Sunday, December 31, 2017

Basketball Predictions - 1 Jan

Upset picks are in italics.
Pick of the Day in bold.

Orlando at Brooklyn - Nets by 5
Milwaukee at Toronto - Raptors by 9.5
Portland at Chicago - Trail Blazers by 1.5
LA Lakers at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 7.5

Quinnipiac at Siena - Saints by 5.5
Florida National at Stetson - Hatters by 20.5
Youngstown State at Cleveland State - Vikings by 8.5
Alabama A&M at Grambling - Tigers by 14.5
(7) West Virginia at Kansas State - Wildcats by 1.5
Arkansas Pine Bluff at Mississippi Valley State - Delta Devils by 6.5
Alcorn State at Prairie View A&M - Panthers by 13
Alabama State at Jackson State - Tigers by 10
Texas at Iowa State - Longhorns by 4
Southern at Texas Southern - Tigers by 10.5

Results

NBA: 6-2 (.750) 334-210 overall (.614)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 36-52 overall (.409)
College Basketball: 29-12 (.707) 2155-512 (.808)
Upsets: 4-2 (.667) 148-134 overall (.525)
Pick of the Day: 50-0

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Basketball Predictions - 31 Dec

Upset picks are in italics.
Pick of the Day in bold.

Chicago at Washington - Wizards by 8.5
Minnesota at Indiana - Pacers by 1
Brooklyn at Boston - Celtics by 9
LA Lakers at Houston - Rockets by 13
Dallas at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 6.5
Charlotte at LA Clippers - Clippers by 2.5
Memphis at Sacramento - Grizzlies by 1
Philadelphia at Phoenix - 76ers by 4

Savannah State at (2) Michigan State - Spartans by 34.5
Monmouth at Saint Peter's - Peacocks by 1.5
Wagner at St. Francis (BKN) - Seahawks by 1.5
Rider at Niagara - Broncs by 1.5
Iona at Canisius - Golden Griffins by 1
Centenary (NJ) at UMBC - Retrievers by 26
Florida Tech at Florida Gulf Coast - Eagles by 28.5
Tulsa at Tulane - Green Wave by 8.5
East Tennessee State at Mercer - Bears by 6.5
Northern Iowa at Bradley - Braves by 4.5
Mt. St. Mary's at LIU Brooklyn - Blackbirds by 8
Tennessee State at SE Missouri State - Redhawks by 2
Providence at (25) Creighton - Bluejays by 11
UT Arlington at Appalachian State - Mavericks by 0.5
Fairleigh Dickinson at Sacred Heart - Knights by 0.5
St. Francis (PA) at Bryant - Red Flash by 11
Central Penn at Maryland-Eastern Shore - Hawks by 12.5
Lincoln Christian at Western Illinois - Leathernecks by 24.5
Texas State at Coastal Carolina - Chanticleers by 8.5
Robert Morris at Central Connecticut - Blue Devils by 4
Memphis at (21) Cincinnati - Bearcats by 18.5
UCF at East Carolina - Knights by 11.5
SE Louisiana at Central Arkansas - Bears by 8.5
Indiana State at Illinois State - Redbirds by 9
Drake at Southern Illinois - Salukis by 6.5
Missouri State at Valparaiso - Crusaders by 0.5
Idaho at Northern Colorado - Bears by 4
Georgia Southern at South Alabama - Eagles by 1.5
Georgia State at Troy - Trojans by 0.5
Louisiana at Arkansas State - Ragin Cajuns by 5
St. John's at (23) Seton Hall - Pirates by 12.5
UL Monroe at Little Rock - Warhawks by 1.5
Eastern Washington at North Dakota - Eagles by 2.5
Georgia at (16) Kentucky - Wildcats by 10.5
Virginia Tech at Syracuse - Orange by 1.5
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Rebels by 2
Utah at Oregon State - Utes by 2.5
South Florida at SMU - Mustangs by 23.5
Washington at UCLA - Bruins by 5.5
Washington State at USC - Trojans by 11
Colorado at Oregon - Ducks by 12

Results

NBA: 4-3 (.571) 328-208 overall (.612)
Upsets: 2-0 (1.000) 35-51 overall (.407)
College Basketball: 85-21 (.802) 2126-500 overall (.810)
Upsets: 6-7 (.462) 144-132 overall (.522)
Pick of the Day: 49-0

NBA MVP Rankings - 30 Dec

There has been quite a bit of movement in the MVP rankings this week, with Westbrook and the Thunder getting hot and Curry missing time due to injury. Instead of Rookie and Sixth Man ranks, which haven't changed much in the past couple weeks, I'm picking my current All-Stars, along with the players who are close but not quite in so far. Here are my current ranks, with previous rank in parentheses:

Most Valuable Player

1 (1) James Harden - HOU - 32.1 P, 5.1 R, 9.0 A, 1.8 S, .449 FG, .390 3P, .870 FT

Even though the Rockets have lost 5 straight, there is still no doubt that Harden is the best player in the league so far this season, and he's playing for one of the best teams. He is #1 in the league in scoring, #3 in assists, and #9 in steals, and Houston still has the second-best record in the league.

2 (3) LeBron James - CLE - 27.8 P, 8.2 R, 9.3 A, 1.5 S, 1.0 B, .560 FG, .401 3P, .778 FT

James is the only player close to Harden statistically, currently #3 in scoring and #2 in assists, while also playing the third-most minutes of any player and shooting 56% from the field.

3 (9) Russell Westbrook - OKC - 24.5 P, 9.5 R, 10.0 A, 2.1 S, .421 FG, .309 3P, .719 FT

Westbrook and the Thunder are coming to life, and the reigning MVP is now leading the league in assists and is #2 in steals, all while flirting with another triple-double season.

4 (5) Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL - 29.1 P, 10.4 R, 4.6 A, 1.7 S, 1.3 B, .547 FG, .777 FT

The Greek Freak is doing it all, leading the league in minutes, #2 in scoring, #6 in blocks, and #8 in rebounds while keeping the Bucks in the playoff race without a superstar teammate.

5 (6) DeMar DeRozan - TOR - 24.1 P, 4.3 R, 4.9 A, 1.2 S, .480 FG, .330 3P, .815 FT

You won't find DeRozan on the league leaderboards, but you will find him leading the #2 team in the East while playing a very balanced game.

6 (2) Kevin Durant - GSW - 26.1 P, 7.0 R, 5.1 A, 2.3 B, .500 FG, .393 3P, .889 FT

Durant is #5 in scoring and second in blocks as he focuses more on becoming a better defender, but he and the team have struggled in the past couple weeks without Curry.

7 (10) Anthony Davis - NOP - 25.7 P, 10.3 R, 2.4 A, 1.1 S, 2.0 B, .568 FG, .393 3P, .810 FT

Davis is in the top 10 in scoring, rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage, making him the best true big man in the league, and the Pelicans look like they have a good shot at making the playoffs.

8 (8) Kyrie Irving - BOS - 24.7 P, 3.0 R, 5.0 A, 1.2 S, .489 FG, .404 3P, .892 FT

The best player on the team with the best record in the East, Irving is #9 in scoring, but is not the all-around player most ahead of him on this list are.

9 (7) Victor Oladipo - IND - 24.9 P, 5.3 R, 3.9 A, 1.8 S, 1.0 B, .485 FG, .423 3P, .790 FT

The Pacers are struggling without their star this week, but the #8 scorer in the league should be back soon, and when he returns he should resume his rise.

10 (NR) DeMarcus Cousins - NOP - 26.1 P, 12.3 R, 5.3 A, 1.5 S, 1.5 B, .479 FG, .350 3P, .744 FT

Cousins is #4 in both scoring and rebounds, and he has been putting up 30-20 games like they're easy, the most recent of which vaulted him back into the MVP rankings.

Honorable Mention: Stephen Curry - GSW, Jimmy Butler - MIN

All-Star Picks

This year's All-Star format will be a little different, with the top 2 vote-getters acting as captains and picking their teammates, so it won't be the traditional East-West game for the first time ever, but the selection process will remain the same, with 5 starters selected from each conference by voters and 7 reserves from each conference by the coaches, and the captains will select their teams from those pools of players. Here are my picks for each conference's current starters and reserves, along with a few who are close and should be considered:

East

Starters

F LeBron James - CLE
F Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL
C Kevin Love - CLE
G Victor Oladipo - IND
G Kyrie Irving - BOS

Reserves

G DeMar DeRozan - TOR
C Joel Embiid - PHI
G Bradley Beal - WAS
F Kristaps Porzingis - NYK
F Otto Porter - WAS
F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - BKN
F Khris Middleton - MIL

Contenders

C Nikola Vucevic - ORL
G Kemba Walker - CHA
C Andre Drummond - DET
G Ben Simmons - PHI
G Dennis Schroder - ATL

West

Starters

F Anthony Davis - NOP
F Kevin Durant - GSW
C DeMarcus Cousins - NOP
G James Harden - HOU
G Russell Westbrook - OKC

Reserves

G Stephen Curry - GSW
G Damian Lillard - POR
F TJ Warren - PHX
F Paul George - OKC
C LaMarcus Aldridge - SAS
G Jimmy Butler - MIN
G Tyreke Evans - MEM

Contenders

G Lou Williams - LAC
G Klay Thompson - GSW
G Devin Booker - PHX
C Clint Capela - HOU
C Karl-Anthony Towns - MIN

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 17

Rank
Quarterback
Team
1
Tom Brady
NE
2
Kirk Cousins
WAS
3
Ben Roethlisberger
PIT
4
Russell Wilson
SEA
5
Matthew Stafford
DET
6
Philip Rivers
LAC
7
Cam Newton
CAR
8
Drew Brees
NO
9
Jameis Winston
TB
10
Case Keenum
MIN
11
Dak Prescott
DAL
12
Blake Bortles
JAX
13
Jacoby Brissett
IND
14
Matt Ryan
ATL
15
Tyrod Taylor
BUF
16
TJ Yates
HOU
17
Jimmy Garoppolo
SF
18
Brett Hundley
GB
19
Eli Manning
NYG
20
Joe Flacco
BAL

Rank
Running Back
Team
Flex
1
Le'Veon Bell
PIT
2
2
Alvin Kamara
NO
3
3
LeSean McCoy
BUF
4
4
Melvin Gordon
LAC
5
5
Kenyan Drake
MIA
6
6
Mark Ingram
NO
7
7
Jamaal Williams
GB
11
8
Dion Lewis
NE
12
9
Kareem Hunt
KC
15
10
Alex Collins
BAL
16
11
Ezekiel Elliott
DAL
17
12
Samaje Perine
WAS
20
13
Devonta Freeman
ATL
21
14
Marshawn Lynch
OAK
23
15
Leonard Fournette
JAX
26
16
Rex Burkhead
NE
27
17
Latavius Murray
MIN
28
18
CJ Anderson
DEN
29
19
Theo Riddick
DET
31
20
Carlos Hyde
SF
32
21
Jordan Howard
CHI
33
22
Derrick Henry
TEN
35
23
Frank Gore
IND
38
24
Giovani Bernard
CIN
40
25
Lamar Miller
HOU
48
26
Christian McCaffrey
CAR
49
27
Jerick McKinnon
MIN
51
28
Peyton Barber
TB
53
29
Bilal Powell
NYJ
58
30
Jonathan Stewart
CAR
60
31
Duke Johnson Jr.
CLE
64
32
Isaiah Crowell
CLE
65
33
Tevin Coleman
ATL
73
34
Jay Ajayi
PHI
74
35
Joe Mixon
CIN

36
Tion Green
DET

37
Alfred Blue
HOU

38
Matt Breida
SF

39
Kapri Bibbs
WAS

40
Mike Davis
SEA


Rank
Wide Receiver
Team
Flex
1
DeAndre Hopkins
HOU
1
2
Michael Thomas
NO
8
3
Julio Jones
ATL
10
4
TY Hilton
IND
13
5
Keenan Allen
LAC
14
6
Marvin Jones Jr.
DET
18
7
Brandin Cooks
NE
19
8
Adam Thielen
MIN
22
9
Larry Fitzgerald
AZ
24
10
Davante Adams
GB
25
11
Robby Anderson
NYJ
30
12
Dez Bryant
DAL
34
13
Jamison Crowder
WAS
36
14
Stefon Diggs
MIN
37
15
JuJu Smith-Schuster
PIT
39
16
Cooper Kupp
LAR
41
17
Nelson Agholor
PHI
43
18
Doug Baldwin
SEA
44
19
AJ Green
CIN
45
20
Tyreek Hill
KC
46
21
Keelan Cole
JAX
47
22
Mike Evans
TB
50
23
Jarvis Landry
MIA
52
24
Devin Funchess
CAR
54
25
Demaryius Thomas
DEN
55
26
Marquise Goodwin
SF
56
27
Michael Crabtree
OAK
57
28
Golden Tate
DET
61
29
Sterling Shepard
NYG
62
30
Jermaine Kearse
NYJ
63
31
Amari Cooper
OAK
66
32
Randall Cobb
GB
67
33
Mohamed Sanu
ATL
69
34
Martavis Bryant
PIT
72
35
Tyrell Williams
LAC
75
36
Mike Wallace
BAL

37
John Brown
AZ

38
Kelvin Benjamin
BUF

39
Robert Woods
LAR

40
Sammy Watkins
LAR


Rank
Tight End
Team
Flex
1
Rob Gronkowski
NE
9
2
Travis Kelce
KC
42
3
Vernon Davis
WAS
59
4
Evan Engram
NYG
68
5
Delanie Walker
TEN
70
6
Charles Clay
BUF
71
7
Zach Ertz
PHI

8
Jack Doyle
IND

9
Kyle Rudolph
MIN

10
Greg Olsen
CAR

11
Eric Ebron
DET

12
Jimmy Graham
SEA

13
Cameron Brate
TB

14
Benjamin Watson
BAL

15
Jesse James
PIT


Rank
Kicker
Team
1
Justin Tucker
BAL
2
Chris Boswell
PIT
3
Stephen Gostkowski
NE
4
Wil Lutz
NO
5
Harrison Butker
KC
6
Josh Lambo
JAX
7
Matt Prater
DET
8
Robbie Gould
SF
9
Kai Forbath
MIN
10
Matt Bryant
ATL


Rank
Team Defense
1
Pittsburgh
2
Seattle
3
Baltimore
4
Minnesota
5
LA Chargers
6
New England
7
Washington
8
Detroit
9
Buffalo
10
Kansas City