Alexander Mattison, a league winner as long as Dalvin is OUT

Dalvin Cook is one of the premier running backs in the NFL. Sadly, he has not appeared in even 70% of games in his first four seasons in the NFL. This season, he has missed two games and is set to miss at least two more with a dislocated shoulder. There are two lessons to learn here. It is time to stop counting on Dalvin Cook to be that top fantasy player he was in 2020 and if someone drafts Dalvin Cook, handcuff Alexander Mattison.

Alexander Mattison is set to be the lead back for the next two weeks for the Minnesota Vikings. Someone like me handcuffed Mattison in my home league for two months. I thought I was patient enough until I dropped Mattison in desperate need of an Alvin Kamara filler two weeks ago. I played myself. Now, Mattison is an RB1 this week and for the time being with Cook being out.

The Cook is out

Mattison has had a handful of opportunities to show what he has to offer. He fills in for a game or two and then back to his reserve role. I am here to say that Dalvin Cook should be sidelined for the remainder of the year. Lingering issues for a top player in this league with the Vikings having a slim to none chance of making noise if they make the playoffs. Cook should be put on IR and given this time to get back to 100% for the 2022 season.

Alexander the Great

This is my bold take that Alexander Mattison will be a league winner with Dalvin being sidelined. The games where Mattison has filled in for Cook and played over 50% of the snaps, good things happened. Mattison has surpassed 15 points each time when handling over 50% of the snaps. Three of those games, Mattison put up over 23 points.

In one of those games, which took place this season, Mattison faced the Detroit Lions and had 25 carries, 113 rushing yards, seven targets, seven catches, and one touchdown. Mattison finished as the NO. 6 RB in week five. Now, in week 13, Mattison will carry the load for the Vikings backfield and plays none other than the Detroit Lions. Alexander is great in passing game as well with an 84% catch rate which ranks him NO. 8.

ROS schedule

The Vikings have the sixth easiest schedule for running backs the rest of the season. With Cook being out, Mattison is a smash play every single week. A certified RB1 with the ability to make plays when the ball is in his hands. It is the most important time of the fantasy football season and waiver wire pick-ups are key to winning championships. Alexander Mattison will be a league winner and make a name for himself after this month. My last bold take for this article is that Dalvin won’t be a Viking for more than one more year. The injuries are accumulating on his body and the Vikings know they have a replacement that when given the chance can carry the load.

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Week 13 start ’em/sit ’em

With the fantasy football playoffs just three weeks away, it is time to secure those playoff spots. A couple of key running backs went down this week with Dalvin Cook and D’andre Swift to miss multiple weeks. Christian McCaffrey hit the IR again and will miss the rest of the season. Handcuffing the backups of these running backs was a big brain move by anyone who did it. One of these running backs’ backups is on my start ’em list and has high potential to be a league winner.

Start No.1: Alexander Mattison

Alexander Mattison is an RB1 whenever Dalvin Cook misses time and the same will happen once again in week 13. When Mattison plays more than 50% of the snaps, he has scored more than 16 fantasy points each time. In one of those matchups, it was vs the Lions in week five of this season. Mattison totaled 25 carries, 113 rushing yards, seven targets for seven catches, and one touchdown.

Mattison is a certified RB1 with Dalvin sidelined and is a top-five play for me this week vs the Detroit Lions.

Start ’em No. 2: Hunter Renfrow

In the past four games, Hunter Renfrow has been the WR10 in fantasy football. He is Derek Carr’s favorite target especially with Darren Waller battling an injury. Renfrow has racked up 26 catches on 31 targets with 259 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This week he faces the Washington Football Team who allow the fourth-most points to the opposing receivers.

With Darren Waller OUT this week, confidently start Hunter Renfrow as a WR2 in week 13.

Start ’em No. 3: Eagles D/ST

Yes, a defense makes the list. The Eagles defense is owned in just 55% of ESPN leagues. With two lefts to clinch playoff spots, this is the best streaming defense out there this week. The Eagles get to travel to New York to face rookie Zac Wilson and the Jets. After a rough week vs the Giants, the Eagles will look to bounce back, and no better way to do it than one of the worst teams this season in the Jets.

Sit ’em No. 1/2: DK Metcalf & Russell Wilson

Dark times are happening in Seattle right now. After an embarrassing loss to the Washington Football Team Monday night, the talk of the town is that Russell Wilson needs to get out of Seattle. The Seahawks are a mess and because of that, Wilson has become unstartable for me. He does not look like a top-five player as years prior showed. Since returning from injury, Wilson is the QB19 and the offense seems lifeless.

Facing a division opponent in the 49ers does not make it any easier. The same niners squad who made a fool of the Los Angeles Rams a few weeks ago, I see the niners doing the same to the Seahawks.

With Russ not being himself, that has set back DK Metcalf too. He is not a lineup lock as he was when he was drafted within the first three rounds of most fantasy leagues. Since week 10, DK is the WR84. Yes, WR84. The targets have not been there and the matchups do not lighten up. The next two out of three opponents are the 49ers, and the Rams. Those two teams place in the top half in terms of the least amount of points allowed to wide receivers.

Sit ’em No. 3: Terry McLaurin

Whether it is the quarterback play or not, Terry McLaurin has been very underwhelming this season. Being drafted as the WR10 in the pre-season, Terry has had more weeks outside the top 12 WR than being on the inside. Four, Terry has had four weeks as a top 12 WR. It does not get any easier this week facing a Raiders team who allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. Terry has been too inconsistent to be a line-up lock and another down week is on the horizon.

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Point guards for the next ten years, Ja Morant or Trae Young?

Point guards are the most important players in basketball. Each generation gets better, and that is the truth. Evolution is a very real thing, and some people hate to face that truth. Players from previous eras might not be able to play in today’s game, but players from today can play in any era. There is better technology, doctors, and medicine today than even just ten years ago.

Two point guards have caught my eye, and I think they have all-time great potential. Ja Morant and Trae Young are the two next great point guards of the NBA. Trae Young took the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals. Eventually, they lost to the champion Bucks, but being overlooked made the Hawks run special last season.

Ja, well, Ja Morant is on a tear this season and a true MVP candidate. In the wild wild west, he has the Grizz as the fourth seed. Who you got for the next ten years, Ja Morant or Trae Young? Let’s break it down.

Ideal Point Guard

When I think of a point guard I want on a team, it is Ja or Trae. The great point guards like Steph, Dame, and Russ already are at the backend of their careers, but two of these guards are seen in the two youngin’s I’m speaking on. Ja is a version of Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. Those are two former MVPs, with Rose being the youngest MVP in NBA history. At age 22, Ja is looking to match D-Rose’s legendary season and capture an MVP at age 22 as well.

For Trae Young, you are getting another version of Steph but so different as well. When shooting three-pointers from 30 plus feet, call on Steph, Dame, and ICEY Trae. Both guards are crafty with their handles and, most importantly, look to make their teammates better. I love these two guards because they give their teammates great opportunities with their passing ability. Also, they both are capable of dropping 25 plus points any given night. For a point guard, I want someone like Ja or Trae.

Looking Towards The Future

In all honesty, you cannot go wrong with either one of these players. Both are so lethal in their ways and are improving parts of their games that have not been so strong. I have the edge towards Ja Morant right now. Hawk fans, I know Trae is your golden boy, but facts are facts. Trae Young is somewhat having a down season so far. His points, rebounds, and assists are the lowest they have been since his rookie season. It isn’t a coincidence certain players’ numbers are down with the new rule change regarding foul calls.

Morant seems like he is on a mission to establish himself as one of the NBA’s best point guards and best players. Ja is having the best year of his career all across the board. Averages of 27 ppg, 5.5 rebs, and 7.5 ast per game. Morant is even shooting a career-high 36% from three-point range on five attempts per game.

As I stated, you cannot go wrong with either of these point guards. I am taking Ja Morant for the next ten years. There’s nothing against Trae Young; I just like Ja’s game more and feel like he has that IT factor more than Trae. Trae is ice cold and proved it last season, but this is just preference.

Who do you have for the next ten seasons?

Fantasy Football 2021 disappointments based on ADP

There are numerous ways to go about drafting in fantasy football. ADPs, research all you want, listen to tons of podcasts, but that still might not work. Going with your gut might be the best bet for you or anyone. Just because a player has a certain ADP (averaged draft position) does not mean it will come together. It is a fantasy for a reason. The best and worst thing is how unpredictable it can be. A few players have been disappointing and not living up to their ADP from the off-season.

The Cook is missing

Dalvin Cook averaged over 22 points in half PPR and over 24 points in full PPR last season. Cook was the consensus number two pick in almost every draft this past off-season. I know some people that took Cook number one overall. It has been very underwhelming if Dalvin Cook is on your fantasy football team. Being your top pick, Cook has not produced like one. In 14 games last season, Cook had eight games with 20 or more points. This season, he has just three of those games and has already missed two weeks of action.

Cook is averaging 15.7 points in full PPR leagues which has him as RB22. Being a first-round pick, it is a frustrating feeling. The biggest contributor to Dalvin’s lackluster fantasy performances is the touchdowns. Having 16 rushing touchdowns in 2020, Dalvin has just three total touchdowns on the season. This is something fantasy managers of Cook are going to have to just deal with for the rest of 2021.

Clyde Is Gliding Outta KC

At this rate, do the Kansas City Chiefs really need a specific running back? Or can they plug and play anyone at the position? Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been the most disappointing player for me. I was high on him in 2020 and used a first-round pick on him in a few leagues. The truth is, the Chiefs do not trust CEH as they do with Darrel Williams. Since CEH’s injury, Williams has had two games with over 20 points including last Sunday’s 29 point outing vs the Raiders.

CEH before the injury was disappointing. He was not getting the goal line carries managers wanted to see. He flat out was not getting the production in the first five weeks of the season that felt satisfying. Even with two 100 yard rush games, CEH was RB29 after week five. He was being drafted as the RB14 with an ADP of 21.5.

Allen Is Robin Son

This is going to hurt a lot of people, but does anyone know what happened to Allen Robinson? At times, you could start him confidently as a WR1 in 2020. At this point in 2021, I am more comfortable starting Cole Beasley than Allen Robinson. Cole Beasley is the WR3 for the Bills and Robinson is supposed to be the WR1 for the Bears. That should give you a perspective on how bad it is going this year for Robinson.

Allen Robinson had an ADP of 32.8 and WR11. He has not scored more than 10.8 points this season and that is in full PPR. At this rate, sitting as WR60, you can drop Allen Robinson and not feel bad whatsoever. It is a sad thing to see as a fantasy manager when your 3rd-4th round pick is being outperformed by players that went un-drafted. This was probably the biggest fantasy bust this season. A lot of players got injured, but not Robinson. He has played in every game but just has not been able to produce.

Final thoughts

Everyone had disappointments on their fantasy football teams this year. It will always happen and nothing can be done about it. It is how you recover from drafting a player that isn’t producing at a top-level you expected him to.

Fantasy Football surprises

Fantasy football, the home stretch is here. Final trades need to be made and critical decisions every week. Teams at the top, don’t take your foot off the gas because those teams at the bottom are aiming for your spot. Each season, they’re tons of surprises. We have people with fantasy takes that hit and some that look awful. We all have a mixture of both. The surprises are the best because it was such a rewarding feeling when you drafted that surprise player. I have three in mind that stand out to me.

Chasing records

To begin with, the rookies entering the NFL get more lethal as the years pass. First-year players are producing as if they are five-year veterans. Justin Jefferson had the most receiving yards by a rookie receiver since 1960. Ja’marr Chase, his college teammate, is on pace to break that. Chase is actually on pace to have the greatest rookie season by a receiver in NFL history.

Through nine games, Chase has accumulated 835 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. That has him number three overall in receiving yards and touchdowns this season. Chase sits as the number three receiver in fantasy football and is one of my biggest surprises this season. The receiving record for a rookie receiver is 1460 yards, and Chase looks like he will be surpassing that sometime this season. He has locked himself in as a premier receiver for fantasy football in the years to come.

Cordarrelle, The Offensive Weapon

In his ninth NFL season, Cordarrelle Patterson is finally being utilized properly. Patterson can run the football out the backfield and line up as a receiver quite nicely. He has been able to be one of Atlanta’s primary focal points of the offense. This is my biggest surprise for fantasy football this season, without a doubt. Sitting as the number six running back in fantasy, Patterson came from the waiver wire and went undrafted in most leagues. Being able to grab a player off the free agency and put up consistent RB1 numbers is fulfilling.

The most exciting part about this is that Patterson is not playing a lot of snaps. Two weeks ago, he played his highest of the season with 73% of the snaps. Other than that, he has been playing around 50% of the snaps, and it is impressive still to be a top 10 RB in fantasy football. Patterson is genuinely making the most of his opportunities.

Time To Go Hollywood

The first two years of his career were like that actor that needed a big break. After trying and trying, with some bumps along the way, nothing seemed to happen. In year three, this man has lived up to the name of Hollywood Brown. In his first two seasons, Brown managed to have just two 100 yard receiving games. He has three so far in his third season and is WR6 on the year in fantasy football.

Hollywood sits number six in receiving yards and is finally playing like the player the consensus thought he could be. The connection is strong with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Brown is just getting started. With games vs. the Dolphins, Bears, and Browns in the next three weeks, I see Hollywood having big production in those three and solidifying his status as a WR1.

Final Thoughts

If you have any surprise players on your roster, you can keep believing in them or make a trade. There might be a bonafide star that you want that isn’t performing how they usually do. With one of these players, even the ones I listed, you can get them; Chances are, if you were to offer someone Hollywood Brown for Justin Jefferson, they might bite. Just some food for thought.

ARTICLE FROM TWO WEEKS AGO

Love

All you need is love. Just like the Beatles said so many years ago. All you really need in life is to give love. Love is one thing that can help someone accomplish anything in life. With love, you feel this sense of being wanted, of having someone thinking about you. For me, love motivates me to do so much in life. I have to make my loved ones proud of me. They have to be proud to know Brandon Blanco and what he stands for.

Love is very powerful and can be abused as well. There have been those relationships where the love is being abused and it really is not love anymore. You cannot love someone and control them at the same time. Loving someone is always being there for them, always making sure they are okay. Trying to control what someone does or say is not love. That is being manipulative and people get those confused all the time.

There is so much hate in this world. There is so many selfish people who just want everything for themselves and that is okay to a certain extent. You have to put yourself first as the only person who is going to truly care about yourself is the person looking back at you in the mirror. We are on this world all together though. People do not realize that all of us have good inside of us. All of us have love to spread and that is what we should be doing instead of spreading negativity. The insults of people over social media. the bullying of other kids in schools. With love, the world would be such a peaceful place. It’ll never happen, but little by little, people should realize, all you need is love.

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Crypto, my love

They did not believe in the internet, Uber, Instagram, Google and even Facebook. Now, all those companies are things that everyday life needs. Work in a busy city? Uber is the way to go as opposed to staying stuck in traffic and dealing with parking. Instagram has turned people into millionaires and changed lives. Google? well, you probably just googled something right now because we humans always have questions. Facebook? My mother and everyone’s mother loves Facebook as if it was another child to them. All of these companies started from the bottom, had hate, and now are a part of all of our everyday lives.

Now, the future is cryptocurrency and you got the old heads who hate it because they are at the end of their life and won’t be able to see what the future of the world will look like with Crypto. It is the truth and the truth hurts. For others, it is the fear of putting money into something when the average person has so many expenses. I am here to tell you, IT WILL BE WORTH IT. Your future, the future of your family can be changed with this.

Cryptocurrency is a form of payment that can be exchanged online for goods and services. It is ran on a techonology called blockchain. Blockchain is a decentralized technology spread across many computers that manages and records transactions. It is the future and the way of how everyday life should be. You should be able to transfer money without the goverment or banks being in the way of your business. That is why crypto gets so much hate.

Find a mentor, watch videos and keep gaining knowledge of the future of this world. Invest in yourself and not someone else. Have your money work for you and not for someone else. My mentor is a close friend of mine named Drew. He helped me with DOGECOIN when it was just a little penny. I ended up turning $500 into a little over $3000. Now, I have a whole portofolio with numerous coins and have acquried even more than the $3000 I made off DOGECOIN. The future is happening now and it best to get ahead of the game as opposed to years from now when everyone and their momma are trying to get into cryptocurrency.

Crypto, my love. You are going to change my life and secure everything I have ever wanted. The freedom and the saftey of my family. For that, I will always be grateful. TO THE MOOOOON.

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The scripted life

Life is a script. We are all living through things that have already happened. Some people do not like to think like this because they think they have no control over their life. That is not the case. Everything that happens in your life was supposed to happen. The creator who made all of us is never wrong. Everyone has a purpose and a role in life. Some are better than others, but that is life. Some work harder than others, some get by easier than others and that is okay.

In life, you still have control and can make anything you put your mind to happen. When I say the scripted life, I mean the events, the actions, and the people you meet and go through in your life were supposed to happen. People hear scripted and think they have no control over their life and that is not the case. You can pack your bags up and move to the other side of the world, it was supposed to happen.

Life is a book. Every single one of our lives is a book and when you are in your 20s, that is the hardest part of the book to get through. You sit there every day getting through life, wondering is this enough? Is this good enough to get the job done? Am I doing good? We create a lot of self-doubt at this age because we are trying to figure this life thing out. For certain, everything happens for a reason and you are exactly where you need to be in life. It is your script and it gets better as each day passes.

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Fear

Fear is okay. It is the knot that forms in your chest when you are not sure of something. Not sure of how something is going to play out. It is when you feel like all is lost, when you feel like the hole is too deep to climb out of. Just know, fear is okay. We need fear in our life to feel motivated, to keep on grinding in life. Fear makes me want to work harder, so I don’t lose anything I achieved. Fear has made for some of the greatest things this life has ever seen. Go apply for that job across the country. The only thing that is stopping you, is the fear of failing. The fear of moving and being alone, scared of what the future has for you. The thing is, we need to take that leap of faith to find ourselves. Fear will always be with us, no matter what. Don’t look at it in a negative light. Use it to push you, strive for greatness and do not ever be satisfied. Be grateful for what you have, but know that you can work even harder and achieve even more. The possibilities are endless. Fear is okay.

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Tom Brady

Tom Brady is the NFL’s Michael Jordan. His will to win can be looked at on the same level of Michael’s. To some, they are crazy but to others, they are just pure winners. To be entering his 22nd season, 7 super bowl wins and still hungry for me, that is the mindset everyone should have in everything they do in life. Always strive for greatness and be the best in anything you do. You never know who is watching and the opportunities that can arise from it.

All of this to just say, Tampa Bay will be in the Super Bowl again this season. All 22 starters from the offense and defense will be returning. Add one of the easiest schedules based off strength of schedule, it is no wonder why Vegas has Tampa Bay winning the most games this season. Brady proved it last year that the Patriots dynasty was him and this season he will prove to the world that anywhere he goes, turns to gold and winning.

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