Pick your favorite players and collect points.
November 8, 2021 by in Fantasy with 0 comments
The popularity of Fantasy sports seems to be on the rise every year, and many of us have taken part in the old tradition of making a one-player fantasy team in the sidelines of a big game. What we went for was hopefully blended together the fun of those two experiences.
Thanks to Akshat Rajan, for organizing and managing our first foray into Fantasy Ultimate! It was a fun venture that generated some really surprising results. Let’s dive in at each division to see who the top picks were, and who won each division.
See the full player scoreboard.
Men’s
Top Scoring & Rostered Men’s Division Captains
| Players | Team | Pts. | Rostership | Goals | Assists | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Osgar | Ring of Fire | 440 | 34.0% | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Jimmy Mickle | PoNY | 402.5 | 20.4% | 3 | 19 | 1 |
| Thomas Edmonds | Temper | 400 | 1.3% | 18 | 15 | 7 |
| Raphael Hayes | Rhino Slam! | 400 | 24.3% | 18 | 9 | 5 |
| Solomon Yanuck | Ring of Fire | 380 | 14.5% | 4 | 14 | 1 |
| Chris Kocher | PoNY | 367.5 | 9.4% | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Benjamin Jagt | PoNY | 367.5 | 32.3% | 15 | 5 | 1 |
| Patrick Earles | Temper | 360 | 3.4% | 10 | 25 | 1 |
| Anders Juengst | Ring of Fire | 360 | 8.1% | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Jack Williams | Ring of Fire | 340 | 51.1% | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| John Stubbs | Chain Lightning | 320 | 13.6% | 16 | 15 | 1 |
| John Randolph | PoNY | 315 | 3.8% | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| Tyler Monroe | Truck Stop | 290 | 3.8% | 8 | 20 | 1 |
| Ben Sadok | Sprout | 280 | 3.8% | 10 | 15 | 3 |
| Owen Murphy | Rhino Slam! | 275 | 0.0% | 5 | 13 | 4 |
| Sean Keegan | PoNY | 262.5 | 0.0% | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| Samuel Little | PoNY | 262.5 | 0.0% | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Andrew Roney | Chain Lightning | 260 | 0.9% | 6 | 19 | 1 |
| Matthew Rehder | Sockeye | 250 | 37.4% | 8 | 11 | 1 |
| Travis Dunn | Condors | 240 | 2.1% | 2 | 22 | 0 |
| Jonathan Nethercutt | Ring of Fire | 240 | 10.6% | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Elijah Kerns | Revolver | 240 | 7.2% | 6 | 18 | 0 |
| Jonathan Helton | Condors | 240 | 3.0% | 9 | 14 | 1 |
| Jay Froude | Johnny Bravo | 240 | 3.4% | 10 | 11 | 3 |
| Daniel Lee | Rhino Slam! | 237.5 | 0.0% | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| Joe White | Machine | 210 | 60.0% | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Pawel Janas | Machine | 120 | 41.3% | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Mac Hecht | Sockeye | 187.5 | 30.6% | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Simon Montague | Sockeye | 87.5 | 30.6% | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Dylan Freechild | Sockeye | 187.5 | 60.0% | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Trent Dillon | Sockeye | 12.5 | 27.2% | 0 | 0 | 1 |
As we will see, entrants quickly coalesced around the same idea: trying to pick the stars of title contenders. And that played out at the top of the scoreboard. Ring of Fire’s Ryan Osgar both topped the scoring table (440 pts as captain, 1st) and was the sixth most popular selection, while teammate Jack Williams (340 pts, 10th) was both popular and helpful. PoNY stars Jimmy Mickle (402.5, 2nd) and Ben Jagt (367.5, 7th) provided similar value and were only a break away from flipping those results.
Conversely, popular picks on the disappointing top two seeds turned out to be landmines. Machine’s Joe White and Sockeye’s Dylan Freechild tied for the most popular choices, with 60% of entrants rostering them. Freechild (187.5, 53rd) and White (210, 35th) both disappointed three out of five fantasy managers, and surely some folks had both. Machine’s Pawel Janas likewise fell short (120, 91st). A variety of Sockeye’s offensive personnel failed to deliver (Mac Hecht, Simon Montague, Trent Dillon) as they were hoisted in semifinals and some of those players played poorly or missed games.
Outside of those four heavily-targeted teams, Pittsburgh Temper and Portland Rhino Slam! were great places to gain an edge. Rhino reached the semifinals, and while Raphy Hayes (400, 3rd) was the lone popular pick from their roster, he was also their top scorer. Owen Murphy (275, 15th) and Daniel Lee (237.5, 25th) both put up strong numbers, but went completely unrostered. Temper’s Thomas Edmonds (400, 3rd) delivered a monster line of 18G/15A/7D for the three entrants that wrote him in as captain, while his teammate Pat Earles (360, 8th) had to make the eight folks that rostered him feel like winners.
The Winner
Sean K. (1854.5)
- Captains: Chris Kocher, John Stubbs
- Handlers: Jimmy Mickle, Charles Weinberg
- Cutters: Raphael Hayes, Matt Rehder
- Flex: Dylan Freechild, Jack Williams
This was smartly built fantasy team. Sean’s lineup includes the only really successful Sockeye pick, Matt Rehder (250, 19th), while Hayes, Mickle, Williams, and Stubbs were all both popular and high-scoring. Getting PoNY’s Chris Kocher (367.5, 6th) below 10% rostership as captain probably helped, Sub Zero’s Weinberg (200 pts as handler, 20th) was his least popular choice and put up an 18-assist line. Six of the eight players reached the semifinal round, with three advancing, and two winning a title.
For the record, Akshat’s official lineup actually outscored this one with 1872.5 while only sharing two players in common (Kocher as captain, Freechild as Flex), benefitting greatly from the play of Edmonds.
Women’s
Top Scoring & Rostered Women’s Division Captains
| Players | Team | Pts. | Rostership | Goals | Assists | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kami Groom | Brute Squad | 437.5 | 59.3% | 14 | 4 | 7 |
| Anna Thompson | Fury | 360 | 43.6% | 3 | 10 | 5 |
| Carolyn Finney | Fury | 340 | 42.9% | 3 | 11 | 3 |
| Lisa Pitcaithley | Molly Brown | 325 | 30.7% | 11 | 12 | 3 |
| Manuela Cardenas | Molly Brown | 312.5 | 52.1% | 4 | 15 | 6 |
| Katelyn Travaglini | Tabby Rosa | 310 | 0.7% | 12 | 12 | 7 |
| Jessica O'Connor | Fury | 300 | 0.7% | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| Eva Popp | Schwa | 300 | 4.3% | 2 | 20 | 8 |
| Laura Ospina Gomez | Brute Squad | 297.5 | 2.9% | 12 | 4 | 1 |
| Karen Ehrhardt | Phoenix | 287.5 | 2.9% | 11 | 10 | 2 |
| Kaela Helton | Fury | 280 | 2.1% | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Claire Trop | Brute Squad | 280 | 32.1% | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Ella Hansen | Nightlock | 280 | 0.0% | 5 | 13 | 10 |
| Theresa Zettner | Rival | 270 | 0.0% | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| Catherine Menzies | Traffic | 270 | 18.6% | 13 | 10 | 4 |
| Lisa Couper | Fury | 260 | 0.7% | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Kennedy McCarthy | Siege | 250 | 2.9% | 15 | 6 | 4 |
| Georgina Tetlow | Schwa | 250 | 0.0% | 6 | 12 | 7 |
| Lien Hoffmann | Brute Squad | 245 | 41.4% | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| Shayla Harris | Fury | 240 | 0.7% | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Jennifer Corcoran | Nemesis | 240 | 2.1% | 4 | 14 | 6 |
| Anna Nazarov | Fury | 240 | 6.4% | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Sonya (Sunny) Harris | Tabby Rosa | 240 | 0.0% | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Dawn Culton | Phoenix | 237.5 | 0.0% | 9 | 4 | 6 |
| Lindsay Soo | Phoenix | 237.5 | 16.4% | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Dena Elimelech | Fury | 140 | 31.4% | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Angela Zhu | Brute Squad | 227 | 50.0% | 3 | 7 | 3 |
The women’s division was by far the chalkiest of the tournament, and the fantasy game was much of the same, but a few wrinkles kept things interesting. While the top three captain scorers were all in the final — not notably different from the other divisions — nine of the top 25 were from teams eliminated before the semifinal. And half of the top ten came in with low roster percentages, which lines up well with the men’s division standings, too. However, the top five scorers were all quite popular. Of the very popular selections, only Fury’s Dena Elimelech (140, 99th) really left folks out to dry.
One thing stands out: Brute Squad’s Kami Groom (437.5, 1st) had a heck of a statistical performance, lapping the field with 77.5 more points than anyone else. If you played Groom in any non-handler position, she was the highest scorer by a sizable margin.
Meanwhile, the value was with some less popular teammates of the finalists, as well as Tabby Rosa’s Kate Travaglini (310, 6th), who just a single person had the good sense to select and put up a 12G/12A/7D line. Meanwhile, Fury’s Jessie O’Connor (300, 7th), Kaela Helton (280, 11th), and Lisa Couper (260, 16th) all appeared in a combined handful of lineups. Brute Squad’s Laura Ospina (297.5, 9) was also a good choice, especially for the Cutter position, with her speed and goal-scoring prowess. Schwa’s Eva Popp (300, 7th) and Georgina Tetlow (250, 17th), Nightlock’s Ella Hansen (280, 13th), Rival’s Theresa Zettner (270, 14th), and Siege’s Kennedy McCarthy (250, 17th) were other strong scorers that did not draw much interest.
The Winner
Declan M. (1406)
- Captains: Catherine Menzies, Kami Groom
- Handlers: Claire Chastain, Jennifer Corcoran
- Cutters: Lindsay Soo, Kennedy McCarthy
- Flex: Manuela Cardenas, Carolyn Finney
Despite picking just one finalist and one winner, Declan’s lineup featured eight of the top 25 scorers, including the differentiating selections of McCarthy and Corcoran. It also landed four of the top five, although they were also four of the five most popular picks. So in the end, it was a good division to pick chalk in, provided you knew the right spots to get different and who could put up numbers.
Mixed
Top Scoring & Rostered Mixed Division Captains
| Players | Team | Pts. | Rostership | Goals | Assists | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Lukas | Hybrid | 525 | 1.4% | 5 | 19 | 6 |
| Justin Perticone | Hybrid | 402.5 | 0.7% | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| Tommy Li | BFG | 400 | 13.0% | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| Jeff Pape | BFG | 360 | 1.4% | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| Tannor Johnson | Sprocket | 320 | 31.5% | 10 | 19 | 3 |
| Nathan Champoux | Hybrid | 315 | 0.0% | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Kristen Reed | Love Tractor | 310 | 0.0% | 25 | 2 | 4 |
| Conor Belfield | BFG | 300 | 0.7% | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| Seam Ham | Lawless | 300 | 5.5% | 24 | 4 | 2 |
| Dan Donovan | Hybrid | 297.5 | 0.0% | 12 | 4 | 1 |
| Mario O'Brien | BFG | 280 | 11.0% | 2 | 10 | 2 |
| Henry Konker | Love Tractor | 280 | 0.0% | 4 | 21 | 3 |
| Clea Poklemba | NOISE | 275 | 0.0% | 4 | 11 | 7 |
| Peter Prial | Slow | 270 | 4.1% | 11 | 15 | 1 |
| Caleb Denecour | Drag'n Thrust | 270 | 26.7% | 11 | 8 | 8 |
| Jesse Shofner | 'Shine | 270 | 13.0% | 6 | 17 | 4 |
| Jack McShane | Love Tractor | 270 | 0.0% | 3 | 19 | 5 |
| Madalyn Simko | Hybrid | 262.5 | 0.0% | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| Robyn Fennig | NOISE | 262.5 | 11.6% | 7 | 14 | 0 |
| James Dahl | Lochsa | 260 | 0.7% | 6 | 17 | 3 |
| Joshua Kohl | Lawless | 260 | 0.0% | 3 | 23 | 0 |
| Manuel Eckert | Seattle Mixtape | 250 | 24.7% | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| Jacob Miller | Lochsa | 250 | 0.0% | 16 | 8 | 1 |
| Nicky Spiva | AMP | 250 | 24.7% | 4 | 17 | 4 |
| Jamie Eriksson | Lawless | 240 | 10.3% | 9 | 10 | 5 |
| Khalif El-Salaam | Seattle Mixtape | 200 | 45.2% | 3 | 9 | 4 |
| Sarah Meckstroth | Drag'n Thrust | 170 | 43.2% | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| Jenny Fey | Space Heater | 160 | 36.3% | 3 | 12 | 1 |
| Nick Lance | shame. | 120 | 35.6% | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| Aubree Dietrich | shame. | 170 | 29.5% | 9 | 5 | 3 |
| Linda Morse | AMP | 190 | 21.9% | 7 | 6 | 6 |
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the mixed division had some real surprises, and the fantasy scoreboard matches that. Only two of the top 10 scorers exceeded 10% rostership! The concentrated scoring of champion BFG and runner-up Hybrid gave plenty of opportunity to rack up points, but few entrants recognized it.
Kami Groom’s scoring lead over the women’s division was outdone by Hybrid’s Connor Lukas (525, 1st), the highest scoring player in any division, with well over 100 points over his own teammate, Justin Perticone (402.5, 2nd). They were rostered a combined three times. Nathan Champoux (315, 6th) was not rostered by anyone; neither were teammates Dan Donovan (297.5, 10th) or Maddy Simko (262.5 18th).
The reverse of Hybrid and BFG’s successes were Space Heater, Shame, and AMP’s relative disappointments. Despite Space Heater’s Jenny Fey (160, 65th), Shame’s Nick Lance (120, 106th), and Aubree Dietrich (170, 53rd) each receiving over 25% roster rates, they did not deliver top 50 performances. Mixtape’s Khalif El-Salaam (200, 32nd), Drag’N Thrust’s Sarah Meckstroth (170, 53rd), and AMP’s Linda Morse (190, 40th) were all on D-line, probably depressing their numbers as they didn’t put up impressive counting stats.
The Winner
Jacob S. (1585.5)
- Captains: Caleb Denecour, Jenny Fey
- Handlers: Connor Lukas, Robyn Fennig
- Cutters: Tannor Johnson, Liz Hart
- Flex: Nick Lance, Jamie Eriksson
Lukas’ brilliance carried Jacob despite picking two of the biggest duds! Everyone was taking the bad chalk with Fey and Lance. Because of how may lineups were hurt by picking players on top seeds that didn’t go deep, having popular picks like Sprocket’s Tannor Johnson (320, 5th) and Drag’N Thrust’s Caleb Denecour (270, 14th) worked for Jacob, thanks to the brilliance of Lukas, helped by NOISE’s Robyn Fennig (262.5, 18th).
Feedback
We love feedback, especially on new games like this one! Did you like the bonus point system? The four positions? Picking eight players? Not having turnovers (the least accurately kept stat at these events, generally) count against you?
One of the things players probably want the most: more live updates. This is trickier than it seems, as we have to wait on stats to get input. Additionally, the bonus system we used needed to be applied at the end, so early scores probably were not very representative of your chances of winning. All that said, we will work to do more updates should we try again!