Lately, I’ve been trying my hand at cooking more hifalutin dishes that require better technique and more advanced methods. Every ingredient is top quality, each chronologically organized mise en place. I love honing my many knives, relishing each soprano note released with a swipe of steel against steel at a 17-degree angle.

First, a cajun gumbo with chicken and sausage. My wife’s wonderful Aunt Paula lived in Louisiana for a long time and taught me how to cook a mean gumbo. I hadn’t attempted it solo since we shared that kitchen a couple of years ago. Paula is coming to visit next week and I wanted to practice before I made it for her during her stay. I stirred that roux for 40 minutes until it was a deep cocoa brown. Once I brought the broth to a simmer, I plopped the lid on the Dutch Oven and let it bubble while I went to bed. When I rose that Sunday morning, the entire house smelled of aromatics from that pot and I was able to pour it over steamed rice for a breakfast worthy of the gods in Valhalla.

The next weekend, Twitter voted to have me prepare some braised beef short ribs with risotto. I seared the beef in a hot pan with a whole head of garlic. Then I poured in a nice bottle of Zinfandel and reduced it by half. Next was a nice bath in chicken stock before I covered the pan in foil and let it slow cook for more than two hours in the oven.

The key to a good risotto is to ladle the stock in intervals, letting the arborio rice absorb the liquid as it cooks. Once the rice is soft, you take it off the flame and toss in a couple of pats of butter and a “metric s*** ton” of freshly grated parmesan.

My feet are still sore from all that standing in the kitchen I’ve been doing. I think I’ll do the same thing every week or so, putting four dishes in a Twitter poll. Even if my fantasy football advice is terrible for a stretch, I can always fall back on my cooking and hot sauce. As for our fantasy journey, from post-draft rosterbating to starting fourth-string players in the flex to making the playoffs, we have arrived. The playoffs are a lot more about heat-checking than a reflection of who the best teams are. It’s still nice to know you still have a shot at the ship.

Speaking of heat checks, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields didn’t quite hit the stat projection from last week’s column. The Bears did indeed dispatch the Detroit Lions rather comfortably at Soldier Field, though . Don’t worry, Lions fans. That was the last outdoor game on the schedule for the Honolulu Blue. That semi-accurate prediction means I’m still locked the f*** in this season. Since there’s “levels to this ‘ish,” I’m cranking up the thermostat for the fantasy playoffs. Gird your loins!

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Fantasy Football Hot Takes: Week 15

Jaylen Warren Racks Up 150 Scrimmage Yards and Two Touchdowns; Steelers Snap Their Skid on Saturday in Indy by Double Digits

The one big difference in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense since Matt Canada was rightfully jettisoned into outer space has been their investment in the running game. Both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have been good for fantasy, even when Pittsburgh lost back-to-back games against two-win teams.

The Indianapolis Colts have a defense that I love to attack this season, especially with my fantasy running backs. Warren is virtually impervious to game script. He is an efficient ball carrier both outside and between the tackles, while also giving Kenny Pickett a very slippery receiving option out of the backfield. I expect Warren to get plenty of chances to break big plays in this one, helping Mike Tomlin avoid a rare three-game losing streak.

Dr. Jekyll Version of Jordan Love Re-Emerges for Top-5 QB Performance; Packers Beat Bucs in 65-Point Shootout

There has been no warning when Jordan Love is a slate-breaking (or back-breaking) performer. He has really only burned us twice this season, breaking a four-game QB1 streak with his stinker in the Meadowlands. Similar to previous seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a pass funnel defense. Since Green Bay has struggled to run the ball well all season, Matt LaFleur might need to embrace the funnel and air it out more than 40 times.

Tampa Bay is an underrated offensive team, while Green Bay’s defense has been as inconsistent as Love. Baker Mayfield has lit a fire under Mike Evans and kept Rachaad White rolling as an RB1, mainly in the passing game. Even if this game starts off a bit slow, it could ignite into a tennis match with alternating serves and volleys of scoring.

David Njoku Goes Face-Melting Nuclear With 100 Receiving Yards and 25-Plus PPR Points; Fighting Flaccos Halt Bears’ Winning Streak by Holding Them Without an Offensive Touchdown

Don’t mind the pun. My intent is to illustrate what an awesome badass Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku is. Not only is the talented tight end making big plays this season, but quarterback Joe Flacco‘s timely arrival to the Dawg Pound has established a pretty safe floor at a sparse position in fantasy. The Bears defense has struggled to cover tight ends this season and Njoku holds a 15% matchup advantage this week, according to PFF.

The Bears offense has been rather impressive since Fields returned from his thumb injury. The running game has been effective, while DJ Moore has been tearing it up as a fantasy WR1 in games started by Fields. The Browns defense is simply too good and matches up incredibly well with Chicago. As much as I have enjoyed watching the Bears during their little winning streak, I fear they are in for a rude awakening along the shores of Lake Erie.

JSN is TROUBLE for Reeling Eagles and is Top-12 WR with 10 Targets and a Touchdown; Seahawks and 12s Prevail Over Phavored Philly

Our defending NFC champions have run the gauntlet. Their last four opponents are all Super Bowl contenders, with the most recent two coming off 10-day breaks before clashing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly split those four games, with wins over the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs and losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. The Seattle Seahawks must look like a plump roasted chicken after that stretch, but I wouldn’t bet on the Birds rebounding quite as well as fans are hoping they will.

Seattle has shown flashes of brilliant offense this season, occasionally exploding against good defenses. They’re still 6-7 and maddeningly inconsistent. Backup quarterback Drew Lock has shown favor to the rookie first round pick, wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He saw seven targets in a brutally tough matchup with San Francisco last week and now gets a crack at the most WR-friendly defense in the league. His likely adversary in the slot is Bradley Roby, who ranks 76th out of 120 cornerbacks on PFF. This is another game that could very well heat up in the second half, especially if both offenses are keen on airing it out. The Eagles should win this game, but also need to demonstrate (in a hostile environment) that they’ve moved past getting exposed in consecutive games.

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