2017 NFL Fantasy Draft 'Lookaheadge'

It’s never too early to look ahead to next season, especially if this fantasy season has been a bust for you. Well, for me it has and that’s why I’m planning ahead for next year. Here’s how it breaks down:


BELL (PIT) – The best running back in the game, who makes a ton of catches as well, hopefully not facing a suspension this season. He’s my number 1 overall pick.

BROWN (PIT) – Enter scene the best wide receiver in the game – who also happens to be on Pittsburgh. Brown is a stud who should go #1 or #2 in most drafts.

ZEKE ELLIOTT (DAL) – A sleeper no longer, Zeke Elliott is one of the best players in the game, playing with the best O-line in the game. Some may choose him over Bell, but he doesn’t catch as much.

DAVID JOHNSON (ARI) – the guy has over 600 yards receiving already – he may finish the season close to 1,000. Oh yah and he can run too. 

JULIO JONES (ATL) – It’s tough to put him above ODB but I just trust Matt Ryan over Eli Manning –either way you can’t go wrong.

ODELL BECKHAM JR (NYG) – Getting a player of this skill level at #6 is pretty amazing. You should be thrilled to end up with the #5 or #6 pick in your pool.

DEMARCO MURRAY (TEN) – He’s back, and no longer will fall into the later rounds. He looks like the D-Mar of old, and on an emerging Titans squad.

AMARI COOPER (OAK) – With Derek Carr becoming one of the elite QB’s in the game, getting his favourite target is essential.

DEANDRE HOPKINS (HOU) – If only he had a quarterback to throw to him, then he would be a top 5 pick.

MIKE EVANS (TB) – Wide Receivers are going fast and furious, and you can’t go wrong going with arguably the most underrated one in the league.

AARON RODGERS (GB) –I hate going with Quarterbacks so early, but you may as well reach for the best fantasy one in the league.

ROB GRONKOWSKI (NE) – If he’s healthy, he is the biggest game changer in the game.

JAY AJAYI (MIA) – the day of Jay has arrived. He should be a 2nd round pick you should be comfortable picking.

DEMARYIUS THOMAS (DEN) – Even without Peyton Manning, the dude still can catch.

TODD GURLEY (LA) – Last year he was a top 5 pick. He’ll drop a bit this year but he should rebound a bit.

JORDAN HOWARD (CHI) -  A full season as the number 1 guy in Chicago should give him 2nd round status without a doubt.

DREW BREES (NO) – Time to go with another QB, and it’s a toss up between Brees or….

TOM BRADY (NE) – No more deflategate issues that he has to deal with. He should be a monster with a full preseason and training camp this time around.

JORDY NELSON (GB) – Rodgers favourite target…and with Randall Cobb’s rapid regression, there’s no questioning this pick.

LAMAR MILLER (HOU) – He should explode next year. He got off to a slow start, unable to find the endzone – but next year should be a fresh start.

 

NHL 1st Half Thoughts


Sidney Crosby is still the best player on the planet

Can we please put this conversation to bed? For some reason everyone wants the new wave of young blood to take over the torch…but it’s just not happening…yet. Sid the kid (who is almost 30) had probably the best year any hockey player could possibly have: Stanley Cup, World Cup, and MVP’s in both tournaments. And he currently leads the league in goals in much fewer games than anyone else. 


But Connor McDavid is not far behind

Although Crosby isn’t ready to hand over the crown, in just his 2nd season, Connor McDavid looks like he’s right there and ready to grasp at greatness. Leading the league in points for most of the season, Connor simply looks a level above everyone he plays with / against.  When Crosbystarts to slow down, McDavid will be ready to be crowned for many different accolades. 


The Canadiens are coming out of the East

Last year the Habs suffered a huge loss with Carey Price going down for the season and simply could not recover – they promptly plummeted down the standings and easily missed the playoffs. This year, however, they suffered through the injury bug as well (Desharnais, Shaw, Markov, Galchenyuk) and have come through it looking no worse for wear. If the Habs took lessons from last year’s adversity, then they will have no problem getting out of the East Conference.


The Leafs are making the playoffs…next year

This team isn’t just exciting…they’re good! What the leafs lack in experience, they make up for in offensive upside. The Buds lead the league in most points among rookies with 118, the next highest team being the Winnipeg Jets with 43. They’ve blown too many games late in the 3rd period this year, but with valuable lessons learned, Toronto should be primed to take next step the following year. 

NHL Goalie Power Rankings


  1. Carey Price (MTL)
  2. Braden Holtby (WS)
  3. Henrik Lunqvist (NYR)
  4. Tuukka Rask (BOS)
  5. Pekka Rinne (NSH)
  6. Jonathan Quick (LA)
  7. Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ)
  8. Ben Bishop (TB)
  9. Cory Schneider (NJ)
  10. Corey Crawford (CHI)
  11. Craig Anderson (OTT)
  12. Ryan Miller (VAN)
  13. Devan Dubnyk (MIN)
  14. Roberto Luongo (FLA)
  15. John Gibson (ANA)
  16. Cam Ward (CAR)
  17. Jake Allen (STL)
  18. Semyon Varlamov (COL)
  19. Jimmy Howard (DET)
  20. Cam Talbot (EDM)
  21. Martin Jones (SJ)
  22. Jaroslav Halak (NYI)
  23. Kari Lehtonen (DAL)
  24. Frederik Andersen (TOR)
  25. Matt Murray (PIT)
  26. Brian Elliott (CGY)
  27. Steve Mason (PHI)
  28. Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)
  29. Mike Smith (PHX)
  30. Robin Lehner (BUF)

NBA Top 20 Players Ranked

With all the drama surrounding Sports Illustrated ranking Demar Derozan 46th overall in the NBA, I figured I would give my own current power rankings. Take in mind this is pretty subjective and my opinion of some of these players change weekly, but this is what I currently have:


  1. Lebron James (CLE)
  2. Steph Curry (GSW)
  3. Kawhi Leonard (SA)
  4. Russell Westbrook (OKC)
  5. Kevin Durant (GSW)
  6. James Harden (HOU)
  7. Anthony Davis (NO)
  8. DeMarcus Cousins (SAC)
  9. Damian Lillard (POR)
  10. Demar Derozan (TOR)
  11. Klay Thompson (GSW)
  12. Kyrie Irving (CLE)
  13. Isaiah Thomas (BOS)
  14. Jimmy Butler (CHI)
  15. Paul George (IND)
  16. Blake Griffin (LAC)
  17. John Wall (WSH)
  18. Andrew Wiggins (MIN)
  19. Cj McCollum (POR)
  20. Kristaps Porzingis (NYK)

Super Bowl 51 Preview


It’s one of the most anticipated Super Bowls in recent memory, and for good reason. The Best Offence against the Best Defence is a matchup the seldom happens but when it does, it never disappoints…except when it does (see Seahawks vs Broncos Super Bowl). The Falcons lead the NFL with 33.8 points per game, while the Patriots have allowed the fewest: 15.6 points per game. 

This is a tough matchup; Every time I lean one way, I pull back the other way. This is Tom Brady’s 7th Super Bowl appearance, he knows what it takes to win….on the other hand, he’s missing his best weapon: Gronk. 

The Falcons have the best Offence in the league…but defence wins championships. Belichick is the best Coach, arguably ever….but he tends to cheat and who knows that he has up his sleeve this game. Julio Jones is the best player playing in this game…and he tends to disappear sometimes.I truly am torn on this decision… my heart says Atlanta, but my mind says never bet against Brady and Belichick. 

At the end of the day, what I’m really thinking is that after all that deflategate crap… Tom Brady is motivated and inspired. He’s determined to win the 5th title and receive the Lombardi trophy from Goodell in quite possibly the most awkward exchange ever. 

And for that reason I’m taking PATRIOTS (-3) over the FALCONS in Super Bowl 51.

NFL Championship Round

Both these games are pretty difficult to predict...but I’m looking forward to them both. The Ideal matchup here is Packers vs Patriots but truthfully, any combination of the 4 below teams would be amazing – can’t wait for the Super Bowl. 


PACKERS +4.5 over FALCONS

Nelson is back for the Pack. They are riding a high after last week’s crazy win against the Cowboys. And Aaron Rodgers looks hungry for his 2nd ring. Both these teams have lackluster defence so it should be a shootout, but I see Green Bay coming out on top. They’re relatively healthy and are facing a relatively playoff untested Falcons squad…I just can’t bet against Green Bay. 


PATRIOTS -4.5 over STEELERS

“I’m drunk, I’m stupid, I’m a Pats fan.” Those were the words of a drunk, stupid Pats fan who pulled the fire alarm at 3 in the morning at the hotel the Steelers were staying at, the morning of their game. The Steelers were lucky to get past KC and looked pretty terrible. Tom Brady looked rather human himself in last week’s game as well. So the question really is, who is going to rebound? Who is hungrier? The Steelers have more weapons, but the Patriots have Brady and Belichick. It ultimately comes down to the best running back and wide receiver in the game vs the best quarterback and coach in the game. And with that comparison, I will go with the coach and QB. Patriots are winning this game and then the super bowl – mark it down.

NFL Divisional Round

Brown.jpg

Ok, last week was a little too easy… I expect this week should be tougher. No way Vegas will let us keep taking their money. But that won’t stop us from trying.


FALCONS -4.0 over SEAHAWKS

This should be an interesting battle: Offence vs Defence. The Falcons averaged 33.8 points per game during the regular season, while the Hawks allowed an average of 18.3. This is usually where I say, Defence beats Offence, or the playoffs are different than the regular season. But I am not going to bet against Matt Ryan right now… I think this is his breakout postseason.


PATRIOTS -15.0 over TEXANS

So it’s obvious the Pats are going to win here…just question is just by how much. The Texans have only beaten the Patriots once in their history and have never won a game in Foxborough. It’s a lot of points and I’m not feeling overly confident but Belichick never backs down – I think the Pats should run the table. 


COWBOYS -4.5 over PACKERS

The Packers have scored 30 or more points in each of their past 5 games…but they are without Jordy Nelson for this one. The Cowboys have too many weapons and I can’t wait to see their rookies step up in the playoffs. This will be a great game. 


STEELERS -1.5 over CHIEFS

The Steelers have won 8 straight games and also destroyed the Chiefs 43-14 back in week 4. I think this line is very generous and the Steelers should do pretty well against KC, despite their defence being one of the best in the league. Look for Antonio to rake it in. 

NFL Wild Card Round

russ wilson.jpg

This is it – the playoffs are finally here! I am beyond excited – let’s kick things off right away…


TEXANS -3.5 over RAIDERS

The Texans finished the season with the second best passing defence in the league, allowing 201.6 yards per game. Throw in the fact that Derek Carr, who was playing like an MVP Candidate all year for Oakland, is out… the Raiders don’t stand a chance unfortunately. 


SEAHAKWS -8.0 over LIONS

The Lions have lost 8 straight playoff games and have never beaten the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Simply put, the Hawks have been in this position so many times over the last few years and the Lions are doomed to be an abysmal franchise. Matt Stafford can’t carry them any further than he already has.


STEELERS -10.5 over DOLPHINS

This one is a mismatch. The Steelers have won 7 straight games in a row and are 6-2 at home. The trend should continue after this game.


PACKERS -5.5 over GIANTS

The Giants have allowed 10 points or fewer in 3 of their last 4 games…so one would think I would be leaning New York…but Aaron Rodgers just dials it up to a new level in the playoffs. Other than Brady there’s no one I trust more. I gotta lean with the pack.