Jason Collington, a lecturer at Oklahoma State University and an editor at the Tulsa World, was one of only a handful who believed that Kansas City would have an elite defense, and that helped him work his way to the top of the heap at that category in the Fantasy Index Open.
If you want to win a competition like the Fantasy Index Open, beating over 200 other forecasters, you’ve got to take some chances. You can’t just trot out rankings that are pretty similar to what happened in 2012 or close to the general consensus for the upcoming season. You’ve got to be right about something that everybody else is missing.
And with that mind, I will intro Jason Collington of Tulsa as the winner in the defensive and special teams categories. He took chances – he chased the dream – and it paid off.
Kansas City was the runaway leader at this position, scoring 35 more points than any other team (using 6 for TDs, 2 for takeaways and 1 for sacks). Only four of the 209 competiters in this competition had the vision to rank them in the top 9 among defense. Collington is one of those guys, and that helped him score mega points.
Collington is an editor for the Tulsa World. He is also a lecturer at Oklahoma State University.
As a refresher, this contest is different than a typical fantasy league. There’s no drafting, rosters or lineups. You’re getting scored on every player. The higher you rank them, the more they count towards your points total.
As an example, Collington ranked Kansas City 7th, so the multiplier number there is 24 (31 minus 7). And 24 x 185 = 4,440 points. Had he put a typical defense in there (say, New England for 124 points) than he would have received 24 x 124 = 2,976 poitns. So Collington created about 1,500 points worth of value for his team, relative to the vast majority of other players.
Three other guys actually ranked Kansas City even higher – Brad Henderson of Lousville (2nd), Miguel Tames of Miami (5th) and Tim Wandling of Rohnert Park, Calif. (5th). But those guys didn’t do well enough with their other picks to keep pace with Collington.
Tames came close, he finished in 2nd overall, fewer than 300 points back. Eric Scolnick from Redmond, Wash. (a half hour from where I’m at) is the bronze medalist in this category.
We’re working our way through the six categories in this competition – QB, RB, WR, TE, K and DEF. The overall winner of the competition – the best of the 209 entries – wins a monstrously huge trophy from the team at Affordable Trophies. They’ve kindly offered to partner on this thing.
The top 2 finishers (the winner and the runner-up) win berths in the Fantasy Experts Poll in the magazine (which runs just the same way but is limited to 20 participants).
Defense is different than the other positions in that injuries don’t play as big of a role. Yes, you get star players getting hurt and whatnot. But it’s not like at the other positions, where when a guy in your top 10 misses half of the season, it totally guts your score. Think Arian Foster at running back. Personnally I did crappy at kicker yesterday, and I’m blaming that on Connor Barth (I had him 8th) who missed the entire season.
Now we’re starting to score it, and that should be completed in about a week. A lot of entries and numbers, and it takes time (and we’ve got other things we’re working on).
At this position, almost everyone finished in the range of 46,000-51,000 points. We’ve got one partial entry at the bottom (a guy who thought he was to submit a top 10 at each position, rather than a top 20).
With Collington, Kansas City wasn’t his only roll of the dice. He had Cleveland as the No. 1 defense overall. That one cost him points; the Browns ranked only 16th in defensive scoring, which was lower than consensus ranking of 13th they finished with. He dropped Houston all the way down to 10th, and that helped him (most people had the Texans in their top 3, and they finished last in defensive scoring). The general consense was that Arizona had a middle-of-the-pack defense, but Collington ranked them No. 3, which also gave him a big boost relative to most of the other competitors.
Averaging all of the picks, Baltimore, Minnesota and Miami were suppose to finish as the 10th, 15th and 17th defenses, but Collington wisely left them off entirely. The Ravens ended up tying for 18th in scoring, while Minnesota and Miami had bottom-10 defenses.
FANTASY INDEX OPEN, DEFENSES (Top 10 percent) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Rk | Name | Hometown | Occupation | Points |
1. | Jason Collington | Tulsa, Okla. | Editor | 51,436 |
2. | Miguel Tames | Miami, Fla. | Retail Manager | 51,158 |
3. | Eric Scolnick | Redmond, Wash. | Accountant | 50,927 |
4. | Jim Costello | Portland, Maine | Mail Processor | 50,828 |
5. | Dish Adams | Los Angeles, Calif. | Fantasy Football Analyst | 50,775 |
6. | Scott Anderson | Lakewood, Colo. | Office Space Denizen | 50,747 |
7. | David DiGregorio | Norristown, Pa. | Postal Clerk (retired) | 50,337 |
8. | Brad Freeman | Geneva, Ill. | Attorney | 50,270 |
9. | Sebastian Falsone | Philadelphia, Pa. | Sales Rep | 50,128 |
10. | John O'Kane | Flemington, N.J. | Catholic Priest | 50,122 |
11. | Jason Howe | Oakland, Calif. | Regional Manager | 50,035 |
12. | Michael O'Brien | Brighton, Colo. | Fingerprint Examiner | 49,944 |
13. | John Ruppe | Fort Myers, Fla. | Business Owner | 49,941 |
14. | Stephen Coleman | Aurora, Ill. | Consultant | 49,932 |
15. | Matt Kons | Milwaukee, Wis. | Outside Sales | 49,893 |
16. | Adam Sheets | Santa Rosa, Calif. | Self Employed | 49,827 |
17. | Jake Boegel | Minneapolis, Minn. | Med Sales | 49,766 |
18. | Shane Scott | Toronto, Ont. | Teacher | 49,731 |
19. | Michael Livengood | Ward, Ark. | Newspaper designer | 49,725 |
20. | Daniel Bowman | Liberty, Mo. | Government Worker | 49,708 |
ALPHABETICAL LISTING | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Hometown | Occupation | Points | Rank |
Aaron Sucov | Monmouth Junction, N.J. | Student | 47,585 | 188 |
Adam Holtz | Rochester, Minn. | Financial Analyst | 48,516 | 126 |
Adam Locke | Lynnwood, Wash. | Teacher | 48,772 | 111 |
Adam Renzoni | Buffalo, N.Y. | Government | 49,647 | 24 |
Adam Sheets | Santa Rosa, Calif. | Self Employed | 49,827 | 16 |
Adam Thygeson | Portland, Ore. | Teacher | 48,927 | 99 |
Alan Kaster | Green Bay, Wis. | Server/Prep Cook | 47,207 | 201 |
Alessandro Miglio | San Pablo, Calif. | Programmer / Writer | 48,135 | 155 |
Andy Gough | Dallas, Texas | IT Project Manager | 48,091 | 159 |
Andy Richardson | Port Chester, N.Y. | Fantasy Football Writer | 49,350 | 50 |
Austin Lee | San Francisco, Calif. | Filmmaker | 47,730 | 178 |
Bill Mason | Huntersville, N.C. | Plant Operator | 49,611 | 27 |
Bill Rehor | Culver City, Calif. | Writer | 49,373 | 48 |
Bob Adelman | St. Louis, Mo. | Sales | 49,496 | 38 |
Bob Buchner | Coral Springs, Fla. | Attorney | 49,181 | 70 |
Bob Stone | Odenton, Md. | Finance | 47,648 | 182 |
Bob Tecca | Buffalo, Minn. | IT Manager | 49,300 | 54 |
Brack Varnon | Houston, Texas | Waiter | 49,229 | 57 |
Brad Freeman | Geneva, Ill. | Attorney | 50,270 | 8 |
Brad Henderson | Louisville, Ky. | Customer Service | 49,675 | 22 |
Bradley Wolfrum | Alpharetta, Ga. | Small Business Owner | 49,561 | 34 |
Brant Hollenbeck | Lansing, Mich. | Sales | 46,258 | 207 |
Brent Miles | Pasco, Wash. | Minor League Baseball | 48,391 | 135 |
Brett Sanborn | Rochester Hills, Mich. | Sales | 47,753 | 176 |
Brian Carlson | Lexington, Ky. | Accountant | 49,425 | 44 |
Brian George | Billings, Mont. | Mover/Shaker | 48,390 | 136 |
Brian Laskiewicz | Randolph, N.J. | Attorney | 49,184 | 68 |
Brian Sauber | Denver, Colo. | Engineer | 48,037 | 166 |
Brian Staines | Mars, Pa. | Math Teacher | 49,471 | 41 |
Bryan Sweet | Cookeville, Tenn. | Insurance Agent | 47,441 | 193 |
Chad Eisenhower | Reading, Pa. | Sales | 49,126 | 82 |
Chris Blacksmith | Las Vegas, Nev. | Cab Driver | 49,198 | 64 |
Chris Durham | Yuma, Ariz. | Teacher | 48,573 | 120 |
Chris Lingen | Rochester, Minn. | Elementary Principal | 48,458 | 129 |
Chris Whitney | San Jose, Calif. | Pediatrician | 46,240 | 208 |
Chris Winder | Pleasant Hill, Calif. | Teacher | 49,291 | 56 |
Clifford Quinn | Annapolis, Md. | Coach | 49,189 | 67 |
Cory Bonini | San Diego, Calif. | KFFL.com | 48,524 | 123 |
Craig Robinson | Combined Locks, Wis. | Horticulturulist | 49,166 | 74 |
Curt Goldgrabe | Boise, Idaho | Executive Director | 48,856 | 106 |
Dan Frye | Houston, Texas | Sales Manager | 48,990 | 94 |
Dan Schneier | West Orange, N.J. | Consultant | 48,350 | 138 |
Dana Duffield | Rochester, Minn. | Engineer | 48,744 | 114 |
Daniel Bowman | Liberty, Mo. | Government Worker | 49,708 | 20 |
Darrell Duke | Spring, Texas | Sales Manager | 47,301 | 199 |
Dave Bernhard | Madison, Wis. | University Administrator | 48,755 | 113 |
Dave Cohen | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Media | 48,498 | 127 |
Dave Iampieri | Forest Hill, Md. | Teacher | 48,944 | 95 |
Dave Read | Cranberry, Pa. | Sales Engineer | 49,108 | 84 |
David Aikenhead | Lancaster, Calif. | Teacher | 48,285 | 146 |
David DiGregorio | Norristown, Pa. | Postal Clerk (retired) | 50,337 | 7 |
David J Thornton | Denver, Colo. | Management | 47,603 | 186 |
Dean Tuffie | Aliquippa, Pa. | Accountant | 48,909 | 102 |
Dennis Thomas | Watsonville, Calif. | Program Analyst | 47,361 | 197 |
Derek Mathis | North Charleston, S.C. | Insurance Salesman | 49,170 | 72 |
Dish Adams | Los Angeles, Calif. | Fantasy Football Analyst | 50,775 | 5 |
Don Pavelka | Plainview, Minn. | Accountant | 49,069 | 85 |
Doug Pawlak | Knoxville, Tenn. | Engineer | 47,792 | 173 |
Ed O'Hair | Katy, Texas | Retail | 47,535 | 191 |
Ed Weiss | Parsippany, N.J. | Accountant | 48,565 | 121 |
Eddie Tietchen | Sicklerville, N.J. | Letter Carrier | 49,554 | 35 |
Edward Winklosky | Oakland, Calif. | Attorney | 49,040 | 88 |
Eric Buchholz | Destin, Fla. | Stay-at-home Dad | 49,292 | 55 |
Eric Gustitus | Exeter, Pa. | Title Searcher | 48,493 | 128 |
Eric Hotz | Fremont, Ohio | Graphic Designer | 47,587 | 187 |
Eric Scolnick | Redmond, Wash. | Accountant | 50,927 | 3 |
Eric Stancliff | Mount Airy, Md. | Police Officer | 47,736 | 177 |
Gary Allen | Charleston, S.C. | Engineer | 49,647 | 25 |
Gary Stehly | Hilliard, Ohio | IT Analysis | 47,540 | 190 |
Geoff Maleman | Redondo Beach, Calif. | Public Relations | 49,669 | 23 |
Gilberto Baca | Fresno, Calif. | Civil Engineer | 49,022 | 91 |
Greg Heminway | Sacramento, Calif. | Finance Director | 49,207 | 62 |
Hank DaBruzzi | Oakdale, Minn. | Construction | 48,763 | 112 |
Harriett Hunt | Atlanta, Ga. | Teamleader | 48,417 | 133 |
Henry Goers | Bartlett, Ill. | Teamster Machine Operator | 48,523 | 124 |
Henry Karsen | Lecanto , Fla. | Professional Handicapper | 48,221 | 149 |
Ian Allan | Seattle, Wash. | Fantasy Football Analyst | 49,140 | 79 |
Isaac McNally | Billings, Mont. | Evangelist | 48,259 | 148 |
Jake Boegel | Minneapolis, Minn. | Med Sales | 49,766 | 17 |
James Sutter | San Carlos, Calif. | Plumber | 49,676 | 21 |
James Wimmers | Lincolnton, N.C. | Data Analyst | 49,586 | 29 |
Jamie Alberts | Sturgeon Bay, Wis. | Banker | 49,524 | 36 |
Jason Collington | Tulsa, Okla. | Editor | 51,436 | 1 |
Jason Howe | Oakland, Calif. | Regional Manager | 50,035 | 11 |
Jason Pilon | Columbia Heights, Minn. | Office Grunt | 48,060 | 164 |
Jason Spann | St. Louis, Mo. | Software Engineer | 48,348 | 140 |
Jeff Fell | Sarnia, Ont. | Manager | 48,522 | 125 |
Jeff Fossett | Newburgh, Ind. | Manager | 47,124 | 203 |
Jeff Richey | Flower Mound, Texas | Phone technician | 49,489 | 39 |
Jeff Slawson | Buffalo, N.Y. | Auto Worker | 48,130 | 156 |
Jeffery Lebeouf | Crowley, La. | Postmaster | 48,065 | 163 |
Jeremy Schwartz | Edison, N.J. | Student | 48,202 | 151 |
Jim Costello | Portland, Maine | Mail Processor | 50,828 | 4 |
Jim DiLorenzo | Grayslake, Ill. | Production Planner | 47,754 | 175 |
Jim Kangas | Viroqua, Wis. | Business Analyst | 49,179 | 71 |
Jim Nienaber | Georgetown, Ohio | Self Employed | 49,210 | 60 |
Joe Vlcek | Virginia Beach, Va. | Environmental Engineer | 49,013 | 92 |
John D. Smith | Mount Laurel, N.J. | Warehouse Manager | 49,436 | 43 |
John Duggins | Greenville, S.C. | Finance | 48,172 | 154 |
John Isett | Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. | Real Estate | 49,061 | 86 |
John Marino | Binghamton, N.Y. | Gun Shop Owner | 47,435 | 194 |
John Moore | Sea Isle City, N.J. | Real Estate Agent | 47,116 | 204 |
John O'Kane | Flemington, N.J. | Catholic Priest | 50,122 | 10 |
John Richmond | Peoria, Ariz. | Enforcement Officer | 48,295 | 144 |
John Roberts | Honolulu, Hawaii | Architect | 49,184 | 69 |
John Ruppe | Fort Myers, Fla. | Business Owner | 49,941 | 13 |
Jon Elliott Hansen | Reno, Nev. | Craps Dealer | 48,192 | 153 |
Jonathan Mora | Miami, Fla. | Network Technician | 47,882 | 171 |
Joseph Michelangelo | Oceanside, N.Y. | Consultant | 48,838 | 108 |
Juan Novo | Miami, Fla. | Sales | 47,771 | 174 |
Justin Morris | Midland, Ont. | Analyst | 48,614 | 119 |
Keenan Raverty | North St Paul, Minn. | Banker | 48,261 | 147 |
Keith Mason | Sumter, S.C. | Buyer | 48,082 | 160 |
Keith McGrail | Tinley Park, Ill. | Teacher | 48,925 | 100 |
Ken Yuen | Arlington Heights, Ill. | Attorney | 49,039 | 89 |
Kent Bailey | Puyallup, Wash. | Construction Estimator | 48,093 | 158 |
Kevin Cuozzo | Boston, Mass. | Payroll | 47,297 | 200 |
Kevin Hall | Allen, Texas | Accountant | 48,937 | 97 |
Kevin Smith | Philadelphia, Pa. | Student | 48,349 | 139 |
Kevin Weakland | Tracy, Calif. | Information Technology | 49,386 | 47 |
Kirk Kennedy | Pink Hill, N.C. | Teacher | 47,643 | 183 |
Lou Sanicola | Menomonee Falls, Wis. | Truck Driver | 48,218 | 150 |
Louis Dale Gander | Sun Prairie, Wis. | Manager | 49,225 | 58 |
Manny De Jesus | Gilbert, Ariz. | Insurance Agent | 49,566 | 32 |
Marc Price | Kelowna, B.C. | Law Firm Manager | 47,907 | 170 |
Mark Burns | Runnemede, N.J. | Sales Manager | 49,162 | 76 |
Mark Faber | Columbus, Ohio | Barter | 48,931 | 98 |
Mark Kundrotas | Atco, N.J. | Retirement Services | 48,347 | 141 |
Mark Stoecker | Mansfield, Texas | Attorney | 49,483 | 40 |
Matt Becker | Reading, Pa. | Sales | 48,922 | 101 |
Matt Hayes | Winder, Ga. | Pastor | 49,410 | 45 |
Matt Kons | Milwaukee, Wis. | Outside Sales | 49,893 | 15 |
Michael Cabaza | Cherry Hill, N.J. | Firefighter | 48,736 | 116 |
Michael Crow | Orion, Ill. | Systems Engineer | 48,890 | 103 |
Michael Kolton | Green Bay, Wis. | Teacher | 48,442 | 132 |
Michael Livengood | Ward, Ark. | Newspaper designer | 49,725 | 19 |
Michael McAninch | Naperville, Ill. | Network Engineer | 47,354 | 198 |
Michael McCleary | Roseville, Calif. | Insurance | 49,504 | 37 |
Michael McIlraith | Los Angeles, Calif. | Student | 49,205 | 63 |
Michael Murillo | Tampa, Fla. | Writer | 47,802 | 172 |
Michael O'Brien | Brighton, Colo. | Fingerprint Examiner | 49,944 | 12 |
Michael Phillips | West Hartford, Conn. | Attorney | 48,941 | 96 |
Michael Sarmento | San Jose, Calif. | Sales manager | 48,870 | 104 |
Michael Stanco | Clermont, Fla. | Wrestler | 49,112 | 83 |
Miguel Tames | Miami, Fla. | Retail Manager | 51,158 | 2 |
Mike Balliet | Milton, Pa. | Laborer | 49,582 | 30 |
Mike Carlson | Sacramento, Calif. | Fantasy Football Pro | 47,727 | 179 |
Mike Clay | Fleetwood, Pa. | Fantasy Football Writer | 49,023 | 90 |
Mike Craig | Kokomo, Ind. | Electrician | 49,196 | 65 |
Mike Green | Des Moines, Iowa | Retail Manager | 49,575 | 31 |
Mike McIlraith | Fort Worth, Texas | Mechanical Engineer | 48,292 | 145 |
Mike Nease | West Chicago, Ill. | Fantasy Football Writer | 48,200 | 152 |
Mike Todd | Otis, Ore. | Realtor | 49,144 | 78 |
Mike Wells | Good Thunder, Minn. | Professor | 49,565 | 33 |
Mitch Wurst | Cincinnati, Ohio | Technical Manager | 48,843 | 107 |
Moishe Steigmann | Milwaukee, Wis. | Teacher | 49,595 | 28 |
Nathan Kline | Topton, Pa. | Testing Technician | 49,158 | 77 |
Nathan Priest | Waynesboro, Pa. | Tech Support | 47,643 | 184 |
Nathan Roberts | Piketon, Ohio | Electrical Technician | 49,005 | 93 |
Paul Hazen | Granada Hills, Calif. | Acquisitions | 49,137 | 80 |
Paul Kuchar | Schaumburg, Ill. | Educator | 47,024 | 205 |
Peter Steinke | Redmond, Wash. | Realtor | 47,702 | 180 |
Rey Diaz | Miami, Fla. | Information Technology | 48,375 | 137 |
Rich Hodges | Tacoma, Wash. | Retail | 47,143 | 202 |
Richard Brisacher | Los Angeles, Calif. | Flag Football Coach | 48,011 | 167 |
Richard Jackson | Berkeley, Calif. | Attorney | 48,449 | 130 |
Richard Loppnow | Ephrata, Wash. | Pastor | 47,664 | 181 |
Richard Meadors | Seymour, Ind. | Radio Producer | 48,784 | 110 |
Rick Calabro | Staten Island, N.Y. | Financial Advisor | 48,806 | 109 |
Rob Dammers | Ringwood, N.J. | Systems Analyst | 47,416 | 196 |
Rob Reiber | Randolph, N.J. | Teacher | 48,052 | 165 |
Robert Cowart | Dallas, Texas | Project Manager | 48,303 | 142 |
Rocky Petrella | Philadelphia, Pa. | Buyer | 49,320 | 53 |
Ronald John Robuck | Tempe, Ariz. | Programmer | 49,133 | 81 |
Russell Ditnes | Jamison, Pa. | Amateur Fantasy Expert | 49,169 | 73 |
Rustin Paul | New York, N.Y. | Attorney | 47,430 | 195 |
Rusty Stephens | Dallas, Texas | Sales Manager | 48,414 | 134 |
S. Lind | Monmouth Junction, N.J. | Doctor | 48,862 | 105 |
Sam Hendricks | Lynchburg, Va. | Fantasy Football Author | 47,627 | 185 |
Scott Anderson | Lakewood, Colo. | Office Space Denizen | 50,747 | 6 |
Scott Brady | Collegeville, Pa. | Contract Administrator | 48,296 | 143 |
Scott Kopischke | Menomonee Falls, Wis. | Sales engineer | 49,216 | 59 |
Scott Liles | Russellville, Ark. | Gentleman Adventurer | 49,195 | 66 |
Scott Martin | La Crescenta, Calif. | Provider Reimbursement Specialist | 48,738 | 115 |
Scott Sachs | Huron, Ohio | Headhunter | 48,122 | 157 |
Sebastian Falsone | Philadelphia, Pa. | Sales Rep | 50,128 | 9 |
Shane Scott | Toronto, Ont. | Teacher | 49,731 | 18 |
Shiaw Chi | San Jose, Calif. | Attorney | 48,076 | 161 |
Stephen Coleman | Aurora, Ill. | Consultant | 49,932 | 14 |
Stephen Fisse | Mandeville (New Orleans), La. | Program Analyst | 48,539 | 122 |
Stephen McKenzie | Red Wing, Minn. | Books Are Fun Sales Rep | 49,396 | 46 |
Steve Hoyt | Buffalo Grove, Ill. | Teacher | 46,313 | 206 |
Steve Moyer | Alameda, Calif. | Investment Realtor | 49,455 | 42 |
Steve Tortora | Wallingford, Conn. | Manager | 47,953 | 168 |
Thomas Oliver | Nashville, Tenn. | Financial Planning | 49,209 | 61 |
Tim Lloyd | Newton , N.J. | Machinest | 47,534 | 192 |
Tim Wandling | Rohnert Park , Calif. | Professor | 49,613 | 26 |
Todd Voorhees | Chula Vista, Calif. | Public Affairs Manager | 48,673 | 118 |
Tom Deskovitz | South Lyon, Mich. | Advertising Executive | 48,444 | 131 |
Tom Overberger | Bedminster, Pa. | Guidance Counselor | 49,322 | 51 |
Tommy Libretti | New York, N.Y. | Building Super | 30,771 | 209 |
Tony Zeller | Dundalk, Md. | Cook | 49,050 | 87 |
Travis Billman | Dacula, Ga. | Pastor | 47,570 | 189 |
Travis Gray | Wellington, Fla. | Teacher | 49,322 | 52 |
Treavor Phipps | Salem, Ind. | Pipefitter | 48,692 | 117 |
Troy Tretola | Port Saint Lucie, Fla. | Coach | 49,163 | 75 |
Ty Tietjen | Brandon, S.D. | Math Teacher | 48,068 | 162 |
Victor Kitzes | Maple Valley, Wash. | Sales | 47,943 | 169 |
Zach Leavitt | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Accountant | 49,360 | 49 |