My Top 5: Running Backs

By: Tre Bailey (@trebailey14)

College Football

My Top 5: Running Backs

Back at it again today hitting you with my top running backs going into the 2016 college football season.

Honorable Mention

Ronald Jones, Sophmore USC

Royce Freeman, Junior Oregon

Donnel Pumphrey, Senior San Diego State

Elijah Hood, Sophmore North Carolina

Jalen Hurd, Junior Tennessee

Coming in at number 5

Nick Chubb, Junior Georgia

2015 Stats: 92 Carries, 747 yards, 8.1 yards per carry, 7td's

Reason: Nick Chubb is an amazingly talented running back who exploded onto the scene his freshman year. While he suffered a season ending injury last year, and his return still in question; his pure talent and potential place him at number 5 on my list. Look out for Chubb when he makes his return to the scene.  

Number 4

Samaje Perine

2015 Stats: 226 carries, 1349 yards, 6.0 yards per carry, 16td’s

Reason: Perine saw a slight decrease in stats compared to his freshman season due to Baker Mayfield and Joe Mixon taking some of the load off of his shoulders. Regardless Perine is a man among boys in the Big 12. His instincts, speed, and strength set him apart even if he splits carries with fellow back Joe Mixon. Perine is an absolute workhorse, and look for him to be the main man in the backfield for the Sooners. Not to mention he broke the single game rushing record last season.

Number 3

Dalvin Cook, Junior Florida State

2015 Stats: 229 carries, 1691 yards, 7.4 yards per carry, 19td’s

Reason: Cook is an absolute stud for the Seminoles. After an impressive 2015 season as the main back for FSU we saw what pure instinct can provide for a running back. Cook only had 4 games in which he rushed for under 100 yards. He has all of the tangibles needed to be a top back in the NCAA, and as long as he stays healthy he will remain atop of the list for running backs.

Number 2

Leonard Fournette

2015 Stats: 300 carries, 1953 yards, 6.5 yards per carry, 22td’s

Reason: There isn’t much to say about Fournette that we already don’t know. This kid is an absolute monster in the backfield for the tigers, and was only 47 yards shy of the 2k mark. He is hands down one of the most physically gifted athletes out there, and will definitely be on the top of the list for many NFL teams by the end of this season. While he proved that he’s the most explosive back he is still number 2 on my list simply because the person at number one is arguably the most diverse back College Football has seen in quite some time. I have no doubt in my mind that Fournette can break that 2,000-yard mark in what could possibly be his last season at LSU.  

Number 1

Christian McCaffery, Junior Stanford

2015 Stats: 337 carries, 2019 yards, 6.0 yards per carry 8td’s

Reason: When it comes to pure athletes, McCaffery is the best of the best. Being the only back to break that 2000-yard marker last season and only managing to see the end zone only 8 times on the ground is beyond me. Although he added an impressive 645 yards receiving along with 5 touchdowns out of the backfield is un heard of from the running back position. McCaffery is not only a work horse but is a threat every single time he touches the ball. It is hard not to appreciate the type of player he is, and his stats back him up. 3,800 all-purpose yards is absolutely absurd. If I had only one word to describe him, it would be Electrifying; making him the top back in the NCAA in my opinion.

My Top 5: Quarterbacks

By: Tre Bailey (@trebailey14)

College Football

My Top 5: Quarterbacks

With the college football season quickly approaching I’ve decided that it would be fun to do a My top 5 for each position going into the season; capping off who I think the top 5 teams will be; come College Football Playoff time. Now my top 5 players will be in order, and based off of previous season success, importance to team, pure talent at their respective position. Some of the rankings you may or may not agree with but that’s why it’s MY top 5. Without further ado lets get rolling

Honorable Mentions

Baker Mayfield, Junior(RS) Oklahoma

Mason Rudolph, Junior Oklahoma State

Seth Russell, Senior Baylor

Greg Ward, Senior Houston

Luke Falk, Junior(RS) Washington State

Coming in at number 5

Josh Rosen, Sophomore UCLA

2015 Stats: 292-478 3670yds, 60% completion percentage, 23td’s, 11int

Reason: Even though Rosen was only a freshman last year, he displayed why you shouldn’t sleep on a true freshman. He came in ready to work and fight for his team leading them to a 8-5 record. While this record isn’t all that impressive Rosen proved that he has what it takes to take UCLA among the top rankings in college football. His potential is high and with new offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu, you could expect to more of a pro-style offence from the Bruins, something that Rosen could benefit from tremendously and see more success in over the next few years.

Number 4

Patrick Mahomes, Junior Texas Tech

2015 Stats: 364-573 4653yds, 63.5% completion percentage, 36td’s, 15int

Reason: Watching Mahomes play is literally like watching a magic show on the football field. This kid is creative, dynamic, and can make something out of any dead play. Mahomes is an explosive player who can make plays with both his arm and legs tacking on 456 rushing yards with 10 td’s to his already impressive throwing stats. With it being Kingsbury’s 4^th year as the head coach of Tech expect to see an even more high powered offense. Don’t be surprised if you see some no look passes from Mahomes this season, something he’s rumored to have been working on during the spring and summer.

Number 3

Chad Kelly, Senior Ole Miss

2015 Stats: 298-458, 4042yds, 65.1% completion percentage. 31td’s 13int

Reason: Chad Kelly is hands down the best quarterback in the SEC. He led Ole Miss over huge wins against Bama., LSU, and Mississippi State. And put up impressive numbers against Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl. Losing his top offensive linemen and receiver will be interesting but don’t expect this 5^th year senior to skip a beat. Kelly is a pure competitor and will win at almost any cost.

Number 2

J.T. Barrett, Junior Ohio State

2015 Stats: 93-147, 992yds, 63.3% completion percentage, 11td’s 4int

Reason: If you know anything you know that Ohio state had one of the toughest quarterback scenarios that college football has seen in a while last season. And as a part time starter Barrett still put up some impressive number. Go back to the championship season before Barrett broke his ankle. He threw for 2834yds 34td’s and 10int. He will do nothing but improve on these numbers as he comes into his first season as a full time starter. Despite losing many starters on both sides of the ball Barrett still retains the experience and leadership needed to lead Ohio State to make another run at the College Football Playoff and potentially be the first team to be a repeat champion in the Playoff era.

Number 1

Deshaun Watson, Junior Clemson

2015 Stats: 333-491, 4104yds, 67.8% completion percentage, 35td’s 13int

Reason: Watson can flat out ball, he is a dynamic playmaker with absolutely unreal talent. He led Clemson to an undefeated season and a berth in the College Football Playoff before losing to Bama in the National Championship game. I know he is absolutely driven by falling 5 points shy to Bama in the championship game and will look to improve on his already impressive career he has had so far at Clemson. Besides being a maestro with his arm he was able to add 1105yds and 12td’s on the ground last season. Coming in as the Heisman favorite this season Watson is in my opinion the best Quarterback coming into this season.

UFC 200 Fantasy MMA DraftKings Lineup Advice

By: Dylan Smith (@FightMartian)

UFC 200.

It's finally here, the biggest and baddest fight card in UFC history. The stakes will be higher than ever as millions of people around the world will congregate around their TV screens to witness Mixed Martial Arts at its highest level. This card literally has something for everyone. The lineup of fighters includes multiple former UFC champions, future hall of famers, Ultimate Fighter winners, and even a former WWE champion.

Of course, it wouldn't be a UFC event if there wasn't some last minute changes to the card. Everyone knows by now that Jon Jones will not be competing in the main event against Daniel Cormier due to being flagged for a potential doping violation from a test in June. He has since been replaced by Anderson Silva who will now fight Cormier at LHW in a non-title 3 round fight. The nights new main event will now be Meisha Tate vs Amanda Nunes for the UFC women's bantamweight championship with Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt serving as the co-main event. Once the dust settles from this mega-event, MMA and the UFC may never be the same. 

From a fantasy perspective you couldn't ask for a card that is more split down the middle. With so many top fighters matched against each other there are very few gimme fights on this card which means you will need a little bit of luck (as always) to hit it big on DraftKings this weekend. Luckily, I am here to help and I am going to create a lineup specifically for Draftkings MMA using three categories (locks, avoid, value plays) that you can choose to play or just create your own based off the information provided. 

Locks

Daniel Cormier (C) ($11,000)

DC has been through a whirlwind of emotion the past few days due to Jon Jones being pulled from their main event fight on Wednesday. However, the UFC put up the spider signal and Anderson Silva answered and will now step in to take on DC. The UFC isn't doing Silva any favors as this is a great stylistic matchup for DC as he is a power wrestler and will look to exploit that weakness in Silva's game with takedowns and ground and pound. Even though Silva will forever go down as one of the greatest to ever step in the octagon, he is not the fighter he once was. Cormier will look to make a statement and solidify himself as the true undisputed light heavyweight champion as he puts the Jon Jones rivalry behind him.

Prediction: Cormier by TKO rd 3

Meisha Tate (C) ($10,700)

As the newly minted main event of UFC 200 the confidence of Meisha Tate is sky high. Tate has all the momentum in the world coming into this fight and has really come into her own as a fighter putting all of her skills together at a championship level. Nunes will not go down without a fight though and will likely come out guns blazing against Tate and look for a finish early. However, Tate is especially great at weathering storms as she has shown throughout her career and will have to do the same here. Tate will try to make this a ugly fight by fighting close range with Nunes and wearing her out as Nunes is known to gas out after the early rounds. Tate will take over once she settles in and should be able to dominate the later rounds en route to the biggest victory of her career.

Prediction: Tate by Dec

Gegard Mousasi ($10,300)

Unfortunately for Mousasi he did not get the fight with DC he was campaigning for and will stick to his original fight against Thiago Santos. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Mousasi as he has a favorable matchup and will have the chance to get a signature win on the biggest stage on them all. Santos is a very dangerous Muay Thai striker and will look to keep the fight standing while Mousasi is the more well rounded of the two. With nearly 50 fights to his resume, Mousasi is one of the best in the world and has seen it all. Mousasi has more ways to win and always excels when his opponents bring the fight to him. I think Mousasi will look to set up his ground game where he has a big advantage and look to sink in an early submission. 

Prediction: Mousasi by sub rd 1

Value Plays

Jim Miller ($10,800)

You know this is a stacked card when two established veterans like Jim Miller and Takanori Gomi are the curtain jerkers. This will be a great way to set the tone for the evening as this is a serious fight of the night contender. Gomi is a legend and pioneer in MMA but the past few years have been rough for him. He is well past his prime he has elected to adopt a brawling style which has not served him well. Miller is in the twilight of his career as well but still has enough in the tank to compete at a high level. Miller will look to make this an ugly fight and keep a high pace against Gomi where he will wear him down with scrambles and clinch work while attacking with submissions on the ground.

Prediction: Miller by submission rd 2

Travis Browne ($8,200)

Browne faces the toughest challenge of his career as he takes on former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez to open up the main card. On the surface it seems like Browne is at a disadvantage against one of the all time greats in Velasquez. However, after being riddled with injuries the past couple of years questions remain about the health of Velasquez and the toll the injuries have taken on his body. I am calling upset on this one as I think Browne will come out and use his athleticism and major size advantage to fight off the initial takedowns of Cain and look to catch him with a big shot to end the fight early. 

Prediction: Browne by TKO rd 1

Brock Lesnar ($9,000)

Brock Lesnar returns to the UFC after a 5 year hiatus to take on former K-1 champion Mark Hunt in a special attraction fight that is sure to satisfy the pallet of fight fans across the world. This is a fight where truly anything can happen, it is a classic striker vs grappler matchup. The clash of styles make this a hard fight to pick but if you take a closer look you see that Hunt has a major issue against grapplers as he has lost 6 of his 10 losses by submission and has struggled to defend the takedown his whole career. If Lesnar can get past the iron fist of Hunt and secure a takedown then Hunt is in for a long night. I think Lesnar is a great pick to add to your lineup because so many will be counting on a Mark Hunt KO that the ownership of Lesnar may be surprisingly low.   I think Lesnar will secure a takedown early via bumrish and wear down Mark Hunt with ground and pound before sinking in the submission.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar by sub rd 1

Avoid

TJ Dillashaw ($11,100)

Dillashaw comes into this fight fresh off losing his title to Dominick Cruz in a controversial split decision fight. He takes on Rafael Assuncao in a rematch of another close fight where Assuncao was able to get the decision win in Brazil. Dillashaw is priced very high and is one of the bigger favorites on the card. I think this fight is much tougher than the public thinks and could easily end up as an upset. I'm picking TJ to win but I don't think there is too much upside to having him in your lineup with such a high price tag in a really close match up.

Prediction: TJ by split decision

Jose Aldo ($9,500)

I think there are too many questions about which Jose Aldo we will see compete at UFC 200. Coming off a 13 second KO by Conor McGregor it remains to be seen if Aldo can return to championship form. He takes on Frankie Edgar for the Interim UFC featherweight championship in a rematch from 2012 where he edged out a decision victory to retain the title. However, Edgar has been on a monster tear and has all the momentum in the world coming into this fight. This should be another close one but I think Edgar will be able to use his grappling to pull off a win and send Aldo to the lightweight division.

Prediction: Edgar by decision

Johny Hendricks ($10,100)

Johny Hendricks just doesn't seem like the same fighter he was a few years ago when he was tearing through the welterweight division en route to capturing the title. After being knocked out by Stephen Thompson in his last fight it will be interesting to see how he approaches his fight against the young contender Kelvin Gastelum. I'm guessing Hendricks goes back to his wrestling roots and uses takedowns and top control to smother Gastelum and get back in the win column. Hendricks pulls off the win but not in a very fantasy-friendly way using clinch work and takedowns to secure the victory.

Prediction: Hendricks by decision

DraftKings Lineup

Daniel Cormier ($11,000)

Meisha Tate ($10,700)

Travis Browne ($8,200)

Gerard Mousasi ($10,300)

Brock Lesnar ($9,000)

Sign up at DraftKings and use my personal link below and we will both get a bonus!

https://www.draftkings.com/r/tx_bandit

UFC 200 Embedded: Vlog Series- Episode 5

Episode 5 gives us backstage access to the UFC 200 press conference where all the main card fighters attend and take questions from the media. Dana White breaks the bad news to Daniel Cormier and tells him Jon Jones will not fight due to testing positive on a drug test from June. The other fighters react at the open workouts the next day.

UFC 200 Embedded: Vlog Series- Episode 4

Mark Hunt hits the mall in Las Vegas while Meisha Tate and Jon Jones get a workout at the gym. DC and Frankie Edgar spends their last hours in town with his family before they leave for Vegas. Amanda Nunes gets some motivation in her spin class.

UFC 200 Embedded: Vlog Series- Episode 3

In episode 3 we see Mark Hunt have a cookout with his friends, the bantamweight champion Meisha Tate gets hypnotized and DC does some mitt work before rewarding himself with a chicken nugget. Jon Jones and Frankie Edgar get keep their blood flowing by putting in work on the holiday and Brock Lesnar arrives in Vegas and finds out he needs a 5XL glove.

UFC 200 Embedded: Vlog Series- Episode 2

In the second installment of Embedded we see the fighters enjoy the holiday weekend by hitting the lake, popping some fireworks, and eating good food. Some fine tuning is done by Jones and Cormier as they make their final preparations before they fly out to Las Vegas for SATURDAY'S fight.

UFC 200 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1

The hard work is done as the stars of UFC 200 finish up their training camps and spend their last days before fight week at home with their family and friends as they prepare for the biggest card in UFC history 

Happy 4th of July!