immediately after the Super
Bowl, you have the scouting come by.
Then you have free agency.
And right before that, you know, you have maybe a few weeks before that, you know, after
the draft, and then you've got OTAs, and then you've got mini camps coming in, training
camp, and then, man, it's like we're right back to fantasy football season.
We're right back to doing our drafts and mock drafts and all of this stuff that starts around
the end of May, early June.
It's just really, it's a year-round thing.
You know, it's crazy how it is this year.
And this season has been completely insane, you know, ravaged by injuries that happen.
But it's a sport that we love to watch, and we understand that, hey, injuries are a part
And we're going to get to a question that I've been asking, you know, a little bit later,
you know, once we get some more people in this joint.
But yeah, I've got a question for you, Ripper, and you being a guy, a smart guy, Eric Hughes
graduate, you're going to, you're, I want to really hear what you have to say about it,
because I know you're going to not only just put the analytical side behind it, you're
going to also put another side behind it that's going to allow people to think and allow us
But we got Sage up in here.
And we got Portobello as well, and of course, Parley Joe.
But you know what, Ripper, I want to get to this top 10 list, man.
This top 10 list, are we going to do the NFL top 10, or are we going to do the top 10 for
No, let's do our regular top 10.
I'm going to look for you.
Posted and loaded, but I was just adding, because you just, you know, made a great point.
Even though I said we're wrapping up the season, you're right.
It's a 365, you know, 24-7 world we're living in when we think about football fantasy.
And so I kind of went right into that without even, you know, knowing, you know, we're on
And I already put it on the too early 2024 top 10 fantasy thing.
I figured we'd have something to also talk about.
Let me pull up the top 10 rankings.
Give me 30 seconds, and then we'll dive into it.
And, you know, these guys, these are your 2024 early top 10 fantasy football rankings.
I'm still working on mine.
But I do see his list, and I see some things that I would have on here, wouldn't have on
I like a few names on here.
I'm starting to see some running backs trickle back up here.
In the last year, we've seen some wide receivers getting a lot of love.
It's the beginning of our drafts.
Now we're starting to see some running backs starting to creep back up here.
And, you know, Ripper's got a few of them in there.
So we'll definitely let him get to it.
But, man, appreciate everybody being in here.
Never heard from you before, but appreciate you being in our space.
We're going to get this thing rocking and rolling with the top 10 from Ripper's top 10.
It's always fun, always entertaining.
It's going to be something that we continue to do.
We may even have a top 10 out of offseason as well.
Like whenever these teams come in and they get some new pieces added onto their team, we'll
even start ranking them in as well.
You know, free agencies, rookies as well, when they get drafted in, we'll do that too.
You said it so well there with the list.
We've been doing this all season.
I would just say to you guys listening, make your own list.
Tell me where I'm wrong or right.
Put it in the replies or even think about the way that your list can help you.
Well, I'll tell you this, by me making lists throughout the season, and I started doing
this in the offseason coming into football, it's really helped me gauge the different
teams throughout the season and also do better in fantasy because I was paying attention to
players, teams, and it's really helped me.
I think it's a good exercise that I think the Twitter sphere loves as well.
We've got pretty much one last set of rankings.
We'll do it after the end of the season for next week.
But this is the week 17 NFL top 10.
We've got the Baltimore Ravens.
They've secured the top spot in the AFC.
They were already number one after they beat San Francisco.
But what they did to Miami was not just crush my heart, but crush the rest of the NFL's heart.
They're going to rest everyone.
They look locked and loaded for a trip to the Super Bowl.
And who will they probably meet?
Well, it's your number two San Francisco 49ers.
They're locked and loaded.
They're going to sit pretty this week.
They're ready as the number one seed in the NFC.
You go to Detroit at number three.
I'm going to keep them at number three, even though I wasn't too fond of what Dan Campbell did with the play calling.
I thought that they got hosed, but he also could have done better as a coach.
They're still my number three team.
They look ready to make a run.
Buffalo's at number four.
I still can't get it out of my head.
I think they're the number two or three overall betting favorite for the Super Bowl.
So this isn't a crazy idea.
Number five, your Cowboys.
That game against the Lions could have went either way.
They're going to have home field for at least the first or two rounds.
If they win this week, they're five.
They've got not just Puka.
You've got Coopers looking good again.
Sean McVay's got the experience.
The same thing with the Browns.
The Browns and the AFC are kind of like the Rams or the NFC.
Joe Flacco came off the couch, and now he could be leading the team to a Super Bowl run.
Number eight, your Chiefs, only because they did win the division.
They're not the same Chiefs as we're used to, but would you be so shocked if they make it?
Same thing with the Eagles.
They don't look good, but they're still battle tested.
I'm not counting them out at number nine.
And then, of course, at number 10, the Dolphins have to stick there because they got just dominated.
They made poor coaching decisions.
Their defense is destroyed.
They're still top 10, but they're number 10.
That's your top 10 NFL rankings for week 17.
There, Ripper, you got some heavy hitters down there in the lower part of that top 10, man.
You got, I mean, preseason Super Bowl favorites down there, man.
You know, with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs, everybody was big on them.
They're just not clicking.
They're not getting it all together.
We've seen reports that Nick Sirianni's possibly losing the locker room.
They tried to do some type of escape room thing together to try to get this cohesiveness back.
You see A.J. Brown shaking his head all the time when he doesn't get the ball.
But when they come off the field, even last week, when they came off the field before the game was over, he just looked dejected.
Looked like he's just not there with this team.
Not on the same page with Jalen Hurts.
And speaking of not on the same page, this freaking Kansas City Chiefs team, this offense, man, is just really, really bad.
And it's crazy to say a Patrick Mahomes and an Andy Reid-led offense is not doing well.
Well, I've got my theories.
I've been talking about it.
Matt Nagy is the bane of this offense's existence.
And, you know, he's got this team, this offense playing undisciplined football, and it shows.
It shows that they get penalties, not catching the ball properly.
It's just been very sad to watch, man, from them.
I'm going to tell you, that top five is pretty decent.
I love Detroit being there.
Detroit should have won that freaking game.
The Cowboys coming in there and, you know, and they're in Cowboys Stadium.
You know, the referees, man, I'm not even going to speak up on that.
But they should have blown that team out of water, that Lions team out of water.
They should have rallied behind their team, rallied behind that stadium.
It was the night they were giving Jimmy Johnson the ring of honor.
They should have really put the Lions away early.
And the fact that they didn't, I like the fact that she kept the Lions there because the Lions should have won that game.
They were hosed at the end of it, like you said.
The Buffalo Bills, they are sneaky, man.
You got Josh Allen, one of the best or the best quarterback from the fantasy perspective.
You know, I'm definitely with you guys.
Can't argue with the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.
Look, Lamar Jackson's about to win another MVP.
He solidified that the last couple of games that he's played.
The dude has been playing lights out.
Five touchdowns last week.
Five touchdowns from Lamar Jackson.
He loves to play against his home state, hometown team.
So, Lamar Jackson, man, I got a question for you, though, Ripper, about these one and two teams,
with some of the things that they're going to be doing in these next couple of weeks.
But before we do that, I'm going to get to the Raider report.
I don't have much to say.
I mean, we've got Sage up in here.
Sage is also a Raiders fan.
I do Raiders correspondent for High Point and Personal Corner.
Oh, man, I've been silenced the last couple of weeks, though, man.
You know, it was a tough loss last week to the Colts.
Knocked us out of the playoffs.
We've been eliminated now.
Sad to say, you know, hey, we had a season where we started off slow,
fired McDaniels, benched Jimmy G.
Then we bring in this new, you know, regime, so to speak.
We bring in Aiden O'Connell.
I didn't have very much expectations for Aiden O'Connell.
I think he did an okay job.
I definitely see the Raiders, you know, holding that 11th pick in the 2024 draft,
looking for a quarterback, a franchise-type quarterback,
maybe even try to move up a little bit and get there.
Coach Antonio Pierce has this defense playing lights out.
This defense has been playing, like, one of the best defenses,
particularly from a fantasy standpoint as well, in the last month.
And when Coach AP came in there and took over that defense
and talked about changing the culture, that's exactly what he did.
He did what he said he was going to do.
I know that they had the same situation he had when Versace came in there
and did a hell of a job, and they didn't end up hiring him.
I just hope that they don't do the same thing.
I hope that they learn from their mistakes.
You never know what Mark Davis, you never know what the executive owners
and the ownership, they're the Raiders.
They want to have a big name, a big splash, you know,
but sometimes you can't do that.
Sometimes you got to see what the culture, what's changed about the culture,
changed about the team, and I hope that he's been keeping an eye on that.
Look, we may not have Devontae Adams next year.
We still have some good wide receivers.
Josh Jacobs, we'll see what happens with him.
I like what we saw from Zemir White.
But they've got to focus on this offense a little bit more,
focus on the linebacking core as well.
And I like some of our units or our players that we have on our units.
We just got to have it come together.
And I think it starts with Coach AP being the de facto head coach
for the Las Vegas Raiders.
That's my Raiders report.
I'm done talking about them for a little bit.
I'm going to put a video out there, a year-in-review for them.
But there's a lot that happened.
A lot of things could have gone left.
I think they were one of those teams where it was a little bit more exciting
towards the end, especially when they beat Kansas City.
But, yeah, man, that's all I have.
I mean, listen, I always appreciate the Raiders report that you've been
putting out since you joined High Point.
And this week, a little stolen from you.
But the offseason is near.
The franchise has a big offseason.
Are they going to stick with AP?
Could potentially Jim Harbaugh be a play?
We're going to find out in the next few weeks.
And then is Devontae Adams going to stay in Las Vegas?
So there's a lot to be decided here.
But I'm excited to keep following the team, keep hearing about the team,
and keep seeing what you put out because you do a great job in keeping us
up to date with the franchise.
All right, guys, if you guys could do me a favor,
go to the Jumbotron, repost, repost, and like all of those that are up there,
specifically the space that we're in right now.
We'll get some more people in here.
But let's go to this top 10 list for fantasy football for 2024.
Again, guys, look, we've got to already start looking at 2024 for fantasy football.
I know some people are still in their championships this week.
You shouldn't be because, damn it, you ain't going to have any of your players
that you're going to play.
You're going to be looking at players like Blaine Galbert.
You're going to be looking at players like Easton Stick, Jarrett Stidham.
Those are going to be some of the quarterbacks that are going to be starting
So those Patrick Mahomes owners, those Josh Allen's owners,
Josh Allen's still going to play.
Tua's still going to play.
Maybe look out there and see if somebody dropped Tua for some reason.
I know in one of my leagues somebody dropped him, and I was like,
So I picked him up, and he is starting for me this week.
So, yeah, just take a look at your waivers.
But I want to get into this top ten list that Ripper has because I'm starting
to see these running backs creep up on this list.
All right, let's talk about it.
First, I want to say congratulations to everyone that won a championship.
If you didn't, good luck.
Next season, start prepping now.
This list is an early list.
It's going to change in six months, but if you start to have an idea now,
you can kind of feel out how the offseason goes.
And, you know, this has been the most successful fantasy football season
I put a lot of work in in the offseason to prepare.
I nailed a lot of drafts.
I got a lot of luck with health injuries, except, you know,
did lose most right there before week 17.
But what I have noticed, and everyone has their own opinions,
I think that you win in fantasy by having a top-tier running back
and then finding stud players later to go with them.
So with that idea, I don't want to go with the idea that you just need to get
a receiver at the top because there's a lot of good receivers.
And it's getting deeper and deeper at wide receiver, whereas running back,
If you have one of those top running backs, you have a real legit chance in your
fantasy league, and so this is my early, early look at the top 10
if I was drafting right now.
Tyreek Hill, I mean, undoubtedly electric.
What we saw from CeeDee Lamb has moved him up, in my opinion,
to go number three overall, right behind Tyreek.
And I'm just excited for Brees Hall.
We saw it towards the end of the season.
And now you think, okay, if he gets a healthy Rodgers,
it can't be a worse situation next year for the Jets than this year.
Uh-oh, Ripper, we're losing games.
I mean, this guy missed a few games this year and was still unloving.
Yeah, yeah, we got you back.
So Kyron Williams, he missed a few games, but he was unbelievable.
He's going to be a top guy next year.
Those are the top five, in my opinion.
Then you go to Jamar Chase.
When he gets Joe Burrow back, he's awesome.
I think Jonathan Taylor has to be up there because imagine the full season
with Anthony Richardson, that offense.
And then, you know, this guy has been slept on for too long.
He was on a lot of my teams, which is why I won.
Amon Ross, St. Brown, just so clutch, so dominant.
And that is, he's got to be a guy you want on the team.
Number nine, I got Justin Jefferson.
Some people are wondering, how could Jefferson be nine?
Well, right now, Minnesota doesn't have a quarterback.
Kirk Cousins is going to be a free agent.
There's no guarantees he's coming back.
Until we know who's quarterbacking Minnesota, I can't move Jefferson any higher.
And then at 10, I'm going to stick with A.J. Brown.
You could go a lot of ways here, but I still like the idea of A.J. at 10.
This is my top 10 right now, obviously, with coaching changes, with quarterback changes,
trades, things can change and evolve.
But this is my early look at next year in a standard type of PPR league, what I'm looking
You know, I was questioning the Jonathan Taylor one a little bit, but you brought up a freaking
Anthony Richardson coming back, that's going to be...
I remember how excited I was when Jonathan Taylor was first coming back at the beginning
of the season, you know, from being injured.
And Anthony Richardson was there.
He was already doing some of his Anthony Richardson type things.
And Jonathan Taylor on that was just icing on the cake.
And then immediately that same game, Anthony Richardson gets hurt.
So we never really got to see it.
So you bringing up that point, we know how electric Jonathan Taylor is.
And when you add that electricity along with the electricity that Anthony Richardson has
or was actually displaying in the NFL, you're on to something, man.
You're actually really on to something.
I love the Brees Hall up there.
I am a big Brees Hall believer, man.
I believed in him this year.
I believed that he was going to really have a great year despite him coming back from the
I thought that 2023 was going to...
And he had a pretty decent year.
I took a little bit of time for him to come back.
We knew that they were not going to give him the rock right away.
But I love the fact that you got Brees Hall in there in the top five.
He's a threat for top three potential, top one potential.
So I love Brees Hall, man.
If he can get this offensive line together, maybe get Aaron Rodgers in there with him as
The sky is the limit for this kid.
As long as he stays healthy, man.
I love seeing that Brees Hall in there.
We saw a career year from CD lamp over 1,600 yards, double-digit touchdown.
He has a connection with Dak.
As long as Dak is there, CD lamp is going to be there as well.
I don't see Puka Nakua anywhere on here, man.
I kind of jumped on this Puka Nakua train.
I do like the fact that you did drop Justin Jefferson down just because we don't know who's going to be
throwing the rock to him next year.
But I do like Puka Nakua.
I think Puka Nakua might get into my top ten.
I'm still working on my top ten.
We'll get that together for you guys, and we'll let you guys see it here pretty soon.
The only thing that stops Kyron Williams is health.
That offense is really good when it's humming, and he benefits from that offense because he's going to see a lot of goal line carries, goal line opportunities.
The thing is, he's a smaller guy.
So whenever he came out last year, I was like, oh, he's a smaller guy.
But the dude runs like a bowling ball.
He's a bruising-type running back.
So I do love that as well.
I love the Kyron Williams pickup here at number five.
And he's been very efficient, one of the most efficient ones.
Another one I'm surprised about is you don't have your boy Raheem Mostert.
I know, hey, look, he's 31.
You got Devon 18 over there.
But we've seen what Raheem Mostert was able to do this year.
That's another one I was surprised at.
I thought Raheem would be there for you.
But other than that, great list.
Let's keep this show rocking and rolling, man.
Let's see what Sage has to say about the list.
Hey, what's good, everybody?
We're rocking and rolling.
I'm just about to tap in with you guys, man.
How's everything going good with the holidays for you guys?
And I appreciate you guys for always hosting the show, man.
It's always a great time tapping in with you guys.
But, yeah, it's been really good, man.
And then what was the question you had for me, bro?
I bet it was going in and out.
The question was the top ten list for his fantasy.
Who would you add on there, take off?
What did you think of it?
Man, you really have the Dolphins at number ten?
This was for the fantasy one, the fancy one.
Well, where would you put the Dolphins also?
I'd pick them at number seven.
You're a little tough on your own team, so I get it.
But I actually really like your fantasy football list, too.
I would probably move Justin Jefferson up the list.
But that's just my opinion.
When the quarterback situation gets fixed, and I'm not predicting who gets it fixed, I just think that it's really a attractive place for a quarterback to go.
So they might actually get one this offseason.
And they move on for purpose all season, too.
One, I agree Jefferson could easily move up the list.
Other guys can move down.
But I don't like to do the prediction game with the list.
That's why I like the list to just live in the present, which is right now, Kirk Cousins is a free agent.
No guarantees he comes back.
And what we've seen with Justin Jefferson when he had average to below-average quarterbacks has not been top three, top four worthy.
So for now, we just have to ride with that.
Obviously, these will evolve.
Where should I put the Dolphins?
I've got this rule in my rankings.
But if you lose by 37 points, you'll lose like seven spots in the rankings.
So, yeah, they might have been number three last week.
They're lucky to still be number 10, the Dolphins, because it wasn't just losing by 37 points.
And then you lose your, you know, best current defensive player remaining.
So, yeah, I mean, I don't know.
Yeah, no, you bring up some points, though, for real, man.
I mean, like, yeah, you can't – I know it's Baltimore, and Baltimore is humming right now.
But you cannot get blown out like that at home.
You've got to move them down.
They're not out of the top pick.
They're definitely inside there.
But, yeah, you've got to, you know, figure out a way.
I know they were losing Jalen Waddell.
But that ain't – that's not – it's still not – that would have moved the needle at all really much.
Listen, we've got to be honest about it.
I would love nothing more to put them at number one every week.
I'd love nothing wrong to be – I'd love to be wrong here.
The point is, all teams are hurt.
Look, the Ravens lost Mark Andrews a while ago.
So, even though they lost Keaton Williams, even though the Dolphins didn't have Jalen Waddell, Raheem Mostert didn't play, I mean, that game they could have lost by 50.
So, you see that and you go, you can't keep them, you know, higher than where I put them really in my opinion.
But nonetheless, look, last point about the rankings that you made, Tip.
If I wanted to just touch on it, Puka Nakua, if I was going to go a little bit deeper into the rankings, I mean, he's right there.
He's going to set all these rookie records, deservedly so.
So, you know, maybe he breaks in.
We'll have to see how the offseason goes for a lot of these guys.
It's a good starting point.
Definitely a good starting point in it.
I want to start talking about this.
You know the playoffs are up on us for the NFL.
You know, we're already pretty much getting out of the fantasy playoff section.
Now we're starting to talk about the NFL playoff.
And here's my thing, my question to you, Ripper, to the panel.
Anybody who wants to come up, I just saw Ben just come in.
And we had this conversation a little bit on the show before with Patrick Happy Hour.
The Baltimore Ravens, the San Francisco 49ers, they have locked in the number one seed, right?
They've got the number one seed.
They don't have to worry about anything else.
They have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
However, I haven't heard from the San Francisco 49ers, but I have heard from the Baltimore Ravens and from the other teams that have also locked in their position.
And this is something that the Kansas City Chiefs do all the time.
That doesn't really necessarily surprise me.
Baltimore Ravens will do this all the time.
They're going to stick their starters this week, the Baltimore Ravens.
So if the Baltimore Ravens, their starters this week, and then they have a first-round bye in the first round of the playoffs, that means two full weeks, two full weeks of them not playing.
They haven't played since last Sunday.
So you have two-plus weeks of them not playing any football at all, Ripper.
What are your thoughts on there?
Because my thoughts are football is a timing – all sports are timing-based.
It's all on, you know, being there at the perfect time.
And the thing is, if you're out for a couple of weeks and you've got a team who's hungry, a playoff team, mind you, these are not just, you know, the bottom of the bottom teams.
These are playoff teams that you're going to be playing against, so they're good.
Could we see a scenario where Baltimore or maybe the San Francisco 49ers come out a little bit sluggish?
Maybe – I understand now what was brought up in the other space is, hey, injuries, injuries, injuries.
Injuries can happen all the time.
They can happen last week.
They can happen this week.
Hell, they can happen the first round of your playoffs.
That is the inevitable thing in football, unfortunately in football.
But you play this sport to win the game, and I don't know, what are your thoughts on sitting for two full weeks and then coming out there and asking these guys to play?
I don't think there's a right answer, especially each team is different, unique.
The circumstance – we know that both teams have the bye week, so they're already going to have a week off.
They're not going to get on a football field now.
The regulars that rest for three weeks pretty much and play a game, you've got to worry about the sluggish starts.
That's something that's been common.
But I think the worst scenario would be if you play a guy in a game that doesn't matter for your team and he gets hurt.
So I think the idea is you want to play the guys a degree, keep them a little bit fresh, but, you know, depending on the position and making sure that they're not hurt is more important than just having them play a little bit, especially if they're not playing for anything.
You know, it's a tough one, right?
But I think it's smart in the sense that, like, from the 49ers' perspective, I think it's imperative that they get Sam Darnold a start and a full game and Brock Purdy.
Because we saw what happened last year with Brock Purdy in the playoffs.
He got hurt in the playoff game and they were toast.
So if they can get Sam Darnold this action and he plays well and they can have a little confidence just in case there's an injury.
Same thing with the Ravens and Huntley.
So, you know, look, you definitely don't want to sit for that long because that always happens and these guys can start slow.
But at the end of the day, if you do it the reverse and you lose a guy, then you regret it terribly.
I don't think you want to sit everyone.
But the main core guys, like a quarterback and maybe a running back that's, you know, McCaffrey's going to sit, make sure he's healthy.
Things like that I think is a smart move.
Yeah, no, you bring up a good point with that.
And I don't think there's a wrong answer.
It's just really your opinion on it.
It's one of those things that we've seen happen.
We've seen these teams lock in that number one spot.
And they come out the first game of the playoffs and they're just flat.
And they were just like, man, what the heck's happening?
What's going on with them?
But I see we got Bill Carroll in here.
Shout out to Bill Carroll.
And I want to hear from him on this subject because, you know, as Ripper, as all of you guys are all, you know, very smart when it comes to sports.
And I love hearing you guys' opinion.
I want to hear Bill Carroll's opinion on this.
What do you think about the Baltimore Ravens, these number one seeds, sitting for two weeks and then coming in and playing a playoff team?
Do you think that hurts them?
Do you think that helps them get rest?
What are your thoughts on that, Bill?
Well, like so many things in life, it is a duality of man, right?
You have some players who are veterans.
And every single minute, they're not doing something that hurts their joints, their soft tissues, their bones, their souls is good.
And then you have some younger players.
They have a significant number of players like Zay Flowers and others who are still figuring out how to be NFL football players.
And, I mean, though it's hard to do, I would probably rest more selectively.
I would probably say, okay, which guys have been nursing an injury or which guys are over the age of, I don't know, let's pick a number 27.
Pick, you know, whatever, which is like 40 in normal people years.
A 27-year-old football player, you know, is not like a 27-year-old person who works in an office.
Because if you have friends who play in the NFL, I mean, they tell you already by four or five years in the league, it's getting hard on certain days just to get out of bed.
You have to know that your team, what works for some teams, won't work for your team.
Some teams need to just grind.
And especially teams that haven't been there before.
Now, the Ravens, some of them, have been there before.
Now, they may not have had the experience they wanted to have in the playoffs.
But if you've got guys who are new, as in new to the NFL and or new to the playoffs, and particularly new to a role they have,
like maybe they're playing more or playing differently than they have before,
I'm probably going to at least let those guys play, I don't know, maybe even half a game.
If it's somebody who's, you know, what's Aldo Beckham Jr. going to learn this week, right?
Like, what's, I mean, you've got to be like, there's certain players, it doesn't make sense to play.
But, yes, if you've got a young starter or a young player who's a major contributor and this is all new to them
and they're still figuring out how to do this thing at the NFL level, I say player.
Yeah, no, I appreciate that, Bill, and a great insight.
I mean, that's a really good point.
I want to hear from you, Sage.
What are your thoughts on that?
I'll be right back, guys.
Oh, no, you're fine, brother.
Rob, Rob, Rob, Rob Strauss, everybody.
Man, look, this guy's got some, you know, you know Rob's takes.
So we're going to hear what Rob has to say on this.
Because, you know, he's been around for a minute.
He's seen his teams win multiple Super Bowls.
So we want to hear what he has to say on this factor as well.
And he is connecting right now.
So I agree with Bill Carroll majority of what he said.
The older players, the veterans, I would rest them because they know their body needs to heal up.
And depending on the amount of snaps they took during the season, they also should rest up.
I don't care if it's three weeks, four weeks.
You want to be fresh going into the playoff game and you don't want, you know, just like Rip said, you don't want to have an injury happen.
And then, you know, your whole the whole season, what you played for is all one other thing I will add to rookies, young, young, super young players.
I would also have them rest.
It's it's the in-between players that I would play, because remember, young, these super young players that are actually playing, they're not used to this rigorous NFL schedule either.
You know, the rookie wall you're talking about, not only the rookie wall, because they came from college.
How many games did they play?
And now they're all of a sudden there's 17 games and it's you're not playing against college players.
You're playing against real NFL players, so your bruises are a little different, even though you heal faster as, you know, a young player than an older vet.
But you also have, you know, you're not your body's not used to playing the amount of games, too.
And now there's also this is a 17th game.
So this is also a longer season than a lot of, you know, than I grew up watching.
You know, it's one extra game, even though it is one less preseason game, but nobody plays in preseason.
So to me, it's a wash either way, but it's it it's a more serious game where people actually get banged up.
I just say, you know, you look at who had the major snap counts and you look who's nursing, you know, not make you nothing major.
You know, everybody, everybody in the NFL right now who is playing is nursing some kind of minor bumps and bruises and injuries and to have almost three weeks to heal your body.
And let me tell you, Ravens, let's say Baltimore Park, Ravens defense is very good.
So if Baltimore's offense in practice can do some, you know, scoring in practice against their own defense, then they're doing pretty well.
Then they should come out or right.
Yeah, 100 percent, Ripper.
What do you think on that, Ripper?
Yeah, I think that both Bill and Rob make a great point.
And look, at the end of the day, it's a it's a it's it's kind of you have to decide what are you picking?
And I think the lesser of evils is you definitely don't want to have played a full season for the top seed so that you get that rest and then ruin it by playing a guy just to give him a little action where he gets hurt.
And then that rest doesn't do any good.
It changes the entire dynamic of the entire season.
And so these teams have earned a buy.
They're ready for the buy and they're going to be ready for the playoffs, even if it means that the first quarter of their games, they start slow.
You kind of have to deal with that because I think that's a better choice than having the risk of getting a major serious injury.
I mean, again, really great points because I'll tell you what, if Lamar Jackson goes out there this Sunday and he tweaks his knee,
you know, something similar to what he had last year with the PCL, it's not going to be good for Baltimore.
You know, they're going to be trying to rush to get him playing.
They're probably going to injure him even worse.
But the thing is, man, these guys play not just for the money.
And the coaches coach to win.
So, again, it goes back to you play to win the game.
Famous Herm Edwards quote, that is true.
You play this game not to lose.
So, all of these guys want to win, even though it may seem like they don't Raiders, but they still, they want to win.
And so, I see Rob has his hand up.
I know I was in another space right before this one.
And they were talking about Detroit Lions, how they can have their best record in forever if they, you know, play this game hard.
And, you know, and if they win this game, that'll be their best, you know, record in their lifetime.
And I compared it to, I was like, well, what would you, if you were a Golden State Warrior fan, would you rather be 70 and 12 and win a championship
or be 73 and 9 and have the best record and lose?
So, Detroit as well has more to play for than just having their all-time winning season record, even though it's not the greatest record of all time.
But, you know, us as a Giants fan, we got to destroy that because, you know, they wanted to be undefeated.
And they played us in the last game of the season to win that game that was so important for New England that they ended up losing again to us in the Super Bowl.
But anyway, that's what I'm talking about.
All right, Ripper, so we're talking a little bit about the NFL playoffs.
So, I want to hear from you, what team out there do you feel like is going to surprise in the NFL playoffs this year?
Yeah, it's a good question.
I'm going to give you a thought here, but I'm going to say this, and I'm going to reserve the right to really dive into this next week.
I also want to just take a second.
Sunday night, 8 o'clock Pacific, about 11 o'clock Eastern, right after Sunday night football, the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills wraps up.
We're going to do our weekly but season wrap-up.
So, hit the space, set your reminder now, tip if you're around, I'd love to have you join me, everybody else as well.
We're going to talk about the entire season, prep for the playoffs, because the key to that question really comes down to the matchups.
There's so matchup-based in the NFL.
And so, until we know some of these matchups, it's hard to say where or who we think can surprise and how so.
And there's a lot to still be determined.
I mean, people are not talking about this.
And while I don't think it's going to happen, Buffalo has a chance to not only win the division and be the number two seed in the AFC if they win in Miami, they can also just outright miss the playoffs, though.
That's how wide open we still are looking at these playoffs.
So, while a few of the teams have determined where they're going to be positioned, whether it's Baltimore, San Francisco, Cleveland, but the Chiefs, the others are not.
And so, until we see the final kind of matchups, it's hard to say.
But I would just say, looking at it right now, you've got to think that Cleveland, Cleveland's set up.
They're the number five seed.
They're going to go on the road to probably play at Jacksonville in the first week.
Maybe then at Baltimore, the way they're playing, they look really primed with that defense and the way that Joe Flacco has been playing to make a run.
But, again, I want to reserve the right to make that kind of conversation point until we see the actual matchups next week because matchups determine everything.
Yeah, no, the matchups definitely do matter.
And, you know, I love that you picked Cleveland in that because, man, look, this Cleveland defense – and you want to – look, Joe Flacco, he looks like the even-kiltered, evenly-killed guy.
But the dude is a – he's a competitor.
And he's ticked off because I'm going to tell you, I said it a couple of weeks ago, he reached out to the Jets and said, hey, do you need me to come and play for you guys?
When Aaron Rodgers – well, you know, they tried the Russell Wilson experiment – or excuse me, the Zach Wilson experiment.
And Joe Flacco said, look, you guys need me.
They said, no, we don't need you.
And now look at what he's doing.
Tip, listen, when you have Tim Boyle or Trevor Simeon, why would you want Joe Flacco?
Obviously, the Jets organization is rocking and rolling over there in New York.
But, Rip, are you talking about the AFC?
There's also a lot of craziness going on in the NFC.
Tampa Bay right now is division leader, and they can win the division.
But if they lose, they can be out of the playoffs too, you know?
And there's like so many – and Green Bay is in right now.
But if they lose and Seattle wins, which I'm still hoping for, they can be in.
There's actually a 7-9 team that has a shot at making a playoff, you know, if they win.
So, it's wild what's going on with Week 17 already here.
And so many – you know, yes, it's only two open spots, but they're – in the NFC, there's four teams looking for those two NFC spots.
And in the AFC, there's also two open spots, and there's two teams looking for it.
So, there's 10 teams vying for four spots right now.
I'm just reserving the right because I just don't know.
I don't want to – I'm not going to say one team.
I mean, I really don't know who's going to win the NFC, you know, South.
Who's going to be in what position?
Until we see that, it's really hard to say this matchup looks right.
This team looks better against this team.
And that's why next week we'll have that clarity.
We'll really be able to put pen to paper on some of this.
But that's why Cleveland, of all the teams, I think for sure right now looks like the team that is not at the top of the rankings that could make that run.
For me, I'm looking at these Rams, man.
These Rams have been coming on really strong.
Matthew Stafford looks the healthiest he's looked all year in the last couple of months.
Puka Nakua, I will say his name again.
Cooper Cup, we can't forget about him.
Kyron Williams, we saw him on Ripper's top ten list, number five, as a matter of fact, on the top ten list.
Their offensive line is playing really well.
They're protecting Matthew Stafford for the most part.
The defense is playing pretty decently.
And you know that if the NFC, Philadelphia not doing what they're needing to be doing,
obviously we've got the 49ers, they're doing their thing.
But yeah, it is wide open.
It's a fun thing to look at because you've got some of these teams, like you guys have said,
that aren't fully in the playoffs just yet.
They're right on the cusp.
So we're going to see some really good football this weekend.
And, you know, we should see some really good football this weekend to make sure that we get, you know,
some of these teams that are fighting for that playoff spot a chance.
But yeah, so we're going to go to Sage back.
We were just saying that was that.
So the thought, the thought was back in earlier.
We were asking about, if you're a coach of a team, are you resting your players for the next two weeks?
If you've got the number one seed, let's say you're Baltimore or Thibsons.
So are you resting your starters right now for the next two weeks?
Are you playing some of them?
Are you being selective who you play?
What are your thoughts on that?
I know the thinking might be like, hey, we might lose our, like, you know, our, you know, the, I guess.
And I would be in favor of not going with them entirely because losing a player is more detrimental than losing a, you know, quote-unquote rhythm.
So, yeah, I'm not in favor of trying to play through.
If you have a chance to rest your starters, like the Lions, I know we all, it kind of disgusts us when we saw you go to the conversion.
But, you know, I understand if you're already in the playoffs, you don't want to play in overtime.
You don't want to send your players that through unnecessary quarters of playing football.
You guys all, again, there was no wrong or right answer about this at all, guys.
It's really just your thought process, how you're thinking about it, you know.
So I love to hear the fact that, you know, Sage is like the finally, hey, no, you rest your players.
You know, I'm more of the, you rest them, but you know what, I don't want to mess up my rhythm, man.
I feel like my rhythm, especially if you've got a team rolling like Baltimore, I don't want to mess that up, man,
because that momentum you can take into the playoffs with you, you know, yes, you've got to get past this one game.
You guys have got to stay healthy.
But I'm all about the rhythm, you know, and the sports, football, all sports are about timing.
You don't want that time to be off.
And Ripper is the same way, you know, with resting your players, but then also being selective who you rest your players with.
Bob, Bill Carroll said the same thing.
And then, you know, Rob, also, all of them, all of us said something different, but also something that made a valid point to why you would rest your players or why you would play your players.
Also, depending on their ages as well.
Rob, what's going on, bro?
Yeah, I have an issue with this.
So, for example, there's this thing called the bye week in the NFL.
And, you know, every time, oh, this coach off a bye never loses or et cetera or whatever happens.
You know what I'm saying?
That means they have an extra week of practice, an extra week to heal, you know, and that's where it kind of confuses me going into the playoffs.
When people say that, because we always see it during the season when there's a bye week and they're like, oh, you don't want to give Bill Belichick an extra week to prepare, or you don't want to give this coach and that coach an extra week.
Well, now, these coaches are having two weeks to prepare.
You know what I'm saying?
Hey, Rippy, what were your thoughts on the Dalvin Cook signing today for the Ravens overall, man?
Like, I don't think it personally does too much, but what are your thoughts on that?
Yeah, you know, that's a good point.
I know Tip messaged me about that specifically.
And, you know, listen, I think Dalvin Cook has passed his, you know, days.
He's more of a name at this point.
But, obviously, I think Baltimore, they could use any additional running back depth and help that they can have at this point.
So, I like the move because it feels like it's just an upside play.
If anything, if he does have any, you know, fresh legs or can bring it back for a game here or there, he could make a difference.
But I don't think it's a game changer of a move.
But, hey, good for him getting out of the Jets organization and being able to play for a title still.
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's one of those scenarios where Gus Edwards brings a skill set, and his skill set is a big bruising running back.
He's going to run you over.
He's going to get those short yardage.
Then you got Justice Hill.
I mean, you had Keaton Mitchell.
He was their home run hitter.
He obviously got hurt, unfortunately.
And then you got Justice Hill.
Justice Hill is kind of a do-it-all guy.
He played special teams as well.
So they can probably bring him, put him back in the special teams part of the game, put him in for certain packages.
Dalvin Cook kind of does a little bit of both.
He can still pretty fast, still very elusive, catch the ball also out of the backfield.
The big thing is that Todd Monk is they're going to spread this offense out for you, so he's going to see a lot more open lanes than he would have playing for the Jets.
You know, the offensive line is better.
I think he still has a little bit left in the tank.
I don't think he's completely done yet, but, you know, he has lost a step or two.
But it is, like Ripper said, it's adding a depth speech for this team.
Baltimore has been hit with running back injuries for the last few years.
Dobbins, Keaton Mitchell, they have – so they're probably like, man, let's get as many running backs as we can on this team because if we need – if we're going to make it to Vegas, to the Super Bowl, we're going to need to run the ball and stop running the ball so much with Lamar Jackson as well.
Because Lamar Jackson, hey, that's how he would get banged up is by running the ball.
You know, usually his pocket presence, he's elusive enough to kind of get out of the way and get, you know, get past those defenders.
But once he starts running the ball and he's a free man out there, that's where he can get banged up.
But I see – I see my guy, dollar sign.
I just wanted to say, man, the Jets, man, they got the worst offense in the NFL.
So I feel like Nathaniel Hackett as a coach, he just didn't know how to utilize Dalvin Cook.
You know, Dalvin Cook is – Dalvin Cook's – like, everybody know who Dalvin Cook is.
His brother starred for the Bills.
Like, he – running back, he's probably – still, in my opinion, a top five running back.
He just was in the wrong offense.
Nathaniel Hackett is probably the worst offensive coordinator I've ever seen.
So it's like you thought he lost a step.
He's going to – like, once he gets to Baltimore, I think he's going to get his shine on.
Everybody's going to know who Dalvin Cook is by the end of the playoffs.
Nathaniel Hackett's not the worst offensive coordinator.
How the hell are you going to hit Patrick Mahomes and mess him up?
But, no, man, I appreciate it.
Yeah, no, you brought up some really good points, too.
You saying the Chiefs offensive coordinator is the worst?
Well, I mean, he ain't got no wide receivers over there.
Nah, I'm just messing with you.
Nah, I'm just saying, dude, you got Patrick Mahomes and you messed that up.
But, yeah, no, his receivers are – his receivers –
I mean, his best receiver is a rookie.
You know what I'm saying?
And Travis Kelsey, man, that Taylor Swift – that Taylor Swift, man, that was uncalled for
because, like, Travis Kelsey don't even look like Travis Kelsey no more.
I'm like – he just looked like a basic man out there.
Could it be his age, too?
Could his age be catching up to him as well?
Ripper didn't have him in the top ten.
That was – you know what, Ripper?
I want to talk to you about that.
Yeah, you didn't have Travis Kelsey in there.
Is it the Taylor Swift thing?
Nah, it's a results thing, man.
You can't put Travis Kelsey in the top ten next year.
If you draft Travis Kelsey next year with your first-round pick in fantasy football, you will not win.
I am telling you right now.
In fact, I don't think that you should draft Travis Kelsey in the first two rounds of the league.
Not only has Travis Kelsey considerably lost a step or two, it's been obvious, he's going to be a year older.
And also the tight end position has completely changed this season where we've got a number of younger tight ends that have come on
and showed that they have true value, and it's only going to increase next year.
And so I just – I can't – I won't put it up to Travis Kelsey in any of the first couple rounds.
I mean, you already put yourself in a tough position when you go tight end at the start anyways,
but he hasn't been great, and there's other options.
So, yeah, that's really pretty easy for me.
J-Rock, did you have something else, J-Rock?
I just – I want to see Dalvin Cook do good, man.
I always thought he was an elite running back.
Dalvin Cook, look, man, I've always been a big Dalvin Cook fan.
Very, very, very good player, man.
I think it's going to be something good for Baltimore.
I think that he will bring something to that.
Look, they need him just for this Super Bowl run.
They don't need him – it's not like we've got 15 extra other games behind it.
We just need you for these games from after the bye week that we get to the Super Bowl.
That's what we need you for.
And, you know, he hasn't been playing as much, you know, because Reese Hall's been getting it done.
So, that's fresh legs, too, at this part of the year.
But I see we got Patrick up in here.
Patrick's from Patrick and Happy Hour, guys.
Always tune in to that at 4 o'clock.
Talk to us about your Detroit Lions.
Detroit actually made it to – well, they've been on Ripper's top ten list, although the Raiders haven't been up there.
But the Detroit Lions, what were they, number three?
Ripper, they were number three.
What are your thoughts on the Detroit Lions being number three and them possibly having their most wins in their history?
But I kind of, like, Rob and I were talking, and we were like – Rob right down there in the audience.
And it's like, you know what, as cool as that is, I'd rather have us, like, have a really, really kick-ass postseason run.
I just want us to be responsible with how – with the playing that we do, with the people that we use, because at the end of the day, we've got to keep our eyes on the bigger prize, trying to buy for a Super Bowl, which is really hard.
And a lot of people count us out, of course, which is – some would argue it's fair or unfair.
But, you know, I'm just saying that since we're going to be going to the dance, you've got to go, you know, focus about winning the dance.
And if you're losing, you're out, you know.
So, like, I'm more fixated on the playoffs.
I just wanted to stay healthy during this Minnesota game.
It's going to be – it's going to be something to see, a sight to behold.
Detroit Lions are in the playoffs.
You know, there might be – I don't – I don't know.
We don't know the seeding right now.
But could there be a scenario where Detroit gets to play the L.A. Rams and we get to see the Prodigal Son return?
He's not the Prodigal Son anymore.
Keep it – he's an Anakin.
But could we see Stafford, man?
That would be – oh, my God.
Yeah, but I don't want to see Stafford come back in the sense of, like, having a great game in four fields and leading the Rams in an improbable run.
That would be my worst nightmare.
I want to see Jared Goff and be like, you know what, motherfucker?
I want this trade and, like, throw five TDs some shit.
But the hard part is – the hard part is they got some really great receiving weapons.
And I don't know – I mean, if, like, some of our secondaries are going to be off of injury by then, and even then are going to be, like, how, like, able are they going to be able to be, like, impactful right away.
But I think we can put pressure on their O-line, isn't that great?
I mean, it's not bad, but it's not, you know, the greatest.
Yeah, no, you bring up a good point, man.
That's good because Jared Goff, just as Matthew Stafford was traded from Detroit, Jared Goff was traded from L.A. to Detroit.
So it's going to be – that's going to be a writer's dream to write about that game.
You know, so many talking points, you know, the Jared Goff with Sean McVay, and did Sean McVay really believe in Jared Goff?
And, you know, it's just – it's so much to talk about in that game.
But, Ripper, talk to us real quick about your Monday show, the recap.
Tell us a little bit more about that because we've got some more people in here.
And then we're going to close up shop because I'm going to be working with the sports affiliation.
We're going to be doing video now, guys.
We should be live here in just a few moments.
But, Ripper, talk to us about your space on Monday.
Yeah, so we're going to do the space, which was Monday for the whole season.
It's Sunday night because the season wraps up.
There's no more Monday night football.
This Sunday night, come wrap up, not just week 18.
But the entire season and get prepped for the playoffs with the first look at our playoff matchups, who's in, who's out.
We're going to break it down, MVP awards.
It's going to be fun, always an enjoyable conversation.
We're doing it Sunday night right after Buffalo, Miami, 8 o'clock Pacific, 11 o'clock Eastern.
The space reminder, you can set that now.
It's in the space above in the Jumbotron.
And sports as a service, S-A-A-S.
We're going to hard through the holidays for a lot more.
We're going to have so much more.
And hopefully next year, Tip, maybe we got the Ripper and Tip Fantasy Football League to go along with our space.
But we'll talk about that.
That's all you need is for me to get in more fantasy leagues and start dominating.
But, no, I would love it, man.
But, guys, we're going to be here next week, too.
We're going to – look, again, we're talking about football is a year-round thing now.
It's whether you play fantasy, don't play fantasy.
There's always – every month there's something to talk about with football.
And it's crazy to say that, but it's true.
So we're going to continue to do this thing.
We're going to continue to have fun with you guys.
But, yep, I appreciate you all.
Look out for the – on YouTube for the sports affiliation.
We're going to have our space here or our show here in just a moment.
And you guys have a great week 18 if you're playing fantasy.
Try to find some players out there.
Hit up Ripper and his DMs, and we can try to help you a little bit.
But, man, this one's going to be – it's going to be slim pickings this week, guys.