2018 SuperContest Recap: Five Tied for Top Spot After Week 3
Three weeks are in the books for the 2018 Las Vegas SuperContest, and there are now five contestants tied for first place in the quest for the $1.422 million top prize. The first leaders all have records of 13-2 and are a half point up on those behind them.
Of the five tied for the top spot after Week 3’s NFL action, four are new leaders and “FINALLY 2019” has maintained his spot at the top after sitting in a three-way tie for first place following Week 2. FINALLY 2019 went 4-1 in Week 3, while “TOOFDOC,” “STR8OUTTADURANGO,” “SHABOOM,” and “BBMUSICFACTORY” each went 5-0.
Team SharpSide, using picks crowdsourced from SharpSiders all over the world, went 2-3 in Week 3 to drop to 6-8-1 overall.
Separation Starting to Happen
Following three weeks of the NFL season, the Las Vegas SuperContest standings are starting to flesh out more with less ties and more separation. After Week 1, 65 teams were tied for first and then 103 teams were tied behind those 65. After Week 2, it was two points separating the top 212 teams. As the season wears on, more separation will occur, and right now it’s five contestants at the top.
As mentioned, FINALLY 2019 carried over his share of the lead from Week 2, but he’s sharing the lead with new faces. The two teams tied with FINALLY 2019 after Week 2 were “RICK D” and “H2OBOY,” but both went 3-2 to drop to 12-3 and into a 15-way tie for 10th place.
Three selections for Week 3 stood out among the five contestants now tied for first place. Between the five, the Arizona Cardinals (+6), Baltimore Ravens (-5.5), and Washington Redskins (+2.5) were selected three times each. TOOFDOC had all three of those sides on his card.
The average point total for the week was 2.7, up from the average of 1.93 in a rather wild Week 2.
Team SharpSide Goes 2-3 in Week 3
After going 3-1-1 in Week 1 and 1-4 in Week 2, Team SharpSide booked a 2-3 record in Week 3 and moved to 6-8-1 overall. It’s not great, but it’s early. The entire Las Vegas SuperContest spans all of the NFL regular season, meaning there are 14 weeks left.
One of the two bright spots for Team SharpSide was the Los Angeles Rams (-7). The Rams beat the cross-town Los Angeles Chargers 35-23 and moved to 3-0 against the spread. Team SharpSide is now 2-0 went picking the Rams in the SuperContest this year.
The other winner for Team SharpSide was the Miami Dolphins (-3) against the Oakland Raiders. With that cover by Miami, Team SharpSide moved to 3-1-1 when playing home team favorites.
1st Quarter Bonus Determined Next Week
In addition to the more than $4.3 million awarded to the top 100 places in the SuperContest, contestants can score big with the various mini-contests that are a part of the SuperContest. The first mini-contest up for grabs is the 1st Quarter Bonus. The 1st Quarter Bonus is offered over the first four weeks of the season, and the contestant to accumulate the most points over those first four weeks will be awarded the $15,000 bonus prize.
The five leaders tied for the top spot — FINALLY 2019, TOOFDOC, STR8OUTTADURANGO, SHABOOM, and BBMUSICFACTORY — are the frontrunners for this prize. In the case of ties in any of the three mini-contests, the prize will be evenly divided among the gridlocked contestants.
As the season continues, be sure to follow SharpSide.com on Twitter at @SharpSideApp for more from the 2018 Las Vegas SuperContest.