Weekly Review and High Performance Grinders
Weekly Review and High Performance Grinders
About the Writer: Kevin “kcearnal” Cearnal lives and works in the most dangerous city in the country: St. Louis, MO. He has obtained the nickname ‘KC’ throughout the daily fantasy community due to the confusing nature of his aforementioned screen name and his overall ‘hoodness’. He has no sport of expertise and has the distinction of being the most recognizable loser in the industry. ‘KC’ works as Comm. Coordinator for a not-for-profit foundation and the sports teams which he most enjoys include the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
A Look Back & to the Future Edition
Week 17 is a time for reflection. A time for honest evaluation. A time where we must look both back, at what has happened over this long and miraculous season, as well as to the future and what the 2011 NFL Season may have in store. Assuming there is no lockout (which all grinders should probably be genuinely concerned about) it should be a season of change, young talent and of course prosperity for Cal. This opening section takes a look at 4 distinct players who made me take notice in the season’s final week and over the course of the 2010 regular season. And all for distinctly separate reasons. Here we go:
LOOKING BACK AND THE FUTURE HONOREE
Sam Bradford – Week 17 was quite underwhelming for ‘Sammy B’ and the Rams but all-in-all things are looking up for this seemingly hapless franchise from my hometown. Looking back, it can be said that the Rams won more games in 2010 than they had in the previous 4 seasons combined. And it was in-large part due to the emergence of this kid. He stood out in 2010 and he is sure to do the same in 2011. And while he may not emerge into Mr. Manning or ‘Pretty Boy’ Brady quite yet, from a fantasy perspective a 2011 owner can probably rely on a solid performance from Sam Bradford on a weekly basis. This past season and the future are truly bright for this up and coming star.
THE FUTURE HONOREE
Ryan Mathews – This kid was absolutely sensational in Week 17. 3 Touchdowns and over 100 yards rushing. It left a lot of daily fantasy players satisfied and a lot of year-long fantasy players mystified. ‘Where the hell was this all year’ was the response of most. Coming into the 2010 season he was touted as a stud running back on an offensively loaded team. But he was injury-prone and wound up sitting behind ‘the load’ Mike Tolbert for the majority of the regular season. But when Tolbert was shut down for the final week Mathews seized the opportunity to show as all his potential
I’M BACK HONOREE
Michael Vick – Man did this guy come out of prison with a vengeance. Geez. I thought they hit the weights in jail, but he must have paid off one of the guards for a pigskin. And learned how to throw. He’d always been exciting to watch in his days with Atlanta, but he progressed to a whole new level in 2010 with Philly. Granted he can still take off and burn a team when necessary, but he much prefers to stay in the pocket and find one of his two talented receivers in Maclin and DJax. Let’s throw out a what-if scenario here. What if the two aforementioned receivers lined up in a bunch on every single play for an entire game? DJax ran deep and Maclin broke of his route short. Could they be stopped? Maybe a few times a game, but I think they could put up 42 points a game easy with this game plan. Vick, on this team, with this scheme, is going to be very dangerous for years to come. Welcome Back Mr. Vick.
NEITHER BACK, NOR THE FUTURE HONOREE
Jimmy Clausen – Dud. What more can you say. I loved watching him in college, but he did things in college that he obviously could not get away with in his rookie year in the NFL. Tossin’ it up deep doesn’t work in the NFL like it does at Notre Dame. Your receiver can’t ‘go get it’ anymore and it definitely showed this year in Carolina. His inaccuracy and lack of ability outside the pocket were exposed this year and it has led the franchise to…. The #1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He will now probably be relegated to a back-up role ala Brady Quinn and Chase Daniel. You got your shot and you blew it. Enter Andrew Luck.
And now…
WEEK 16 AWARDS (for NFL players)
Ryan Leaf Award
(You spent a high draft pick or large amount of money on this player. They amounted to absolutely nothing. Kinda like Cal’s trip to Vegas (which he made up for this week).
Adrian Peterson [14 carries, 31 yds, 0 TD] – Against the Lions this is a terrible line. I’m sure a lot of people put their final week fortunes on this guy and were severely disappointed. Things need to get worked out in Vikings and when the personnel and management gets stable I think AP emerges as the true dominator he really is. But that player definitely didn’t show up in Week 17.
- honorable mention – Vincent Jackson, Anquan Boldin
Tom Brady Award
(6th Round. 199th Overall. An afterthought at the time, but it turns out this player was a steal. This player just happened to fit into the salary cap at a price you could handle or you took in a late round without thinking much about it. You were hoping for an average performance but got a spectacular one. It’s this kind of performer that puts money in your wallet.
Larry Fitzgerald [11 catches, 125 yds, 1 TD] – FINALLY. This is another guy who needs some organizational stability if he’s going to be an elite player again. I don’t think Skelton is the permanent solution to the QB problems in the desert. This was a good way to close out a disappointing 2010 campaign.
- honorable mention – Joe McKnight, Rashad Jennings
Kurt Warner Award
Pretty much self-explanatory. The person who gets this award rises from fantasy obscurity to thrive as top scorer of the week. No one could come as far as Warner himself who was a bag boy at a small Iowa grocer before getting his shot. But this award winner certainly performed their best to live up to his legacy.
Michael Bush [25 carries, 137 yds, 1 TD, 4 catches, 34 yds] – Heck of a day for this guy who was relegated to a backup role after the emergence of McFadden this year. Hopefully a performance like this will get him to a new city where he can make more use of his talents. Or maybe Al Davis holds on to him tight and wastes talent… further instilling him as the worst owner, manager, personnel decision maker, etc… in the NFL.
- honorable mention – Brian Westbrook, Nate Burleson
Bob Sanders Award
The player who is talented but got hurt when you needed him most. This player cost you big $$ this week. He made you want to pull your hair out and break your TV. The most frustrating of all the award winners.
Michael Vick – Everyone knew he wasn’t going to go. But it still was a disappointment to be without him in the season’s final week. Furthermore, some of us may have went with Kevin Kolb as a cheap backup, and lets just say that didn’t go so well. Let’s also hope Vick comes back healthy enough to showcase his talents in the playoffs. I get giddy like a little school girl when I watch some of the things he does. Amazing!
- honorable mention – LaDanian Tomlinson, Darren McFadden
Randy Moss Award
Quick Question… In his prime what did Randy Moss do? He caught 3 or 4 balls a game, for huge yardage and a couple scores. So this award is in memory of this. This player had very few touches, but made them count. Quality over quantity.
Mike Wallace [3 catches, 105 yds, 1 TD] – This guy may be the new, Old Randy Moss. It seems like he puts up a line similar to this one every single week. He’s not that big, but he’s lightning quick and can go up and get it. He gives the Steelers the stretch they need to run the ball and complements Hines Ward very, very well. And one more plus for this guy, he has a great haircut. At least in my opinion. But we should probably consult Cam on this one, he is the expert on the appearance of other men.
- honorable mention – Rashard Mendenhall, Derrick Ward
Week 17 Large-Field Results (Grinders have a **):
SportsGeek $11 Challenge
| Place | Username | Team Name | Fantasy Pts | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mdust | mdust1293987716 | 220.76 | $1,017.50 |
| 2 | Vegasmike ** | PanoramaTowers | 198.56 | $577.50 |
| 3 | primetime420 ** | IagainstI | 193.96 | $401.50 |
| 4 | ajx88x | AJx88x | 189.42 | $302.50 |
| 5 | mfbirdmanjr | mfbirdmanjr69 | 189.26 | $247.50 |
| 6 | mfcubs22 ** | mfcubs222 | 188.94 | $192.50 |
| 7 | primetime420** | bladetechno | 188.54 | $165.00 |
| 8 | tesik | Cougars | 187.72 | $137.50 |
| 9 | primetime420** | bladeblades | 187.34 | $115.50 |
| 10 | hpc1001 | Ransackers | 185.44 | $93.50 |
| 11 | hankhill | DammitBobby | 184.24 | $71.50 |
| 12 | primetime420** | late | 183.5 | $71.50 |
SportsGeek $55 Challenge
| Place | Username | Team Name | Fantasy Pts | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vegasmike ** | PanoramaTowers | 198.56 | $2,000.00 |
| 2 | primetime420 ** | bladetechno | 188.54 | $1,370.00 |
| 3 | tesik | Cougars | 187.72 | $900.00 |
| 4 | primetime420 ** | late | 183.5 | $700.00 |
| 5 | Braskey ** | RotoGrindersDotTV1 | 183.28 | $600.00 |
| 6 | primetime420 ** | unsure | 180.8 | $520.00 |
| 7 | ochochinco | BigCheese | 180.34 | $440.00 |
| 8 | Braskey ** | RotoGrindersDotBiz | 180.22 | $360.00 |
| 9 | subpar68 | QuailHollow | 179.94 | $300.00 |
| 10 | Vegasmike ** | Palazzo | 179.36 | $250.00 |
| 11 | Vegasmike ** | Lavo | 175.74 | $210.00 |
| 12 | ineedcash | Chargers | 173.52 | $210.00 |
SportsGeek $109 Challenge (grinders are bold)
| Place | Username | Team Name | Fantasy Pts | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vegasmike ** | PanoramaTowers | 198.56 | $1,350.00 |
| 2 | tesik | Cougars | 187.72 | $930.00 |
| 3 | primetime420 ** | unsure | 180.8 | $660.00 |
| 4 | ochochinco | BigCheese | 180.34 | $570.00 |
| 5 | subpar68 | QuailHollow | 179.94 | $480.00 |
| 6 | Vegasmike ** | Wynn | 172.56 | $420.00 |
| 7 | Braskey ** | RotoGrindersDotTV2 | 164.38 | $360.00 |
| 8 | Vegasmike ** | Pure | 160.1 | $312.00 |
| 9 | las702vegas | Diamond | 154.52 | $276.00 |
| 10 | chickenwingz | Caribbean | 152.72 | $240.00 |
| 11 | Vegasmike ** | Encore | 150.6 | $210.00 |
| 12 | halfark | Packers | 149.6 | $192.00 |
FanDuel Sunday NFL $5K Blitz
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | superswarmer1 | 160.9 | 750 |
| 2 | xzavier1985 | 156.66 | 575 |
| 3 | dabigu ** | 155.2 | 480 |
| 4 | jas663 ** | 153.3 | 385 |
| 5 | griff2010 | 152.46 | 315 |
| 6 | nuckyt27 | 150.84 | 250 |
| 7 | sfgiants525 | 149.96 | 200 |
| 8 | gotcha | 149.94 | 160 |
| 9 | dabigu ** | 148.46 | 130 |
| 9 | chewy | 148.46 | 130 |
FanDuel Sunday NFL Elite
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | dabigu ** | 155.2 | 1200 |
| 2 | Westy ** | 144.86 | 800 |
| 3 | dylanayres | 144.56 | 500 |
| 4 | uppower | 141.5 | 300 |
| 5 | phiflyers200345 | 140.96 | 200 |
| 6 | zookerman182 ** | 140.46 | |
| 7 | condia | 140.26 | - |
| 8 | therayray | 139.66 | - |
| 9 | whits23 ** | 136.92 | - |
| 10 | Braskey ** | 135.22 | - |
FanDuel Sunday NFL Bomb
| Pos | User | Score | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | boomboom | 155.36 | 1200 |
| 2 | bdub1100 | 155.26 | 900 |
| 3 | dabigu ** | 155.2 | 650 |
| 4 | jaybeeone | 153.36 | 450 |
| 5 | osubase34 | 152.8 | 325 |
| 6 | supersonic2055 | 152.36 | 250 |
| 7 | bluehorshoe | 150.76 | 210 |
| 8 | Fezzik | 150.36 | 180 |
| 9 | therayray | 149.06 | 160 |
| 10 | dabigu ** | 148.46 | 160 |
Commentary (Grinders are in bold):
Primetime420 is the featured grinder of the week. He must have got the good stuff early Sunday morning because he put together some stellar lineups for the week. A big shout out to DaBigU for cashing in all three FanDuel Events for over $2300. The man with the $100,000 check in his hand in his profile picture continues to dominate. Also making appearances as they do on a weekly basis were both Braskey and VegasMike. VegasMike deserves props for once again winning the $55 and $109 challenges on Sportsgeek. Freakin’ crazy skills man. Crazy. Congrats to all the winners.
On the Horizon…
Check out Cal’s recent article for details on playoff actions by site. Other than that you have one of three options. NBA, NHL, or Off Season. For me it will be a mixture of both sports until MLB gets going. Its been nice losing to all of you.
If you would like to submit a player for consideration for next week’s awards. Hell, if you would like to create an award or category, or have some sort of suggestion for a section for me to cover, please let me know. I will be trying to expand my coverage of tourneys to additional sites as time progresses. I also plan to add awards for Grinders in upcoming articles. Anyways, I can be reached on RotoGrinders through the private message function or you can beep me at 867-5309. My screen name on every site is kcearnal or some variation of cincoocho58. I know I got a big win this week… but my motto remains the same. “I don’t give advice, because I don’t know much. I am much more interested in your horror stories than I am in your successes.” Thank you and Merry Christmas!