Rice on the Mics

No Free Candy

• Ian • Season 1 • Episode 37

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A porch light, a candy bowl, and a message: nobody hands you the win—you take it. We start by honoring Nick Mangold, not just for the Pro Bowls but for making center cool and setting a Jets standard built on toughness and wit. That lens sharpens everything else: the Jets finally exhale after breaking the skid, the Brees Hall question becomes a culture test, and the Giants face a grim injury week with a ruthless assignment looming against San Francisco.

We widen the frame to a clean, high-impact look at the NFL slate. Denver’s offense breathes when Bo Nix is Bo Nix. Indy pairs structure with a confident quarterback and turns red-zone math unfair. Chiefs at Bills promises fireworks, Bears at Bengals is a tackling referendum, and Lamar strips distractions in Miami to set a tone you can feel. Then it’s hoops: a Knicks rant that’s all spine and details—win the glass, kill transition leaks, give Brunson some off-ball air, and demand that Cat set tone, not just collect numbers. Add a quick, sober check on the league’s gambling guardrails, because the game’s integrity is the bedrock under every highlight.

Baseball turns cinematic. An 18-inning classic, a rookie carves up Dodger Stadium, and the Blue Jays’ role players stack the little wins that decide rings while Yamamoto looms as the Game Seven variable. We thread that urgency into your roster and your wallet: fantasy adds before the crowd wakes up, fades where schedule and usage point south, and confident starts lined up with real totals, not vibes. We finish with a four-play card—Falcons with the hook, Rams to boat race, Chiefs–Bills over, and 49ers at a short number—that matches context with conviction.

If this mix of sharp analysis, honest rants, and practical edges hits home, tap follow, drop a quick review, and share it with the friend who argues sports like it’s their job. Your clicks keep the mic hot—and your votes steer next week’s show.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome everybody. Welcome back to Rice on the Microsoft. This is episode 37, and it's Halloween weekend. The portchlight is on, the bowl says please take one. But something tells me that this group isn't going to be abiding by those rules. And that's the theme tonight. No one hands you your dream. You gotta go take it. Quick roadmap for the episode. We'll open up the NFL block by acknowledging number 74 in your playbook, but number one in your heart, Nick Mangle. The player he was, and what he meant to Jet fans all around the world. For the locals, we're keeping it tight. The Giants are trying to breathe after a gut punch last week. The Jets finally exercised their 0-7 demons, and we'll stitch in your mic check poll results as we go along. We'll hit a few games from week eight and circle the games in week nine that actually matter, yes, including a quick Thursday night look with Lamar back in Miami. Some hoops later. I didn't think I would have to do this four games in, but the Knicks rant is coming. We'll talk immediate fixes versus overreactions, sprinkle in a one-liner on why Phil was never the fit anyway, after he mentioned something in his book, Dissing Carmelo. And give a quick update on the league's gambling guardrails without turning it into a civics class. Baseball has been straight chaos in the best way possible. 18-inning epics, rookies making history, and heavyweights trading haymakers. The World Series is headed back to Toronto with records falling left and right and momentum swinging like a boomerang. Then we'll take care of your fantasy team and your wallet. Some mid-season check-ins and rolling the dice with rice. We went four and one last week, and I got four plays I like, including that Kansas City Buffalo total, and a low number at MetLife. But we'll save the ammo for the pick second. Alright, costumes on, the mic is hot, let's do it to it.

SPEAKER_01:

Lift off and the clock is started.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, let's dive into some football. And first things first, number 74. Nick Mangold. The franchise icon passed at 41 from kidney disease complications just 12 days after publicly seeking a transplant. That one lands heavy. Seven Pro Bowls, two first team all-pros, the Jets Ring of Honor, and one half of the Nick and Brick combo with the Brickishhaw Ferguson. But the resume is just the frame. What's inside the picture is toughness, wit, reliability. I grew up watching Mangold. The backwards cap, the big beard, and the even bigger heart. Center is the quiet job. And Nick made it cool. He set the protections for a young rookie quarterback, brought the fight play after play for all 60 minutes, and then he cracked a beer and would make you laugh. He was there for the good times, the bad times, and then the really bad times of Jets football. Rex Ryan's tribute nailed it. Mangold played hurt for his coach and for his locker room to the very end of that era. When you picture Jets football that travels, Jets football that was a winning culture. Yes, believe it or not, there was a time when that was an actually true statement. That cold, loud, hard nose beat you up in the trenches culture, you picture number 74. So rest easy, big fella. You set the standard and you were the standard. So with that being said, the Jets exercise their demons. Exercise your demons. At least for one Sunday they did. 0-7 to a wild 39-38 win in Cincy. And eerily enough, the final total almost landed on 74. The fight home finally sounded like a football team that's bonded and happy. Apparently there were smiles, jokes, and some pressure lifted, finally getting a check in the W column. And good for Justin Fields, by the way. Gets publicly dragged by the worst owner across all professional sports, got benched because his coach's hands were basically tied behind his back. Gets the start last minute because Tyrod, what else is new, is hurt, went out there, found something, and stuck it to his doubters at least for one game. Then post-game opened up on the podium saying how he was crying during the week and prayed to God for an answer. Aaron Glenn has been telling everybody that this is a foundation year. That the ugly bricks still count. And you saw a few of those bricks set in place this last weekend. On a bye week this week, and you should expect some names to get shuffled around. The front office already made a move. Michael Carter the second out to Philly, John Michi the third into the wide receiver room. And it tells you two things. They're auditioning receivers behind Garrett, and they're not done shaping 2026 just yet. Which brings us to our next topic: Brees Hall. Our poll was tight, but trade now for picks, edged out, extend him this winter. And I get both sides of the argument. Look, he's your best offensive player behind Garrett, maybe even in front of Garrett, but he is still a blue chip asset on a team that's still pouring the foundation in the basement, not exactly remodeling the bathroom. So my read if you're serious about growing something for real, you usually extend your culture pieces, not ship them out. More than likely, you'll be picking at the top of the draft. More than likely, you'll be drafting a rookie quarterback. More than likely, he'll be going through some growing pains. So a premier running back behind a one-year older offensive line will do wonders to take some pressure off of whoever you land on. But, and this is a BBL level, but if a contender does come knocking, if a contender does come calling, and they are really desperate, and somehow, some way you can squeeze a one out of them, or maybe a two, you pick up the phone and see how serious they actually are. But for now, Jeff fans, enjoy the bye week air. Enjoy not going winless on the season. Enjoy the moment. And hey, at least you can't lose this week either, right? Giant fans, your turn now. And take a deep breath because two of your future star players went under the knife this week. The neighbor surgery was planned. He had to wait for the swelling to go down. Everything went well, and the timeline lines up for next year. First year back from an ACL is always a learning curve, but when healthy, he is a truly top five wide receiver in this league, and he should be fine even at 80%. The gut punch was Cam Scatabow. The team's energy just evaporated when he went down. Open tibia fracture, ankle dislocation, ruptured deltoid ligament, emergency surgery, season over, and some queasy stomachs on the broadcast. And yet, Philly lives up to its nickname of brotherly love. Big Dom DeSandro, the Eagles' chief of security on the sideline, showed up to the hospital with pizza and cheesesteaks. That's sport at its best. Warriors on the field and gentlemen off of it. The fan polls from the Mike Check lined up too. The trick-or-treat poll came back mostly scat loss as the story for this week with officiating mess in second place. No shock there. Meanwhile, Dexter Lawrence caught a stray from Carl Banks on the podcast, said, quote, nobody respects you anymore. And then when asked about it, Dex just shrugged the double team data onto the table. League high 75% double team rate, quote, he's delusional, said Dex. The tape backs him. Similar to Quinn Williams on the Jets, he's eating up two linem up the middle so that Burns and the Edges can feast. That being said, though, Carl Banks isn't just some beat reporter with a microphone. He's a legendary player in Giants lore and part of their vaunted defense that brought home two Lombardi trophies. He kind of knows a thing or two about defensive fronts. Now the reality check, week nine, you get the 49ers at Mad Life. And McCaffrey has been playing like a cheat code. Kittle is back in rhythm. Jackson Dart does settle in better at home, and the crowd should be there to support, but this is a treacherous week for Winx Group. Close the edges, put a roof on the explosive plays, live with the underneath stuff, and try to keep the game close. We'll talk some numbers later in the pick segment, but that's the assignment for this week. Don't let it be a repeat of Saquon sprinting down the sideline. So now with the locals out of the way, let's move on to some quick week eight rips. The games that you might have missed out on because life is like that sometimes. You don't have all Sunday to devote to some guys running on the field. That's what I'm here for. I gotcha. Here's a couple of the games that I think are worth mentioning from last week. First on the list, Cowboys at Broncos. One of my picks from last week, too. Denver has quietly been winning while Sean Payton and Bo Knicks try to figure out the balance between Peyton's offense and Bo being Bo. Knicks finally leaned into his legs in that Giants comeback win two weeks ago, threw two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a quarter. And then you didn't need the wheels much versus Dallas because their secondary is Swiss. But the bigger point, when Knicks plays like Bo, not like a Drew Brees tribute act, the offense breathes. If you blitz him and turn your back, he'll gut you with keepers. If you sit in zone, he'll take the profits. Denver is six and two, and it's been erratic, but they're learning what they are, and to quote Parcells, you are what your record says you are. Next game, Titans at Colts. Indies offense is a fire hose right now. League's best scoring, top six in both pass and rush. And yes, that's the same Daniel Jones looking comfortable in Shane Steichen system. 13 touchdowns, three picks, 109 pass rating, getting the ball out on time, with explosive plays layered in, add in Jonathan Taylor finding his form again and detonating weakly. Their red zone math is just unfair. And even the optics match, too. The late Jim Ursay's daughter is now on the sideline in a headset, keeping the train on schedule and finding out who is messing up. It's an interesting new take to being an owner. It's different than the Jerry Jones, I played D1 college ball, so I know what I'm talking about act. And it's different than the Stan Cronky just throw picks and money at the problem philosophy. She's keeping the right people accountable with a gentle touch. And this is what competent structure plus quarterback confidence looks like. I mean, could you ever imagine Woody Johnson even ever thinking of something like this? Kudos to the Colts and trying to bring the game into a new age. Last game, Packers at Steelers. Sunday night, the quote unquote Rogers revenge game, he swore up and down all week, didn't mean much to him, and it was just another game. Well, Packers came out big, and Pittsburgh's defense is wobbling, and they've now gone three straight games without a takeaway. Add in a pass defense that has been a bottom tier unit by the numbers. Rodgers is putting up counting stats. He's doing fine. But it just felt like Green Bay's speed stressed their second level out all night. And if TJ Watt isn't wrecking the game, that defense looks very, very ordinary. That's unfamiliar territory for a Mike Tomlin team. And I can hear the terrible towels calling radio stations already, calling for his head in this offseason, which would be the dumbest thing possible because there will be a line out the door of his office to hire him as another team's head football coach. So with the week eight recap all set and done, time to look forward now to some week nine games. You should circle. First on the list is Bears at Bengals. And Chicago, Chicago's been moving the ball, but face planning in the red zone. Penalties have just been stepping on late down scrips left and right. They've only got five touchdowns in their last 16 trips. Caleb's accuracy has ticked up a bit and seems to have found a little bit of a rhythm with Ben Johnson's offense, but he's also been prone to throwing some soul-crushing interceptions late in games. That's something that needs to get cleaned up first and foremost. Meanwhile, Cincinnati's defense called a players-only meeting after letting the winless and pathetic, I'm just kidding, not pathetic, Jets hang 39 on them, and they're leading the league in missed tackles. So what comes? Extra tackling drills, leaders airing it out. That's either a galvanizing game or a full-blown alarm. Style clash incoming here. Bears pass pro has quietly held up strongly, and the Bengals have to tackle in space and stop beating themselves. There's potential for Joe Flacco to not play this week. If it's Jake Browning, it's going to be a long day in Cincinnati yet again. Next game on the list, Falcons at Patriots. I'm not going to gas up New England too much because later I'm on a side in this game, but the matchup is real. Drake May has been lethal deep. 13-17 on 20-plus yard throws with five touchdowns. And Josh McDaniel, say what you want about him as a head coach, the man can dial up a playbook. Atlanta, though, has the NFL's top-rated pass defense by yardage allowed and gets healthier by the hour. If Michael Penix Jr. goes and Drake London go, that helps him chase, helps him stay in this game. But this could be decided by who runs it the best when it's obvious. New England's defense hasn't let a single running back hit 50 yards all year, and Bijan has been the engine that keeps the Falcons alive. Keep that in mind for later. Next game on the list, Chiefs Ad Bills. AFC title game rematch that never misses. Kansas City's offense woke up five straight with 28 plus points. And Rasheed Rice coming back has changed their spacing completely. Buffalo got right last week versus Carolina, but the question is whether they can string clean series together against a defense that's been better than advertised. Our Mike Jack on Thursday night football picked Ravens big, but for Sunday, this is the fireworks show. We for sure will be covering this game in the peg segment later. And speaking of Thursday, Ravens at Dolphins. Lamar Gar quoted saying that it's win or go home for the rest of the year. And he's acting like the leader he's supposed to. Yank the ping pong table, the video games, the cornhole, the pinball, all of it. All of it out of the locker room. Says his hamstring feels good. He's been practicing full. If Baltimore protects the edge, Miami is going to get a steady diet of controlled aggression. Our pole leaned Ravens minus seven and a half pretty decisively, and I 100% get it. If Miami can't make Lamar play left-handed, this tilts purple and big. Lastly, before we get on, a couple quick hit items around the league to weave into your Sunday viewing. In New Orleans, Kellen Moore is re-evaluating starters, including quarterback, after another slog. Yeah, you're one and seven. Doesn't surprise me at all. And that's notable with the Rams looming off of a bye week and Puka Nakua coming back. Stafford can put you down three scores before you even find your seat in the Superdome. Keep an eye on Moore's run pass early script as they try to throttle down the turnovers, but good luck. You might be walking into a buzzsaw here. And the Eagles could use some nickel secondary help. College football footnote before we bounce, Brian Kelly out at LSU. Joe Sloan out the very next day. Frank Wilson wearing the interim tag for now, and Kirby Smart basically says the quiet part out loud, saying that this is the world that we live in now. Boom or bust. Add in James Franklin's oust at Penn State two weeks ago. And the carousel in college is already spinning. I'll whisper this because Baton Rouge folks are superstitious. Don't be shocked if you hear Ed Augeron's name floated by boosters. Go Tagas. Ed Augeron. They want that Louisiana. They want that Soldomboy, that vibe back. Go Tigas. G-E-A-U-X Tigas. Also, keep tabs on Texas. Archie Manning, excuse me, Arch Manning is in concussion protocol. And if he can't go, Texas turns and the next man up. And all of this rolls into the theme for tonight's episode. No one is handing anybody anything. You take the hard job, you live with the heat. You want something bad enough, you have to take it and make it yours. Okay, with the locals handled, week eight sorted out, and week nine mapped out. Next up, we'll cool down as best we can with some hoops. And then the World Series chaos. But don't wander too far. We're closing later with fantasy triage and a four-in-one heater rolling into the pick segment. Keep it right here. Alright, let's take a 20 here and get into some hoops. Pull up a chair because I have a lot to say about the Knicks, and it's only four games in. Let's start in Milwaukee because the tape doesn't lie. The Knicks coughed up a 12-point halftime lead. Giannis drops 37 with that I don't forget things energy. And Ryan Rollins, yes, Ryan Rollins hit us up for a career high 25. The game flipped on its head when Brunson got the leg scare, dives on a loose ball, pops up hobbling, then tries to steady it, and then goes down again near the Bucks bench and loses the handle right away. Giannis yoinks it, ties it at 103 with a big dunk, points to his chest, yelling, This is my city, and it was an avalanche from there. Credit to Jalen, 36 and still fighting, but you could feel the momentum shift for the entire team the second his legs screamed at him. They all know it. No Jalen, no season. Now the rant. And I didn't want to do this four games in, but we're here and it needs to be said early and get ahead of it early. The Mike Brown era cannot open up with entitlement. You don't get to just walk into the East, see no Tatum, no Halley for a minute, and decide the conference is a costume party and hand fed to you. This isn't please take one candy. This is take your dream or go home. The poll from you guys said it plain and simple. Glass and defense ran away with the priority this week. Not more touches for cat, not bench spark, not manage Brunson's minutes, though. Yes, we have to be smart there after that scare. It's boards and stops. Period, stop. And Cat, I said it last year, and I will say it again. He's gotta be a dog, not a cat. New York is a tough town, man. And Knic fans are literally insane. But you know what else they are? They are smart. If you play soft in this town, you will hear about it right away. I didn't want him when we made the trade, but he's here now, and now we need to find a way to make it work with him. And I'll say it because I don't have the FCC on my back, and I'm not on a radio station. Big Cat plays like a big puss. 15 points and 18 boards looks nice in the box score, but it has to translate to tone. He took one shot in the first half. Not first quarter, first half. Then postgame said I was doing what they asked of me, but stayed warm if they needed me to go. My brother in Christ, you are the second most important player on this team. Realize that and play like it. I highly doubt Mike Brown is asking you to wander around aimlessly through the paint. Call for the ball. Set up outside, bust off screens, do something, do anything. I'm sick and tired of seeing you trudging up and down the court like red in Friday, getting bullied by Debo and swinging your arm saying, my grandmama give me that chain. That's the gig here. If Mitch is out and he's going to be out more often than he is in, then Kat, you have to become the bouncer. Verticality, second jumps, elbows first, own the glass. We're not asking for prime Ben Wallace. We're asking for some toughness, something you've been questioning on your entire career. You're seven feet two sixty. Play like it for God's sakes. Make the other team feel you on every screen and every rebound. You want the city, you want the New York glory being known for doing the hardest thing in sports, which is bringing a title to New York. Well, it's right there for the taking for you. Reach out and take it. So how do we fix this early? Well, simple. Simple and boring. My favorite kind of fixes. One, stop hemorrhaging transition points off lazy floor balance. Two, own the defensive glass. Stop giving up offensive rebounds. And three, let Brunson breathe with a tempo pocket where he's off ball for two possessions here and there. That's where the bench spark people on the pole have a leg to stand on. Ten good Obi-Style chaos minutes can change an entire night. And yes, more cat touches can be smart if they're not stand there and wait for a kick out minutes. Elbow touches with movement, split actions, invert the floor a couple times to punish switches, make it easy, and then go earn the tough ones. Zooming out league-wide, just a quick integrity update and not a civics class. The Rogier Billups indictments, memo from the league on risk, and Senate letter asking Silver for details. I asked you guys what you think should change with player props, and our poll was basically split. There was a small edge to keep player props as is, with tighten them and lose them entirely, close enough to matter behind. My read guardrails are coming in some form, whether it be education or enforcement, maybe make a couple tweaks around certain markets, but the conversation is not going away anytime soon. If you're a player, be a leader, protect your locker room. If you're the league, protect the game. It's as simple as that. And you know what? Actually, back to the Knicks, because I'm not done with them yet. Keeping with the Halloween theme here, enough masks. It's time to show your face. Here's the immediate checklist for Chicago on Friday, who you also have in a back-to-back, one home, one away. First off, win the first six minutes of the third quarter. We've lost that stretch twice already, and it's where the bleeding starts. Number two, gang rebound like it's a playoff possession. Josh Hart is coming off the bench with a splint on his finger. And you think he's happy about playing 28 minutes a game? No, he's sacrificing for the team. He wants to be out there every possession causing a ruckus. Maybe take a page out of his book, see his energy. And three, manage Brunson's ramp without neutering him either. He's your compass. He leads the offense. But he's also not a decoy. If you want a swing lever, lean into Mikhail's cuts. He had 24 Milwaukee and the Bucks still lost him a few times. Make that a diet item. And if the jumper isn't there, let him gut a defense with a straight line cut or an early steal. Or devote time to him shutting down their star player while the rest of the unit catches a breath. And the Milwaukee context matters too. Giannis said he remembered the sweep last season, 0-3, and we beat him by 22 each time we played him. You felt him play with an edge, and that's the standard he wants to set. Not just the result or the edge. The standard. All the rumors of him getting traded here aside, one thing has always been consistent in his messaging, and it's he wants to play somewhere that he has a chance to win a championship. I'm sure after that win and being able to completely take over the game, doing whatever he wanted, he looked at the East and is saying, Yeah, this is mine for the taking. Who are the Knicks? So if you're the Knicks and you want to be on top of the East, let this early game in October be a lesson that sticks with you for the rest of the year. You're gonna have to take it every single night from teams who think that they also are that team that can make some noise, that have a chance to get to that next level. You want to be the best. You need to act like the best. And again, that's the theme of the whole show today. Nobody's handing you the crown because of some media day graphics. Here's where I land. No panic, but no passes either. You're two and two with a late collapse in Milwaukee and a blah night in Miami. Take care of the glass, cut the cute shit out, let your best player dictate the whistle. If Kat wants to make a statement, make it at the rim. Two hands, hard and loud. If Brunson needs a six-minute pocket to recover, somebody from the bench has got to manufacture pace and pain. You can fix this in a week, but you gotta take it. Alright. Now that I got all that off my chest and out of my head, deep breath in, deep breath out. We'll pivot to the diamond next. Got an 18-inning game to cover. I got rookies making history and a World Series that's turned into a bar fight headed back to Toronto. Then we're circling back to the fantasy roster, and you're wild. Stay right here. So turn the volume up and let's talk ball on the diamond. Because if you haven't watched, for whatever reason, this World Series has been pure chaos. In the best possible way. God, it feels like yesterday I was just talking about opening day with you guys. And now it's gonna be all over. So let me break it down for you. Game three first, because That was an instant classic. 18 innings, six hours, 39 minutes. The game ended 12.07 California time. But I was up till 3 a.m. watching because I just couldn't turn away. Both bullpans emptied. Both fan bases were aging in dog ears. And Freddie Freeman, of course it was Freddie Freeman, finally, finally walks it off in the bottom of the 18th. The 18th. That comes on the heels of Shohei Otani doing more record setting Shohei things. Two home runs, four hits on base nine times in the game. Oh, and not to mention he would be due on the hill to pitch later that night in game four. Look, if you listened to the Poba 4, you know my stance on Altani. I can't stand him. But I can no longer deny the talent he brings to a baseball diamond. This man was made in a lab designed to be the best baseball player of all time. And with that win, the Dodgers looked like they'd seized the series pulse up to one. Will Klein, the quote, last reliever left guy, someone who has never thrown more than 37 pitches in and outing in his career, someone who was traded from the A's and then DFA'd by the Mariners, comes in, throws 72 pitches across four scoreless innings. That's hero stuff. It matched the longest game by innings in postseason history, and of course it happened in LA again. Hard not to be romantic about baseball, huh? So with the Golden Boy on the Hill, a 2-1 series lead, two more games in LA. The public was writing the J's off and thought that they were all looking at back-to-back titles for the first time since the Yankees in 98 and 99. But hold the phone. Toronto answers the bell. Game four flips the script. 6'2 J's and the series gets tied. Vladdy nukes one, and they hang a four spot in the seventh for insurance. They did it with George Springer on ice after he heard his oblique swinging, called himself hour to hour, is what he's labeling it as, I guess. But that's been the Jays thing. Depth. Nathan Luke's up top. Ernie Clement doing a job. Addison Barger punching in a big ribby. Shane Bieber gives him five and a third of control. Then the pen comes in, slams the door, and suddenly the champs are wobbling yet again. But game five. Game five was the one that changed my math. Trey Yesavage, rookie, 22 years old. He started his season in front of 327 people in double-A ball. Goes into Dodger Stadium and cars out 12 strikeouts with no walks. His first pitch to Shohei, inside paint, strike one, and he looks him dead in the eye and says, Yeah, I'll be here all night. Don't you worry about that. That's a World Series rookie strikeout record, including 23 swing and misses. The most in a series game in the pitch tracking era. God, at 22 years old, I barely knew my ass from my elbow. Never mind throwing darts in a pivotal World Series game in front of 56,000 people. It also helps when your leadoff man, Davis Schneider and Vladdy, go back to back on Blake Snell's first and third pitches of the game. Toronto wins game 5'6-1. They take a 3-2 lead, and the Dodgers bats flail. They're hitting right around 200 in the series, even with all the Shohei heroics. And on top of it, they have zero extra base hits with runners in scoring position. Add in a World Series record of four wild pitches, two by Blake Snell, and Dave Roberts shuffling the lineup, dropping Mukey from the two-hole, which has worked all year. That didn't conjure a spark. That's not just some panic. That's the reality through five. So here we are. Back to Toronto. Roger center ready to shake, and boy, does that building shake. The board is simple for both teams. Dodgers, win two or try again next year. Jays, win one more home game, and you get to crack champagne on their field for the first time since 1993. Game six is no slouch, though. Heavyweight rematch. You got Yoshinobu Yamamoto, my favorite name to say in baseball, who threw a four-hit complete game in game two, first World Series complete game since 2015, and first back-to-back postseason complete game by anybody since Kurt Schilling in 01 versus Kevin Gaussman, who his last outing gave you six and two-thirds of solid pitching. If Yamamoto shoves again, we're probably getting a game seven Sunday heartbeat monitor. If the Jays can drag him into traffic, though, foul balls off and stretch counts out, make that defense work, then their depth has been the difference in this whole series. IKF finding grass, Varsho's speed, Clement's contact, and oh yeah, of course, Vlad living in that my whole batter's box is a red zone. There's a good chance this series could be over Friday. So quick roll call for both teams here. Springer's hour to hour, but even in his absence, they've manufactured runs with sacrifice flies, opposite field knocks, and opportunism, honestly, just taking bags when they can. Toronto's pen usage is clean after your Savage went seven. Dominguez and Hoffman have been efficient closers to say the least. So Schneider's got options. And for LA, well, the path is obvious. The top four have to show up together. When Otani is somewhat silent-ish, and Will Smith and Mookie and Freddie go one for fifteen like they did the other night, they can't expect Yamamoto to pitch a shutout. And they also have to cash in the few runners in scoring position looks that they get. Your team is not built to string six singles together in October. They're a home run hitting team. You need to double in the gap or a mistake in the middle third. Someone's got to take it, not wait for it. The Mike Check poll fits the vibe, too. I updated it after game five. Dodgers and six is dead. But Dodgers and seven had seven votes. That's how it feels. Toronto's favored, but the Yamamoto variable looms. My lean, I like the Jays and six. If they can touch Yoshi early, if not, I still like the Jays and seven. Their bottom half has simply outplayed LA's bottom half. More pressure, more little wins. That's October baseball. Your stars trade haymakers, but your role guys decide the rings. And that's tying it back to tonight's team before we even leave the yard. No one hands you a title. You have to take it. Toronto needs one more swing, one more seven-pitch walk, one more diving catch. And LA needs two perfect nights and their core to act like the core that it is. Either way, we got a bar fight finishing up up north. And I'm here for all of it. This series is exactly why we love the game of baseball. So with the diamond wrapped up, it's time to get to what you've all been waiting for. The weekly fantasy update. And the gambling picks. Coming off a hot week, and I gave you all Miami last week. I hope you listened. So grab a fresh drink, open up the notes app. Let's make your roster and your wallet a little fatter. Keep it right here. Quick, sharp, and useful. We're going to run through fantasy here with some breakouts. The ad now before your league remembers to crew. First on the list, Jalen Noel. Houston has been stubborn about the snapshare, but the last two weeks tell the story. Elite targets per route, real yards per run juice. If the throttle opens up post-by, he's a league swinging wide receiver three with wide receiver two upside. Next, Byshell Tootin. This is the classic rookie running back timing play. Post-by usage, ETN second half fade history, and Tootin' shoulder is trending the right way. If he's available, you should stash him now so you don't have to pay some big money fab later. And Trevion Henderson in New England. I know, I know a lot of people drafted him, expecting more out of him, but it's coming. He's begging for more edge runs and screens instead of getting slogged up between the guards. If and when they do lean into that, your December will thank you. Now for some bus players. And I'm bracing for a come down with these guys. Travis Etienne, just like I mentioned before, has the name and the role, but the arrows are pointing to some squeeze. Tough front seven slate and Tootin lurking right behind him. If someone wants to pay 2023 prices, you take that. Take it and run. And I hate to say it, Jackson Dart. I love the player. But I hate the situation for fantasy. Nearly 40% of his points have been on the ground. And he just lost two of his best weapons for the year. If he's your only QB in a one QB league, start building a backup plan now. A couple bounce back candidates I really like. Brian Thomas Jr. If he clears the health hurdle, his late season perimeter schedule is chef's kiss. Same thing goes for Juwan Jennings, Brock Purdy back, volume plus just pure talent. The kid can play, just needs someone to get him the ball. And he needs to be able to stay on the field. And also Nico Collins. CJ Stroud has struggled early, but Nico Collins just has too much talent to be sitting at wide receiver 30 right now. And again, the upcoming run of matchups has so much sunlight. Nico Collins is primed for a big bounce back second half. Now some start sits, some actual calls for this week. And I know some of these sound very easy, but you would be surprised how much people overthink things when it comes to a fantasy roster. So starts first. Because yes, we like points. Start Tyler Warren, no-brainer, Colts tight end. Indy has been creative with him. Daniel Jones is slinging it. He's getting backfield looks, he's getting split out. He's even under center. Oh, and by the way, the Steelers just let Tucker Kraft set career high numbers last week. Next, Rasheed Rice in KC Buffalo. It's going to be a track meet, and he has really opened up their offense. Usage plus total equals complete green light. And two guys that I just mentioned before start Juwan Jennings, start Nico Collins. Juwan Jennings is going to get a lot of uptick and usage. And Nico Collins is just too big and too strong to be this bad. He's going to figure it out. Now for the sits, the landmines, the stuff that you don't need exploding up in your lineup. Sit Bo Nicks. Hate to say it. He's been playing good all year, and I know I talked him up earlier in the podcast, but that Texans pass defense has been solid all year. Sit Ash and Janty if you have an option behind him. I know a lot of people probably drafted him early. A lot of people have been relying on him. He's coming off a bye. Chino Smith has been terrible. Brock Bowers is back, so we'll see if it opens up, but that Jaguars front erases running back touchdowns this year. Sit Alvin Kamara. If you again, if you need to, fine. But if you have options, Alvin Kamara is the guy you sit. Saints are going to LA. The Rams are coming off a bye. They're getting Puka Nakua back. Tyler Shuck is getting the start, and I'm sure Alvin Kamara doesn't have a lot of chemistry with him. This game script could get out of hand fast. I'd recommend sitting Alvin. And if you're streaming at tight end, I would avoid Hunter Henry this week against Atlanta's funnel. Their pass defense is actually very good. And like I said, Drake May loves Hunter Henry, but he might force the ball. They got some good linebackers and some good safeties over the middle. If you absolutely have to start him, by all means go ahead. But if you are streaming, I might avoid Hunter Henry this week. And a quick dynasty slash keeper update on Brees Hall. For fantasy, you're good either way. If he's extended or he gets moved, if someone offers you a change your season kind of deal, sure. Entertain it. See what you can get out of it. Otherwise, just enjoy the workload. He's going to get the rest of the year either with the Jets or on another team, but he will be useful the rest of the year. Alright. Now. Now. Cards on the felt, boys. Rolling the dice with Rice. And we are coming off a four-and-one heater that really should have been 5-0 last week if the Jets didn't pull off that miracle comeback. So the Jets are on a bye. So you're going to get three non-local picks and one local pick. Let's dive right in. Game one, Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots. Look, Atlanta has been struggling as of late, and they have a big task in front of them going into New England. The defense just got embarrassed by the Dolphins, which if that wasn't a gut punch, I don't know what was. But they do hold tight ends to a league minimum. That has been Drake May's safety valve all year. Couple that with a bad run game between the tackles. I think Atlanta can keep it just close enough to cover the number. But if I want to be safe, I'm going to buy it up over the touchdown. Give me Atlanta plus seven and a half. Game two, New Orleans Saints at LA Rams. Another game I just mentioned before. Rams are fresh off of bye week. They get Puka Nakua back. Stafford has been able to keep the boat afloat without him. And a bad Saints team starting a rookie quarterback going into LA. This has boat race written all over it. The line is LA minus 14.5. And I wouldn't be surprised if in the third quarter red zone pops up and it's 30 to 3. Feel comfortable with this number, but if you feel a little shy, don't be afraid to buy the hook if you want. I'm taking Rams minus 14.5. Game three on the card. Kansas City Chiefs at the Buffalo Bills. We're taking the total and we're going over. Look, it's no secret that the Bills have been reeling as of late and coming off their bye, they had their get right game last week against Carolina. But the Chiefs have been the hottest team in football over the past four weeks, putting up 28 points a game. And this game is the hardest on their schedule for the next couple weeks. This is the big game for both teams. This is the game that will determine playoff seating and honestly, potentially the Super Bowl. Every single time they have played the last three years, it has been a non-stop back and forth points machine. I'm really surprised that this game wasn't flexing to Sunday night football, to be honest with you. But it will be the marquee game of the weekend for sure. Over-under is 52.5, and I'm gonna hammer it. Fully expect both teams to come out slinging the ball. Over 52 and a half is the pick. Lastly, for the locals, well, local, San Francisco 49ers at New York Giants in MetLife. No scat, no neighbors, D-line being criticized by former Giant legends, coaches fighting for their jobs. Jackson Dart does seem to play better at home, but Christian McCaffrey has been putting on an absolute show this season. And the Giants also just had troubles keeping Saquon Barkley in check. Not to mention George Kittle is back in action and looking in rhythm. The line is low, and even if the books are trying to beat me into taking it, I don't care. Give me San Francisco minus two and a half. So that's the ticket for the weekend. Atlanta plus seven and a half, Rams minus 14.5, KC Buffalo over 52.5, and Niners minus two and a half. Four plays, same confidence as last week. Screenshot your lineups, place your slips, and let's go get two wins this week. One in the standings and one in the bank roll. We'll land the plane with the outro next, get you out of here. Thanks for sticking around. We opened up with 74 and what Nick Mangled meant to a winning Jets identity. We caught our breath with the locals, Giants reeling after the scatterbo injury, Jets finally exercising the 0-7 demon, and we stitched in your mic check votes along the way. We hit the week 8 rips, circled the week 9 sleep, got a little honest about the Knicks, and then lived on the diamond with a World Series that refuses to be normal. Then we wrapped it up with the mid-season fantasy tune-up and a fresh slip on the 4-in-1 heater. If you're new here, welcome. Make sure you follow, subscribe, so you don't miss the next one. Apple, Spotify, YouTube, all of it. Rate the show, drop a review, takes two clicks on your end, and helps grow the show more than you could ever imagine. And tell a friend who argues sports like it's their job. I got the hot takes for him. Hop on the Instagram, it's gonna be at RiceOnTheRadio, just how it's spelled. Wednesday Mic Check is where your votes steer the show. And I'll post the roll in the dice with rice picks on the feed and stories. The theme for the episode still stands. You gotta go take it. Same for your fantasy lineup, same for your bankroll, and same for how you should approach life. Thank you for listening. Truly, without you, this show is nothing but a guy yelling into a microphone. As always, spread some good energy in this world. And make sure you tell someone you love them. Life is short. Live with no regrets. Happy Halloween. I am Ian Rice. This has been Rice on the Mics, and I'll catch you guys next week.