No Conn-test: G.O.A.T. or goat?
BY JEFF THITOFF:
As I sat down to pen this ode to the 2009 Experts Contest winner, I was reminded of this moment. You need only view the first 12 seconds to grasp what it’s like to work with Adam Conn of 411fantasy.com, the newly-crowned “Fantasy Football Expert of the Year.”
Conn emerged from an incredibly impressive field of experts and edged out Michael Jones (Football Diehards), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) and Peter Davidson (Fantasy Phenoms). In all, 35 experts from 23 of the top fantasy sports sites – including ESPN, CBS Sports, RotoExperts, Yahoo and Sports Illustrated – took part in the competition.
(At this point, I could allow for Conn to say something – a quote about how humbled he is, or how much of his success he owes to me – but I will let him do a post of his own on the site. Quite frankly, I didn’t really want to talk to him.)
Conn becomes the second winner of the now-annual contest. Jonathan Phillips from RotoExperts won the event in 2008. The results from the 2008 contest are here, and an interview with Phillips last year is here for the nostalgic types.
The 17th week of the NFL season was a difficult one to predict. Some key players were rested, some were benched (Denver) and that led to some surprising performances.
Patrick Welsh from Fantasy Pros 911 claimed the top spot in the weekly competition. Michael Jones (Football Diehards), Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) and Matt Schauf (Rapid Draft) tied for second.
The top predictors for Week 17:
1. Patrick Welsh, Fantasy Pros 911
T2. Michael Jones, Football Diehards; Matt Schauf, Rapid Draft; Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible
5. Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio
T6. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com; Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes
T8. Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms; Adam Helbling, 411fantasy.com
T10. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires; Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts
And, in the season-long competition for the prestigious “Fantasy Football Expert of the Year” award:
1. Adam Conn, 411fantasy.com – 14.65
2. Michael Jones, Football Diehards – 14.35
T3. Jeff Boggis, Fantasy Sports Empires; Peter Davidson, Fantasy Phenoms – 14.18
5. Ross Mandel, NFL Draft Bible – 13.93
6. Russ Bliss, Fantasy Football Starters – 13.88
7. Michael Cooper, Cooper Sports Radio – 13.67
8. Dave Richard, CBS Sports – 13.62
9. Jared Smola, Draft Sharks – 13.46
10. Jason Sarney, Fantasy Phenoms – 13.27
11. Jeff Thitoff, 411fantasy.com – 13.25
12. Matt Schauf, Rapid Draft – 13.06
T13. Mike Gilbert, Roto Experts; James Rathbone, Fantasy Football InDepth – 13.00
15. Patrick Welsh, Fantasy Pros 911 – 12.93
16. Adam Helbling, 411fantasy.com – 12.76
It should be noted that Zack O’Malley Greenburg from Forbes posted the top average for the season (15.30), but wasn’t added to the contest until Week Eight. To be eligible for the crown, participants have to compete in at least 13 weeks.
Just adds to the drama for the 2010 contest, when he will be a participant from the start…
[...] brought with him from his days with The Columbus Dispatch. The 2009 title went to Thitoff’s 411Fantasy colleague and fellow Dispatch veteran Adam Conn. Although you’ll find my name tied for second in the Week 17 [...]
[...] Conn, the 411Fantasy.com Expert of the Year, scored two points at QB (Brady, Stafford), three points at RB (McFadden, ADP and McCoy), one for Vincent Jackson at WR, two for Fred Davis at TE (+1 bonus), three for Hanson and Kasay (+1) at PK, and three at D/ST (Pittsburgh, N.Y. Jets +1). Conn also had Fred Jackson, Devery Henderson and Greg Olsen pegged on the multiple choice questionnaire for his final six points. Conn was one of just two experts to have Fred Davis ranked in the top five at TE. [...]