I always assumed the godfather of fantasy football himself, Matthew Berry, had muted me on social media. He doesn’t. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, so no tears were shed. He had replied to other comments on my posts, liked comments on my posts, and follows pretty much all of my friends in the industry.

He had contacted me on Twitter exactly zero times in all those years. The talented Mr. Roto (TMR) still doesn’t follow me, but he did like a comment I made earlier this season, so I’m not muted (or wasn’t). Some of my best friends in the fantasy football world work for Berry at NBC and Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life. Heck, I even have his podcast friends from the ESPN days in my home league. Putting Berry on a pedestal can’t be healthy, but I certainly wouldn’t be contributing to this empire without him.

We all share the same passion. The sense of community is great, even though many of us ultimately struggle for successful advancement. I’ve already accomplished more than I ever imagined, but it would be a blatant lie to say I’m done climbing.

“Be unequivocally yourself.” Berry’s words resonate with my tinnitus. I plan to keep it spicy forever. Maybe our paths will cross one day. I owe TMR a firm handshake and a hug for cutting the path to making a living in this silly game we play. You’ll need a palm leaf after reading this week’s predictions. Inspiration really confuses me.

Fantasy Football Hot Takes: Week 12

49ers go on the road and crush Packers by two touchdowns; Jauan Jennings catches 10 passes for 120 yards and is a Top-10 WR in PPR

My lifelong hatred of the 49ers struck a solemn minor chord last week. For the first time, I wondered if the league had “thought” Kyle Shanahan. Load the box, smother the hot literature and apply overload pressure. Brock Purdy was terrible against Seattle in the loss. To keep the worries from consuming us, I smell a recovery for San Francisco in Green Bay.

George Kittle has personally confirmed his availability. It’s a big deal to have that talent back on the field, but I predict a huge game from the massively underrated Jauan Jennings. He is the wide receiver version of Kittle; he blocks like a hungry worker before the horn blows and is always in the right spot for Purdy. Christian McCaffrey will continue to develop in form, while Deebo Samuel continues to be an integral factor in the short passing game.

The Packers are certainly no slouch. Jordan Love and his weapons pose a real problem for the 49ers defense. At the same time, I worry that Love will apply pressure and commit some costly turnovers. San Francisco should bottle up Josh Jacobs, although Jayden Reed and Christian Watson are still very much in play and are upending a great fantasy start.

Lions and Colts have the highest total on the slate with 69 points; Anthony Richardson Is the QB1 with 35 fantasy points in upset win over Detroit

Most come around to the idea that the Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFL. They are, but not without some weaknesses that can be exposed in the right match. I believe that matchup nightmare is Anthony Richardson. The version 2.0 of Richardson we saw last week should strike fear into AFC playoff contenders. Being benched for a few weeks lit a fire under the Florida freak. This game will score a lot. The Colts can – and will – sustain Detroit’s high-powered offense.

Jared Goff was a model of efficiency and served as the point of contact for Ben Johnson’s quiver. Indy’s defense is stout and not overly athletic. I prefer speedsters Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams to expecting ceiling performances from David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown. I can’t explain why Sam LaPorta hasn’t been good. Of course it explodes as soon as I give up trying to start it.

Trey McBride goes ballistic on the Seahawks, scoring his first two receiving touchdowns of the season; Arizona takes the lead in the NFC West with a double-digit win in Seattle

They called me a lunatic for taking Brock Bowers and Trey McBride over LaPorta this summer. McBride leads Arizona in receiving yards but has yet to score a receiving touchdown. He will double his season total against the Seahawks (he has a rushing and fumble recovery touchdown). He’s often been targeted in scoring situations, but Kyler Murray hasn’t found him yet.

That regression to the mean will be like Vivian Blake on Sunrise Bay. The Seahawks are riding high after putting pressure on the 49ers, but shouldn’t get too cocky against a stout and balanced Cardinals offense. James Conner is ready for a big game.

Seattle is finally doing something. They give Jaxon Smith-Njigba big break-in routes, which now makes him the weekly WR1 candidate I’ve always pegged him as. Geno Smith is back to who he was in 2022 and still hasn’t written back. DK Metcalf’s health carries Seattle, along with Kenneth Walker in the running game.

The Cardinals defense hasn’t given up a touchdown in three of their last four games and will have opportunities to put pressure on Smith and turn the ball over. I believe this one will be close all the time until the cards pull late.

Ravens and Chargers trade the lead six times in the Monday Night Classic; JK Dobbins Goes for 150 Scrimmage Yards and is a Top-5 RB in Los Angeles Statement Win

The condition of the AFC is as strong as it has ever been. The seven playoff teams will all be formidable Super Bowl contenders and a few left out would storm the NFC side in that hypothetical scenario. The Ravens and Chargers will face tradition in style in 2024. While Los Angeles has taken that over thick boy 13 personnel packages and blasting football, reminiscent of Greg Roman’s stint with the other Harbaugh, the Ravens have turned happy in recent weeks.

The Chargers have a great defense, but the Ravens couldn’t cover a corpse with a tarp these days. John Harbaugh’s boys defeated Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers in that Super Bowl, but this matchup favors Jim’s Bolts. Justin Herbert is playing in God Mode with a mixed bag receiving corps. JK Dobbins got new legs, as did Lieutenant Dan, and still does terribly good at football. He’s in line for a huge match.

I didn’t like Lamar Jackson’s performance last week at all. He hung on his first read more times this season than in any match and played as if the speed of the game was unusually fast for him.

The Chargers won’t be any relief from the Steelers last Sunday. Derrick Henry is once again the catalyst for everything Baltimore does to move the ball down the field. I would avoid the Ravens receivers this week if possible. Zay Flowers is the best of them all, but has a lot of growth or bust potential in week 12.