Break the News

This week I listened to a surprisingly good album in "WHO" by The Who. It is unusual for 70-year old rockers to still keep their sound from decades past, but this album does it. While some of the songs were a big cheesy/corny, most of the album was quite surprisingly solid and very fun to listen to. My favorite tune was "Break the News."

Anyhow, fantasy football is all but over for me. I have a chance to finish in third if I can get some points tonight in my auction leauge, but that is all I have left.

Here is the gallery from Dec. 12-17. Enjoy!

Gidget

This week I listened to Anderson.Paak's backup band, Free Nationals, and their self-titled debut, which came out last week. I thought the album was good, especially in the strong suit of a backing band--music. They had a bevy of guests to do lead vocals, which makes sense, and worked for the most part. This is in no way something that I'll be playing on repeat, but it makes for some head-bobbing driving music.

Anyhow, I lost the fifth-place match in my main re-draft league, and fell in the semifinals in my auction re-draft league. In dynasty, I lost in the consolations playoffs. It was not a great week. Looking forward to next year.

As for photos, check out the album of Photos from Dec. 5-10.

 

Jubilee

I almost didn't pick it out from a list, because it was by William Patrick Corgan, but Smashing Pumpkins lead man, Billy Corgan, released an album under his full name called "Cotillions." It is an OK acoustic-based album. Corgan's signature wail is still the same, and a lot of the songs have decent melodies and what not. It's far from the best I've seen from Corgan, but it was different, which is cool.

I unfortunately failed to make the playoffs in dynasty (as expected), and lost in the first round of my main redraft league. However, I did capture the top seed in my auction league headed into the playoffs next week, so there is that. I guess there is always next year.

Anyhow, here are some photos from the Pierz/Holdingford girls basketball game, Dec. 3.

Album of the Year

So, I reviewed more than 30 albums this year, and apparently forgot to review my favorite one. So, Billie Eilish's "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" was my favorite album of the year. I listened to it obsessively for a number of weeks, and rarely go a week now without flipping it on. Song's like the hit "Bad Girl" and "My Strange Addiction" are just staples, but the album as a whole is a masterpiece.

Anyhow, the other albums that I very positively reviewed and were considered for Album of the Year were: 2. "Cuz I Love You" -Lizzo 3. "Let's Rock" -The Black Keys 4. "Anima" -Thom Yorke 5. "Father of the Bride" -Vampire Weekend 6. "This Land" -Gary Clark Jr. 7. "Easter is Cancelled" -The Darkness.

On other end of the spectrum some of the worst albums I heard were that shitty Avett Brothers album, and of course "Hollywood is Bleeding" by Post Malone. He is trash. Still don't get how he's a thing.

I am into the playoffs in my main redraft league as the No. 3 seed, and will play the No. 6 seed this week. Wish me luck. I am in the last week of the regular season in my other two leagues, with a playoff spot clinched in auction and a highly impossible scenario to make the playoffs in dynasty.

Here are a few pictures from Little Falls girls basketball, hockey and dance. 

Underdog

This week I listened to Irish Pop/Rock group The Script and its new album "Sunsets & Full Moons." It was all right. Certainly nothing that I will come back to, but some of it was at least somewhat enjoyable. My favorite track was "Underdog." It was well written.

Anywho, I won in all four of my fantasy football leagues this week, woot, woot! I am sitting atop both of my redraft leagues at 10-1 and 8-3. I am in sixth place at 6-5 in my dynasty league after an embarrassing 72ish-71ish win. I have no business competing, but am somehow still in playoff contention, and it is my spot to lose. If I win out, I should be in the playoffs, which would be pretty funny.

Anyhow, HERE is a photo gallery of football and swimming from the past couple weeks playoffs. Girls basketball starts next week, and we have a Prep Bowl on our hands on Nov. 30. Take Care!

One More Time

This week I listened to Jeff Lynne's ELO and the band's new album, "From Out of Nowhere," and it was very good. A solid, very ELO-sounding album. I especially enjoyed the song "One More Time." It had a lot of "All Over The World," vibes to it. I recommend a listen if an ELO fan. Speaking of, I saw them in concert this summer. It was great.

I won in both of my fantasy football redraft leagues, pushing me into first in both of them at 8-1 and 7-2, respectively. I did drop to 5-4 in dynasty, which puts me in a 6-way tie at that record, and I am the lowest of the six in seventh place, because my team is young and not good.

To see the photos I took from Oct. 24-29 events of cross-country sections and volleyball playoffs please click here. Enjoy.

Everything We Need

Kanye dropped a very small, short album, "Jesus is King" as a follow up to 2016's "Life of Pablo." Obviously, Yeezy felt like he needed to atone for his past or something considering all the religious involvement in the album. Anyhow, the album had a number of pretty sweet beats, but while there were flashes of the brilliant Kanye, there was also a lot of puzzling and disjointedness. Ultimately, the album fell a bit flat for me. One of my favorite tracks (due mostly to the beat) was "Everything We Need."

As for fantasy football, it was a sweep! I won in all four leagues, even my last-placed autodraft joke of a league. I had huge weeks in redraft, while I luckily played a very poor week for my friend in a big matchup in dynasty. I now sit in first, second, fourth and 10th in my four leagues.

As for photos this week, please enjoy these playoff football and volleyball photos here.

Recommit

I hate to say this, but after the first listen, the new Jimmy Eat World album, "Surviving" has one word that accurately describes it--boring. Now, as a big fan of JEW, I know that subtle brilliance could be at work here. I was not in love with "Invented" when I first listened to it, and now it's my favorite JEW album of all time (with "Bleed American" a close second). However, boring, or "meh" was all I felt in the first listen. I intend to listen again, and hopefully JEW is not falling down the Weezer path. Cross your fingers.

Anyway, in fantasy football I won in my main two redraft leagues, pushing me to 5-2 and 6-1, respectively. I am still in third in my traditional league, and am still on top in auction. I got crushed in dynasty with a bye and injury-plagued lineup. I face another bye and injury lineup this week in a key matchup with another 4-3 team. Wish me luck.

I have a pretty big gallery of photos to enjoy here.

Easter is Cancelled

I rediscovered one of the bands that brought me one of the anthems of my youth, The Darkness. There mega hit, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," which came out back in 2003, was seminal in my high school and college memories. The band's latest album, "Easter is Cancelled," could also produce similar feelings. Though the album is all over the place, it somehow works. There are a smattering of genres involved, and lyrics get a little cheesy and dorky at times, but the listener never knows that they are going to get from one song to the next. The title track, for instance, "Easter is Cancelled," could easily be confused for an Iron Maiden track. At times during the album I thought I was listening to a Flight of the Conchords song. There are hints of Queen, Boston, the Rolling Stones and others all throughout the proceedings. Then of course there is the incredibly strange, "Confirmation Bias," which plays just like a David Bowie tune. This album is nuts, but I really like it. I've listened to it four times already, and I'm guessing there will be more. It's far from perfect, and some tracks are skippable, but all in all, I was surprised.

As for fantasy football, I won in three out of four leagues, and now stand in first, third and fifth place in said leagues. I'm back in last in autodraft though :( I also pulled off a nice trade in dynasty, landing Browns second-year running back Nick Chubb, which could really give me a chance to contend this year, and going forward really.

I have several photos to share from Football, soccer and
cross-country. Please enjoy them here.

Bleeding White

It has been awhile since I absolutely trashed an album, but this week that ends. I recently listened (and I use listened very generously) to the Avett Brother's new album "Closer Than Together," and I had several issues with it to be sure. First of all, a number of the songs are like that one on Juno, you know that genre of folk/indie that uses too many big words that are spoken over a bed of happy music. Now, that can work, maybe once, if it's done well. It wasn't done well here, and it wasn't done well over and over. The album was too political for my taste, but that doesn't always turn me off completely as long as the music is there or a great singing performance resurrects the album. None of that was here. The track "Bleeding White" was a poor man's attempt at The Black Keys, and the song "New Women's World," was a homeless man's Ben Folds. Another note, and I'm not sure what song it was from or if it was multiple songs, but this is not slam poetry, it's music. Treat it as such. In closing, Avett Brothers, YOU SUCK.


Anyways, I had another mediocre week in fantasy football. I won and am now in first place in my auction redraft league, and in my autodraft league. However, I lost in my other two leagues, one due to injuries, but  the other was completely due to lineup mismanagement. That dropped me out of playoff contention and into sixth place out of 10. I have a bundle of RB and WR 2/3 types and no clear leaders. I want to trade for something better, but all of those bundle of players are young and could eventually become No. 1-types. I think my best bet is to hang on to my players and plan for the future.

Please enjoy the photos in the sports gallery from Sept. 26-Oct. 1. here.

Oh! Darling

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' iconic album "Abbey Road." A deluxe edition of the album dropped on Spotify with all the iconic tracks among others and several demo versions of the songs. Obviously, it is fantastic. One of my favorite track is "Oh! Darling." The Beatles are amazing, and did so much for music.

As for fantasy football, I won in two of my four leagues, losing in dynasty and my autodraft league. That pushes me into 2nd (Auction league) 3rd (snake redraft) 4th (dynasty) and 10th place in my leagues. I have a big matchup in Auction. It's going to be a tough week with the Lions on bye, and all the stock I have in Kenny Golladay and Kerryon Johnson. Wish me luck.

As for photos, I have a gallery of photos to share from girls soccer, volleyball and football from Sept. 19-24. Enjoy.

I'm Gonna Be

WARNING: Possibly unpopular opinions ahead, most of which I chalk up to me being old.

Ok. With that said, I absolutely don't get Post Malone. Why is he popular at all? Every song of his sounds terrible. It's just him mumbling a bunch of gibberish into autotune. Most of the songs have a beat, which is fine, but then he tries to be a musician all the time too. Now, all this might be just because I'm too old to understand what the "kids" like these days, but, I don't know. I don't understand how anyone can listen to this and enjoy it at all. His latest album "Hollywood's Bleeding" was nothing at all different. I had this opinion on him ever since I heard him, and this album didn't disprove or do anything to change my mind/attitude toward him. The absolute worst song on the album was "I'm Gonna Be," which after hearing it I was like, "I'm Gonna Be," more like I'm Gonna Be Sick. I was really hoping this album would flop, so that we could get this dude out of our lives, but he someone has been at the top of the chart for two straight weeks already :(

Anyway, as far as fantasy football goes I lost in three leagues, but did manage to hang on for a third straight win in dynasty, pushing me (as the only undefeated team) into first place! I dropped to fourth in my main redraft league after a tough loss this week. I'm still sitting in third in my auction league. Lastly, my autodraft league. Ugh. I'm in last as the only 0-3.

So, please visit my gallery of photos from Sept. 12-17. Enjoy.

Without You

I stumbled upon a very surprising and pleasant album when perusing the new releases on Spotify, and that was Joseph's "Good Luck, Kid." While a bit of the album is a bit boring and a bit too hipster cliche, most of the album is actually a really great folk/country/rock blend that really works. The all-girl trio is signed to ATO Records, which is the famous label for monster indie acts like Brandi Carlile, My Morning Jacket and Alabama Shakes, so it isn't really a stretch that Joseph would be good. I will continue to listen to this album, but on first blush I'm sort of a fan, yet I don't really know why. I will also be checking out more of the band's catalog.

As far as fantasy football goes, I went 3-1 once again. I'm 2-0 in both of my redraft leagues (Auction and snake) and 2-0 in dynasty, putting me in first, third and second in those leagues respectively. I am 0-2 in my autodraft league despite that I'm third in points scored, so that's just unlucky.

Here are some photos of sports from Sept. 5-10. Enjoy.

Highwomen

 Recently-formed country supergroup The Highwomen released the group's first album, a self-titled debut that is nothing short of remarkable. Unlike the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters, this one works. It highlights all the strengths of the great women in the group (Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires). Some serious writing and singing chops are involved, and this is most definitely a refreshing release in the era of bro-country trash. Thank you.

Fantasy week one is complete and I went 3-1, with my only loss coming by a small margin on a good week. Just had a bad matchup there. Thus far, it appears my instincts have served me pretty well.

Lastly, I have a number of photos to share in the gallery here Enjoy.

Juice

So, thanks to the MTV VMA's I discovered Lizzo, and she is freaking amazing. The Minneapolis-raised singer/rapper has such catchy and infectious songs. She's also a great singer. I am so obsessed, and her album "Cuz I Love You" has the Minneapolis sound, and is super good. Check it out.

Anyway, please check out my gallery of sports photos from Aug. 23-27.

Fantasy football is about to begin, and I'm super jacked. I feel like I drafted two really good teams. However, my autodraft league team sucks because I forgot to take Andrew Luck out of my rankings :( I'll keep you updated on my progress this season.

 

Annual cruddy NFL predictions

First, to take care of some business, click HERE for photos from Aug. 14-20. 

In 2017 I predicted the Champion Patriots (not that that's something to be proud of) and I had half of the playoff teams correct. The story was not the same as 2018. I put far too much faith in Kirk Cousins being the Vikings' savior, and it came back to bite me real hard. However, I did have 7-of-12 playoff teams correct, so perhaps there is faith yet? Here is what I thought: 


Round 1: 
NFC
  Green Bay(WC) at New Orleans
  Carolina (WC) at Philadelphia
AFC
  Baltimore (WC) at Houston
  Jacksonville (WC) at LA Chargers
Divisional Round: 
AFC
 Baltimore at New England 
  LA Chargers at Pittsburgh
NFC
  Carolina at LA Rams
Green Bay at Minnesota
Conference Championships: 
NFC
  Carolina at Minnesota
AFC 
  Pittsburgh at New England 
Super Bowl: 
  Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota

Champ: Minnesota (34-18) MVP: Kirk Cousins

As you can see, the NFC predictions were atrocious, as Green Bay, Minnesota and Carolina did not make the playoffs. In the AFC it wasn't as bad, but it was not very good either as neither Pittsburgh or Jacksonville made the playoffs, and I didn't have the Chiefs in the playoffs, which is ludicrous. But, it is not he worst. I had 7-of-12 playoff teams right, though not in the right spots. The Patriots were the only of the Conference Championship teams that I had correct, so it was not he best.

How will it go in 2019-20? Follow along below:

Round 1: 
NFC
  Philadelphia (WC) at Green Bay
  Atlanta  (WC) at Seattle
 AFC
  Baltimore (WC) at Cleveland
  LA Chargers (WC) at Houston
 Divisional Round: 
AFC
 LA Chargers at New England 
  Cleveland at Kansas City 
NFC
  Philadelphia at New Orleans
  Seattle at Dallas
Conference Championships: 
NFC
  Dallas at New Orleans
AFC 
  LA Chargers at Kansas City
Super Bowl: 
  Kansas City vs. New Orleans

Champ: Kansas City (40-33) MVP: Patrick Mahomes

Tight end rankings

There is only one more meaningful category left to share, and that is the tight end. The formula this year is pretty simple: take one of the top three tight ends, or wait. That top tier can make a fantasy team soar, but only if the drafter makes that move at the right time, and can take a few value picks along the way. If not, stock up on backs and receivers, and take a tight end late.

Now, as I always say, wait until the last two picks to take kickers and defenses. That has not changed. I understand the Bears had a great year last year, but that kind of defensive scoring does not carry over on the whole. As for kickers, the only thing that I ever try and do is to take a kicker who plays at home indoors. This is common sense. If the kicker has half his games in a windless stadium, that can help make him more accurate.

So, let's see how I did on tight ends a year ago:

Picked No. 1 for 2018, Rob Gronkowski. Actually finished: 11. I assumed that Gronk would Gronk last year, but he was banged up, and defenses did a better job of slowing him down. Therefore I was a bit off on this one.
Picked No. 2 for 2018, Zach Ertz. Actually finished: 2. Great pick here. He was a target and reception monster, which means well in .5 PPR scoring. He is a main point to the Eagles' offense, and I had this right.
Picked No. 3 for 2018, Travis Kelce. Actually finished: 1. Kelce had a momentous season, and I underestimated him just a bit. He should repeat this. I wasn't 100% sold on Mahomes' superstardom, and that was a mistake. 
Picked No. 4 for 2018, Evan Engram: Actually finished: 12. I couldn't have predicted his injury problems, but they may push him lower in 2019. Based on average, he was actually ranked seventh, so it wasn't a terrible pick, just not a great one.
Picked No. 5 for 2018, Kyle Rudolph. Actually finished: 8.Not an awful pick, but Cousins was not the fantasy boon that I expected for the Vikings offense. His production will drop even farther in 2019 with the addition of draft pick Irv Smith Jr.

I would also like to point out that I advocated taking George Kittle, the No. 3 tight end last year. 


Without further ado, here are my rankings for 2019:

1. Travis Kelce: With Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense back for round two, Kelce will be the top beneficiary. He should have no problem getting 80+ catches, 1,000+ yards and 10 touchdowns at minimum.

2. George Kittle: Kittle is the best asset at the 49ers disposal and he should continue to be a go-to target in their offense. He proved to be sure-handed last year.

3. Zach Ertz: Although I'm not 100 percent sold on the Eagles as everyone else is, there is no questioning Ertz' firepower as a top-tier tight end. Hopefully Wentz stays healthy.

4. OJ Howard: This is where the second tier begins, and taking any of the following tight ends before round 6 is a no-no. The Bucs are another offense that I'm not sold on, but yet another tight end whose talent will carry him to fantasy success.

5. Vance McDonald: He proved that he could be a reliable target for Big Ben, and he was the No. 10 TE with only four touchdowns, which could easily grow. Another plus is that Antonio Brown's targets will now be spread around, and McDonald should get his share.

6. Hunter Henry 7. Evan Engram 8. Jared Cook 9. David Njoku 10. Austin Hooper

 Here is a link to the gallery for sports photos from Aug. 9-13. Enjoy. Here is a preview photo:

Wide Receiver rankings

Click here to see the gallery for Aug. 1-6.

From here on out, I will be linking galleries from the Record website where you can now purchase photos! CLICK the link above to see the ones from the first week of August. 

Wide receivers tend to be the easiest to predict. They aren't banging between the tackles like backs, and if they get targets in a .5 ppr league, it is pretty easy. I think I proved that last year, or maybe I just got lucky that nobody was horribly injured. Or I'm a genius. One of those.

Here is what I said: 

Picked No. 1 for 2018, DeAndre Hopkins. Actually finished: 2. Pretty good pick here. He had a great season, and didn't drop a pass. He should be another go-to guy for Watson and the Texans this year.

Picked No. 2 for 2018, Antonio Brown. Actually finished: 4. Not a bad pick here, and he missed week 17 for his wacky reasons. It will be interesting to see what he does for the Raiders, and how the Steelers do without him.

Picked No. 3 for 2018, Michael Thomas. Actually finished: 6. He was very good, and this was a pretty good pick. He certainly got paid for it. Dang. 


Picked No. 4 for 2018, Adam Thielen. Actually finished: 7. This was a bit of a surprise pick by me, but I really believed in Thielen, and he sure delivered, especially the first half of the year. I'm going to pat myself on the back for this one.

Picked No. 5 for 2018, DaVante Adams. Actually finished: 3. Yet another very good pick. He's been extremely consistent, and I'm guessing Aaron Rodgers has a lot to do with it.

Picked No. 6 for 2018, Odell Beckham, Jr. Actually finished: 16. He missed four games. His averages would have made him sixth, so in a way I was right.

Picked No. 7 for 2018, Keenan Allen. Actually finished: 13. Was a bit off on this one, but Allen was still a solid pick at No. 7, because he produced some pretty good performances.

Picked No. 8 for 2018, Tyreek Hill. Actually finished: 1. Didn't quite see that Hill was going to have an MVP throwing to him with a ridiculous vigor.

Picked No. 9 for 2018, Juju Smith-Schuster. Actually finished: 9. BOOM. Right on here. Was spot on picking a pair of Steelers in the top 10! He should be just as good or better this year.

Picked No. 10 for 2018, Stefon Diggs. Actually finished: 12.Was not too far off here, but missed out on two Vikings in the top 10. Diggs is really talented, but the new, more run-happy offense could cut into his production a bit.

Anyhow, here are my rankings for 2019 in the WR category:

1. DeAndre Hopkins: He seriously had ZERO drops last year. Duke Johnson should help open the offense, and I think they might be not great this year, so they should be throwing. Though the emergence of Coutee could cut into his targets, but not enough to keep him from being elite.

2. Michael Thomas: Folks might worry that since he got paid, he could drop a bit. However, he is not lazy, and he will keep working. Brees is still there leading the high-powered offense, and he is Brees' top target, easily.

3. Odell Beckham Jr.: OBJ lagged behind mightily due to the poor QB play by Eli Manning. With Baker Mayfield, he will no longer have that problem. Plus defenses won't be able to double him with Landry and Njoku wandering out there.

4. Tyreek Hill: He did not get suspended, so that rocketed him back up my board. He is supremely fast and athletic and has honey-coated hands. He also still has Mahomes throwing to him.

5. DaVante Adams: He might have a new offense, and some young WR competition, but he is still top dog with an all-time QB throwing to him, so he can't drop down too far.

6. Juju Smith-Schuster: I like me some Juju. He is the sole candidate for targets for the Steelers, and should be incredibly consistent as a target monster.

7. Julio Jones: He is still really big and athletic, and learned how to catch touchdowns. Plus he racks up targets and yards, and plays for a big offense.

8. Kennan Allen: The Chargers have a great offense, and Allen should benefit. I think that he will get a lot of catches, though the emergence of big Mike Williams and Hunter Henry could limit his touchdowns, which drops him down a bit.

9. Amari Cooper: He proved once he got to Dallas that he can still play. I think as long as the contract situations turn out, he will be a big-time playmaker for the 'Boys.

10. Adam Thielen: I know that the offense will have some more running, but I expect Thielen will still be the go-to for Cousins.

11. Julian Edelman 12. Mike Evans 13. Stefon Diggs 14. Kenny Golladay 15. Tyler Boyd 16. Jarvis Landry 17. DJ Moore 18. Antonio Brown 19. Corey Davis 20. TY Hilton.

Running back rankings/Paris Morton Music

Since I have no pictures, I'm going to start with an album review quick, then I'll get right to the RB rankings.

I can see why most of these songs didn't make it on to a real album, but it makes perfect sense that Drake released a surprise compilation album recently. "Care Package" has all the tracks that Drake had released in between singles from albums and mix tapes.

It certainly has some familiar songs ("5 a.m. in Toronto," "Paris Morton Music," "Trust Issues") and they are pretty dang good. There are also a few that I do not remember, and they are pretty great. Now, my love for Drake started because he was on one of my guilty pleasures "Degrassi: TNG." But I also think he is very talented as a rapper/singer. This continues to showcase this.

As for fantasy football: 

Running back is perhaps the most important position in fantasy. Having a dominant running back can be all one needs to ride their way deep into the fantasy football playoffs. During AP's 2,000-yard season, or Ladanian Tomlinson's 28 touchdown year, among others, won people leagues.

However, 2019 does not appear to have that stand-out RB who is going to get like 350-400 touches and absolutely blow up the fantasy landscape. That said, there is an obvious tier system. Within the top 20 there are three clear tiers in my estimation, so that's how we're going to sort these RB rankings.

But first... how did I do a year ago? Let's find out.

 Picked No. 1 for 2018, Todd Gurley II. Actually finished:1. BOOM. Not that it was too out on a limb, but exactly right is exactly right!

 Picked No. 2 for 2018, Alvin Kamara. Actually finished: 4. Kamara did not have a sophomore slump, and while he wasn't second, pretty dang close.

Picked No. 3 for 2018, Melvin Gordon III. Actually finished: 7. I was a huge proponent of Gordon, and he dealt with a few injuries, or he might have been in the top three like I had predicted. Pretty good call on my part.

Picked. No. 4 for 2018, Kareem Hunt. Actually finished: 13. After the whole video incident, Hunt only played 11 games, so he was probably better than fourth if not for that, so not a bad choice.

Picked No. 5 for 2018, Ezekiel Elliott. Actually finished: 5. Boom No. 2! I was right on here. I knew that he would have a good year. Assuming that he doesn't hold out for more than a couple weeks, he should be back in this position again.

Picked No. 6 for 2018, Leveon Bell. Actually finished: N/A. Well, that was worst pick of the year. I am glad I didn't have him any higher as a lot of folks did, however, he didn't play obviously, and I am cautioning taking him this year as well.

Picked No. 7 for 2018, David Johnson. Actually finished: 11. I was a lot closer than most, because a lot of experts had DJ up near the top 5. He certainly has that capability, but the Cardinals were a dumpster fire a year ago. They should be a bit better with a new offense and Kyler Murray and what not in 2019.

Picked No. 8 for 2018, Christian McCaffrey. Actually finished: 3. A bit of a miss here. I underestimated the amount of volume that the uber-talented McCaffrey would get. Despite a bit of a crap season for the Panthers, he was very good.

Picked No. 9 for 2018, Leonard Fournette. Actually finished: 40. YUCK! He should be so much higher, but he just can't stay healthy or get much help. He plays a full season, see him jump up near this spot. He would have been 12th had his eight-game total of 109 been doubled.

Picked No. 10 for 2018, Saquon Barkley. Actually finished: 2. I certainly underestimated Barkley's talent. Holy crap. He was outstanding as a rookie with over 2,000 all-purpose yards and a ton of fantasy value despite a less-than-stellar Giants offense. He will be tasked with carrying them again this year.

 Without further ado, here are my RB rankings for 2019:

Championship-level Tier: 

These guys are unquestioned No. 1 backs and no-brainer top 5 picks. 

1. Saquon Barkley: Barkley had an unreal season last year on a dumpy offense and as a rookie learning a new offense. With another year under his belt and guaranteed touches as the focal point of the Giants, he is going to be unreal.

2. Christian McCaffrey: He had 107 catches, but scored only 13 total TD. If he scored more, he could be truly transcendent. Again he is the focal point of an offense that likes to use him.

3. Alvin Kamara: Some worry about his durability and how he will handle not having Mark Ingram as a running mate. Honestly, I just see that as more opportunity. Plus, Latavius Murray should pick up Ingram's slack easily.

4. David Johnson: 2016's best RB could have a comeback year under a new coach. Also, Kyler Murray and the passing game should take the pressure off DJ's running, and he's one of the best pass catchers.

Top-five potential, but also some ??? tier:

5. Ezekiel Elliot: He might drop more in the coming weeks, especially with the news that he is not afraid to sit out, but for now, we have to assume he comes back at some point. If he does, he should still be very good.

6. James Conner: Many are expecting the Steelers to drop off, but the line is still there, and so are Juju and Big Ben. Conner is going to see a lot of touches and a lot of scores. He should still be a big scorer.

7. Joe Mixon: There are not too many unquestioned three down backs, and Mixon is one. The Bengals might not be the best offensively, but Mixon is going to get the volume.

8. Damien Williams: I'm not sure how talented Williams is, but he he is productive. Andy Reid, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense is going to be awesome, and Williams appears to be the clear No. 1 back after a strong finish to 2018.

9. LeVeon Bell: I'm tempering my expectations a little on Bell, who has one of the most unique running styles in history. He has been out for a whole year, and will be playing for a new team and a new offense. However, he is supremely talented, and the Jets should be improved.

10. Nick Chubb: Chubb showed a lot of promise last season, and the Browns should only really be better in 2019. That means Chubb is going to be an RB1.

11. Kerryon Johnson 12. Aaron Jones 13. Melvin Gordon

Starter, but not likely to be RB1 tier: 

14. Dalvin Cook 15. Todd Gurley II 16. Chris Carson 17. Devonta Freeman 18. Marlon Mack 19. Leonard Fournette 20. Phillip Lindsay.

Wide receivers are up next week!

OK. I'll share one picture from next week as a preview.

Fantasy Football Rankings are back! QBs

It is nearly August, which means I will soon be beginning my 23rd year of playing fantasy football. What started out as a way to bond with my father at eight years old, has turned into a pretty serious obsession. Each year it seems that I dive deeper and deeper into research and am in more and more leagues of all varieties.

However, it all started back in 1996 at the height of Emmitt Smith's dominance of fantasy football. My dad brought home this thick, 200-page manifesto of rankings, statistics and articles devoted to this thing called fantasy football, and I fell in love.

I read that copy until it was dog-eared and raggedy. I had notebooks filled with statistics and rankings of my own and the following year I attempted to start up my own league. It only had a few people in it at first, but eventually blossomed into a home game of eight which included family, friends and neighbors.

My uncle let me draft his team in the league with my dad and the rest of the big boys when I was about 11. I knew a lot more about it than them, or so I thought, but I didn't do well the first year. With the nerves off in year two, I did win the league, easily.

In the league, my dad was known as the "Draftmaster," though I'm not quite sure how he acquired the nickname. Shortly after I won my first title, I was dubbed with the moniker "Draftmaster Jr."

The victory kicked off a stretch in which I  placed every year of the league's existence, which ended in 2010 (R.I.P).  Eventually as a junior high student, I found a financial backer who would stake half of the hefty entry fee, which was north of $100, so I could compete. By the time I got into high school and had a job of my own, I staked myself, and I rarely lost money. 

These days I'm in about four to five leagues, only a few of which cost money, and not nearly as much as back in the day (unfortunately, I'd love to find an uber-competitive, high stakes game again). And while I also do fantasy baseball pretty competitively (currently in first 🙂) and have also done numerous basketball leagues, hockey leagues and daily contests. It is my first love of fantasy football that remains No. 1.

So, without further ado, please accept my humble rankings of the 2019 season, starting with the quarterbacks.

Wait, wait, wait.

Before we get to my rankings, we should look back at how I, Draftmaster Jr., did on my rankings/predictions a year ago:

Picked No. 1 for 2018, Tom Brady. Actually finished: 10. Brady had a sub-par year by his standards. However, he was still a No. 1 quarterback, and certainly worthy of being started each week, but not the best of picks by me, as he was not nearly the top QB.

Picked No. 2 for 2018, Aaron Rodgers. Actually finished: 8. Rodgers was injured for a second straight year, though he didn't actually miss any time, it did affect his play. Again though, not a terrible pick, as he was still a QB1.

Picked No. 3 for 2018, Deshaun Watson. Actually finished: 7. Another slightly off pick, but I'm getting closer, he was only four spots away from my projection.

Picked No. 4 for 2018, Kirk Cousins. Actually finished: 9. Another so-so pick. Dalvin Cook's injury hampered the running and screen game some, but Cousins put up pretty good numbers thanks in LARGE part to his receiving corps.

Picked No. 5 for 2018, Matthew Stafford. Actually finished: 18. This had to have been my worst pick. I really thought that the junktime Lions were going to be a thing, and that Stafford might have a resurgence, but I was dead wrong.

Picked No. 6 for 2018, Russell Wilson. Actually finished: 12. Once again, just a bit overestimated, but this could be due to the big jumps by some at the position. He also had NO offensive line and ran less, which I didn't see coming.

Picked. No. 7 for 2018, Matt Ryan. Actually finished: 3. This was the first one that I undersold a year ago, but again I wasn't too far off. Thus far, only one of my seven picks was off by more than 10 slots.

Picked No. 8 for 2018, Jared Goff. Actually finished: 6. This was probably my best prediction.

Picked No. 9 for 2018, Patrick Mahomes. Actually finished: 1. It might not seem like it, but this was actually a very good pick. Mahomes was getting drafted as the 12-15 QB a year ago, and a lot of times not even drafted at all. Very few people ranked him this high, so I'm giving my self a pat on the back for this, even if it was eight spots off.

Picked No. 10 for 2018, Drew Brees. Actually finished: 5. Another pick that wasn't too bad. Man I did a pretty good job, but it certainly helped that there were few injuries.

Only two of the 10 QBs I projected to be in the top 10 were not, and Wilson wasn't far off (nine points). The only top 10 QBs that I missed was the comeback of Andrew Luck (No. 4) and Big Ben Roethlisberger's second place finish.

Here are my 2019 rankings at quarterback:
1. Patrick Mahomes: Nobody in their right mind would not rank him at No. 1. He has even more weapons than a year ago with rookie Mecole Hardman joining the mix. Tyreek Hill is back sans suspension, and Mahomes is a year wiser. Even if he regresses and throws say 35 touchdowns instead of 50, he will still be hovering at the top of the fantasy quarterback ladder.

2. Andrew Luck: The Colts added Parris Campbell to the mix and should have a more effective running game with another year of Marlon Mack. They are going to not only be a good offense, but a really good team, and assuming this "Kevin Durant"-like injury isn't serious, Luck should have another big year.

3. Deshaun Watson: While he didn't fully jump into that no-doubt top five QB class last year. He did show a lot of flashes, and he runs for a lot of yards. He has a trio of really strong WR talent, so the sky is still the limit for Watson.

4. Aaron Rodgers: Hard to count out Rodgers as he is one of the best to ever play the position. He should be healthier this year, and he finished eighth with only one leg for half the year in 2018. Lots of talent for him to throw to as well.

5. Baker Mayfield: See, Beckham Jr., Odell.

6. Russell Wilson: I think Wilson will bounce back (I know that's what I said a year ago, and it was kind of true). He has a new toy in DK Metcalf, who could very well breakout, and should have a stable rushing attack to help him get more time in the pocket.

7. Matt Ryan: Julio Jones still has a year or two left in him, and the Falcons offense should be able to hold on to their mojo somewhat.

8. Dak Prescott: This might seem as a bit of a leap, but the Cowboys offense was sparked mightily after Amari Cooper showed up. Assuming that Zeke doesn't pull a Le'Veon Bell, Prescott (who is better than people think) might have that breakout fantasy season that I imagine. It should also help out Michael Gallup stock.

9. Kirk Cousins: It would be pretty hard for Cousins to fall out of the top 10 with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs at his disposal. Not to mention Irv Smith, Kyle Rudolph and Dalvin Cook. Assuming that the OL is even half decent, Cousins will put up another 4k yards, 25+ touchdown season.

10. Philip Rivers: Lots of ways to go here, but Rivers is old reliable. A healthy Hunter Henry along with the duo of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams should sustain the aging Rivers for one more year.

 11. Jared Goff 12. Cam Newton 13. Drew Brees 14. Tom Brady 15. Lamar Jackson 16. Ben Roethlisberger 17. Carson Wentz 18. Josh Allen 19. Jameis Winston 20. Kyler Murray

Finally, here is a few photos from the week of July 18-23. Enjoy.

Night's That Won't Happen

I took a look at a new band this week, the American indie band Purple Mountains, whose self-titled debut came out July 12. A very laid back, yet multi-instrumental vibe runs throughout the record. The lyrics are witty yet emotional. The singer's voice isn't the best, but it fits with the way the music sounds. This is a pretty cool band and album. I'm glad I checked it out.

Fantasy baseball went well with a 7-3 win last week, which put me back in sole first place, but I'm only .5 game up. I had a good first day of the next matchup, so fingers crossed.

I have a pretty good number of photos from a Semi-pro football game in Little Falls, Victory League East action in Pierz and Royalton Legion. There is also a bonus pic or two of Pierz Freedom Fest. Enjoy.