I never have I played in the 16-person league but yeah,
Michael Smith plays in these 20 team leagues. It's Insanity.
You know, he played in the 20, personally know, flighted
1000's of legs players are on the bench in like knots 21st,
bunch of 16, team leagues, I've played at 16 Team league. So
anyway
you know I don't think I've ever done a 20-person league
but yeah I mean super deep like this
Leyva you know not good. That's the official term Wi-Fi
we f***. Well if I know if Ali Yeah, an awfully good boy,
like, you. Look at the
free agents and you're like,
man, could
you know? I so, I don't know,
I don't know what would, I don't know what would,
you know, make you motivate you to play in a 20 Team league,
too many friends, but we can ask our next guest that he is
fantasy football royalty. He is,
he is not only the number one, running back in fantasy
and fantasy football,
but he is, in fact,
Fantasy friendly? I don't know that there is a player in the NFL
that is more friendly to fantasy players,
because he is one of us is right. It's the meme one of us,
one of us.
Yeah,
it is my fantasy ride or die from last year. Austin after
joining the happy hour. Thank you, my friend. What's up my
friend? How are you? I'm doing great, man. Thanks for having
me on the show, I appreciate it. Yeah, why were you in a 20
Team league? We
showed the clip of you from Hard Knocks before you join the Air
before you Got on the air. Yeah, we're drafted two kickers
on accident. Yeah,
yeah, yeah. So
well, I have a big twitch community and they love fantasy
football as well. So I try to get all of them as many as
I can in the league. So that that leads to 20, man leagues, which
are brutal. I wouldn't recommend
so yeah, no absolutely. I do not recommend any of that
because I think I feel like I played in a number of 16 team
leagues and I think that's okay. But 20 just, it feels
like it's not. It gets
even so deep that it's just not fun at that point. It's
With a pulse. Yeah. If you are the you know team that has
the least amount of injuries, you're probably going to win
because one injury
pretty much kills your team because there's no one else to
pick up because there's no one available because even
a quarterback, like, there's some teams that don't even have
a quarterback for their bye week because there's not available
because it all
picked up.
So Austin, when what happened?
Yo, not like us. Let me ask you this, you have you have been,
you know, so
you've embraced the fantasy football community in such
Massive way and I think the community has responded in kind
and bracing you
so much. So, and I know you always campaign for Fantasy
managers to draft you in the preseason. So my question is,
I know you play.
I want to know how many leagues are you in this year,
and is there any League that you have where you don't have
Austin Eckler on your roster.
Yeah. So right now, I have six different teams across. Just my
my team.
Like my atmosphere, I guess my Foundation has a few Eames has
four and then I have a personal one
with my twitch community and then I have
one with Fab Michael Fabiano
and I have myself in only two leagues, I tried to trade up
for myself and fabbs is League. I trade it all the way up to
number three. And I went number one overall.
So it was like, it was like that's cool but also I wanted
to get myself.
So right now we're sitting with six teams and I have helped.
I have a manager that helps me out because it is a A lot to
keep up with, as, you know, you all know keeping up with
trades. Keeping up with injuries and things like that.
So right now, I have
one team I-20
manly League team. I am 0 & 7 because my first and second
round pick got hurt. So, pretty much wait until next year in
that league. So and then I have some teams that are doing
pretty well so it's
a whole mix Austin. I assume you won't be doing it this
year, giving you our Bay one, but have you ever bench to
yourself and fantasy?
Not a chance.
Never been so bench, Austin, Texas on fantasy
and even wrote a live body as a fantasy football player. Have
you have you ever benefited from or had to sweat Monday
night miracles of a game? You are playing in.
I mean, every game is a sweat from me, right? Like I have to
go out there. Like, I have to do my best regardless, if
I have my cellphone, my fantasy. If I need 30 points or 50
points or two points from me,
right? I'm going out there because I know that there's
a lot of people that are relying on me, and I rely on myself for
other Reasons right to continue to play at a high level. So
it's a sweat for me every day.
Yeah. Have you ever like, like you're going into it like on
a Monday night game or Sunday night game and you like you
know you have yourself on your team and you're down in
a matchup, you're like yo Justin.
And I look, I understand they just called an out to Keenan
Allen, but give me the ball here. Listen, I gotta help
myself. Come on,
have you ever hit me? Appreciate, and
I get my face. I've never had that scenario.
Even if I did, I get the ball enough that I'm going to make
it happen. I'm going to get it done. So
that wouldn't be the case.
Okay, fair enough.
Let's say, listen, let's talk a little bit of charges offense
here. You get it as a fantasy manager. So, you guys aren't
a by.
I have a couple questions here about the offense. Sort of
a two-parter. 11 number one is that, I think it's obviously
benefited. You you're on Pace to have more receptions than
an NFL running back in history,
but it feels like Justin just isn't throwing down field as
much as he used to in the past. Is that is that how teams are
playing you? Is that a is that a scheme
reason? Is that? Because you guys have been banged up
the wide receiver position, talk to me a little bit about Justin's
play, and then play that forward because now you're
without Big Mike for a few weeks.
Yeah. So, you know, you're hitting on a lot of
the different factors, you know, this is football. It's a very
I guess complicated game. When it comes to things that affect us
as an offense,
injuries are a big one,
our ability to run and pass as a big one. And so our inability
to run, you know, this far in the season has The I think
factored into our success
and allows teams just to keep six in the box and play too high.
So they're going to say hey we're going to make you run
the ball against this if you can't do that, we're ready, we're
ready for the pass and we're not gonna let you throw it
deep. So you have to dump it down to the flat. So as
a consequence, guess
who's catching all the flat balls. Well,
that's me in the flat so it's not it's not I would say
the best thing that I'm catching all these balls. I would rather
see you know, Mike dub, you know, joshjpalmer Keenan these
guys that are running down the field catching balls and then
every once in a while, check it down to me if protection breaks
Down. So it's not really great that I'm catching these balls.
I mean,
I'll take it, I got to make something happen but
preferably I would like it going down the field but
I think that's what the factors us not being able to have
an efficient Run game, some injuries,
I've really played a factor in to
making us really predictable.
And when you're predictable, it's not, it's not great. A
great time in the NFL because then they're just waiting for
you and they're going to force you to beat them some other
way,
you mentioned injuries, Austin and I assume one of the biggest
injuries as mentor. Sean slider who wasn't just one of the best
rookies in football last year, but also just one of the best
offensive lineman.
How do you think the offense is adjusting without Rashawn for
the time being?
Yeah, you know, we've had Jamari come in and step up but
it's really hard to replace or nearly impossible to replace
you know, pro bowlers and we've had many of them, you know, it
Joey Bosa that's gone down.
Keenan Allen has been sitting out, you know, finally got some
reps this last game and so would you have guys like that?
And you know guys that you're paying to that just came in JC
now, you know, just
Had his injury,
what you really lose is a high level of consistency. You know,
Jamal has been playing well been playing at a high level
but is he gonna be able to maintain that throughout
the year? Time will tell? We don't know. But we know what their
Sean we
know to expect from him, you know for but Joey those guys we
know to expect from them. So that's really what the biggest
I guess,
downfall is when it comes to injuries. You expect guys to
step up but you all honestly understand that. Okay, we don't
know what to expect from these guys are stepping up. It could
be a high level. It could not. It's an opportunity.
There's so much uncertainty there. So
going forward. You know, we have some new guys that are
going to be having some new new roles on the team and now it
comes down to us just competing and seeing how these guys going
to play out
and trying to get us in the best position to compete at
a high level because we're sitting a foreign 3. We have
a lot of injuries, Rashon, Slater's one of those
and guess what, the NFL doesn't care. We got to keep going. We
got 10 games that we gotta go out there and put the best
thing that we can together on the field. So, that's what
it'll be for these next 10 weeks and we'll see
how he come up. You know, week to week.
All right, Austin.
So, let me ask you this here, A Fantasy manager yourself. So,
as you hit the waiver wire, you get it. So as the Chargers come
out of the, by you just mentioned, you guys don't want
to be as predictable. You've got to start mixing things up
here.
Obviously tough injury to Mike Williams. Who's going to miss
a number of weeks here. You do get Keenan back, but who do we
want to pick up? Do we want to pick up, joshjpalmer, DeAndre
Carter, we going to see some more Gerald Everett,
you get it. We're asking this come on, who we picking up from
the charges. Well, Michael leaves is Mike Williams is out.
You know, if I'm looking at a roster, just looking at the
Past of what's happened,
you know Josh has been playing a part in our
role, you know, earn our in our game but I feel like he more so
plays that that Mike Williams spot if you know if you pay
attention to anything that's going on with the Chargers. And
so now like he is back, you know Josh can be back
on the outside for us, you know running down the field
and while keaney back in the short intermediate you know,
doing his thing a man on man and so I'm picking up
joshjpalmer if I can. If he's out there, I'm picking him up.
Austin, you were Matthew berries, Rider died,
last season. We're number one. Were you aware of that? And to
did it play a part of your RV 3 finished last season and rb1
overall performance of this season?
There's a big title.
I'm sure. I'm sure. I saw it a few times.
There's a lot of people that were, you know,
you know, riding
the train of ostriches because I was scoring touchdowns. And
so, you know, I appreciate all the love. That's why I do all
these different shows for Fantasy. That's why I give so
much. Love back to the community, that's
The reasons anyway,
and so I appreciate it, appreciate it Matthew. And
even this year, man,
I've been feeling the support. That's why I know I
gave you a follow, you know? I'm now I follow the show
now. You know, I've been, I've been in your comment section A
couple times coming back to people that you dedicate, you
mentioned, when you mentioned me and things like that. So I
I'm a fan as well
to be clear. Thank you, Austin. I appreciate that. And I have
resisted sliding into your DMs. I'm a, I'm a still do it once
in a while, but I have. Yes, I've got,
but I do appreciate the follow. I've resisted.
I've resisted into sliding you. Yes. I will say this, though.
I was you you're my preseason fantasy writer died last year.
Preseason,
everyone jumped on the bandwagon afterwards, but
I want was like, Austin Act was not going to score touchdowns
and I was like, oh no. Lombardi is going to make him his
Chimera. Like they are going to. This is a guy that
two years ago, scored doubled in two touchdowns
like it's not that he doesn't have the ability,
it was just the offense.
And so I was, I was on the bandwagon before it was cool
off and I just want to credit appreciate that. I appreciate
that. Jeez. So so I'm sure you've heard
as you know, fantasy team names are always a big thing here. We
want to run some fantasy football. Team names inspired
by you by you. And get a thumbs up, thumbs down whether you
approve it or not.
This one's an obvious One
X marks the stop spot X obvious bailed, EC k --s
r e KS, or they spell my last name wrong?
No no
yeah, it said each see or they that's what it says on my
scenes and they spelled it wrong with a nice eks.
Yeah. Oh, then yeah. Buns down. Yeah.
Yeah. You gotta, you gotta get the ring right EK. Yeah,
yeah. Come on. Come on.
What about
X Factor?
It's gon give it to you. I don't mind that. Yeah, yep.
Double bottoms up their system Powers. I feel like that's
pretty
active learning curve,
and that's a new one. I've not heard that one.
I'll give it a thumbs up. Okay, here we go.
Rated X
rated X. Wow, eks. That's cool. I like it. I like it fair. You
do some dirty stuff on the field. Austin Declan we love
you. Thanks for joining us so much. We appreciate you have
a great season for the happy hour. We'll see you on Sunday.
Peace out.
.
Just want to. Thank you so much for watching, what you just
watched or at least being too lazy to click out of it. After
the, you know, autoplay just kept it going. So either way,
thank you so much for just letting it scroll by your screen.
And now I'd like to ask you respectfully, respectfully,
respectfully. Okay, respectfully,
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