Daniel Dopp and Liz Loza talk life, fantasy football, pop culture and everything in between in the weekly Fantasy Improv column, which runs every Friday throughout the NFL season. Joe Kaiser serves as the moderator and attempts to keep things on track.
Joe: I look at the best teams in the fantasy leagues I'm playing in, and there are some common names I see -- Josh Jacobs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Travis Kelce being the main ones. Are you seeing the same thing in your leagues or other names?
Liz: I dig this exercise! Took a look at all of my leagues. You're right, there was a lot of Josh Jacobs among top-three teams of each league. I also spotted numerous playoff bound squads each flexing Christian Kirk. Could he be the most consistent value at WR this season? Kirk is currently the WR11 overall and he's averaged 15.5 fantasy points. Overall, the schedule sets up well for Kirk to finish strong in his PPR friendly role of slot-man/safety-valve: @TEN, vs DAL, @NYJ, @HOU
Joe: Kirk is a name I wouldn't have guessed but it makes sense. Looking at my leagues, I do see him on playoff-caliber teams, too. Any others that stand out?
Dopp: In all but one of my leagues, Christian Watson is on a playoff bound team. Hitting on him late absolutely propelled good teams to dominant teams over the last four weeks. Part of making a late-season push is improving your team through waivers/trades. Watson has been a boon for fantasy managers who've trusted him.
Joe: Related story... next Tuesday, our very own Tristan H. Cockcroft will have a column detailing the most common players on playoff teams. Then, after Weeks 16 and 18 he will have most common players on finalists and championship teams, respectively. I'm pretty sure the names we mentioned will make the lists, but we will see.
On Thursday, news broke that the Atlanta Falcons are making the move at quarterback, replacing Marcus Mariota with the rookie third-rounder Desmond Ridder. The Falcons have a bye this week, but what are your expectations for Ridder and the Falcons the rest of the way?
Liz: "Super Flex Savior!" This was my name for Ridder after he was selected by the Falcons in April. Noting Ridder's rushing prowess, I don't think much changes offensively for Atlanta. I do, however, think the rookie adds a much-needed spark and, given his ability (and willingness) to push the ball deep more, high-value opportunities figure to be unlocked for Drake London.
Daniel: I have Ridder in a dynasty league and I'm really hoping to see something out of the QB position in Atlanta over the coming weeks. Expectations are very low given how bad this offense has already been, but it can't get much worse from a fantasy perspective, right?! Ridder isn't in the spot Brock Purdy is in with the 49ers. While Ridder inherits the Falcons' inept offense, Purdy gets to work with the likes of CMC, Deebo, Aiyuk and Kittle while also having the 49ers defense breathing down opposing QB's necks. Ridder is the fun topic, but Purdy is the actual fantasy streaming target in deeper/2QB leagues right now.
Joe: If nothing else, there's a renewed sense of interest with the Falcons for fans of the team and fantasy managers alike. It will be fun to see if this change gets London going. Daniel, you hit on something, though. The bigger topic is probably the QB situations in San Francisco and Baltimore, with Purdy taking over while Jimmy G is out and Tyler Huntley behind center with Lamar Jackson expected to miss anywhere from 1-3 weeks. Which players are most impacted on the Ravens and 49ers by the QB situations.
Daniel: When it comes to the Ravens, nobody outside of Mark Andrews really matters for fantasy right now. With Lamar out you can use Huntley as a streamer this week but you aren't touching anyone else on this roster if you can help it. Skip the non-Andrews pass catchers, skip the running back carousel and hopefully you have a better QB to use for your playoff push. I do want to end this Ravens talk on a positive note, so don't forget -- every week is a Justin Tucker week.
Joe: I am in two leagues where I'm fighting for the last playoff spot this week, and I'm going to need Deebo Samuel to come through in one of them. Scary to rely on Deebo right now with the nagging injury and Purdy at the helm.
Daniel: That will be a true test of your nerves!
Joe: It sure will!
Speaking of true tests of nerves, as a Lions fan, Daniel, what's the vibe at this stage late in season two of the Dan Campbell experience? Winners of four of their past five, with the only loss in that stretch coming to Buffalo on Thanksgiving. It feels like something is there, right?
Daniel: Can you believe the Lions are 5-7? Five weeks ago this team was 1-6 with a lot of "almosts" under its belt, but after four wins in five weeks and the loss being a tight one with the Bills, this team is different than the one we talked about at the beginning of the season.
One of the biggest successes in the second half of the season has been their play against the run. Since Week 9 the Detroit Lions have not allowed a RB to hit 10 fantasy points in a game.
Week 9 - Aaron Jones: 6.5
Week 10 - David Montgomery: 5.4
Week 11 - Saquon Barkley: 5.5
Week 12 - Devin Singletary: 9.0
Week 13 - Travis Etienne Jr.: 7.6
Now they get Dalvin Cook who -- checks notes -- has 11 receiving yards over the past three games. It's impossible to bench Cook this week, so don't even think I'm suggesting that, but I'm lowering my expectations based on how much better they are than they used to be. He's hovering around RB10-12 rather than the Top 5 back he'd have been if this was Week 6.
Joe: So it sounds like you're a believer? You better watch it or you're going to make me one, too.
Daniel: I'm fully bought into the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell experience. No reason to start second-guessing now! We all knew this team was going to have continued growing pains and that's manifested itself in a number of different areas on the defensive side of the ball, but this team is heading in the right direction and I'm pumped to see how strong they finish this season.
Follow Liz Loza (@LizLoza_FF), Daniel Dopp (@DanielDopp) and Joe Kaiser (@joekaisersports) on Twitter. Liz Loza and Daniel Dopp's fantasy football rankings appear every week during the season.