Zach Leavitt is the winner of the tight ends portion of the Fantasy Index Open, and Travis Kelce was the guy driving the bus for him.
Kelce was on less than 10 percent of the entires, but Leavitt slipped him in at 17th. He also helped his cause greatly by not including Eric Ebron, Ladarius Green and Tyler Eifert. Those guys were on the majority of top 20s, with very little affect.
Leavitt also scored points relative to most other experts by having the vision to rank Rob Gronkowski higher than Jimmy Graham at the top of his board.
It was enough to lift Leavitt, an accountant from Highlands Ranch, Colo., ahead of Geoff Maleman of Redondo Beach and Scott Sachs of Canton, Ohio.
The Fantasy Index Open is unlike a traditional fantasy league. Instead of rosters and lineups, each person ranks their top 20 at each position. The higher a player is ranked, the more he counts towards your score. It’s a free contest, and it’s open to anybody who wants to take the time to enter (picks were due prior to the first preseason game).
The overall winner will take home a big trophy from the team at Affordable Trophies. The top two finishers win entries into the regular Fantasy Index Experts Poll in the magazine, competing against 18 other analysts from the industry.
With half of the positions graded, the overall leaders are Mathew Straessley of Pittsburgh, and James Geist of Overland Park, Kansas. They’re the only two who’ve been able to place in the top 20 at all three positions. That’s remarkable – essentially ranking in the top 10 percent in every category.
The current overall top 20 includes five writers employed in the fantasy industry. Scott Sachs (Perfect Season Fantasy Football), Mike Clay (Pro Football Focus), Mike Nease (Fantasy Insights), Jim Coventry (Draft Sharks) and Cory Bonini (KFFL).
The top 20 also includes a Rabbi, a mortgage broker and the President of the Tri-City Dust Devils minor league baseball team.
FANTASY INDEX OPEN (overall top 20) | ||
---|---|---|
Name | Occupation | Points |
Mathew Straessley | Retail | 100,197 |
James Geist | Bartender | 99,888 |
Zach Leavitt | Accountant | 99,036 |
Scott Sachs | Headhunter | 98,570 |
Scott Liles | Stay-At-Home Dad | 97,865 |
Mike Clay | Fantasy Football Writer | 97,662 |
Mike Nease | Fantasy Sports Writer | 97,542 |
Nathan Priest | Tech Support Specialist | 97,281 |
Victor Kitzes | Accounting | 97,271 |
Paul McCann | Mail Carrier | 97,177 |
Brent Miles | Minor League Baseball Executive | 97,169 |
Stephen McKenzie | Books Are Fun Salesman | 97,136 |
Mike Taylor | Sales | 97,065 |
Moishe Steigmann | Rabbi | 97,032 |
Richard Jackson | Attorney | 96,848 |
Andy Waxman | Teacher | 96,840 |
Jim Coventry | Fantasy Football Writer | 96,825 |
Rich Wolff | Mortgage Broker | 96,777 |
Cory J. Bonini | Fantasy Sports (KFFL) | 96,739 |
Jim Carvin | Insurance | 96,735 |
Here are the top 20 for just tight ends …
FANTASY INDEX OPEN, TIGHT ENDS (overall) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Entry | Occupation | Points |
1. | Zach Leavitt | Accountant | 30,293 |
2. | Geoff Maleman | Public Relations | 29,889 |
3. | Scott Sachs | Headhunter | 29,689 |
4. | Jeff Friedrich | Minister | 29,544 |
5. | Dave Pratt | Physical Therapist | 29,394 |
6. | Jeff Alberts | Student | 29,319 |
7. | Brent Miles | Minor League Baseball Executive | 29,282 |
8. | James Geist | Bartender | 29,270 |
9. | Calvron Wachter | college student | 29,235 |
10. | Will Sayre | Title Insurance | 29,169 |
11. | Andy Waxman | Teacher | 29,122 |
12. | Eric Gustitus | Title Searcher | 29,115 |
13. | Mike Clay | Fantasy Football Writer | 29,113 |
14. | Pete Collins | Sr. Business Analyst | 28,987 |
15. | Mathew Straessley | Retail | 28,966 |
16. | Brack Varnon | Waiter | 28,950 |
17. | Jonathan Mora | Network Technician | 28,928 |
18. | John Ruppe | Owner Pro. Clean Air Ducts | 28,912 |
19. | Victor Kitzes | Accounting | 28,886 |
20. | Tom Deskovitz | Advertising Executive | 28,870 |
And here’s the complete rundown on the tight ends …
FANTASY INDEX OPEN, TIGHT ENDS (overall) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Entry | Location | Points |
84. | Aaron Weaver | Buffalo, N.Y. | 27,646 |
152. | Adam Holtz | Rochester, Minn. | 26,071 |
136. | Adam Renzoni | Buffalo, N.Y. | 26,619 |
167. | Adam Taylor | Media, Pa. | 24,169 |
106. | Adam Thygeson | Portland, Ore. | 27,277 |
60. | Andy Gough | Dallas, Texas | 27,937 |
90. | Andy Noll | Oakdale, Minn. | 27,487 |
105. | Andy Richardson | Port Chester, N.Y. | 27,281 |
11. | Andy Waxman | Flower Mound, Texas | 29,122 |
32. | Ben MacLeod | Manchester, N.H. | 28,553 |
145. | Bill D'Allesandro | Huntington, N.Y. | 26,220 |
55. | Bill Zullo | Mount Laurel, N.J. | 28,083 |
162. | Billy Friedrich | Raleigh, N.C. | 25,167 |
46. | Bob Henry | White Lake, Mich. | 28,287 |
126. | Bob Tecca | Buffalo, Minn. | 26,825 |
16. | Brack Varnon | Houston, Texas | 28,950 |
160. | Brad Henderson | Louisville, Ken. | 25,300 |
57. | Bradley Wolfrum | Alpharetta, Ga. | 28,012 |
7. | Brent Miles | Pasco, Wash. | 29,282 |
77. | Brian Sauber | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | 27,784 |
155. | Brian Staines | Mars, Pa. | 25,792 |
9. | Calvron Wachter | Nashville, Tenn. | 29,235 |
96. | Chris Hertzberg | Austin, Texas | 27,412 |
157. | Chris Vansant | Fairfield, Pa. | 25,676 |
143. | Chris Whitney | San Jose, Calif. | 26,362 |
127. | Chris Winder | San Ramon, Calif. | 26,817 |
25. | Cory J. Bonini | San Diego, Calif. | 28,684 |
135. | Craig Leedy | Sacramento, Calif. | 26,628 |
86. | Dan Martinez | Yuba City, Calif. | 27,628 |
151. | Dan Schneier | New York City, N.Y. | 26,080 |
80. | Dana Duffield | Rochester, Minn. | 27,724 |
82. | Daniel Bowman | Liberty, Mo. | 27,704 |
153. | Daniel Olsen | Jacksonville, Fla. | 26,055 |
45. | Daniel Williams | Murrieta, Calif. | 28,297 |
130. | Dave Cohen | Brooklyn, N.Y. | 26,771 |
5. | Dave Pratt | Geneva, Ill. | 29,394 |
166. | David "Mojo" Smith | Walls, Miss. | 24,312 |
140. | Dish Adams | Los Angeles, Calif. | 26,571 |
53. | Don Pavelka | Plainview, Minn. | 28,114 |
150. | Ed Weiss | Parsippany, N.J. | 26,082 |
71. | Eddie Tietchen | Sicklerville , N.J. | 27,836 |
12. | Eric Gustitus | Exeter, Pa. | 29,115 |
69. | Eric Hotz | Fremont, Ohio | 27,852 |
49. | Eric Scolnick | Redmond, Wash. | 28,197 |
169. | Gary Allen | Charleston, S.C. | 21,842 |
2. | Geoff Maleman | Redondo Beach, Calif. | 29,889 |
121. | Greg Heminway | Sacramento, Calif. | 27,025 |
112. | Greg Resin | Santa Barbara, Calif. | 27,154 |
70. | Henry Goers | Bartlett, Ill. | 27,847 |
30. | Ian Allan (Corrected) | Seattle, Wash. | 28,574 |
31. | Ian Allan (Official) | Seattle, Wash. | 28,574 |
133. | Ian MacEwen | Seven Hills, Ohio | 26,677 |
8. | James Geist | Overland Park, Kan. | 29,270 |
73. | Jared Smola | Rochester, N.Y. | 27,821 |
76. | Jason Flatley | Cohoes, N.Y. | 27,788 |
163. | Jason Mattern | Wintersville, Ohio | 25,163 |
139. | Jason Pilon | Columbia Heights, Minn. | 26,572 |
116. | Jay Wimmers | Lincolnton, N.C. | 27,096 |
6. | Jeff Alberts | Sturgeon Bay, Wis. | 29,319 |
35. | Jeff Fossett | Newburgh, Ind. | 28,516 |
4. | Jeff Friedrich | Greenville, N.C. | 29,544 |
123. | Jeff Slawson | Buffalo, N.Y. | 27,018 |
97. | Jeffery Lebeouf | Crowley, La. | 27,410 |
111. | Jeremy Schwartz | Edison, N.J. | 27,189 |
165. | Jim Bukowski | Chicago, Ill. | 24,365 |
37. | Jim Carvin | Mount Laurel, N.J. | 28,509 |
89. | Jim Coventry | Chicago, Ill. | 27,566 |
159. | Jim Heroux | Neenah, Wis. | 25,436 |
91. | Joe Pizzica | Wynnewood, Pa. | 27,463 |
137. | John D. Smith | Willow Grove, Pa. | 26,616 |
67. | John Duggins | Piedmont, S.C. | 27,863 |
104. | John Moore | Sea Isle City, N.J. | 27,288 |
18. | John Ruppe | Fort Myers, Fla. | 28,912 |
50. | John Stolzmann | Las Vegas, Nev. | 28,161 |
43. | John Wilkinson | San Carlos, Calif. | 28,322 |
156. | Jon Hansen | Reno, Nev. | 25,762 |
146. | Jonathan Klanderud | Shrewsbury, Pa. | 26,204 |
102. | Jonathan Mick | Santa Maria, Calif. | 27,343 |
17. | Jonathan Mora | Miami, Fla. | 28,928 |
33. | Joseph Michelangelo | Oceanside, N.Y. | 28,528 |
161. | Josh Jackson | Lincoln, Calif. | 25,242 |
129. | Josh Smith | Olympia, Wash. | 26,785 |
138. | Juan Novo | Miami, Fla. | 26,590 |
118. | Keith Burdick | San Diego, Calif. | 27,085 |
95. | Kenneth Jones | New Orleans, La. | 27,418 |
62. | Kenneth Yuen | Arlington Heights, Ill. | 27,933 |
40. | Kevin Cuozzo | Concord, Mass. | 28,396 |
125. | Kevin E. Smith | Philadelphia, Pa. | 26,957 |
72. | Kevin Weakland | Tracy, Calif. | 27,831 |
38. | Kirk Kennedy | Beulaville, N.C. | 28,498 |
119. | Kyle Soppe | Rochester, N.Y. | 27,073 |
107. | Mark Becker | New York City, N.Y. | 27,269 |
26. | Mark Maloney | Andover, Minn. | 28,672 |
120. | Mary Mulholland-Goers | Bartlett, Ill. | 27,042 |
15. | Mathew Straessley | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 28,966 |
22. | Matthew Kenerly | Fresno, Calif. | 28,784 |
141. | Michael Crow | Orion, Ill. | 26,436 |
117. | Michael Desario | Las Vegas, Nev. | 27,092 |
131. | Michael Knorowski | Wesley Chapel, Fla. | 26,739 |
68. | Michael Kolton | Green Bay, Wis. | 27,852 |
56. | Michael Livengood | Ward, Ark. | 28,036 |
158. | Michael McAninch | Naperville, Ill. | 25,469 |
64. | Michael McIlraith | Los Angeles, Calif. | 27,920 |
36. | Michael Murillo | Tampa, Fla. | 28,514 |
115. | Michael O'Brien | Brighton, Colo. | 27,102 |
47. | Michael Stanco | Sunrise, Fla. | 28,284 |
88. | Miguel Tames | Miami, Fla. | 27,610 |
13. | Mike Clay | Fleetwood, Pa. | 29,113 |
114. | Mike Craig | Kokomo, Ind. | 27,116 |
34. | Mike McCleary | Roseville, Calif. | 28,520 |
27. | Mike Nease | West Chicago, Ill. | 28,643 |
109. | Mike Rickel | Ira, Mich. | 27,207 |
51. | Mike Taylor | Meridian, Idaho | 28,140 |
41. | Mike Todd | Otis, Ore. | 28,365 |
81. | Mike Wells | Good Thunder, Minn. | 27,722 |
94. | Moishe Steigmann | Milwaukee, Wis. | 27,419 |
148. | Monte McDonald | Las Vegas, Nev. | 26,151 |
110. | Nathan Kline | Topton, Pa. | 27,197 |
24. | Nathan Priest | Waynesboro, Pa. | 28,719 |
75. | Nathan Roberts | Lucasville, Ohio | 27,796 |
168. | Norm Foisy | Walnut Creek, Calif. | 23,407 |
85. | Pat Thorman | Boston, Mass. | 27,640 |
63. | Paul Hazen | Granada Hills, Calif. | 27,927 |
48. | Paul McCann | Moon Twp., Pa. | 28,241 |
124. | Paul Owers | West Palm Beach, Fla. | 26,980 |
14. | Pete Collins | Orland Park, Ill. | 28,987 |
66. | Peter Owers | West Palm Beach, Fla. | 27,886 |
100. | Peter Steinke | Redmond, Wash. | 27,362 |
23. | Rey Diaz | Miami, Fla. | 28,754 |
79. | Rich Wolff | San Diego, Calif. | 27,745 |
142. | Richard Fechter | Miami, Fla. | 26,374 |
59. | Richard Jackson | San Francisco, Calif. | 27,964 |
164. | Richard Meadors | Seymour , Ind. | 24,766 |
39. | Richard Meyers | Gurley, Ala. | 28,427 |
87. | Rob Dammers | Ringwood, N.J. | 27,626 |
78. | Rob Reiber | Randolph, N.J. | 27,783 |
99. | Rocky Petrella | Philadelphia, Pa. | 27,378 |
61. | Roger Hallquist | Hiawatha, Iowa | 27,934 |
132. | Rusty Stephens | Atlanta, Ga. | 26,732 |
92. | Sam Hendricks | Lynchburg, Va. | 27,448 |
42. | Scott Kopischke | Menomonee Falls, Wis. | 28,348 |
28. | Scott Liles | Russellville, Ark. | 28,618 |
128. | Scott Rigsby | Saint Anne, Ill. | 26,788 |
3. | Scott Sachs | Canton, Ohio | 29,689 |
65. | Scott Yannich | Valencia, Calif. | 27,897 |
74. | Sean Chi | Flushing, N.Y. | 27,808 |
134. | Sean Sampson | Liberty, Mo. | 26,676 |
101. | Shane Scott | Toronto, Ont. | 27,347 |
93. | Stephen Fisse | Mandeville, La. | 27,433 |
29. | Stephen McKenzie | New Richmond, Wis. | 28,608 |
144. | Steve Blenker | Sloan, N.Y. | 26,319 |
113. | Steve Hoyt | Buffalo Grove, Ill. | 27,122 |
52. | Steve Moyer | Oakland, Calif. | 28,118 |
108. | Steve Tortora | Wallingford, Conn. | 27,216 |
154. | Tim Travis | Glendora, Calif. | 25,918 |
147. | Tim Wandling | Rohnert Park, Calif. | 26,172 |
58. | Todd Blinn | Obetz, Ohio | 28,008 |
21. | Todd Hinesley | Weston, Fla. | 28,792 |
54. | Todd Voorhees | Chula Vista, Calif. | 28,109 |
20. | Tom Deskovitz | South Lyon, Mich. | 28,870 |
149. | Tom Morande | Chicago, Ill. | 26,144 |
98. | Tom Overberger | Bedminster, Pa. | 27,389 |
83. | Tony Zeller | Dundalk, Md. | 27,700 |
44. | Travis Gray | Wellington, Fla. | 28,309 |
103. | Treavor Phipps | Salem, Ind. | 27,312 |
19. | Victor Kitzes | Maple Valley, Wash. | 28,886 |
10. | Will Sayre | Sacramento, Calif. | 29,169 |
1. | Zach Leavitt | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | 30,293 |
122. | Zach Nizolek | Kansas City, Mo. | 27,021 |
—Ian Allan