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Underrated QBs and Opportunities in Fantasy Football Draft

by with No Comment FootballGamingSports

Underrated QBs and Opportunities in Fantasy Football Draft

Here is an intro list of some potential undervalued players going into the fantasy football draft. Most drafts are still a month and half away, but folks now trying to get up to speed for the coming season may want to start preparing. One way to do this is to take part in mock drafts which many fantasy football leagues via platforms allow as the NFL season grows closer. Today we will look at the quarterback position and give you two candidates to target later in the draft.

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QBs – While folks can debate who to take as their main quarterback, drafting a back up remains crucial because health issues are always a concern over a long season. Last year Trevor Lawrence proved to be a steal as a solid backup. As the season moved on and Lawrence put the memories of his nightmarish rookie season behind him, his stats grew better and he became a top 10 qb in most fantasy football leagues.

On that premise, a look at Kenny Pickett who is entering his second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers might be a good selection. He is likely not going to go among the top ten or 12 selections in most drafts. However, if he is lingering in a draft and you need a backup with the potential to create better value than most anticipate, Pickett may be your best bet. He is in a good organization and will be well coached. Pickett will certainly be better this year compared to last season.

Another good undervalued quarterback going into the season may be the Cleveland Browns Deshaun Watson. Having returned last year after a long time away from the game because of legal problems off the field, he didn’t do well. However, with a full spring and summer camp about to be completed, if Watson stays healthy he may provide a good value for folks who want to grab a qb with superior potential, who had a poor season statistically last year. The speed of the game will be familiar to Deshaun Watson once again, and having trained with the Browns and understanding his teammates abilities may create a lot of upside.

There is a chance others will be thinking in the same way about Watson, and he may not escape the top ten qb selections. If he is left and you need a back up he could provide solid depth and turn into a steal – and potential starting qb – via fantasy football leagues.

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Baseball: No Time To Make a Sandwich

by with No Comment BaseballFeatured HighlightsSports

Baseball: No Time To Make a Sandwich

Simple fact, many suns ago baseball games were played with a solid pace. Games could last endlessly due to extra innings, but ‘human rain delays’ were frowned upon in baseball. Games on average were not all day endeavors and the sport had a national following across the States. It was America’s pastime.

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Baseball has languished the past thirty years in popularity as the NFL has become the sport many in the States will point to as their favorite game to watch. Although, American football it must be said can put you to sleep on a sofa just as easily as baseball due to the frequent stoppages in play, penalties being called, timeouts and commercial breaks – besides the danger of over indulging on chips, beer and other snacks. Who really has four hours to watch a game or desire to unless the contest is important and involves a team in which you have a distinct passion?

I blame Mike Hargrove for the problems baseball has suffered the past 40 years plus. The man was a human rain delay, I remember him stepping out of the batters box to fix his glove continuously in an era most batters did not practice this trait – nor did umpires allow it to happen. Hargrove was a good player, not great, but he gained an advantage by stepping out of the batters box before nearly every other pitch. Other players caught on, and slowly and surely baseball games started to last eternally. Perhaps it is too simple a perspective, but if you watch Hargrove bat on video via YouTube, you will surely notice his habits were not normal. He played from 1974 until 1985.

Suddenly the past couple of years baseball admitted it had a problem, it was hard to ignore because tv ratings were dying. Games were too long. But this year much to my astonishment, has seen new rule changes limiting batters time spent out of the box, pitchers being clocked, no ‘shift’ allowed in the infield and bases being made bigger in MLB. The games have now returned to ‘normal’ lengths and baseball can be watched without the danger of a day passing and waking up on the sofa late in the evening wondering what happened and having to ask questions. No longer can you get up and make a sandwich in the kitchen, return to the sofa and safely assume that nothing will have happened. Baseball is enjoyable again.

While some purists thought the ‘new’ rules would ruin the game because of the pitch clock being implemented, simply put baseball has returned to a contest which has a pace that can be enjoyed and life can be led again. A question and theory I have, and one that I am going to watch for in the coming months as this 2023 season moves along, is if pitchers somehow also become affected in a good way via their arm health because of the rule changes. This because I suspect the need to keep pitching delivery in focus and throw the ball within a certain time parameter will lead to better throwing mechanics and less strain on shoulders and elbows. Time will tell. Speaking of which, I need to find something else to do with the extra hour and half I have now that baseball games are finishing so quickly. Maybe I can trade the USD/JPY again.

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Before Victor: The BV Year and Outlook

by with No Comment BasketballCultureSports

Before Victor: The BV Year and Outlook

By now almost every basketball fan knows who Victor Wembanyama is if they pay attention to the NBA. Simply type the first three letters ………..Vic…..into your Google search and his name will appear. The young man is 19 years old. He will certainly be the number one choice in this year’s NBA draft. He stands a legitimate 7’4″.

Folks are still creating adjectives and nicknames to give Wembanyama, and sincerely it is up to him to decide how he should be addressed. However, here is one prediction that I believe will legitimately occur over the next few years, the creation of the term BV in the NBA.

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Wembanyama’s impact offensively and defensively will change the NBA. He is likely to take on a number 4 role positionally while playing offense the first few years, and will certainly be used as a center on defense.

He can handle the ball and shoot from outside. Wembanyama’s ability to dribble in traffic allows him greater mobility to drive towards the hoop. He can clearly cause chaos in the paint offensively with a threat of dunks, put backs and rebounding. He is an effective passer when distributing the ‘rock’ to his teammates.

He will immediately make other teams change the way they attack and play offensively against him. The game of basketball has evolved into one that looks for open space, and shots from the outside dominate. One consideration is that teams may go into a hyper induced outside game in which they try to put four guys (maybe five) outside of the three point circle. This to try and keep VW away from the ball as much as possible as he plays defense, attempting to get him out of position.

Anybody with the ball inside of the arc has the potential to have their shot blocked by VW. Wembanyama’s closing speed, getting to an offensive player considering a shot, is almost always one step away. Meaning he can quickly attack, extend his arms, and either block an attempted shot or simply make a player change his mind and stop the motion of the offensive scheme.

Wembanyama is not God, but he can be a basketball god if he stays healthy. You have been warned. He is doing well in European basketball which has a smaller court, and more grabbing and pushing compared to the NBA. Whoever has the luck to draft Wembanyama likely has a generational player. The magic within all of this is the fact the young man seems to be genuinely a good person.

In this year of BV – Before Victor – basketball the East looks like it has three teams that can make a run towards the Championship round including the Bucks, Celtics and 76er’s. The West is full of teams with question marks regarding health and the ability to coalesce into competing units. Phoenix and Denver are the favorites, but potential problems lurk on both teams.

In the Western shadows looms Memphis which is being compared to the ‘Bad Boys’ of Detroit from the 1980’s, but the Grizzlies need to win something first. Due to their ‘talking’ and desire to try and intimidate folks – it would help if they actually won something significant and advanced to at least the Western Championships this year, which they likely won’t. Ja Morant has plenty of talent, all-world, but he also has put a target on the back of his team by talking a lot of smack.

Perhaps more interesting than the Championship run which is developing, is the race to the bottom in order to get into the NBA Draft lottery for the chance to take Victor Wembanyama. Because it is likely that the winner via percentages of probability, that one of the worst performing 5 teams will get the opportunity to change franchise history. How good is VW? Whoever gets him is likely landing an all-star during the 2023-2024 season, a giant marketing tool worth hundreds of millions USD, while creating global brand for a club and the ability to make playoff runs very quickly of stature.