In this week's roundtable, we bring in DLF's Mike Faiella (aka @daddyshomeff); Jake Trowbridge of Fantasy Life; and our resident kicker ranker, Linda Godfrey. 

Let’s get into it: 

Pop culture time: Can you give some inspiration to all the fantasy teams that are rolling into Week 11 with losing records? But… I want you to do it while using a quote from The Office. 

Jake: My advice is simple: When you're setting your lineup, think “Would an idiot do that?” And if they would, do not do that thing. (Please note, I’m not calling you an idiot. I just don’t want you to do idiotic things with your lineup.)

Mike: Now is the time to ask others for help because clearly you have no clue what you are doing. And don’t feel bad about it, I get paid to do this and I still need a lot of help from others. People love to help others. When I reach out for help, my friends often say “I’m glad Michael’s getting help. He has a lot of issues, and he’s stupid.”

Linda: "I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do." — Michael Scott

And that’s how I tackle just about everything from fantasy football to parenting — we wing it. And if we’re wrong, we start over and we wing it again. 

Cooterdoodle: "I am about to do something very bold in this job that I’ve never done before: try." — Jim Halpert 

Look, losers. You have to keep trying. And if you haven’t been trying, then it’s time to do something bold that you’ve never done before. 

Who is your fantasy football Tyler Allgeier? Which player do you keep forcing yourself to start each week when you know there’s someone better out there that can get the job done?

On Sunday afternoon, Atlanta unsuccessfully attempted to force feed Tyler Allgeier at the goal line THREE TIMES IN A ROW. The world watched as Allgeier failed over and over and over again… until Bijan Robinson finally got a crack at it on fourth down and scored. (Because, duh. Robinson has that dawg in him.) As frustrating as it was to watch, we’ve all made similar mistakes. How about you?

Jake: Here’s to Wan’Dale Robinson, the man who’s averaged a staggering 8.5 targets and turned that into… 39 yards per game!? How is that even possible?? Does he catch all of his passes sitting down? Is he selling his yards on the black market? Someone explain this to me like I’m a child.

Even in full PPR leagues, there’s no reason for me to keep trusting this man when much higher upside plays are sitting there on waivers. And yet, without fail, I look at his target share and get pulled right back in. What’s wrong with me?

Cooterdoodle: Similar to Jake’s disappointing Giant, I keep starting Malik Nabers, despite feeling absolutely no joy about it since Week 4. 

But this week is different! Because I’m proud to say that I am finally brave enough to move him to my bench! I’m really gonna do it this time!

Oh, wait. What’s that? Nabers is on bye in Week 11? Right… well, I’ll probably start him in Week 12. I mean, I can’t bench him two weeks in a row. 

Mike: Let’s keep the ball rolling here as my guy is the true villain of this story, Daniel Jones. The guy who is ruining both Wan”Dale and Malik is the same QB I am running out every single week in SuperFlex leagues. Why? Well, as we mentioned above, I am stupid and decided the perfect late-round QB target this year would be Mr. Jones. This is partially because of my affinity for Counting Crows but mostly because of the rushing upside which was on display just two weeks ago against the Commanders. 

Now, I know he has to get benched soon in real life, but only Brian Daboll can save me from myself (and their bye this week because I am not THAT stupid).

Linda: I hate to take the gas off the Giants' disappointment but someone has to. My “fantasy football Tyler Allgeier” is without a doubt DJ Moore. WR32 on the season but it feels so much worse than that. In the offseason when I was getting DJ Moore at backend WR2 prices you couldn’t tell me anything! Monday night I was confidently going to bench him going into Week 11. Tuesday morning I woke up and the Bears had fired OC Shane Waldron, so I’ll probably stroll Moore back out there with the hope something new happens. (What’s that saying about insanity?)

If I had a dollar for every field goal Jake Moody and Younghoe Koo missed in week 10, I’d have six whole dollars. Which isn’t a lot… but it’s weird that it happened six times, right?

Now, disgruntled fantasy managers are screaming for commissioners to cut the kicker position entirely. How can we convince them to forgive and forget? (What? You thought I’d ask Linda to join without talking kickers?! Think again!)

Jake: Remember when Mark Andrews totaled 12.5 PPR points in his first four weeks? Or when Kyler Murray fell off the face of the earth in Week 9? Or when Tank Dell put up a goose egg in a game where Nico Collins didn’t even play? And yet, I’m guessing your leagues still feature tight ends, quarterbacks, and wide receivers. Luck is a big part of this game, whether we like to admit it or not, and this time the winds of misfortune blew on a couple of top-tier kickers. It happens.

Cooterdoodle: The Falcons lost to the Saints, bro. The Saints! The 2024, no good, very bad, terrible since Week 2, historic seven-week losing streak, tied last in the NFC South Saints! All because their kicker missed three field goals! 

Yet, I don’t see Atlanta asking Goodell to scrap kickers. Curious…

Mike: Jaylen Waddle dropped a pass right in his hands, Diontae Johnson fell down trying to run a route and Jermaine Burton can’t stay awake in meetings (allegedly) and yet none of you are calling for a ban on the wide receiver position. 

It’s not the kicker position that is awful, it is your life choices. These missed field goals are karma for those horrible things you said to your classmates in fourth grade because you were insecure and lashed out at others. Maybe reach out and apologize to the kid who wet his pants before lunch and we can all get better results from our kickers.

Linda: I’ve been quietly fighting this good fight for several years now. Oh, who am I kidding. Nothing about me has ever been quiet, including my undying love for special teams. 

On the one hand, you should play fantasy football how you enjoy it — it is a hobby, after all. On the other (much more correct) hand, you just need a shift in perspective. Sure, Jake Moody and Younghoe Koo both missed three field goals. But they attempted six and four field goals, respectively. When we think about which wide receivers and running backs to start, we want the guys that are gonna be on the field. Kickers can’t score points if they aren’t attempting field goals. Misses happen. I don’t know if I’m even still answering the question anymore. I just get excited talking about kickers.  

Q: Who’s ready for a little thought experiment? 

You’ve suddenly come into possession of all six infinity stones and now have the power to execute a Thanos-style blip. Once you snap your fingers, you will have any one fantasy player added to your team for the remainder of the season. No one is out of reach!

Oh, right. The catch. There is a catch: You would also simultaneously lose your team’s current “best” player. Sorry, that’s how these things work. So, who’s it going to be! Which player is going to be added to your team?

Jake: In my home league (aka the only league that matters), I was sniped on Derrick Henry in the draft. It’s not a big deal, I already put a hex on the guy who did it, and we’ve moved on. But if you’re telling me I can get King Henry to lead my fantasy team into the playoffs and all it would cost me is some jabroni who hasn’t scored a rushing or receiving touchdown in every single game this season? Well, SNAP AWAY. 

Mike: Hey Frank, remember when you said you’d never trade away Justin Jefferson? Well guess what, I have the power now and there’s nothing you can do about it! Hope you enjoy Jahmyr Gibbs (which you should, he is kind of awesome) unless you don’t get him and he just ceases to exist, which is rough. But the question is kind of ambiguous, so I have no idea what actually happens to Jahmyr and now I am a little bit worried and don’t want to play this game anymore.

Linda: But… I like my fantasy teams. I guess if you’re making me Thanos snap, which it feels like you are. Little rude, if you ask me. I’d add Lamar Jackson to any of my teams. The teams with losing records and the teams with winning records could all benefit from the QB averaging 26-plus fantasy points a game. 

Cooterdoodle: Yea, remember when I said “thought experiment.” This was a test. Whichever player you answered is now your "go-get-them-no-matter-what" trade target. You're welcome!!

So stop p*ssyfooting and go get your damn guy! Do whatever it takes. TIME IS RUNNING OUT!