Winning a category in the Fantasy Index Open requires some of the same skills as winning a regular fantasy league. You to make some key picks, being higher than most on a couple of the up-and-coming players, and you need to have the foresight to avoid some of the duds. Edward Burke of Philadelphia did the best job at running back, with DeMarco Murray being his key pick.
Two other contestants from the Keystone State finished in the top 4 – Tom Groome (Duncannon) and Jesse McGuigan (Pittsburgh). Ian Allan, a fantasy writer from Seattle finished 2nd in this category (we’re allowing guys to refer to themselves in the third person, right?).
Three of the top 5 entries had the smarts to leave Jamaal Charles off their board entirely. That seems like a no-brainer now, and probably seemed obvious in September. But back in early August, Charles clocked in as the 12th-most coveted running back on the board.
Burke also helped his cause by not including C.J. Anderson in his top 20. Anderson had some poor games, got hurt, and ended up being only the 29th-best running back in this format. And Burke picked up some value by being a little higher than most on Ezekiel Elliott (his #1 back), Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray and LeSean McCoy. Sneaking Isaiah Crowell into his top 20 also helped.
But DeMarco Murray was his most valuable pick. Most didn’t buy into the exotic smashmouth hype, with the Tennessee back finishing only 20th on the consensus board, but Burke had him way up at 9th, and that helped mightily in this scoring format.
Burke received about 4,129 points for his Murray pick (17 x 242.9). Had he put Jamaal Charles in that 9th spot, he would have received 3,935 fewer points, dropping his entry 37 spots in the standings.
The overall winner of this competition takes home a really huge and really cool trophy from the team at Affordable Trophies. They’ve been partnering with us on this contest for years.
The winner and the runner-up also earn berths in the Experts Poll in the magazine, competing in a similar contest in a 20-man field composed mainly of industry experts.
Still to come in the grading: WR and QB.
FANTASY INDEX OPEN, RUNNING BACKS (top 10 percent) | ||
---|---|---|
Name | Occupation | Points |
Edward Burke | Unemployed | 54,927 |
Ian Allan | Fantasy Writer | 54,528 |
Tom Groome | Truck Driver | 54,272 |
Jesse McGuigan | Night Stocker | 53,529 |
Rick Stark | Retired | 53,476 |
Jamie Alberts | Banker | 53,216 |
John Moore | Real Estate Agent | 53,203 |
Greg Resin | Headhunter | 52,854 |
Jacob Wilson | Elementary School Teacher | 52,793 |
Frank Read | Engineer | 52,684 |
Dale Gander | Security Support | 52,641 |
Ken Valis | Project Manager | 52,603 |
Adam Thygeson | Teacher | 52,601 |
Mark Maloney | Local Government | 52,520 |
Drew Englebright | CFO | 52,456 |
Zach Nizolek | Marketing Specialist | 52,409 |
Bill Rehor | Hospital Administrator | 52,341 |
Shelby Teagardner | O/N Stocker | 52,189 |
Andrew Southworth | Writer | 52,021 |
Scott Wilkinson | Supply Chain | 51,985 |
Daniel MacDonald | Transportation Manager | 51,739 |
Scott Kopischke | Playwright | 51,704 |
FANTASY INDEX OPEN, RUNNING BACKS (alphabetical) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Name | Hometown | Rk | Points |
Aaron Green | Maple Grove, Minn. | 210 | 44,178 |
Aaron Lance | Yakima, Wash. | 27 | 51,505 |
Adam Bergeron | Salem, N.H. | 84 | 49,872 |
Adam Holtz | Rochester, Minn. | 221 | 40,514 |
Adam Locke | Lynnwood, Wash. | 209 | 44,438 |
Adam Renzoni | Buffalo, N.Y. | 146 | 48,148 |
Adam Sheets | Santa Rosa, Calif. | 77 | 50,070 |
Adam Taylor | Media, Pa. | 40 | 50,942 |
Adam Thygeson | Oregon City, Ore. | 13 | 52,601 |
Allen Martirossian | Ashburn, Va. | 108 | 49,148 |
Andrew Leahy | Audubon, N.J. | 96 | 49,385 |
Andrew Southworth | Wilkes-Barre, Pa. | 19 | 52,021 |
Andy Richardson | Port Chester, N.Y. | 124 | 48,670 |
Anthony Difranceisco | Turnersville, N.J. | 202 | 45,112 |
Arden Vos | Edmonton, Canada | 103 | 49,247 |
Barry St Peter | Pittsfield, Mass. | 24 | 51,591 |
Ben Weisner | Wausau, Wis. | 151 | 48,099 |
Bill Dallesandro | Huntington, N.Y. | 190 | 46,472 |
Bill Rehor | Culver City, Calif. | 17 | 52,341 |
Bob Adelman | St. Louis, Mo. | 78 | 50,066 |
Brack Varnon | Houston, Texas | 155 | 47,910 |
Brandon Barnes | Portland , Ore. | 207 | 44,836 |
Brent Miles | Pasco, Wash. | 109 | 49,008 |
Brett Watts | Florence, S.C. | 52 | 50,646 |
Bruce Alwine | Havertown, Pa. | 49 | 50,695 |
Bruce Boase | Ogden, Utah | 39 | 50,973 |
Charles Raifman | Short Hills, N.J. | 174 | 47,091 |
Chris Brooke | San Diego, Calif. | 32 | 51,276 |
Chris Durham | Yuma, Ariz. | 176 | 46,987 |
Chris Erickson | Sparta, Wis. | 110 | 48,936 |
Chris Hertzberg | Austin, Texas | 70 | 50,168 |
Chris Sullivan | Ottawa, Canada | 121 | 48,712 |
Chris Weber | Appleton, Wis. | 160 | 47,815 |
Chris Winder | San Ramon, Calif. | 59 | 50,415 |
Chris Wright | Lynchburg, Va. | 161 | 47,810 |
Craig Barltrop | Adelaide, Australia | 140 | 48,263 |
Craig Leedy | Sacramento, Calif. | 93 | 49,639 |
Curt Goldgrabe | Boise, Idaho | 180 | 46,846 |
Dale Gander | Sun Prairie, Wis. | 11 | 52,641 |
Dan Martinez | Yuba City, Calif. | 208 | 44,670 |
Dana Duffield | Rochester, Minn. | 143 | 48,187 |
Daniel Bowman | Liberty, Mo. | 29 | 51,386 |
Daniel MacDonald | Torrance, Calif. | 21 | 51,739 |
Darrell Sooy | West Chester, Pa. | 107 | 49,158 |
Dave Cohen | Brooklyn, N.Y. | 64 | 50,323 |
Dave Pizzica | Springfield, Pa. | 178 | 46,892 |
Dave Renstrom | Apple Valley, Minn. | 212 | 43,986 |
Dave Sjogren | Vienna, Va. | 215 | 43,365 |
Dave Wilde | Mukwonago, Wis. | 25 | 51,567 |
David Battersby | Bellevue, Wash. | 106 | 49,165 |
Dennis Thomas | Watsonville, Calif. | 119 | 48,723 |
Dominic Romeo | Sacramento, Calif. | 216 | 43,358 |
Don P McKendry | Orland Park, Ill. | 98 | 49,329 |
Don Pavelka | Plainview, Minn. | 133 | 48,498 |
Doug Brown | Fort Gratiot, Mich. | 33 | 51,261 |
Dr. Billy Friedrich | Raleigh, N.C. | 76 | 50,082 |
Drew Englebright | London, U.K. | 15 | 52,456 |
Ed O'Hair | Katy, Texas | 205 | 44,921 |
Edward Burke | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1 | 54,927 |
Ellis Kilgore | Von Ormy, Texas | 112 | 48,900 |
Eric Gustitus | Exeter, Pa. | 42 | 50,933 |
Eric Titus | Port St. Lucie, Fla. | 132 | 48,503 |
Fabrizio Danova | Los Angeles, Calif. | 147 | 48,139 |
Frank Read | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 10 | 52,684 |
Frank Rotella | Sewell, N.J. | 57 | 50,502 |
Frank Shinnick | Milford, Mass. | 149 | 48,119 |
Gary Allen | Charleston, S.C. | 75 | 50,083 |
Gary Borges | Toronto, Canada | 182 | 46,813 |
Gary Fortier | Marietta, Ga. | 148 | 48,124 |
Geoff Greggs | Roy, Wash. | 80 | 49,981 |
George Taylor | Moosup, Conn. | 56 | 50,514 |
Gerald M. Hoehn | West Liberty, Iowa | 158 | 47,855 |
Grant Hubbard | Rochester Hills, Mich. | 69 | 50,174 |
Greg Heminway | Sacramento, Calif. | 65 | 50,277 |
Greg Resin | Hermosa Beach, Calif. | 8 | 52,854 |
Henry Goers | Bartlett, Ill. | 211 | 44,049 |
Ian Allan | Seattle, Wash. | 2 | 54,528 |
Ian MacEwen | Akron, Ohio | 136 | 48,372 |
Jacob Floriolli | Chico, Calif. | 117 | 48,744 |
Jacob Wilson | Crandall, Texas | 9 | 52,793 |
Jacques Dugger | Westland, Mich. | 135 | 48,386 |
James Carvin | Mt. Laurel, N.J. | 89 | 49,710 |
James Frauel | Walworth, N.Y. | 137 | 48,346 |
Jamie Alberts | Sturgeon Bay, Wis. | 6 | 53,216 |
Jared Smola | Rochester, N.Y. | 166 | 47,497 |
Jason Flatley | Cohoes, N.Y. | 150 | 48,102 |
Jason Mattern | Wintersville, Ohio | 213 | 43,691 |
Jason Pilon | Roseville, Minn. | 71 | 50,151 |
Jay Harding | Portland, Ore. | 86 | 49,760 |
Jay Wimmers | Lincolnton, N.C. | 170 | 47,375 |
Jeff Friedrich | Greenville, N.C. | 82 | 49,900 |
Jeff Zwiers | Bellingham, Wash. | 68 | 50,201 |
Jeremy Marzofka | Seattle, Wash. | 116 | 48,759 |
Jeremy Schwartz | Edison, N.J. | 156 | 47,888 |
Jesse McGuigan | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 4 | 53,529 |
Jim Costello | Portland, Maine | 81 | 49,980 |
Jim Coventry | Chicago, Ill. | 179 | 46,858 |
Jim Kovac | Tucson, Ariz. | 130 | 48,547 |
Joe Loeb | Aloha, Ore. | 196 | 45,968 |
Joe Pizzica | Wynnewood, Pa. | 217 | 42,910 |
John D. Smith | Willow Grove, Pa. | 163 | 47,690 |
John Dent | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 88 | 49,717 |
John Duggins | Greenville, S.C. | 67 | 50,204 |
John M. Smyczynski | Buffalo, N.Y. | 61 | 50,385 |
John Moore | Sea Isle City, N.J. | 7 | 53,203 |
John Ruppe | Fort Myers, Fla. | 48 | 50,709 |
John Whitney | San Jose, Calif. | 102 | 49,276 |
John Yarsinsky | Marlton, N.J. | 47 | 50,710 |
Johnny Bazzano | Santa Rosa, Calif. | 184 | 46,748 |
Jon Hansen | Reno, Nev. | 138 | 48,309 |
Jonathan Mora | Chicago, Fla. | 219 | 42,698 |
Josh Shupien | Tacoma, Wash. | 198 | 45,786 |
Ken Norman | Chanhassen, Minn. | 87 | 49,727 |
Ken Valis | Gaithersburg, Md. | 12 | 52,603 |
Kenneth Jones | New Orleans, La. | 201 | 45,281 |
Kenneth Yuen | Arlington Heights, Ill. | 37 | 51,155 |
Kent Stewart | Poplar Bluff, Mo. | 125 | 48,642 |
Kenzie MacNeil | Halifax, Canada | 172 | 47,120 |
Kevin Cuozzo | Concord , Mass. | 131 | 48,504 |
Kevin Smith | Philadelphia, Pa. | 194 | 46,214 |
Kirk Kennedy | Beulaville, N.C. | 100 | 49,286 |
Kyle Soppe | Bristol, Conn. | 83 | 49,892 |
Kyle Wells | Lynnwood, Wash. | 173 | 47,100 |
Larry Weinhauer | Andover, N.Y. | 63 | 50,339 |
Marc Mayfield | Longview, Texas | 50 | 50,686 |
Mark Becker | Los Angeles, Calif. | 203 | 44,969 |
Mark Burns | Runnemede, N.J. | 113 | 48,884 |
Mark Christie | Fairport, N.Y. | 99 | 49,320 |
Mark Maloney | Andover, Minn. | 14 | 52,520 |
Mark Stoecker | Mansfield, Texas | 200 | 45,399 |
Matt Menghi | Niantic, Conn. | 189 | 46,520 |
Matty Strothman-Evans | Winston-Salem, N.C. | 72 | 50,110 |
Michael Crow | Orion, Ill. | 97 | 49,374 |
Michael Kolton | Green Bay, Wis. | 154 | 47,911 |
Michael McAninch | Naperville, Ill. | 128 | 48,553 |
Michael Menke | New Berlin, Wis. | 145 | 48,151 |
Michael O'Brien | Lakewood, Colo. | 118 | 48,735 |
Michael S. Livengood | Ward, Ark. | 36 | 51,211 |
Miguel Tames | Miami, Fla. | 34 | 51,246 |
Mike Balliet | Milton, Pa. | 44 | 50,892 |
Mike Clark | Las Vegas, Nev. | 45 | 50,870 |
Mike Clay | Cheshire, Conn. | 74 | 50,090 |
Mike Freeman | Hamilton, Canada | 104 | 49,230 |
Mike Lenett | Silver Spring, Md. | 123 | 48,690 |
Mike McIlraith | Fort Worth, Texas | 73 | 50,092 |
Mike Nease | West Chicago, Ill. | 192 | 46,349 |
Mike Taylor | Meridian, Idaho | 142 | 48,232 |
Mike Whitla | Ottawa, Canada | 191 | 46,412 |
Moishe Steigmann | Milwaukee, Wis. | 197 | 45,888 |
Monte McDonald | Las Vegas, Nev. | 41 | 50,937 |
Nathan Bileck | San Diego, Calif. | 101 | 49,284 |
Nathan Priest | Waynesboro, Pa. | 60 | 50,396 |
Nick Heuton | Carroll, Iowa | 85 | 49,843 |
Nick Petrevski | Los Angeles, Calif. | 111 | 48,907 |
Patrick Wentz | Columbus, Ohio | 157 | 47,856 |
Paul McCann | Hopewell, Pa. | 95 | 49,410 |
Pete Collins | Orland Park, Ill. | 141 | 48,260 |
Pete Gould | Nottingham, U.K. | 222 | 38,343 |
Pete Richmond | Alexandria, Va. | 199 | 45,628 |
Phil Mazurowski | Huntingdon, Pa. | 220 | 41,672 |
Phil Montalbano | Napa, Calif. | 159 | 47,845 |
Ponce Hatch | Haddon Township, N.J. | 115 | 48,814 |
Ray Calisto | Fishers, Ind. | 187 | 46,644 |
Rey Diaz | Miami, Fla. | 214 | 43,373 |
Rich Dooley | Arlington, Va. | 186 | 46,655 |
Richard Fechter | Coral Gables, Fla. | 79 | 49,996 |
Richard Jackson | Berkeley, Calif. | 139 | 48,302 |
Richard Loppnow | Ephrata, Wash. | 122 | 48,709 |
Richard Spinella | North Providence, R.I. | 43 | 50,925 |
Rick Stark | Manchester Center, Vt. | 5 | 53,476 |
Rick Wiegan | Chesapeake, Va. | 181 | 46,833 |
Riley May | Denver, Colo. | 120 | 48,716 |
Rob Milelli | Cherry Hill, N.J. | 23 | 51,596 |
Rob Reiber | Randolph, N.J. | 171 | 47,339 |
Robert Yang | Simi Valley, Calif. | 53 | 50,636 |
Rocky Petrella | Philadelphia, Pa. | 144 | 48,181 |
Roy Sherman | Columbia, Tenn. | 51 | 50,681 |
Russell Dawson | El Dorado Hills, Calif. | 162 | 47,701 |
Rusty Stephens | Atlanta, Ga. | 188 | 46,630 |
Ryan Deal | West Mifflin, Pa. | 90 | 49,691 |
Ryan Murphy | East Berlin, Pa. | 28 | 51,408 |
Sam Dugan | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 183 | 46,784 |
Sam Hendricks | Lynchburg , Va. | 129 | 48,548 |
Scott Anderson | Lakewood, Colo. | 195 | 45,985 |
Scott Kopischke | Menomonee Falls, Wis. | 22 | 51,704 |
Scott Liles | Mountain Home, Ark. | 127 | 48,585 |
Scott Sachs | Huron, Ohio | 94 | 49,519 |
Scott Sintkowski | Waterford, Mich. | 92 | 49,658 |
Scott Wilkinson | Portland , Ore. | 20 | 51,985 |
Seamus McGuigan | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 31 | 51,340 |
Sean Chi | New York, N.Y. | 164 | 47,640 |
Shane Scott | Toronto, Canada | 126 | 48,604 |
Shelby Teagardner | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 18 | 52,189 |
Steve Blenker | Cheektowaga, N.Y. | 204 | 44,934 |
Steve Math | Austin, Texas | 54 | 50,625 |
Steve Moyer | Oakland, Calif. | 66 | 50,205 |
Steve Tortora | Wallingford , Conn. | 175 | 47,006 |
Steve Weber | Paso Robles, Calif. | 165 | 47,567 |
Steven Alessandrini | Flanders, N.J. | 91 | 49,670 |
Steven Schindhelm | Milwaukee, Wis. | 105 | 49,194 |
Steven Torres | Nipomo, Calif. | 168 | 47,467 |
Stewart Kuehne | Redmond, Wash. | 167 | 47,489 |
Terence Larro | Woodland Hills, Calif. | 62 | 50,341 |
Thomas Oliver | Silver Spring, Md. | 35 | 51,236 |
Tim Wandling | Rohnert Park, Calif. | 206 | 44,884 |
Todd Voorhees | Chula Vista, Calif. | 114 | 48,858 |
Tom Deskovitz | South Lyon, Mich. | 152 | 48,074 |
Tom Groome | Duncannon, Pa. | 3 | 54,272 |
Tom Morande | Tinley Park, Ill. | 30 | 51,342 |
Tom Overberger | Bedminster, Pa. | 46 | 50,811 |
Tommy Libretti | Malverne, N.Y. | 38 | 51,006 |
Tony Mavreles | Reading, Pa. | 177 | 46,953 |
Trevor Ross | Edmonton, Canada | 169 | 47,398 |
Trey Quinn | Annapolis, Md. | 153 | 47,990 |
Troy McGovern | Melbourne, Fla. | 55 | 50,617 |
Tyson Traveller | McKinney, Texas | 193 | 46,320 |
Victor Kitzes | Maple Valley, Wash. | 26 | 51,549 |
Vince Corbin | Naperville, Ill. | 134 | 48,489 |
Wade Booth | Tulsa, Okla. | 185 | 46,725 |
William Trostle | Fort Rucker, Ala. | 218 | 42,698 |
Zach Leavitt | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | 58 | 50,426 |
Zach Nizolek | Kansas City, Mo. | 16 | 52,409 |