#fourth draft (or like 4.5 draft) goals:

[mercuryislove]

big huge changes I've noted in reading all my crap previous drafts: yixing doesn't do shit. shit happens to him. he has no agency lmao. ciaran is not enough of a freak. he comes across as too desperate. anwei is just like. there. in the distance. minor characters do whatever who cares most of them have been erased by now anyway. SONAM is nice now teehee. originally she was just EVIL. like she was actively chasing him across the continent and he was always kind of looking over his shoulder about it but now she just has her own damn life. she's got other shit going on man she doesn't care about you anymore. songbird is a good friend. this will remain.

[eveningspirit]

So, the first week (well, +2 ?) of November is behind us, and while I’m not doing NaNo this year, I set myself some other goals and I want to check in about how I fulfill them (that’s for self mostly :)

Those are things I do for fun and, guess what, I have to actually keep myself in check that I do them. Who’d have thought...

I did, in fact, spend half an hour every day reading draft of my original novel Crystal Spring Valley. Novel actually requires a separate post, because it turns out i didn’t know what i was writing, but that... later.

I finished and posted the second chapter of a fic, that I started, like, four months ago. YaY me. And also started working on the next (sixth?) chapter of another fic. YaY also. Half an hour daily as well.

I started writing a meta, in response to the ask I got about a month ago... (I’ll finish this meta, I promise, dear Anon).

I got back to reading fic! Huzzah! And commenting *grin* I really like commenting on fic I read and enjoy. This makes me feel... fuzzy inside. Mmmm...

I continue watching Leverage. I’m still not sold (ep 1x06 or therebouts), but I want to at least give a chance to 1 and half of a season, so... Yah. I still have a backlog of the shows I want to catch up to (Legends of Tomorrow (s 4.5), Lucifer (s 4) and maybe 12 Monkeys final season). Oh, well... Don’t think I manage that before whenever Expanse and the Witcher start in December.

I also want to finish re-reading fourth novel of Expanse -- the one this season is based on -- before the show starts. Huh? Guess I gotta dedicate time specifically to that too if I want to make it.

I think that’s that then. Plans for next week?

Two hours daily total, dedicated to writing, half hour to each: Crystal Spring Valley, Heart out in the Cold, Meta and... more Heart out in the Cold? Yah. Finish the chapter this week and maybe start another one.

An hour to reading fic and writing comments (those in the afternoon), one hour to watching shows, one hour to reading book. I should maybe read ten pages a day? That would give me about a month to have it finished, yeah. That’s about exacly how much I need till Dec 13th :)

Great, so I have a plan. Plans are good. :)

Oh, I also started to talk to people. Wow.

[thewriting-corner]

How to not get overwhelmed by editing

This (and villains) is the ONLY topic that I can confidently speak of without saying something dumb. After writing 4.5 drafts I feel like I have some experience in this and also, I love editing, soooo. Be prepared to be amazed. Or not. I’m tired, fingers crossed this will go well.

One draft = One focus

This is something that was suggested to me by @/thewritersbookshelf back when I started my second draft and then the idea was modified by me :) Basically, have each draft serve a different purpose. I use this “outline” very loosely:

Draft One: Plot. Just write what happens

Draft Two: Main character and antagonist. Are their goals clear? Do they have a motivation? Are they developed enough?

Draft Three: Plot again. Fix the plot however you may need according to the changes in the MC and villain/antagonist

Draft Four: Side characters. Are they well developed? Can they stand on their own without the help of the MC or the plot? Do they have a life outside of the story?

Draft Five: Adjust as you may need. Maybe this will be plot again or a certain characters or more language focused. It depends on where you’re at by the fourth draft.

Edit in parts

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but divide your book in parts or novellas. What I do, is that my stories are divided in three and each part has a beginning, middle and a climax that leads onto the next part, raising the stakes each time. This makes it a lot easier to edit because then it’s not editing a while book, but just 40 thousand words.

Divide your work

This goes hand in hand with the first tip, but go little by little. Make a list of things you have to edit like plot holes, character development, character goals, etc and edit each one of those categories one by one as opposed to all at once.

Beta/alpha readers

I’ve got two posts on this and have a guide on my profile (it’s not done yet btw), but having people read your work and cheer you on or suggest edits is amazing. Betas will help you edit your work because they see stuff you may be blind to after reading it so many times. But remember you’re not obligated to listen to them. At the end of the day, you know your story best and what readers tell you is only a suggestion.

Word count

While word count should (almost) never be your main focus, sometimes that helps keep you motivated. If editing feels daunting, then give yourself small goals. In one week, you will edit 5,000 words. Share it with a friend or on your Insta story or write it down. This will not only keep you accountable, but the feeling of achieving a small goal will make the entire process a lot less overwhelming.

Take your time

I know it’s tempting to just get the book out there as quickly as possible, but it’s okay to go slow. Sometimes, it’s better to take a break than to die trying to edit as quickly as you can. Chances are the edits will be SO much better if you’re actually paying attention to what you’re doing instead of just getting words on paper because you can.

[junker-town]

It’s too soon to say it’s all over for the Patriots and Tom Brady

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

You think Tom Brady’s really gonna go out on a wild card loss?

If this was the last we’ve seen of Tom Brady, it won’t be how the NFL remembers him.

Brady, 42 years old and playing on soaked Gillette Stadium turf, exited the 2019 season on a pick-six. His final shot at a fourth-quarter rally in the Wild Card Round, stymied twice before by the Titans and their 16th-ranked defense, ended with a thud when defensive back Logan Ryan walked a tip-drill interception into the end zone with nine seconds left on the clock. The six-time Super Bowl champion wouldn’t attempt another pass.

The final score in Foxborough? Tennessee 20, New England 13.

There’s a not-insignificant chance that may be the last game Brady plays — if not in the NFL, then potentially as a Patriot. The 20-year veteran will enter 2020 as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and wouldn’t commit either way in the wake of the loss.

While most evidence suggests we’ll only ever see Brady in New England red, white, and blue, he could always venture outside Massachusetts to see how the NFL’s other half lives, especially if there’s a team out there willing to spend big and surround him with top-flight receiving talent. Retirement may also loom for a longtime competitor coming off a disappointing season on both a team and personal level, even if Brady’s gut reaction Saturday night was that hanging up his cleats was “pretty unlikely.”

It also may have been the fuel that draws him back to the gridiron for another shot at history. The image of Brady losing to the Titans was a carnival caricature compared to the stately manor portrait we’ve seen of him through most of his career. The quarterback eschewed the mistakes that’d haunted him through this season only to be stifled by miscues across his own lineup and an occasionally unstoppable Derrick Henry (204 total yards) on the other side of the ball. That could have left a sour enough taste in his mouth to convince him to rewrite his own ending.

If it does, the Patriots will be ready.

New England is built for another run with Brady at the helm

The Patriots committed to Brady this season.

The 2019 NFL Draft brought Arizona State wideout N’Keal Harry with the team’s first pick. Then, after cutting loose former All-Pros in Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon during the season, head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick made an uncharacteristic move to free Mohamed Sanu from the Falcons in exchange for a second-round pick.

Those moves failed to pay off for much of the year. Harry missed the bulk of the season thanks to injury and had just 12 catches in seven regular season games once he returned. Sanu struggled to find his place in the Patriots’ offense, averaging just 3.3 receptions per game and a career-low 4.4 yards per target. Ben Watson, brought in to stabilize a tight end rotation devastated by Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, was equally ineffective in his age-38 season.

That led to disappointment. New England went 12-4, but was just 3-3 against playoff teams — a mark that included losses to all three of the AFC’s other divisional champions. Brady finally began to look his age in a season where he failed to crack the NFL’s top 15 in passer rating, adjusted yards per pass, touchdown rate, or completion rate. All this led to the loss to the Titans, and the team’s worst postseason showing since 2009.

That’s all a solid indicator that New England’s dynasty has ground to a halt. But there’s a chance the Patriots’ 2019 moves laid the foundation for one last ride in 2020. There were flashes of life, even late in the Pats’ collapse. Harry and Sanu grew into slightly bigger roles as the season wore on and are each capable of producing more after a full offseason regimen in 2020.

look at N'Keal Harry, getting to the sticks and flashing reliable hands when his team needs him on third-and-6 pic.twitter.com/FAB3Iwgnyi

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 5, 2020

Both are under contract for 2020 and are more talented than their 2019 seasons showed.

Then there’s the old standby, Julian Edelman. Edelman had some issues with his hands; he had double-digit drops for the third time in his last four seasons and dropped an important pass in the fourth quarter Saturday. He was still by far the Patriots’ most reliable weapon. His 153 targets were most on the New England and 58 more than the second-place finisher James White (the next-closest wide receiver was Phillip Dorsett, with 54).

The absence of deep threats in the lineup meant Edelman soaked up those targets, pushing his average throw length to a career-high 9.1 yards downfield. Despite this new assignment, his catch rate, yards per target, and yards per catch were all roughly in line with his career averages in a 100-catch, 1,117-yard season. He didn’t regress in his 11th season as a pro and left little reason to believe he will in a 12th.

More help is on the way, too

One major concern regarding the Patriots’ 4-5 finish to their season was a lack of success in the trenches. New England’s offensive line struggled in both run and pass blocking this fall. Brady was sacked 27 times — up from 21 the year prior — and Sony Michel experienced a significant backslide as the head of the league’s 25th-ranked rushing attack. He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in his second yar after running for 4.5 yards per touch as a rookie.

That should improve in 2020, which is great news for an aging quarterback who runs roughly as fast as a 300-pound lineman. All-Pro center David Andrews, who missed the entire season due to blood clots in his lungs, will be eligible to return next season. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn, whose toe injury cost him eight games, will come into his third season in the league healthy and ideally stay that way. That would keep the team from relying on an off-the-street free agent to protect Brady’s blindside for half the season again and give Wynn the chance to start off the season with the kind of momentum he showed just as his 2019 came to an end.

There aren’t many impending free agents who could leave the New England offense, either. Starting guard Joe Thuney is due a massive pay raise after this year’s All-Pro campaign, but he’s the kind of worker Belichick will likely reward with a market-value contract. Otherwise, only Dorsett and backup linemen Ted Karras, Jermaine Eluemunor, and James Ferentz are set to hit the open market.

Thuney will be expensive to retain. Brady, even on a hometown discount, won’t exactly be cheap either. And that’s OK! New England is still set to have approximately $42 million in spending room next spring. That’s money the club could use to target free agents-to-be like Geronimo Allison, Nelson Agholor, Eric Ebron, Tyler Eifert, or whichever other distressed asset Belichick can pick up at a low cost and turn into a key player for his future offense. Add in a draft slot that’ll be the highest the team’s had since 2009, and there’s reason to believe there will be some new contributors available to help Brady defy time once more.

Brady’s return can keep some needed stability in New England

Brady’s final numbers in the Wild Card Round loss — 20 of 37, 209 yards, one interception — don’t tell the full story of his performance. While he was beleaguered by drops, penalties (including one that wiped out a 38-yard pass to Watson), and broken-off routes, his showing against the Titans was one of his season’s best in terms of pure throws. The 42-year-old was crisp when it came to finding targets and taking risks downfield, avoiding turnovers (until the very last play of the game), and scooting out of pressure situations to deny the Titans a sack.

Here’s an absolute laser on third down that illustrates what Brady’s still capable of in a high-pressure situation.

That throw. @TomBrady | @edelman11 pic.twitter.com/lSiKLrBNdk

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 5, 2020

He also had the game taken out of his hands in the red zone. New England’s two trips inside the Tennessee 10-yard line saw Brady throw only one pass: a screen to Sony Michel five yards from the goal line. This lack of aggression came back to sting the Patriots in a major way, most notably when the Titans were able to hold New England to a field goal attempt after facing first-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the second quarter.

Not scoring a touchdown was enormously important in a game where Tennessee’s 14-13 lead loomed large in the waning moments.

The Patriots may head into 2020 without the man behind those decisions. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has emerged as a prime target for coaching vacancies in New York, Cleveland, and Carolina. Replacing him is a much easier task with Brady acting out the new OC’s playcalls than it would be with a veteran free agent signee, 2020 draftee, or current backup Jarrett Stidham. Next season wouldn’t just be one last ride for Brady — it could also serve as an important bridge between generations of the Patriots’ offense.

Tom Brady isn’t going to be defined by a playoff loss against the Titans. At this point, he may not even be defined by a seventh Super Bowl ring. He is who he is; the most successful quarterback to ever play the game.

Brady is a competitor. Going out on in the first weekend of the playoffs may prove too much to bear, especially on a night when he seemed to exorcise the bad-idea demons that had haunted him over the latter half of the regular season.

If he wants to run it back for 2020, the Patriots will be ready for him.

[poetspade45-blog]

Weekly Rumours – Free Agent Frenzy Edition

I had high hopes for the NHL Draft and I was extremely disappointed. Every year I buy into the hype and hope that we’ll see a flurry of activity and this year was more boring than ever. But, with the salary cap being finalized and lower than expected, we might see some interesting moves once free agency draws closer.

The Oilers are being connected to a few different names and given their cap situation, there is a world of possibilities. Let’s dig into a few rumours.

I’m going to be referencing Elliotte Friedman a lot in this week’s blog since his final “31 Thoughts” dropped yesterday. He mentioned the Oilers in connection to both Petr Mrazek and Mike Smith, which is hardly a surprise.

For me, those two options would reflect just how much the Oilers are willing to spend on a goaltender. If they go with Mrazek, then they’re likely looking at a $3 million cap hit on a deal that spans at least three seasons. If it’s Mike Smith, I think you’re looking more at a one year deal worth about $2 million, which is exactly what Brian Elliott got from the Flyers yesterday.

Friedman also hit us with a bit of a curveball, connecting the Oilers to Semyon Varlamov. He added that Varlamov will be an expensive option, I would imagine that he gets at least $4.5 million, and that likely takes the Oilers out of it unless they find a way to free up money. If they shed Kris Russell without taking back a really bad contract, Varlamov could be in the picture. 

Clearing out Russell or maybe even an extra $2 million could lead to Holland having some extra flexibility when it comes to adding a forward as well.

Friedman and Pierre LeBrun have connected the Oilers to a whole flurry of depth wingers.

Obviously, we know that they’re in on Bret Connolly since his agent confirmed to Reid Wilkins that there have been discussions between the two sides.

Agent Gerry Johannson confirms on @OilersNow that pending UFA Brett Connolly has spoken to the #Oilers.

— Reid Wilkins (@ReidWilkins) June 25, 2019

That would make sense. Connolly is coming off of a good season where he spent most of the time playing with Lars Eller. If he was thrown next to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, I think he could continue being a 20-25 goal guy for the next few seasons. For the cost, I don’t think we’ll see it get to $4 million, something around $3.5 over four years seems realistic to me.

LeBrun also said that the Oilers have reached out to Gustav Nyquist’s camp to see if there would be interest. Nyquist is a consistent 20 goal, 40 point player and considering his past with Ken Holland and the Wings, it’s easy to see why this would be a fit. Similar to Semyon Varlamov, I think he might be too expensive. If the Oilers rid themselves of $4 million in cap space, then they may be able to afford a Varlamov/Nyquist combo instead of a Smith/Connolly combo, but it would still be tight.

There’s also the middle tier of options for the Oilers which includes Joonas Donskoi, Brandon Tanev, and Alex Chiasson. All three bring something different to the table but I really like Tanev. He scored 14 goals last season, which 13 of them coming at even strength, and he can play both wings. I can’t imagine he’d cost more than $2 million.

There are also a few lower tier options. Daniel Carr spent this past season with the Chicago Wolves, the Golden Knights AHL affiliate, and racked up 72 points in 51 games. He was also named the AHL’s MVP for the season. He’s a Sherwood Park product, so I would imagine he’d be interested in coming to Edmonton. As for a cost, it won’t be more than $1 million. He would be a good bet.

Brandon Pirri is another former Golden Knight who the Oilers might have an interest in. When he’s in the NHL, he scores goals. In 259 career games, he has 79 goals. That’s an average of 25 goals every 82 games. His skating and consistency are issues and the Oilers need guys who can move and put up goals on a consistent basis. Pirri should be cheap as well, but I think I might prefer Daniel Carr. I would expect the Oilers to make calls to both of these players though.

Friedman also hit us with a bit of a curveball, mentioning the Oilers and Jason Zucker in the same breathe. I love Zucker as a player. He’s a guy who can step into any lineup and score at least 20 goals. He’s got lots of skill, but his $5.5 million cap hit leads me to believe he isn’t a realistic option for the Oilers. The asking price would probably include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as well, which is not something I’d consider. If a package of futures and a cap dump would interest the Wild, then I’d do it, but I think Paul Fenton wants to get that team into the playoffs next season.

Friedman also added in that the Oilers are still looking to move on from Jesse Puljujarvi and his preference would be to leave Canada. Friedman mentioned the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning as possible suitors.

The idea of trading with Tampa entices me. If the Oilers want a third line centre, maybe Cedric Paquette could be had? You’re losing the upside of Puljujarvi, but Paquette is a competent NHLer.

With the Canes, the name Julien Gauthier has been mentioned but I don’t think he’d ever be more than a fourth line winger, if that.

For the Bruins, I was trying to see where they have some depth. At centre, they have Krejci, Bergeron, Coyle, and Kuraly. Would they be tempted to move 24-year-old Karson Kuhlman? For right-shot defensemen, they have Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Kevan Miller. I wonder if the Oilers could pry Connor Clifton out of Boston.

I’m obviously just spitballing here.

I think the return in any Puljujarvi deal is going to be disappointing, but if the Oilers think they can get a young player, with some NHL experience, that they like from another organization who isn’t getting an opportunity, they should jump at it.

After having such a blast over the past two years, we absolutely knew that we were going to organize another golf tourney for the summer and, after a few months of planning, we’re psyched to finally be able to launch our third annual golf tournament.

When – August 29th, 2019 (Thursday)

Where – Cougar Creek Golf Resort

How much – $1000/team or get in on the $900 Early Bird price until July 10th

Teams – Groups of Four (4)

How – Book your team here

As always, a portion of all proceeds from your ticket purchase will be donated directly to a local charity. This time we’ve partnered up with the Gregor Foundation to make sure that our kids are at their most handsome.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/2019/06/27/edmonton-oilers-weekly-rumours-free-agent-frenzy-edition/

[tenminutemisconduct]

Hi, I was just curious because I'm kind of still new to hockey and I don't really understand how the draft lottery works and I saw you answered an ask about expansion drafts that seemed pretty clear so could you maybe please do one about the lottery? (don't worry if you're busy or anything, but any help would be appreciated!)

This has been sitting in my inbox for forever because this semester has been kicking my butt, but I do think this is important info, especially with the shifts to accommodate the Golden Knights into the lottery.  

As with my explanation of the expansion draft (which you can find here), a lot of this has been modified from info provided by the NHL. My goal is to make this as clear as possible, but feel free to shoot me an ask or a message if you have any follow-up questions. 

I’m putting most of the break-down below the cut since this is gonna be long. 

THE BASICS: 

This year’s draft lottery is scheduled for Sunday, April 29th, 2017 in Toronto. The broadcast starts at 7:30 pm est, but the lottery itself is supposed to start “shortly after 8 pm est”. 

The lottery is used to determine the top 3 overall picks of the draft. The 2017 NHL Draft Lottery will consist of three separate drawings: the 1st Lottery Draw will determine the team selecting first overall, the 2nd Lottery Draw will determine the team selecting second overall and the 3rd Lottery Draw will determine the team selecting third overall.

Each team in the league gets 1 pick per round, so the lottery determines the order of the first 1/10 of the first round. In the grand scheme of that draft, that seems tiny, but as we know, getting to draft a first-overall player can make a huge difference in a team with solid pieces already in place (looking at you, McDavid). 

Which teams are eligible? 

The 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs (e.g. the Carolina Hurricanes), plus the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Note: If a team traded their first-overall pick for this year to a team that made the playoffs, the team who acquired that pick is eligible for the draft in place of the non-playoff team. For example, if the Winnipeg Jets had traded their first round pick to the San Jose Sharks, the Sharks would get entered into the lottery even though they made the playoffs and the Jets didn’t. 

Okay, but how does it actually work? 

Basically, every team gets different odds based on how well they did during the regular season. The worse the team finished, the higher their odds of winning the draft. This doesn’t necessarily guarantee you the first pick, though. Let’s look at the 2015 Draft again. The Buffalo Sabres finished with the worst record in the league. However, they selected second overall, while the Edmonton Oilers, who finished 28th in the standings, won the lottery and drafted first overall. 

This season, it’s a little different because of the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights are being given the same odds as the team that finished 28th overall (so third-worst in the league). They are also guaranteed not to draft lower than sixth overall in the first round, even if they don’t win any of the top three picks. 

Since there are now 31 teams instead of 30, that lowers the odds of all the teams in the lottery winning. 

Once the lottery for first overall happens, the odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery Draw, based on which team wins the 1st Lottery Draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery Draw, based on which club wins the 2nd Lottery Draw. Basically, if you don’t win the first draw, there are fewer teams entered in the next draw (14 instead of 15, then 13 instead of 14). For example, if the Arizona Coyotes win the first overall pick, they can’t win the second or third overall picks, so the other non-playoff teams have a greater chance of winning. 

The 12 teams that aren’t selected in the Draft Lottery will be assigned NHL Draft selections 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season points. So let’s say that the top three picks go to the Arizona Coyotes, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Vancouver Canucks. which happen to be the bottom three teams from the season. After those teams, the New Jersey Devils have the worst record, so they would select fourth overall, followed by the Dallas Stars and so on and so forth. 

Here are the calculated odds for every team eligible for this year’s draft lottery: 

Non-Playoff Team(Fewest Pts. to Most)   OddsColorado Avalanche   18.0%Vancouver Canucks   12.1%Vegas Golden Knights *   10.3%Arizona Coyotes   10.3%New Jersey Devils   8.5%Buffalo Sabres   7.6%Detroit Red Wings   6.7%Dallas Stars   5.8%Florida Panthers   5.4%Los Angeles Kings   4.5%Carolina Hurricanes   3.2%Winnipeg Jets   2.7%Philadelphia Flyers   2.2%Tampa Bay Lightning   1.8%New York Islanders   0.9%

I know some of this is a little wordy and a little complicated, but hopefully this clarifies it at least a bit. Like everyone else, I’ll basically be screaming my way through the lottery, the expansion draft, and the draft, so I’m here if you have any more questions. 

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Fantasy Basketball pickups: Waiver wire adds for Week 19

Large minutes and consistent workloads are key for possible waiver adds, and this week there are many players available who have large roles in their rotations.

By Alex Rikleen Special to Yahoo Sports

Terrance Ross, SG/SF, Orlando Magic, 48% owned

Since the Magic acquired Ross as part of the Serge Ibaka-to-the-Raptors trade, Ross is second on his new team in minutes and third in shot attempts. Ross is attempting 5.5 threes per game as a Magician, up from the 4.7 he was averaging as a member of the Raptors. All that extra opportunity has translated to 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 threes, and 2.0 steals per game since the break. His field goal percentage is .431, and it will probably fall – as a member of the Raptors, he was at best the fourth or fifth offensive option, whereas he is now a focal point of the Magic offense. His increased production in all other categories should easily outweigh the decline in field goal percentage.

Next week’s schedule: NYK, CHI, at CHA, CLE

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball contest now | Free NBA Yahoo Cup entry] Willy Hernangomez, C, New York Knicks, 42%

The season-ending knee injury to Joakim Noah opens up a lot of opportunity at the Knicks center spot. When Hernangomez sat Wednesday and Friday with an ankle injury, Kyle O’Quinn did not start in his place. Instead, the Knicks shifted Kirstaps Porzingis to center, and kept Lance Thomas in the starting lineup as a power forward. The shift was not superficial either, as Thomas played 73 minutes to O’Quinn’s 36 in the two games. Monday, when Hernangomez was active but Porzingis was not, Hernangomez played 34 minutes to O’Quinn’s 15. All that is to say that, after months of competing for minutes, O’Quinn finally seems to have fallen definitively behind Hernangomez on the depth chart. Hernangomez is averaging 14.9 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals per 36 minutes, and he is finally in a position to consistently see big minutes.

Next week’s schedule: at ORL, at MIL, at DET, at BKN

[Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball | 2017 Player Rankings | Mock Draft]

Maurice Harkless, SF, Portland Trail Blazers, 37%

Harkless’ 37.0 minutes per game since the All-Star break ranks 15th in the league. When he’s getting this much court time, he becomes one of those rare “1-1-1” players – guys who can get at least one three, one steal, and one block per game. He’s having his most efficient shooting season of his career, averaging 48.5 percent from the field, and increasing that to 60.0 percent since the break. His value will probably take a hit when Evan Turner (hand) returns, but that should be at least another week away. Additionally, the Trail Blazers have a favorable schedule, playing five games, including two against the 76ers and Suns, who are two of the most fantasy-friendly defenses.

Next week’s schedule: at MIN, at OKC, PHI, WAS, at PHO

Buddy Hield, SG, Sacramento Kings, 44%

Hield’s ownership has actually dropped over the past week, which is why he’s getting mentioned two weeks in a row. Hield was the centerpiece of the Kings’ return package for sending DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans, and owner Vivek Ranadive reportedly thinks Hield is the next Stephen Curry. In that context, Hield’s role in the rotation moving forward seems pretty safe. He has played between 26 and 27 minutes in all of his first four games as a King, an almost suspiciously consistent figure. Workloads that consistent are usually the result of a medically mandated minutes cap, which is not the case here. It seems reasonable, therefore, that management might be providing some pressure to make sure Hield’s workload is a part of a specific plan to maximize his development. Regardless of the motivations, he’s performing well in his new role. He is averaging 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 threes per game since the trade. In three of the four games, he scored at least 15 points and shot better than 50 percent from the field.

Next week’s schedule: at DEN, at SAS, WAS, DEN

Brandon Ingram, SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers, 48%

Ingram’s value saw a major boost after the Lakers traded away Louis Williams at the trade deadline, helped by his 35.5 minutes per game since the All-Star break. At this stage in his development, he’s primarily just a scorer, though he also adds some value in rebounds and assists. He’s the second youngest player in the league, and he is still tiny by NBA girth standards. As a result, he’s prone to have some ineffective and low-scoring games, like he did Tuesday against the Hornets (8 points) and the Celtics Friday (scoreless). But he is long, athletic, improving, and has recently been handed one of the largest workloads in the league. Before Friday’s flop, he was averaging 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 threes per game since the break.

Next week’s schedule: at DAL, at PHO, PHI

Alex Abrines, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder, 2%

In his first three games after the All-Star break, he averaged 30.0 minutes per game, and scored 14.3 points while adding 3.7 threes per game. In the fourth game, the Thunder went with a different rotation, and though Abrines started, he and fellow starter Damantas Sabonis were limited to 10 minutes each. Abrines’ court time seemed to come at the expense of Doug McDermott, who shot only 33.3 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range in his 37 minutes. Additionally, the Thunder lost to the theoretically inferior Trail Blazers. And, despite only playing 10 minutes, Abrines still managed to make two three pointers. Altogether, the “limit Abrines to give extra run to McDermott” experiment seems to have been a total flop. It therefore seems likely that Abrines’ minutes will rebound as they did Friday night with 33, and his scoring and three-point production is unusually high for a player so widely available.

Next week’s schedule: POR, SAS, UTA

Zaza Pachulia, C, Golden State Warriors, 15%

Pachulia is only an option for leagues with 12 or more teams, but he has good value in those deeper settings. He usually only plays between 15 and 20 minutes per night, but recently he has been highly productive with that time. In just 17.0 minutes per game since the All-Star break, he is shooting 67.9 percent from the field, 80.0 percent from the free throw line, and averaging 10.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 assists. That kind of well-rounded production is hard to find late in the season, even if none of it is superb.

Next week’s schedule: at ATL, BOS, at MIN, at SAS

[nbatrades]

Chicago Bulls Land Jack Marin In Trade with Buffalo

On November 27th, 1975, the Buffalo Braves traded forward Jack Marin to the Chicago Bulls for a 1977 first round draft pick (Tate Armstrong).

Jack Marin became a member of the Buffalo Braves after he was acquired in a four-player, trade deadline deal with the Houston Rockets in 1974. Marin finished out the rest of the 1973-74 season with Buffalo and amassed 13.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 27 contests and 25.2 MPG.

Buffalo was 26-29 when they made the move to acquire Marin. The Braves went 16-11 after to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 42-40 record. Buffalo qualified for the fourth seed and battled the top-seeded Boston Celtics in Conference Semifinals.

The series opener saw the Braves build a 12-point advantage after three quarters. Boston rebounded in the fourth quarter as they outscored Buffalo 38-16 — Dave Cowens had 20 points in the final period — and took a 1-0 lead with a 107-97 win. Bob McAdoo had 23 points and 20 rebounds in Game Two as Buffalo evened the series with a 115-105 victory.

In the third game, Celtics star John Havlicek dominated with 43 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists in a 120-107 Celtics win. Braves forward Jim McMillan tipped in a a missed McAdoo jumper to help Buffalo win 104-102 in the fourth game.

Game Five was tight but Boston prevailed 100-97 thanks to 25 points from Havlicek and a strong defensive performance from Dave Cowens (19 points and 12 rebounds) who held Braves star McAdoo to 5-for-20 shooting and 16 points.

Boston closed out the series 106-104 in Game Six after guard Jo Jo White nailed two free-throws after a foul was called on McAdoo as time expired. In the 4-2 series defeat, Marin averaged 8.5 PPG on 46.8% from the field, as well as 3.2 RPG and 1.3 APG in 20.2 MPG.

During the 1974-75 season, the Braves had a strong start, winning 15 of their first 18 games. They continued to be one of the better teams in the NBA, as they finished 49-33. A big reason for that was Bob McAdoo. The centerpiece of the team, McAdoo won ‘74-‘75 NBA MVP with 34.5 PPG, 14.1 RPG and 2.1 BPG. Marin appeared in 81 games and posted 11.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.6 APG and 0.6 SPG in 26.5 MPG.

In the 1975 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Braves dueled with the 60-22 Washington Bullets. Game One went to the Braves, as McAdoo had 35 points and 14 rebounds in a 113-102 score. The second game featured Washington’s duo of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld. The Bullets teammates had more rebounds (41) than the entire Braves roster (36) in a Game Two 120-106 victory.

Hayes and Phil Chenier combined for 58 points in the third game as Washington took a 2-1 series lead with a 111-96 win. Game Four saw the Braves outscore Washington 61-46 in the second half as they won 108-102 with Bob McAdoo leading the way with 50 points.

Washington’s star Hayes responded in the fifth game with an impressive 46 points and 12 rebounds as Washington won a tight 97-93 game. McAdoo had 37 points and 10 rebounds in a 102-96 Braves victory that knotted the series at three games apiece. 

In the seventh and final game Washington pulled away early, building an 18-point lead at halftime. The Bullets held on for a 115-96 win with Chenier starring with 43 points on 13-of 18 shooting. Marin managed 5.3 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 15.4 MPG during the seven-game matchup.

Marin played in 12 games (9.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.9 APG in 23.2 MPG) with the Braves during the 1975-76 season before being traded to the Chicago Bulls. Buffalo was  9-7 when they dealt Marin. He ended his tenure in Buffalo with 11.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.7 SPG in 120 career games. Marin shot 47% on FGs and 87% from the charity stripe.

Marin went to a Bulls team in flux. The team had also dealt an unhappy Nate Thurmond to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a separate trade on the same day. Marin joined Chicago for the rest of the 1975-76 season and shared minutes at the two forward positions with Mickey Johnson and Bob Love. Chicago was 3-11 before the trade, and continued to struggle. The Bulls finished with the worst record in franchise history at the time with a 24-58 record. Marin competed in 67 contests with the Bulls after the trade and produced 11.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG 1.8 APG and 0.6 SPG in 24.3 MPG.

After the disappointing season, Bulls coach Dick Motta quit the team — with two years left on his contract — and signed with the Washington Bullets. The Bulls replaced him with Ed Badger.

Marin had a rough go of it for the 1976-77 season. He missed nearly a month of action with mononucleosis and also announced plans to retire midway through the ‘76-‘77 season. He finished out his final season in the NBA with career-lows across the board of 16.1 MPG, 6.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG. He also managed 1.1 APG in 54 games. 

Chicago experienced a very rough start during the ‘76-‘77 campaign. They dropped 14 of their first 16 games. The Bulls improved their play, but still found themselves with the second worst record in the Western Conference through 58 games (24-34).

Things would turn around, as Chicago won 20 of their final 24 games to finish the year 44-38 and in the playoffs. The Bulls faced the 49-33 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the postseason. Blazers forward Maurice Lucas had 29 points and 7 rebounds as the Blazers took the series opener 96-83.

The Bulls evened the series at one game apiece wth a 107-104 win that saw 82 of the team’s 107 points come from Artis Gilmore, Wilbur Holland and Mickey Johnson. In the final game of the series, Bobby Gross led the Blazers with 26 points as Portland hung on for an eight-point victory. In Chicago’s first round exit, Marin produced 5.3 PPG on 61.5% from the field in 17.7 MPG. 12 of his 16 total points in the playoffs came in the finale.

After Marin’s retirement, he finished his Bulls run with 9.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.5 APG in 121 games. The 6′7″ forward shot 43% on field goal attempts and 85% from the charity stripe.

The Braves traded the first round pick acquired from Chicago to the Milwaukee Bucks for Jim Price nearly a year later. On June 7, 1977, Milwaukee dealt the pick back to the Braves with center Swen Nater for a first round pick. 

Three days later on draft day, the Braves traded the pick back to its original home of Chicago, where the Bulls selected guard Tate Armstrong with the 13th overall pick. Armstrong went on to play two seasons with the Bulls.

Jack Marin on getting adjusted to Chicago (via Chicago Tribune):

“[First opponent after trade] The Bucks probably know the Chicago offense better than I do now. I can start if that’s what the coach wants, and I prefer it. The guards initiate a lot of things here and Tom [Boerwinkle] can make life easy for you. 

“It’s disciplined movement, not helter-skelter like the one-man show [Bob McAdoo] at Buffalo. That’s not healthy for a team because if limits the other players. I'm sure [coach] Dick [Motta] will take advantage of my skills here because he’s a people coach not an X-and-O man. What I don't get on the break will develop from the picks they set for me. 

“The Bulls play rough defense with a lot of action around the basket and I’ll get into that. The Braves told me a week and a half ago I’d be staying there and I've been digging on defense, trying to get more playing time.”

Bulls head coach Dick Motta on how the forward minutes would work out among Mickey Johnson, Bob Love and new addition Marin (via Chicago Tribune):

“It's Mickey’s [Johnson] job now and Marin will have to take it from him if he can. I’ll rest Bob Love more now and the three of them should split the 96 minutes of forward time every game.”

Image via Main Line Autographs

[junker-town]

6 winners from Week 10 of the NFL season

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Tannehill secured the Titans’ biggest win of the year, while Lamar Jackson did Lamar Jackson things.

Week 10 featured less NFL action than any other regular season lineup this year. With six teams enjoying their bye week, only 11 games filled select stadiums and broadcasts across the country Sunday.

That week off also applied to a handful of starting quarterbacks. Andy Dalton learned he’d been benched for a winless Bengals team more than a week ago. Jacoby Brissett’s MCL sprain kept him off the field against the Dolphins. Matthew Stafford was a late scratch for the Lions’ rivalry game with the Bears.

In their stead, unheralded passers Ryan Finley, Brian Hoyer, and Jeff Driskel each earned their first starts of 2019. None of the three were victorious, though Driskel showed off enough skill against a tough Chicago defense to build confidence as a rising backup:

holy moly, Jeff Driskel pic.twitter.com/Cc4BrBl0us

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 10, 2019

There were still plenty of winners to go around, however. So who was the most impressive despite a fairly limited slate of games in Week 10?

It wasn’t ...

Not considered: Saquon Barkley, 7th-leading rusher (out of seven) in the Jets-Giants game

Barkley had played 22 games in a brilliant NFL career leading up to Sunday’s showdown with the Jets. In that span, he’d never rushed for fewer than 10 yards.

And then Week 10 happened. 13 carries, 1 net yard, 0 touchdowns.

Barkley was bottled up by the league’s top rushing defense and smothered into oblivion on a day when only quarterback Daniel Jones could find any kind of success on the ground for the Giants. Nine of Barkley’s 13 rushes ended at or behind the line of scrimmage. Although he gained 30 yards through the air in his team’s eventual 34-27 defeat, it was by far the least productive game of his professional career to date.

Those struggles persisted even when he didn’t have the ball. As a pass blocker, he missed key assignments that led to two of Daniel Jones’ three fumbles — including one that Jamal Adams returned for a touchdown.

Saquon Barkley had his worst game as a pro against the Jets today. On top of carrying the ball 13 times for just 1 yard, he was a liability in pass protection. Saquon is obviously not himself #Giants pic.twitter.com/JG7x3gJNyS

— Kevin Boilard (@247KevinBoilard) November 10, 2019

The Jets’ underrated defense played a role, but Barkley was also hampered by injury concerns. Head coach Pat Shurmur said he was “banged up” after the game, and Barkley wound up in the club’s X-ray room shortly after the final whistle. Losing him for another extended stretch — he missed three weeks with a high ankle sprain earlier in the season — would rob the Giants of their most versatile weapon.

And now, on to ...

This week’s actual winners

6. Jets-Giants, which was more entertaining than it had any business being

Few people were hyped for the all-North Jersey showdown between the 1-7 Jets and the 2-7 Giants. Selling football fans on a Sam Darnold-Daniel Jones gunfight turned out to be just as difficult as it sounds:

history being made today pic.twitter.com/hKOjaJpiOF

— charles (ronald) mcdonald (@FourVerts) November 10, 2019

That was an hour before kickoff, and the fans that trickled in later were rewarded for their faith. Even if the game was by no means a triumph of technical wizardry — the two sides combined for four fumbles and eight sacks — it was still a pretty damn exciting football game.

Jones led his team back from an early 14-0 deficit to take a 27-24 lead. All four of the Giants’ touchdowns came through the air, making Jones just the fourth quarterback since 2000 to have multiple four-touchdown games in his rookie season. He’d be one-upped by Sam Darnold, who overcame the ghosts that plagued him previously, en route to an efficient 230-yard, one-touchdown day.

Jamal Adams, still working through the sting of his team listening to trade offers that involved him, had a 25-yard fumble return touchdown. Embattled kicker Sam Ficken made six of his seven kicks, including a 53-yard field goal. Giants receivers Golden Tate and Darius Slayton combined for 216 yards and four touchdowns.

Was it poetry? Nope. But it was better than the 6-6 tie the 2019 Giants and Jets each deserved.

5. Andy Lee, who threw a legitimately great pass into coverage (despite being a punter)

Kliff Kingsbury is an innovator. He isn’t satisfied with just calling a fake punt. He’s going to fold a trick play into another trick play like a football turducken of laterals and unexpected passes.

On Sunday he dragged Andy Lee — a punter with one career pass in 15 seasons as a pro — atop his mountain of madness. And Lee, like any good Kingsbury charge, responded by throwing a masterpiece of a deep ball.

.@AndyLee4 out here dropping dimes like a QB pic.twitter.com/OgFgUmQwFo

— Arizona Cardinals ⋈ (@AZCardinals) November 10, 2019

That bold call — from fourth-and-10 at the Cardinals’ own 36-yard line — was vital to Arizona’s comeback hopes. Lee’s strike went for 26 yards and kept a crucial fourth-quarter drive alive. Three plays later, Kyler Murray delivered his third touchdown pass to Christian Kirk to take a 27-23 lead with a little more than seven minutes to play.

While the Cardinals couldn’t hold on in an eventual 30-27 loss, the Lee play is another wrinkle opposing coaches have to consider when facing Kingsbury. And with Rams punter Johnny Hekker tanking his career passer rating by throwing an interception against the Steelers — it dropped from 106.0 to 81.3 — it’s possible Lee is now the NFC West’s preeminent punter/quarterback (and not the other way around).

4. The Falcons, because if you’re only gonna beat a few teams this season, they better be rivals

Atlanta not only doubled its season total for wins (from one to two!), but also did so while weakening one of its biggest rivals. The Falcons ranked 30th in the league in scoring defense and had yet to hold an opponent to fewer than 20 points this fall before traveling to the Superdome. Then they held Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara to nine points in the biggest upset of the regular season to date.

The Saints rolled into Week 10 as a 14-point favorite and then left the home fans with nothing to cling to but some pallid “28-3” jokes. An Atlanta defense that had recorded seven sacks in its first eight games got to Drew Brees six times for a net loss of 46 yards — and this included big plays on what were decidedly not blitzing downs.

OUR DEFENSE IS FIRED UP! pic.twitter.com/eWTZiBOmOd

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 10, 2019

Younghoe Koo, signed 11 days earlier off the street as a free agent, converted all four of his field goal attempts. Matt Ryan, making his return after missing his team’s last game due to a high ankle sprain, only threw for 182 yards but didn’t need to do much more. The Falcons limited a hobbled Kamara (12 total touches for 74 yards) and refused to let a typically impactful day from Michael Thomas (13 catches) beat them. In the process, they chipped away at their rival’s case for a postseason bye.

3. Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was absolutely worth a first-round pick

Back when the Steelers freed Fitzpatrick from Miami, it looked like the former Alabama standout had just traded one scuttled boat for another. Pittsburgh was 0-2 when it added the playmaker to its secondary, and would be 1-4 with only a win over the lowly Bengals to its credit three weeks later. With Ben Roethlisberger out for the season, the team’s playoff hopes had been left for dead.

And Fitzpatrick has revived them.

The rangy safety has been electric his last four weeks, turning up on the happy side of five different turnovers (four interceptions, one fumble recovery) as the Steelers have rallied from 1-4 and a spot at the top of next year’s draft order to 5-4 and a spot on the periphery of the AFC playoff race. His last two turnovers were the key to upsetting the Rams, who’d arrived in Pittsburgh as 4.5-point favorites, in a 17-12 victory.

The first, a 43-yard fumble return touchdown, ensured the home team hit halftime with a 14-7 lead:

.@Jay_MostWanted with the sack.@minkfitz_21 with the score. pic.twitter.com/V4sB0dTmz7

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 10, 2019

The second didn’t end in a touchdown, but was arguably more important. The Rams had their backs against the wall when they got the ball with 61 seconds left. A 60-yard touchdown drive would give them the win. Instead, Fitzpatrick made sure quarterback Jared Goff wouldn’t redeem himself after a terrible start.

He was on the end of Goff’s final pass of the afternoon, a tip-drill interception that quashed Los Angeles’ comeback hopes and launched a thousand “are the Rams washed?” tweets across the universe.

Jared Goff was a borderline MVP candidate a year ago pic.twitter.com/UykH8cMEMd

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 11, 2019

In the Steelers’ four-game winning streak, Fitzpatrick has played 100 percent of his team’s defensive snaps and averaged 1.5 passes defensed and an interception per game. He’s also got two return touchdowns for a Pittsburgh team that would almost certainly rather have him than a mid-round Day 1 pick next spring.

2. Lamar Jackson, who we should all just assume is on this list unless otherwise noted

Jackson has been one of the league’s brightest stars throughout 2019. Even after proving he could beat an elite team a week earlier by toppling the Patriots, Sunday gave him the chance to turn the difficulty down from “expert” to “beginner” against winless Cincinnati. He then put together one of the finest games of his budding career.

The former Heisman Trophy winner’s 16th start saw him finish with 15 completions in 17 attempts for 223 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. That was good enough to make him one of just six quarterbacks to have multiple games with a perfect 158.3 passer rating in his career. He sliced up the Bengals’ AAA secondary with ease through the air, but also showed no mercy on the ground:

LAMAR. JACKSON. @Lj_Era8 TO THE HOUSE ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/DcR8A7S2Vy

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 10, 2019

Jackson got things done on his own, but he also used that rushing threat to lift his teammates — notably fellow former Heisman winners Mark Ingram and Robert Griffin III, with whom he teamed up to run a throwback college-style option. In a 49-13 rout, the Ravens emptied their bench and Jackson watched the last quarter wearing Dwight Schrute’s Terminator glasses:

Swaggy pic.twitter.com/hbbmcsTGP0

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 10, 2019

As for the Bengals, well ... at least their race to the top of the 2020 NFL Draft is going well.

1. Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, the Titans stars we always knew they’d be

The theme of Sunday was upsets. The Steelers took down the Rams. The Falcons shut down the Saints. And the Titans, led by Tannehill and Henry, dropped Patrick Mahomes to 0-3 in the last three games he’s been healthy enough to finish.

Henry had only had one game this season with more than 90 rushing yards. He more than doubled that mark with a 188-yard, two-touchdown performance that hit the Chiefs’ run defense on fire and then trampled the ashes.

Feed that man. @KingHenry_2 #KCvsTEN pic.twitter.com/lSP2l9Dnwx

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 10, 2019

But when the Titans needed a big drive to cap a comeback, Tannehill delivered. While Mahomes outgained him by 265 passing yards, the former Dolphin was responsible for all 61 yards of a drive that turned a 32-27 deficit into a 35-32 lead — including running in the two-point conversion that meant Kansas City could only tie the game up with a last-ditch field goal.

And what about the guys by Ryan Tannehill running over defenders numerous times today, sacrificing his body for points. pic.twitter.com/Jz2F8WAmgL

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 10, 2019

Instead, Harrison Butker’s 52-yard attempt was blocked, and the Titans got back to .500 — and one step closer to their 9-7 destiny — with an affirming upset in Nashville.

Tennessee has a shot to reel in the fading Colts and bully its way into the AFC South title race. That success starts with Tannehill, who has engineered game-winning drives in each of his three wins (in four chances) as a starter after replacing Marcus Mariota behind center.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Thoughts on Tierney, Chabot, Sanheim, Theodore, the Domino Effect and more (Mar 04)

  Ramblings: Thoughts on Tierney, Chabot, Sanheim, Theodore, the Domino Effect and more (Mar 04)

***

Now available for pre-sale – the 13th annual Interactive Playoff Draft List. Pre-order it here. It will be released the Friday before the season ends. If you bought the Ultimate Fantasy Pack in the summer, this will be included in that purchase. It is not included in the Keeper Fantasy Pack.

*

I’ve seen some people picking the Oilers apart for giving draft picks for the likes of Alex Petrovic and/or Brandon Manning. But really, what were they gonna do with that pick – draft with it? It’s the Oilers we’re talking about.

*

I don’t blame the Oilers for any of their first-round picks, I would have drafted the same players. The failures – well, that was a case of picking in the wrong spot at the wrong time and in each case they took the best player available. But first rounders are no-brainers. A GM can make those picks without any scouting staff at all. They can just use Central Scouting or DobberProspects for that, am I right? The scouting staff comes into play with the picks after the first round, and that’s where Edmonton is pitiful. Sure, they have been better since 2015, but the bar for them was really low heading into that. Really they just went from ‘the worst’ to ‘something slightly below average’. I would seriously do a full-scale review of the entire staff and let three quarters of them go. Need fresh blood and a fresh outlook. And get back your analytics staff.

*

I don’t know how I didn’t know this, or maybe I did and forgot, but a big need for the Oilers is a top puck-moving defenseman and they actually drafted Erik Gustafsson (fourth round, 2012). They couldn’t come to terms with him (or didn’t want to) in 2014 and lost him. A year later, Chicago signed him. Four years later, he has 41 points in 42 games.

*

Alexandar Georgiev took the SOL Sunday, giving up a goal that didn’t actually go in the net (he threw his stick). Georgiev is 4-1-2, 2.78 and 0.920 SV% since February 6 and at this point he’s been starting every other game. He’s obviously performing better with the regular workload. As with most goalies, sporadic starts don’t work very well for him. It takes a certain mindset to be a successful backup, and that’s why career backups never become starters. From what I’ve seen of Georgiev, he is not a great backup. But is he good enough to be a starter? Perhaps, but his window for doing that in New York is closing as the organization’s Russian phenom Igor Shesterkin is likely on the way, perhaps as early as next year.

{youtube}W4kAmTW0s48{/youtube}

  Neil Pionk has just two points in his last 25 games.

*

It’s a combination of the new coach and the fact that all the star players are gone, well…more of the latter, but Chris Tierney is finally getting big power-play time. Oddly enough, that’s about when the production stopped for him. Maybe he’s like Conor Sheary and can’t produce with top-line minutes. But he has just one point in seven games and is minus-10 in that span. Prior to that he had 16 points in 17 games. I almost really like his outlook for next year. First, he’s one of the best players on the team now (who are they going to sign that is better? Will anyone even want to go there this summer?). Second, he’ll be 25 next season. I love the age of 26 the most in fantasy, but that’s close enough. Third, his trend is astonishingly steady. It goes upward at a nice pace, even going up a little during the supposed sophomore slump: 0.25, 0.29, 0.49 points-per-game average the last three years and is 0.62 this year. The only problem is – and it’s a big one – to whom will he give the puck? If he leads all Ottawa forwards in scoring next year will that be with 49 points?

I was asked a couple of times about Thomas Chabot, and what to do with him during what is the fantasy playoffs in some leagues. He has one point in seven games and is minus-13 (kind of makes Tierney’s last seven games look good). The entire team has been crap, which caused the coach to be fired prior to the season ending, which had initially been the plan. With a new coach things will turn around. That’s a relative term, of course, since this is a bad team so how much could it possibly turn around. But it will turn around in terms of winning the odd game and keeping them close. That means that Chabot’s plus/minus won’t be as horrible. But because the team lacks firepower, the points won’t be there. With 24 games left, Chabot will get about 10 to 11 points and will be minus-2. That’s my call. If that’s not worth keeping for your playoffs then you have to drop him.

Brian Gibbons isn’t getting a lot of ice time, but he does have three points in four games since joining Ottawa. He’s also playing on a line with Brady Tkachuk and Colin White.

*

Florida coach Bob Boughner decided to reward rookie Henrik Borgstrom’s three-point effort on Saturday by giving him 11:33 of ice time on Sunday. That’s actually a reward. It’s his highest TOI in five games and third-highest in 12.

*

Brian Elliott carried a shutout into the final five minutes and the Flyers chased Robin Lehner after three goals by the 23-minute mark. Elliott is healthy now and has three Quality Starts in his last four games. Cam Talbot’s one and only start for the team was a Quality Start. So the team is getting solid goaltending now and they’re winning games in a late surge for the postseason.

With another goal Sunday Travis Konecny has 18 points in his last 19 games. He’s still not getting onto the top PP unit and I wonder if they should consider putting him there.

Shayne Gostisbehere has one point in his last eight games while Travis Sanheim has 14 points in his last 16 games. Sanheim moved up to the top PP with Ghost on Sunday. He’s 115 games into his NHL career, but it appears that he’s arrived. At least his proven enough that he can move the puck at this level. There is no threat to Ghost, don’t worry about that, as $4.5 million for the next four seasons will see to it that he gets all the PP time. As a one-dimensional offensive player, Gostisbehere can’t really be used in a checking role.

*

Marc-Andre Fleury has not allowed a goal in 169 minutes. This team is on fire now and the addition of Mark Stone has not only kickstarted the line he is on, but it’s free up the William Karlsson line. So that line is back rolling. Remember last year early on when it was considered the second line? This year it came in as the clear-cut first line: Karlsson with Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. So of course the opposition keyed in on it, effectively stopping them. Now who do you key on? You can’t let Stone and Max Pacioretty run wild, right? Domino effect.

Further domino effect? Shea Theodore. He has four points in his last three games, his ice time has ramped up and he has 17 SOG in that span.

*

With two points on Sunday, Jakob Silfverberg now has just seven points in his last 14 games. That, uh…leads Anaheim. Truth.

After missing most of the season with a UBI, Kevin Roy finally got into his first game. He had four points in five AHL games on a conditioning stint. Ryan Getzlaf was also back in the lineup and Roy was plunked on his line. Here were the line combos for the Ducks:

20%

GETZLAF,RYAN – PERRY,COREY – ROY,KEVIN

19.6%

JONES,MAX – KESLER,RYAN – ROWNEY,CARTER

11.1%

HENRIQUE,ADAM – SPRONG,DANIEL – TERRY,TROY

10.2%

RAKELL,RICKARD – SHORE,DEVIN – SILFVERBERG,JAKOB

  Roy may not have produced, but his presence on the first line allowed Silfverberg to play with a talented player (finally) in Rakell. Domino effect.

Since arriving in the Ducks organization Brendan Guhle has been in the lineup and given the PP reins. He’s seen about seven minutes of PP time so far but has yet to produce on it. Still, he picked up an ES assist Sunday. He’s young, so I would be surprised if he makes a splash this year even with all the PPTOI. But it’s experience, and it’s an indicator as to where the team hopes he’ll fit in down the road.

*

Derick Brassard was on the second line with Carl Soderberg and J.T. Compher, scoring his second goal in an Avs’ uniform (four games). The team is 1-2-1 since he joined.

*

For the first time in his career, Blake Wheeler scored four goals. He became the fifth player in franchise history to do that, joining Patrik Laine, Mathieu Perreault, Ilya Kovalchuk and…? Answer in the comments if you know it.

A year and a half ago I was high on Nathan Beaulieu, touting him as a strong dark horse. I did this because the Sabres went after him hard, acquiring him and immediately putting him on their power play. They desperately wanted him to succeed as a PP QB. A dark horse is all about opportunity. You’re betting purely on opportunity and not on results (because none are there yet). In this case, it flopped. I had him in two of my leagues and dropped him as soon as I could after the failure became clear. Now he’s been cast off to the Jets and while his ice time has gone up, he hasn’t seen PP time and he never will, given the talent on the blue line for Winnipeg. But he did pick up two assists on Sunday. I wonder if he could be a depth producer next year in the way that Tyler Myers has been this year. Beaulieu is 26 years old, so the timing is right. As a former first-round pick, the talent is there. Somewhere. And this is a high-scoring team so he could get 20 points almost by accident. He is an RFA this summer.

In his last eight starts, Connor Hellebuyck has faced 40.3 shots per game. Hello, defense?

*

If you’re fighting for a playoff spot, I’m not sure if you put Cam Ward between the pipes. And now the Blackhawks see their slim hopes turn to microscopic. Ward has allowed at least four goals in each of his last five games.

Since being sent back down, Collin Delia has allowed five goals on 44 shots, in case you were curious.

In the end, the Blackhawks just couldn’t shut down that big line of San Jose’s. You know, that unstoppable line of Melker Karlsson, Barclay Goodrow and Michael Haley? Always put a guy on Haley, come on! They burned the Hawks for two of the five goals.

*

Frozen Tools update: The game logs had been lacking ‘missed games’ indicators in the player profiles. They are in there now. It helps to easily identify when a player was out, or if he was scratched, etc.

DobberProspects update: Each scouting profile not only has our upside and certainty ranking at the top, scouting observations in the middle and the Elite Prospects career stats at the bottom…but now it has Mason Black’s fun pNHLe chart at the bottom. It takes a player’s stats in a given league at a given age and averages it out against history, spitting out his NHL potential upside. (Note: this won’t be ready until late in the morning)

*

See you next Monday.

        from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-thoughts-on-tierney-chabot-sanheim-theodore-the-domino-effect-and-more-mar-04/

[zeroviraluniverse-blog]

Trade deadline strategy for the Blackhawks, Avalanche, Predators, Blues, Stars, Jets, Wild

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/trade-deadline-strategy-for-the-blackhawks-avalanche-predators-blues-stars-jets-wild/

Trade deadline strategy for the Blackhawks, Avalanche, Predators, Blues, Stars, Jets, Wild

Feb 12, 2018

Greg WyshynskiESPN

The NHL trade deadline arrives on Feb. 26, and the Central Division remains the most potent group in the league this season. It’s not just that the division features five teams currently in playoff spots; four of the NHL’s top 10 teams are from the Central. Whoever makes the cut here will have earned it.

The Stanley Cup will, of course, be a possibility for any team that reaches the postseason — but it’s a more likely goal for some than others. This week we take a snapshot of the NHL trade deadline, focusing on the game plans for all 31 teams. After breaking down the Metro on Monday, we turn our attention to the Central, where it’s hard to locate a seller. Salary-cap information is from Cap Friendly, while personnel information is from media reports and our own reporting.

Buyers

Deadline cap space: $4,133,153

Biggest needs: Scoring winger, veteran defenseman insurance

Assets in play: Oh, this is tricky. The Stars have all of their draft picks this season as well as the Chicago Blackhawks‘ fourth-rounder. But given that the draft is being held in Dallas this summer, will the Stars want to hang onto that first-round pick, as is tradition for draft hosts? As far as unrestricted free agents go, they have the exasperating forward Antoine Roussel (28, $2M), defenseman Dan Hamhuis (35, $3.75M, modified no-trade clause), defenseman Greg Pateryn (27, $800,000) and goalie Kari Lehtonen (34, $5.9M, modified no-trade). Dallas could also dangle young, talented (and cheap) players like forward Devin Shore (23) and defenseman Julius Honka (22).

Deadline game plan: The first part of the deadline plan involves a player returning to the Dallas lineup. Defenseman Marc Methot has played one game since leaving the lineup on Nov. 6 because of a knee injury. If the Stars believe the 32-year-old isn’t sharp enough for a playoff run, they’ll have to address that via trade.

The other part of the deadline plan: secondary scoring. The Stars have one of the most explosive top lines in hockey but could use some goals imported to bolster the rest of the lineup. One obvious fit: Rick Nash of the New York Rangers (33, UFA, $7.8M), a versatile winger who has a mutual respect society going with Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock spanning back to their days together in Columbus. But Michael Grabner of the Rangers (30, UFA, $1.65M) could be just as intriguing and more cost-effective, as he leads New York with 23 goals.

The asking price for Nash is believed to be a first-rounder, a roster player and a prospect.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t dismiss the chances that the Stars will opt for scoring wingers with term like Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens (29, 2019 UFA, $4.5M) and Mike Hoffman of the Ottawa Senators (27, 2020 UFA, $5,187,500).

Deadline cap space: $601,087

Biggest needs: Scoring winger

Assets in play: Wild GM Chuck Fletcher fired his shot last spring when he traded away a first- and a second-round pick in a package that netted 25 underwhelming games from Martin Hanzal. As a result, the Wild have their first-round pick, three third-round picks (including ones owned by Buffalo and Vegas), no fourth-rounder but two fifth-rounders. The Wild have all but a fourth-rounder in 2019. As far as expiring contracts, they have forward Chris Stewart (30, $1.15M), forward Daniel Winnik (32, $660,000), defenseman Kyle Quincey (32, $1.25M) languishing in the AHL, and 41-year-old center Matt Cullen, who would be on the next plane to Pittsburgh if the Penguins decided they wanted Dad back for the playoffs.

Deadline game plan: There’s been a lot of “the magic has been inside of you the whole time!” talk from Fletcher, who seems to believe this Wild team is good enough without any major deadline acquisitions. “We believe we have the answers here, and we are playing better. We need to continue to work on our consistency on the road, but I believe we are trending in the right direction and there’s another level we can and need to get to,” he told the Star Tribune.

What can you expect from every team at the deadline? Matthew Coller reviews each team’s salary-cap space and player movement clauses and answers their biggest question for the Feb. 26 deadline.

The Metro Division has a handful of teams in the market for upgrades as the trade deadline lingers in the not-too-distant future. The Rangers? Well, the Rangers are selling. Just ask them.

Coaching changes are ubiquitous in the NHL; over the past 11 years, teams have canned 34 bench bosses in-season. But this season — the first that has gone this far without a switch since 1966-67 — has been marked by an intriguing new trend: stability.

2 Related

Is there a chance the Wild add a scoring winger to their first or second line? Sure. But keep this in mind: There’s every chance that the Wild will add Team USA Olympian Jordan Greenway after his Boston University season is over. And that’s as good as a trade.

Deadline cap space: $14,869,063

Biggest needs: Scoring winger

Assets in play: The Predators have all of their 2018 draft picks save for their second-rounder, all of their 2019 picks save for their third-rounder and also own the Colorado Avalanche‘s 2019 fourth-rounder. Nashville doesn’t have many tradable assets on expiring contracts. Forward Pontus Aberg (24, 2019 RFA, $650,000) could be a cheap pot sweetener who might need a change in scenery.

Deadline game plan: The Predators made their biggest splash back in November when they acquired center Kyle Turris (22 points in 39 games) from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Matt Duchene trade three-way dance, with Nashville GM David Poile refusing to wait to address a pressing need at center. Now that the unretirement of Mike Fisher has seemingly addressed the rest of the Predators’ center depth, they can focus on their other glaring area of need: scoring on the wing, and specifically the goals that left when James Neal was plucked away in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Rangers’ forwards with expiring contracts — Nash and Grabner — would seem like obvious fits here. Evander Kane would be an interesting fit, as 13 of his 18 goals have come at even strength, where the Predators are currently 18th in scoring (103 goals). Plus, Poile has never shied away from players with some tarnish on their off-ice reputations. Patrick Maroon from the Edmonton Oilers, also a pending UFA, could come a little cheaper and has 19 points in his last 29 playoff games.

But Nashville, we’ve been told, is all-in on winning a Cup this season. It’s entirely possible that Poile adds a player with some contract term if he feels that player is the right fit for the Preds.

Deadline cap space: $2,500,000

Biggest needs: Scoring winger

Assets in play: As long as the Blues are a playoff team, they’re not going to have a first-round pick in 2018 thanks to the Brayden Schenn trade, which could be significant in the trade derbies for several pending unrestricted free agents. But St. Louis has the rest of its picks in 2018 and all of them in 2019. The Blues are also sitting on a pile of prospects like Tage Thompson, Klim Kostin and Jordan Kyrou.

Deadline game plan: The Blues have been linked with pretty much every goal-scoring winger who has been rumored to be available at the deadline: Nash, Grabner, Kane, Hoffman and Pacioretty. But it’s Edmonton Oilers winger Patrick Maroon (29, UFA, $1.9M) who might be the best fit. The Blues reportedly already made at a run at him earlier this season, and he’s a St. Louis native.

Based on how he’s worked previous deadlines, Blues GM Doug Armstrong isn’t likely to take on term here. But that lack of a first-rounder complicates things as far as acquiring a rental.

Deadline cap space: $25,108,796

Biggest needs: Scoring winger, left-side defenseman

Assets in play: The Jets have all of their picks in 2018 and the Boston Bruins‘ pick in the fifth round. They also have all but their third-round pick in 2019.

Deadline game plan: Winnipeg has a .652 points percentage and legitimate designs on the Stanley Cup for perhaps the first time in franchise history. (Thanks, Connor Hellebuyck!) So after years of dillying and dallying at the deadline, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff looks poised to make a splash.

Specifically, a splash that nets the Jets a top-six forward with an expiring contract. The focus would appear to be on the buffet of options from the Rangers — Nash, if his no-trade clause would allow it; Grabner, whose speed would fit well in the Jets’ lineup; and if Winnipeg doesn’t mind a second year at $4.5 million, 30-year-old winger Mats Zuccarello, whom coach Paul Maurice coached in the KHL.

According to the Winnipeg Sun, the Rangers could also offer a left-side depth defenseman solution in Nick Holden (30, UFA, $1.65M).

Expect the Jets to add something at the deadline without mortgaging much of what is a promising future for the franchise. But I think we can safely assume that something won’t be Evander Kane. Just a hunch.

Sellers

Deadline cap space: $3,100,001

Likely available: LW/RW Brandon Saad (25, 2021 UFA, $6M); LW/RW Tommy Wingels (29, UFA, $750,000); F Lance Bouma (27, UFA, $1M); LW/RW Tomas Jurco (25, RFA, $800,000); D Cody Franson (30, UFA, $1M); D Jan Rutta (27, UFA, $925,000); D Michal Kempny (27, USA, $900,000)

Would they actually deal? Defenseman Connor Murphy, the 24-year-old snagged from the Arizona Coyotes in the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade? He has been underwhelming but far from a major part of the problem. He’s locked in until 2022 at $3.85 million.

Deadline game plan: The Blackhawks lost their sixth straight game, a 6-1 defeat to the Coyotes, on Monday night — which is a long-winded way of saying you can read this season its last rites, as Chicago sits 10 points out of the wild card through Monday.

So what will Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman do? Well, as per usual, his options are limited by the six no-move clauses on the roster, including a really regrettable one handed to 32-year-old defenseman Brent Seabrook, who is signed through 2024. (Artem Anisimov‘s becomes a modified no-trade on July 1, so expect a summer move there.) The Blackhawks will instead try to deal pending UFAs and perhaps dip into their RFAs if the deals are right.

Saad is, of course, the most intriguing option. His reunion with the Blackhawks has been a huge disappointment, as he’s headed for the worst point-production season of his career. Which is a long-winded way of saying that the Blackhawks would be selling low, if they indeed decide to sell him. (And what a disaster that would be, especially when you glance at what Artemi Panarin has done with the Jackets.)

Look, no one in their right mind would trade three Stanley Cups in exchange for not feeling this aftermath of pain in 2018. But it’s pretty clear that the check has arrived for Bowman to settle up.

Best-case scenario: Seabrook decides he hates deep dish and Chicago-style dogs and waives his no-move to go anywhere else.

Deadline cap space: $39,737,598

Likely available: LW/RW Blake Comeau (31, UFA, $2.4M); D Mark Barberio (27, UFA, $750,000)

Would they actually deal? Defenseman Tyson Barrie. Once again, the 26-year-old offensive defenseman’s name is circulated around the trading block, as he’s signed through 2020 at $5.5 million annually. Honestly? Most of the chatter seems to emanate from teams calling the Avalanche about him, rather than the Avs shopping him.

Deadline game plan: The Avalanche barely qualify here as a seller, especially when you consider the two players listed above are banged up at the moment. Unless GM Joe Sakic sees a piece he can add at a low cost who can bolster Colorado’s playoff chances, one assumes he’ll be content to sit on the treasure trove of prospects and picks he has until the draft, when he can really start to parlay them into goal-scoring help. Besides, the Duchene trade already handed Sakic a big win.

Best-case scenario: Someone offers an actual NHL asset for Nail Yakupov, which would be like someone offering twice the price of materials for your reclamation project “Flea Market Flip.”

[auburnfamilynews]

With Kerryon Johnson and Kam Pettway lost to the NFL Draft, Auburn shored up its running back ranks when Asa Martin became one of the Tigers’ early signers. The four-star recruit finished a fantastic high school career that included a stop at IMG Academy before coming home to Austin High in Decatur, Alabama.

The Black Bears had an absolutely great season before falling to Pinson Valley in the playoffs. That team was led by Bo Nix, son of Auburn great Pat Nix. Asa was phenomenal in the Pinson Valley game, scoring three touchdowns while running for 261 yards and passing for 40 yards. In the end, Pinson Valley needed a two-point conversion in overtime to win. 

Martin ended the season with 198 carries for 2,228 yards and 35 touchdowns. That’s 11 yards per play and a touchdown every 5.7 carries. He added 20 catches for 399 yards and two more TD’s and threw two TD passes in leading the Black Bears to the Class 6A semifinals.

He is the second best player in Alabama, the 48th best player in the nation and the fourth best back in America. Martin will join Kerryon Johnson as being ranked as the fourth-best back in America to come to Auburn. Only Mike Dyer and Roc Thomas were ranked higher, and both of them were the second-best back coming out of high school.

Martin is listed as somewhere between 6 ‘ 0″ and 6’ 2″ and between 190 to 210 pounds. His metrics aren’t going to blow anyone away as he has a 4.5 40-yard dash time, 31 inch vertical, and a 4.32 shuttle run. 

What’s on the tape? 

We will take a look at his senior year highlights on Hudl.com.  after the jump.

First, the good things I’ve noticed. Asa plays with emotion. There are many big-name players that don’t celebrate touchdowns because they’ve “been there before.” Asa is excited every time he crosses the goal line, despite logging over forty touchdowns his last year. He has an edge to him, which is something a running back needs. This can be see that as he stands over opponents after finishing runs. 

While I am not sold on his physicality at the line of scrimmage (more on this later), he doesn’t believe in going down and delivers vicious stiff arms. I noticed that the players on the receiving end are frequently smaller players, so it remains to be seen if he can translate this attitude to the bigger stage. That being said, he has very good physicality on special teams and defense. 

Martin has very good vision. Many highlights show him seeing a crease that doesn’t seem to exist, then exploiting it for huge gains. He sees cut-back lanes extremely well. 

These traits are reminiscent of Le’ Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell shows extreme patience at the line of scrimmage before exploding upfield into the running lane or finding a cutback lane when the defense over pursues. Like Bell, Martin has an upright running style. The difference is that Bell is a verified 6′ 1″ 225-pound back and a transcendent talent and is the best receiving back in the NFL with almost zero ball-security issues. 

Martin did a fair amount of damage in the passing game, both receiving and catching, but don’t expect that production at the next level. He averaged nearly 20 yards per catch, displaying good hands but questionable receiving skills, specifically route running and attacking the ball. This would be a major difference between not only Le’Veon Bell but the man he may replace, Kerryon Johnson.

While Martin could line up outside, he wouldn’t be a big time mismatch on a linebacker as opposed to Kerryon Johnson, who can legitimately play receiver at the next level. In terms of passing, the lefty doesn’t offer much. Finally, while he has the speed and vision to be a special teams player, he isn’t much on judging kicks, however, it might be possible for him to return kick-offs. He also has ball security issues, which can and will be addressed if he wants to see the field. 

One point to note from Asa’s highlight film is that he is never see him hit at or before the line of scrimmage. That comes from the execution of his offensive line, which played a major role in his success. At no point in his senior highlights does he have to take on a defender or make a man miss before or at the line of scrimmage. Although he has the vision to find holes, they have been there for him, which is a testament to his line and its coaching. 

Martin is a long-striding runner in the open field, similar to a receiver. His stride is a little different because he leads with his bottom half, not his upper body over his legs. I like that he doesn’t make too many cuts, wanting to take on contact at full speed rather than trying to cut back or juke and lose speed. He makes defenders make the play individually, and a touchdown will come down to one player, not multiple players. I like that in a back. 

In the end, Martin has the production, speed, and vision necessary to be a good back. His ability to make cutbacks is what makes him dangerous. There is no evidence on whether he can be a two-set back with a fullback and quarterback under center in goal line or short-yardage situations. However, I suspect that he won’t be that kind of player. He may be a great motion-, screen-, and read-option back where pad level and physicality aren’t an issue, and vision and cutback ability will be most important. 

The post What Can Auburn Fans Expect from Asa Martin: A Scouting Report appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.

from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://bit.ly/2AMY3xi

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Surprise players who could help crown fantasy champions

What do the following players have in common?

Quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015 and Colin Kaepernick last year? Running backs C.J. Anderson in 2014, Joique Bell and Buck Allen in 2015 and 2016 Bilal Powell. Receivers Tyler Lockett and Ted Ginn Jr. in 2015 and Tyreek Hill in 2016?

All emerged from fantasy obscurity to be championship-level assets down the stretch. All could have been plucked off the waiver wire at this stage of those seasons in the vast majority of leagues.

So, this week, with the help of some of my very smart followers on Twitter (@michaelsalfino), let’s look at some candidates who could similarly emerge while being lightly owned in Yahoo leagues right now.

These are not in order of preference but rather lowest ownership percentages.

Devante Mays 0% (RB, Packers)

My Packer connection is bullish and what is ahead of him? Mike McCarthy gave up on Ty Montgomery as a running back and after Aaron Jones excited with a knee sprain, Montgomery suffered another rib injury. Jamaal Williams did nothing in his ample opportunity. Up steps, perhaps, Mays, a seventh-round pick who fits the bill at 6-foot-1, 233 pounds and who ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash after an injury-plagued final college season at Utah State. Oh, and there’s an outside shot Aaron Rodgers could be back in Week 15.

Garrett Celek 1% (TE, 49ers)

Tight end pickings are slim but Celek who is on a bye this week gets in Week 12 probably (despite reports of seeming uncertainty) a quarterback who grew up in a system emphasizing the tight end. Celek is fast enough to do some damage with the right QB, very likely Jimmy Garoppolo. Former starter George Kittle is 4% owned and could return to the role if he recovers from a leg injury that turned out worse than initially thought.

Jermaine Gresham 2% (TE, Cardinals)

This is strictly schedule-based as noted on the @breakfast_pod by my co-host and fellow Yahoo scribe Scott Pianowski. TE is so weak and so TD dependent that anything that moves the touchdown needle a little is worth speculating on. Julius Thomas is 28% owned but I don’t want to spend any FAAB on one of these guys, so zero it out with Celek or Gresham depending on your Week 11 needs. But if you can get Thomas for nothing, great.

Dontrelle Inman 2% (WR, Bears)

Had 88 yards on eight targets last week and is the Bears most talented wideout, admittedly not saying much. He’s 6-3 and ran a sub-4.5 40. Also had a strong finish in 2016 for the Chargers. The schedule is the key here with no tough games and meetings with the 49ers and Browns (championship week).

J.D. McKissic 3% (RB, Seahawks)

One of my followers said he can be this year’s Ty Montgomery if Pete Carroll will let him be that and why not since nothing is working conventionally from scrimmage? Oh, right, Pete Carroll hates touchdowns no matter who has the ball.

Austin Ekeler 5% (RB, Chargers)

I took a lot of heat earlier in the year when I predicted that this would be Melvin Gordon’s last year as an NFL starter given the horrible company he is keeping in never cracking 4.0 per carry in three consecutive years as a feature back. If he continues to start, he’ll be the first. He’s 3.8 this year and 3.7 for his career. Just awful. Ekeler drove him to the bench in the fourth quarter of Week 10 but fumbled to cost the Chargers the game so we don’t know if he’s in the doghouse yet. But he should see work as a receiving threat given how he rambled for 77 yards on 5 catches. Gordon is also a yard below average catching as a running back this year at 7.1 per grab. Ekeler is 5-9, 200 and would have been the fastest back in the draft had he been invited to the combine.

Matt Breida 6% (RB, 49ers)

Has a bye so should be easy to get in free agency. But could share the touches pretty evenly with Carlos Hyde, who does not seem to have a future with the 49ers as an unrestricted free agent following this season. At worst, he’ll be 2016 Tevin Coleman to Hyde’s Devonta Freeman, only on a bad offense that again could get a lot better with the upcoming QB change. And this also plays into Garoppolo’s offensive training in New England — throwing the ball to backs.

Samaje Perine 8% (RB, Redskins)

He’s been so awful (3.2 yards per carry) but touches are king and the offense here is good. The whole point here is that it’s not easy to see the impact player until you’re really looking at him.

Corey Clement 9% (RB, Eagles)

Jay Ajayi is not a receiving back — Miami has been the worst receiving team in football based success rate (relative to down and distance) on completions to backs since 2016. So Ajayi is a terrible fit to fill that role for the Eagles. Enter Clement, who could be a younger version of Darren Sproles with more touches given his age. I think LeGarrette Blount is odd man out except for the occasional short-yardage carry, perhaps, though that easily could be handled by Ajayi given that Blount had been the worst goal-line back in football this year (1 TD in eight chances inside the opponent’s 3-yard line and for minus-5 yards)

Rex Burkhead 14% (RB/WR, Patriots)

Sort of the reverse Ty Montgomery. He’s basically a running back being used as a slot receiver. This is a valuable role in PPR leagues and if Mike Gillislee remains inactive despite a very high 48% success rate and the Patriots lack of a short-yardage back, Burkhead is the best bet to get that work, too (though not a good bet to succeed in it as the Patriots are one of the worst 3rd or 4th and 1 teams in football).

Rod Smith 26% (RB, Cowboys)

I am on record thinking the job is going to be mostly Alfred Morris’ and Morris ended up doing fine, efficiency wise, given the limited work with an injury-depleted offensive line and terrible game script. But Smith is the only back who could be a three-down option on the team, I will also stipulate. This means Smith also should be owned in every league.

Danny Woodhead 36% (RB, Ravens)

Yuck. But the catches are there in PPR for Woodhead and he can carve out Burkhead-type of role with a higher floor if he’s able to bounce back from injury. But only a $0 bid from me if he’s there and if not, no worries.

Corey Davis 48% (WR, Titans)

Probably shouldn’t be here given he’s unowned in slightly more than half the leagues but I can see it after his 10-target Week 10. He’s a fifth overall pick. The quarterback is good. The offense is capable, on paper, of turning into something much more explosive than we’ve seen to date. If that happens, it will probably be driven by Davis.

David Johnson 61% (RB, Cardinals)

I have to say it because this is so format dependent. Johnson got his cast off his wrist on Monday and is a step closer to returning depending if the Cardinals stay in the playoff hunt. You can possibly have David Johnson and Aaron Rodgers in Week 15 right now off your waiver wire.