Borg, Betz, and Mike open the Dynasty Podcast discussing the return of Phillip Rivers, AKA “P-River”. The Ballers recount how crazy this is, comparing it to the Jeff Saturday situation the Colts pulled a few years ago. Mike expresses his empathy for a competitive Colts’ season, now devastated by the injury to Daniel Jones. Borg compares the Colts to a Dynasty team trading their firsts for the next two years to go “all in” in their SuperFlex league, which has made the fantasy playoffs, but now has no one to start. Borg ponders how to handle Tyler Warren moving forward, but he is blessed with a Bye week to figure it out. He was excited to have Warren against the 49ers in Week 16, but obviously, the situation is now unclear. The Ballers also worry about a 44-year-old Phillip Rivers evaporating with an NFL hit.
Borg introduces the episode’s focus: a discussion on some players that are very, very close, how they are ranked in dynasty, and their differences. Before we get into the Weekly Rewind, remember to listen to The Fantasy Footballers podcast, available wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Weekly Rewind
Blake Corum
Betz notes that Corum (highlighted in last week’s Dynasty Film Review) is performing as one of the best backs in football in recent weeks, tied for first in missed tackles forced per attempt with Jahmyr Gibbs. He has earned a consistent role of nine to 12 touches per game, making him a confident Flex option. Betz advises against bailing on Day Two rookie RBs who saw low usage (fewer than 70 touches) in their first year. Borg notes players like Corum, Tank Bigsby, and Trey Benson as examples of RBs who often see a significant uptick in workload in Year Two.
Shedeur Sanders
Sanders threw for 364 yards and three TDs, which was encouraging to Mike. However, his 55% completion rate in the game (against the worst team in football) and his poor rate of throwaways and batted balls, as noted by Borg, are major concerns. Sanders continues to struggle with the muscle memory of stepping up in the pocket, often drifting back, a problem that has persisted since college. Borg compares Sanders, at his worst, to the “good version” of Geno Smith (in Seattle). However, there is doubt that Sanders will ever run enough to be fantasy-relevant. The Ballers debate whether the Browns will draft a QB in the top five or build around Sanders, given the weak upcoming QB draft class. More on Sanders in the Dynasty Deep Dive.
Jack Bech
Bech saw all six of his targets in the second half of his game after being invisible in the first. Borg notes he has been earning more playing time recently. Mike expressed anger at the coaching staff for playing veteran Tyler Lockett over a high second-round pick like Bech, calling it “catastrophically stupid” and a mistake for the team’s future. The Ballers generally prefer Tre Harris over Jack Bech in Dynasty because Harris operates within a more stable infrastructure with a better QB. Bech might have more targets, but Harris’s environment suggests a higher probability of fantasy points.
Dynasty Differences
Borg, Betz, and Mike discuss some players that are literally ranked back to back to back in dynasty startups. The goal is to help us parse through these players as we move into 2026, whether you are conducting new startups or looking to make some trades.
Rookie RBs: Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins
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Most Talented (Raw Talent): Mike is “very scared” for Jeanty due to the Raiders’ terrible offensive line, which forces the talented back to do everything himself. His opportunities inside the 10-yard line are too few to compete for top scoring, and he has only achieved 4+ YPC in two games this season. The offensive line is in dire need of correction.
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Best Situation: Omarion Hampton is considered the safest pick, having the best offensive line when healthy, and his explosiveness with good pass-catching ability.
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Lowest Floor/Highest Ceiling: Treveyon Henderson is in a situation that rivals the Chargers with the Patriots in possession of the cap space to keep building the offensive line due to Drake Maye‘s rookie QB contract. The major concern is HC Vrabel’s irrational, continued use of Rhamondre Stevenson.
Quinshon Judkins was also discussed in this category, where Borg mentioned concern over the inexplicable insistence on featuring Dylan Sampson in the passing game over Judkins. Judkins’ explosive ability in space was on display in the screen play against Tennessee.
Quinshon Judkins is an ATHLETE pic.twitter.com/hAOp77T7D8
— Player Profit (@PlayerProfit) December 7, 2025
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Highest Ceiling (Soonest to Top 5 RB ): The consensus probability ranking is: 1. Hampton, 2. Henderson, 3. Jeanty, 4. Judkins.
Sophomore WRs: Rome Odunze, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr.
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Most Talented (Raw Talent): The Ballers agree that the raw talent edge goes to Marvin Harrison Jr., though Mike is baffled by the emergence of Michael Wilson (more on him below), and calls for Jonathan Gannon to be “fired from the cannon.”
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Best Situation: Rome Odunze is favored for having the best team situation, as the Bears’ offense, run by Ben Johnson, is expected to ascend to a high-level unit.
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Lowest Floor/Highest Ceiling: Borg and Betz believe Brian Thomas Jr. has the highest ceiling and that his high target-earning level as a rookie was a positive indicator that should return once he is healthy.
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First to Top 10: Rome Odunze is the consensus pick to become a top-10 fantasy WR first due to the team success factor.
Rookie TEs: Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Oronde Gadsden, Harold Fannin Jr.
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Most Talented (Raw Talent): Harold Fannin Jr. is celebrated for having a 25% target rate per route run as a rookie TE, a rare feat only matched by great TEs like Brock Bowers and Greg Olsen in the last 20 years. He is considered “legit good” and a Top 5 Dynasty TE.
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Best Situation: Mike believes Colston Loveland will be the best pass-catcher on the Bears next year, noting HC Ben Johnson‘s clear affinity for him as his first draft pick. Though Oronde Gadsden has a comparable situation, the Ballers believe he just “burned bright” for a short period. To acquire Loveland in Dynasty, a first-round pick is the starting point for trade negotiations.
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Lowest Floor/Highest Ceiling: Tyler Warren‘s dynasty value is in a “holding pattern” for the next year due to the significant uncertainty surrounding the Colts’ QB position. Betz believes that while Jones could be ready for Week 1 next year, his rehab will be happening during the free agency window. This could suppress league-wide interest in Jones, leading to a return to Indianapolis in 2026.
Week 14 Film Deep Dive
Shedeur Sanders
The 144th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft had a coming-out party on Sunday, though it didn’t result in a win. Sanders dropped 364 yards and three TDs on the Titans, though they are a bottom-seven defense against the pass. If you are like me, you are asking, “How did Dillon Gabriel ‘win the job’ over Sanders?” Sanders’ play is a reminder to us all that franchises are capable of stupidity. This game really allowed Sanders to highlight his “gamer” trait and ball placement.
Another excellent example of Sanders’ ball placement. The location of this throw enables Jerry Jeudy’s 60-yd house call. pic.twitter.com/ZOS4JyngRV
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) December 10, 2025
These two plays are some excellent examples of what Sanders can do with a clean pocket. In the first clip, Harold Fannin Jr. takes full advantage of his matchup with a great outside release and quickness to cross the LB’s face on a Slant route. Sanders places this ball perfectly, which both avoids leading his TE into contact from the MLB and allows him to work upfield for nine yards after the catch. We see this quality ball placement again on the 60-yd TD to Jerry Jeudy. These are the high-level throws we want in a QB, and hopefully, the Browns think the same.
Questionable decisions showed up later, this time resulting in an INT. Given the route design, Sanders should anticipate Jeudy being open on the Over route. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity closes. The throw sails on Sanders, resulting in an INT. pic.twitter.com/8S4c3A5MOc
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) December 10, 2025
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Sanders, as there were a few questionable decisions: one resulting in a TD and another in an INT. First, the TD throw to Njoku showed off the same ball placement I lauded earlier. This was a great throw to only where Njoku could get it, but I wonder if he needed to make it that hard. When we look at this play a little closer, we see that Fannin Jr. was wide open with the LB sitting near the LOS and the two DBs bracketing Njoku. I love the ball placement and the confidence to throw it, but it appears the right read would have been to hit Fannin Jr. at the back middle of the end zone.
Great pass on the first clip, but it won’t always overcome sub-optimal decisions. Jeudy runs a deep Over route while the Nine route on the opposite side of the field clears out other defenders. Purely on the design of this play, the QB should anticipate Jeudy being open in the cleared-out space. If Sanders was anticipating this, he could have thrown one of those well-placed passes to hit Jeudy in stride again, but instead, he holds the ball. It is possible that a flash of color brought his eyes down, but still, anticipation could have mitigated this issue. Unfortunately, Sanders is now maneuvering to keep the play alive just to throw a pass that floats on him to become an INT.
Sanders has his ups and downs, but this performance is quite the indictment of this front office and coaching staff. There are many opinions out there on what may happen moving forward. The Browns have a high 2026 pick, so they could entertain the idea of drafting a QB again, as the Ballers discussed. Hopefully, they give Sanders a real shot, but quite honestly, the Browns are gonna Brown. With this uncertainty, it could suppress the offseason value of Sanders, creating a buy-low opportunity. Let’s see how he finishes the season against the Bears, Bills, Steelers, and Bengals; all great tests for the 5th-round rookie.
Michael Wilson
Wilson was the WR1 for the week, but seemed to be overshadowed by Puka Nacua going nuclear in the same game! Wilson’s 11-142-2 stat line on 16 targets was certainly inflated by Brissett chucking the ball in a substantial amount of garbage time. With that said, I honestly feel that Wilson’s performances since Week 11 may be an indictment on Kyler Murray, this coaching staff, AND the front office. On the other hand, this breakout is right in line with the traditional third-year timing. Perhaps both statements stand.
Wilson ran this same route back in Week 11 against SF, and he used good body control to adjust to this ball. Good quickness, explosiveness, and route-running. pic.twitter.com/EUFakSoakQ
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) December 9, 2025
Borg mentioned in the podcast that he went back to his notes and saw that Michael Wilson was one of the worst WRs against Man coverage in his rookie season. However, he has a lot of good tape vs Man looks this season, and his traits are a major contributor to his success in three of the last four games. In these two plays (above), we see the same corner route with the same inside release. The consistency in his ability to stack the CB is amazing, and seeing this persist over multiple weeks is encouraging. It seems his 88th percentile 10-yd split (per Mockdraftable) is paired with very good play speed, which contributes to reliable separation. While Brissett overthrew him by two to three yards this past week, he was able to connect with him in Week 11. The catch against the 49ers shows off his ball skills and ability to adjust to the ball. The guy looks like an Alpha out there, especially in the absence of Marvin Harrison Jr.
This ability to beat Man with consistency serves him when used in the slot. Watch him on this slot fade in Week 11 against SF. Combine his explosiveness with ball skills like that and you have a legitimate threat. pic.twitter.com/MEStNwALgo
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) December 9, 2025
Stacking so reliably sets up deeper Stop, Hitch, Curl, and Comeback routes, creating massive separation as he threatens Man DBs deep. This ability to win 1-on-1 enables more diverse deployment and earns him red zone targets. On the last clip above, we see him stack yet again on this Slot Fade. I really like the pairing of McBride in adjacent routes, and it is a common observation on Cardinals tape. Defenders who may be happy to sit in Zones are compelled to cover McBride when he enters their space. This will create a lot of good looks for Wilson moving forward.
At this point, we are trying to predict the future, and we may have to place our bets on either Wilson or Marvin Harrison Jr. as the WR1 in Arizona. McBride will continue to be the de facto primary target, but Wilson has shown us what the WR1 in Arizona could be. It’s a real shame that we haven’t seen MHJ dominate as we expected coming out, but I think if the Cardinals do what is right, better days could be ahead for the 2026 passing game. I know I was all about MHJ earlier this season, but I can’t shake this feeling that Wilson may be the better receiver over the next year. I do believe that Kyler’s time in Arizona is done (or at least should be), and that gives fantasy managers hope.
Next year is a contract year for Wilson, and he may be worth betting on in 2026. His price is floating around a 2026 third per The Fantasy Footballers Trade Analyzer, and I have seen him go for a 2026 third and fourth in a real trade in the last week. This may as well be a bag of chips, and a steal if his upside pans out.
While most of us may be looking to next season and content with focusing on friends and family over the next few weeks, I wish anyone in the fantasy playoffs the best possible luck! Until next time.