Greco held on tight to win his first Expert's Contest

In Week 7 Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) set a 411Fantasy.com record with a 28-point effort, which propelled him into a commanding lead over a field of 50 fellow experts. It was enough to sustain him for the next 10 weeks and Greco held on to win the 2011 411Fantasy.com Expert’s Contest.

Through Week 16, Greco held a tenuous .63 point lead over Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks). Schauf would need to score approximately six more points than Greco in Week 17 to at least tie, but could only manage a four point advantage and Greco edged Schauf 17.38 – 17.23. They were the only two experts to crack the 17-point threshold.

“This year was tougher than ever when it came to predicting games. There was a great group of participants in the 411Fantasy.com challenge and after last season, I wanted to make sure this year I worked harder than ever to get inside the top 10,” said Greco, who finished 13th of 46 in 2010.

Greco has worked in the Fantasy Sports industry since 2007. As a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, Greco made his mark on the industry by teaming up with legendary fantasy baseball analysis Lenny Melnick to help create FantasyPros911 along with Patrick DiCaprio and Tony Cincotta. Greco also is the Associate Editor at BaseballDigest.com and co-owner of Gotham Sports Media Inc. Along with Cincotta, Greco has co-hosted the FantasyPros911 show for the last two years on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports radio. His body of work includes contributing to USA Today’s Sports Weekly, World Championship of Fantasy Football Magazine, Gotham Baseball Magazine, and Baseball Digest.

Greco actually took the lead in Week 6 with a 19-point effort, but it was his 28 points in Week 7 that gave him a one point lead, which is rather large in this format (that’s what she said). He backed it up with two second place finishes in Weeks 10 and 11 and his lead swelled to 1.73 points. But he would average 12.83 points over the last five weeks which allowed several, namely Schauf, Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) and Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) to gain ground and threaten to steal the title.

“I was fortunate enough to set a new record this year for points in a week, but every week it seemed like someone new was breathing down my neck,” Greco said. “I would get tweets like “Knock, knock,” from guys wanting to get into that top spot.”

Schauf nearly did with 20 points in Week 17, but it would have taken 22 for him to at least tie Greco. Only Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires), Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) and Tommy Landry (RotoExperts) were able to hit that mark last week, leading the pack for the final week.

Pianowksi, Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) and Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) made it a Yahoo hat-trick with 21 points last week, while Schauf and Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) had 20.

The 2011 “411Fatasy.com Expert’s Contest” included 51 distinguished members from the industry. As we’ve done every week, we’d like to acknowledge those who finished in the upper half and thank everyone again for their participation and support.

Tie breakers were determined by total average score per week. As previously noted, experts who compete in 14-17 weeks are rewarded by having their lowest scores dropped throughout the season. An entire season’s worth of participation earns an expert his/her four lowest scores to be stricken from the record.

The Final Top 25:

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 17.38

2. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 17.23

3. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 16.92

4. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 16.85

5. Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 16.77

6. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 16.77

7. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 16.69

8. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 16.62

9. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 16.54

10. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 16.23

11. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 16.23

12. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 16.15

13. Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 15.92

14.  Ken Zalis (Fans FF) 15.77

15. Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) 15.77

t16.  Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) and Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 15.54

18.  Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) 15.54

19. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) 15.38

20. Tommy Landry (RotoExperts) 15.31

21. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 15.23

22. Andy Behrens (Yahoo Sports) 15.23

23. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 15.08

24. Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) 15.08

25. Chris Morgan (RotoWire) 15.0

The 411

In 2010 Greco placed 13th out of 46. This year he bested 51 participants…. John Paulsen finished fourth this season a year after coming in second. Eisenberg came in fifth after coming in ninth in 2010 – Last season FSWA’s Mike Jones won it a year after his runner-up finish…. Jeff Boggis now has three Top 10 finishes in a row. This year he placed ninth, last year he finished third and in 2009 he came in eighth. Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) is the only other expert to bag three consecutive Top 10 spots (2008-2010)…. In 2008 Roto Experts dominated the top ten with five representatives; In 2009 Fantasy Phenoms held the majority of reps; In 2010 CBS gurus Eisenberg and Richard were the only repeat representatives, placing ninth and tied for 10th respectively. This year it was Yahoo Sports’ Pianowski and Evans holding fort in third and seventh place and 411’s Conn and Helbling in eighth and 10th (shameless plug). RotoExperts had four place in the top half with Jake Ciely leading the way in 11th…. Here are the results of the previous three years: 2010; 2009;  2008…. Once again we thank all of our esteemed colleagues for their participation and support. We hope the contest continues to grow and look forward to another fun and competitive season in 2012.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that….

Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) has kept to himself, plugging away to stay within the Top 10 most of the season, but he made his move in Week 14 in a three-way tie for first place with 20 points and is now in a tie for third place overall (gross score***). The CBS Sportsline guru was joined by Steve Siniski of College and Pro Weekely and Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) who also had 20 points and it marked the third time this season there has been a three-way tie for the top score in a single week. This was Pianowski’s fourth 20-spot of the season and Siniski’s first. Eisenberg and Pianowski are now one of several experts nipping at the heels of our overall leader Paul Greco.

Brad Evans and Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) each had 19 points as did Jim Day (GoAheadScore) for a three-way tie for fourth.  They were followed by Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) and Patrick Welsh, who had 18 points.

A seven-way tie for 9th place ensued:  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911), Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Adam Conn (411Fantasy), Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) and Andy Behrens (Yahoo Sports) each had 17 points. Greco was the only expert in the entire field to earn a point at WR, correctly naming Larry Fitzgerald among his group. Smola was the only other expert aside from Eisenberg to get all five multiple choice questions right.

Ken Zalis (Fans FF), John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) scored 16 points while Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) and Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) chimed in with 15.

*** NOTE ***  This week begins the Adjusted Score process – As of now, anyone who has turned in an entry form every week will have their lowest score subtracted from his/her overall score. As we move forward, his/her score will be adjusted each week assuming continued participation. So if you have missed one or more weeks your score will not be adjusted until you are eligible.  In short, there will be a gross total average, and a net total average. The NET average is what will we are using to determine the overall winner.

Leaderboard through Week 14:

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.21

2. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 15.36

t3. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) and Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 15.14

5. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 15.07

t6. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) and Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.0

8. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.93

9. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 14.86

10. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 14.71

t11. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Ken Zalis (Fans FF) and Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 14.64

14. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.54

t15.  Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) and Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.5

17. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 14.43

t18.  Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 14.29

20. Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) 14.14

21 Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) 14.07

t22. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) and Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 14,0

23. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) 13,93

24. Joe Everett (Fantasy Exchange) 13.92

Matt Schauf has built his resume on the backs of the IDP – Individual Defensive Player. Schauf, who carved out his IDP niche in 2004, was one of three nominees for the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s 2010 Fantasy Football Writer of the Year. He is also the publisher and lead writer for FantasySportsBusiness.com and was a jack of all trades with Rapid Draft last season. He is now the IDP Guru for Draft Sharks. But last week he flipped the switch on all of us with a 24 point effort and coasted to a Week 13 victory.

Schauf recorded five points at QB (Rogers+1, Brees +1, Newman), five points at RB (Rice, MJD, Lynch+1 and C.Johnson), two points for Nicks+1 at WR, three points for TE (Gronkowski+1 and Gonzo), two for Akers+1 at PK and three points at DST (49ers, Ravens+1). Schauf then picked up four points for answering two questions correctly (Rivers, Helu). He was the only expert to get four of five RBs and earned seven points via the bonus.

Tied for 10th last week, Schauf vaulted into third place overall and finds himself an even point out of first.

Schauf may have cruised to victory, but the field did well overall. The average score in Week 13 was 16.41, the second highest this season.

Tied for second last week was Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) and Tommy Landry (RotoExperts) with 21 points apiece. Sarney’s entry wasn’t looking good early on, but he rallied by sweeping the multiple choice section.

In fourth with 20 points was Adam Conn (411Fantasy) and Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus). This was Conn’s fourth 20-spot this season, Miglio’s first and yet they are separated by only .77 points overall….

The following were tied for 6th place last week with 19 points: Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) (who moved up to second place overall), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports), Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) and Michael Pichan (RotoInfo).

Trailing them in a tie for 11th were Eric Karabell (ESPN), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks), Joe Everett (Fantasy Exchange), Chris Morgan (Rotowire) and Andy Behrens (Yahoo) with 18 points apiece.

Once again we share a reminder to everyone that  this year 411 will reward those who have competed throughout by eliminating up to four of each expert’s lowest scores. If you miss anywhere between 1-4 weeks, no problem. It just means you will have less scores subtracted from your totals. So participation is key and scores will be adjusted beginning Week 14.

Your leaderboard through Week 13.

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.15

2. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 15.23

3. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 15.15

4. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.08

5. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 14.92

6. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 14.85

t7. Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) and Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 14.77

9. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.58

t10. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Ken Zalis (Fans FF),  Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) and Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 14.54

14. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.5

t15. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) and Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 14.46

17.  Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) 13.38

18.  Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 14.27

t19. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 14.15

21. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) 14.08

t22.  Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey),  Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts), Robb Perkins (FF Trader), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) and Joe Everett (Fantasy Exchange) 13.92

Rotowire.com writer Chris Morgan just added to his list of accomplishments. Not only was he nominated and voted runner up for the 2010 FSWA College Sports Writer of the Year, he now has Week 12 winner of the 411Fantasy Football Expert’s Contest to put on his resume.  Morgan left little doubt last week as he dominated the field of 51 experts polled with a score of 19.

Morgan scored three for QB (Brees, Brady, E.Manning), three at WR (Welker, White+1), two at TE (Gronkowski, Graham), two at kicker (Janikowski+1 – the only expert to correctly place Jano at the top of his kicker list) and three at D/ST (Pittsburgh, Houston, Baltimore).  Morgan also answered three multiple choice questions correctly (Sanchez, D.Brown and Hernandez) for a total of 19 points, well above the weekly average of 12.56. That number represents the third time in four weeks the average has dipped below 13. Maybe it was a little turkey hangover, or just part of the late season grind, but other than Morgan very few took advantage of the low-scores across the board.

Trailing Morgan with 17 points were Scott Pianowski and Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports along with Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible).  Mandel’s overall score has jumped 1.3 points over the last two weeks and he’s back on the leaderboard after a two-week hiatus. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) made the biggest leap on the leaderboard with his score of 16. Feingold improved his score by just .13 points, but finds himself in sixth place overall up from 14th last week.

A four-way tie for sixth place followed – Eric Karabell (ESPN), Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts), Tim Heaney (KFFL) and Josh Hudson (Coach&Hud) each had 15 points.

Matthew Berry (ESPN), Christopher Harris (ESPN), Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports), Patrick Welsh (Fantasy Pros 911) and Ross Miles (ProFootballFocus) had 14 apiece, while Adam Helbling (411), Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Adam Conn (411), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks), Andy Behrens (Yahoo) and Tommy Landry (RotoExperts) had 13 points each.

Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) maintains his overall lead, but the gap narrowed (no pressure, Paul) and much of the leaderboard has basically become a coin-flip.

As we near the final quarter of the season we share a reminder to everyone that  this year 411 will reward those who have competed throughout by eliminating up to four of each expert’s lowest scores. If you miss anywhere between 1-4 weeks, no problem. It just means you will have less scores subtracted from your totals. So participation is key and scores will be adjusted beginning Week 14.

Here is your leaderboard through Week 12:

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.33

2. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.08

3. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 14.92

t4. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) and Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 14.83

6. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 14.58

t7. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) and  John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 14.5

t10. Adam Conn (411Fantasy), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) and  Ken Zalis (Fans FF) 14.42

15. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.33

16. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.27

t17. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) and Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 14.17

19. Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) 14.0

20. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN), 13.92

21. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) 13.83

t22. Robb Perkins (FF Trader) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 13.75

Sometimes I wonder with seemingly an endless supply of the resources at our finger tips, what specifically enables us to come up with our predictions and premonitions. Some strategies include scientific stat calculation. Others include week-to-week lineup analysis. Some use really cool nicknames like “Sultan” while others use their gut instinct…. Sam Hendricks writes books – five to be exact.

In fact Hendricks, of Fantasy Football Guidebook, wrote a book, I think, with this contest in mind (work with me Sam). Fantasy Football Tips: 201 ways to win through player rankings, cheat sheets and better drafting was probably the driving force last week for Hendricks, who scored 23 points in Week 11 of the 411Fantasy Football Expert’s Contest to take down the field of 51 experts polled.

Hendricks scored five points at QB (Rodgers, Stafford, Newton and Romo +1), one for MJD at running back, another five at TE (Gronkowski +1, Witten +1 and Gates) and five more for kickers (Gostkowski+1, Bailey +1, Akers), plus three for D/ST (Patriots+1 and the 49ers). Hendricks then scored four points for answering two questions (Ogbonnaya and Seattle), one of a few to pick the Browns running back – that takes gumption!

Quietly posting respectable scores most of the season, including four weeks with top 5 scores, Hendricks has earned himself a spot in the top 3 overall as his average score rose from 14.5 to 15.27 points.

Our overall leader Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) held tightly to his lead last week with yet another second place finish. His 22-point effort brought his average score back to over 17 points a week (17.09), a remarkable run so far.

Alone in third place was Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) with 21 points, his season high to date.

Tied for fourth place with 20 points were Ken Zalis (Fans FF), Adam Conn (411) and Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports). Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) followed with 19 points while Joe Everett (Fantasy Exchange) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) each had 18.

A six-way tie 10th place included Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires), Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) and Patrick Welsh (Fantasy Pros 911), who all had 17 points. They were followed by John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) and Christopher Harris (ESPN), who had 16 apiece.

Adam Helbling (411), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks), Matthew Berry (ESPN), Tim Heaney (KFFL), Jim Day (GoAheadScore.com), Andy Behrens (Yahoo) and Michael Pichan (RotoInfo) rounded out the top half last week with 15 points each.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving with one eye on the bird, the other on football!

Your Week 11 leaderboard:

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 17.09

2. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.36

3. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 15.27

4. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 15.18

5. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 15.0

t6. Ken Zalis (Fans FF), John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 14.91

8. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 14.82

9. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 14.78

10. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.64

t11. Adam Conn (411Fantasy), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), and Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 14.55

t14. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 14.45

15. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 14.36

16. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) 14.27

17. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.2

t18. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN), Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.09

20. Robb Perkins (FF Trader) 14.0

t21. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports),  Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) 13.91

23. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus), 13.82

24. Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) 13.64

25. Matthew Berry (ESPN) 13.6

Will the real Sultan please stand up?  Our friend and competitor Jeff Boggis probably just got his hopes up, but we love jerking the Sultan’s chain (that’s what she said). Apparently there is enough room in the 411Fantasy Football Expert’s Contest for two sultans (watch your back, J.B.). ESPN’s Tristan Cockroft, a.k.a. @SultanofStat on his twitter account, knocked out the field in Week 10 of the contest out of 51 experts polled.

Cockroft earned two points for Aaron Rodgers and Arian Foster at their respective No. 1 spots, a point each for Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, four points at PK (Akers +1, Bailey, Gould), and two at defense/special teams (Houston +1). Cockroft also answered three questions correctly, Hasselbeck, Eric Decker and the Jaguars D/ST, for six additional points, giving him a total of 18. He cut his deficit in half, jumping from tied for 21st into a three-way tie in 10th place.

In another week where scores where generally down (11.97, third lowest this season), it was a good opportunity to gain some ground on our leader Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) – only problem was Greco came in second last week with a 17-spot (really Paul?).  Tied for third last week were Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports), Patrick Welsh (Fantasy Pros 911) and Matthew Berry (ESPN), who all chimed in with 16 points apiece.  Adam Helbling (411), Robb Perkins (FF Trader), Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms), Robert Shaw (Bloomberg Sports), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) and Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) all had 15 points while Adam Conn (411) and Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) had 14.

Jake Ciely (RotoExperts), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) and Steve Siniski (College & Pro Football Weekly) logged in 13 each and the next 25-ish experts were log-jammed in the 12 – 10 point range.

Greco remains in the lead for now, but lots of movement in and around the leaderborad. Here are the top overall experts through Week 10:

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.6

2. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 15.5

t3. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts), Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) and Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 15.0

6. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 14.9

7. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 14.8

8. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 14.5

9. Ken Zalis (Fans FF) 14.4

t10. Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) and Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 14.3

t13. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) and Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.2

t15. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms), Robb Perkins (FF Trader), and Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 14.1

18. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 14.0

19. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 13.9

t20. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) and Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus), 13.8

22. Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) 13.6

t23. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) and Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) 13.5

25. Matthew Berry (ESPN) 13.44

t26. Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) and Robert Shaw (Bloomberg Sports) 13.4

It started on third down and 5 with about 2:45 remaining…. Leading 20-16 Steelers OC Bruce Arians called a five-wide formation and Ben Roethlisberger threw an incomplete pass to Mewelede Moore in the flat (instead of running it for a few yards, grinding the clock down to the two-minute warning and kicking a field goal for a 23-16 lead). Then Pittsburgh got flagged for delay of game, taking the Steelers out of field goal range. Two and half minutes later the Ravens would complete a 92-yard drive to win the game. I along with 65k in attendance at Heinz Field were stupified that something like this could happen two years in a row on our own sod (See T.J. Whosyourmama).

Adding insult to injury I now have to praise Ravens enthusiast Ken Zalis of Fans Fantasy Football, who not only joined the leaderboard last week, climbing from beyond the rankings into 16th place, but leaped up eight spots as he continued his hot streak to take down the field of 51 polled experts in Week 9 of the 411Fantasy.com Fantasy Football Expert’s Contest.

Zalis, who finished 4th overall in 2010 by just 0.35 points off the lead, scored 19 points for an easy victory and gained .53 points to improve his average score to 14.78, good enough for 8th place in the overall standings. A half a point doesn’t sound like much, but in a week where the average score was 12.2, it was solid timing.

Zalis scored two for Aaron Rodgers (as did most experts) and one for Arian Foster, also a Week 9 favorite. He posted a goose-egg at WR (standard last week), but rallied with three points at TE (Witten, Gates, Gronkowski), two at PK (Rackers, Akers) and a contest best five points on defense (Dallas, Green Bay +1, Houston, Atlanta). He then correctly answered three questions (Breaston, Ballard and Arizona DST) for his final six points.

I have no doubt local listeners will hear about my NFL angst and his triumph this A.M. on“The Rob Long Show” on WVIE, Fox 1370…. You’re welcome, Ken.

Trailing by two points last week were Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) and Ginny Loveless (GoAheadScore), who each posted 17 points. Hendricks was one of just two experts to rank Vincent Jackson in his top five WRs and one of a handful to pick Jay Cutler as the best QB among the multiple choice options. After a rocky start, Loveless has posted at least 15 points for the fifth consecutive week.

Alone with 16 points was Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms). He was followed by John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) and Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters) with 15 points apiece.

Tied for 7th last week with 14 points were Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan), Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Robb Perkins (FF Trader) and Robert Shaw (Bloomberg Sports).

A nine-way tie for 11th ensued  — Overall leader Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) scored 13 points, as did Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus), Tristan Cockroft (ESPN), Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) and Josh Hudson (Coach and Hud).

The logjam continued. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires), Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts), Andrew Fiorentino (RotoWire), Tim Heaney (KFFL), and Ross Miles (ProFootballFocus) each scored 12 points.

Joe Everett (TheFantasyExchange) was the only expert to correctly rank Brandon Marshall in his Top 5…. On the flip side, your host Adam Conn cashed in the lowest score last week with 8 points, dropping him 0.75 points overall… Speaking of thin margins, there are about 20 experts at or under one point from the leaderboard, so while you may not see your name on this week’s list, you’re not far off….

Your leaderboard through Week 9

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.56

2. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 15.78

3. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 15.71

4. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.56

5. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 15.44

6. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 15.22

7. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 15.0

8. Ken Zalis (Fans FF) 14.78

t9. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) and Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 14.67

t11. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) and Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 14.56

12. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.44

13. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 14.33

14. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 14.22

t15. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus), and Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.11

t17. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms), Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters), Robb Perkins (FF Trader) and Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 14.0

t21. Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) and Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) 13.89

23. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 13.67

t24. Jared Smola (Draft Sharks), Chris Morgan (Rotowire), 13.56

Thitoff claims he's been a guru since the days of Brian Sipe, or roughly around the time he sported the Napoleon Dynamite Fro.

It’s bad enough that Jeff Thitoff of 97.1 The Fan and Jeff Boggis of Fantasy Sports Empires are at times the bane of my existence with their chest-thumping, mud-slinging bravado that typically greets my inbox every other morning, but the facts are facts. The self-proclaimed Guru and the Sultan of Smack, errr, Stats placed 1 and 2 in Week 8 with 22 and 21 points respectively in the 411Fantasy Expert’s Contest. Worse? They edged yours truly, who tied for third with Fans Fantasy Football’s Ken Zalis.

“Tito” scored five at quarterback (Vick, Newton+1, Roethlisberger +1), five at RB (Peterson, F.Jackson, Rice +1 and McCoy) and three at WR (Megatron+1 and Carolina’s Steve Smith. He collected a point each for Fred Davis, Nick Novak and the Lions defense, then closed with six points by answering three multiple choice questions (Scott, Washington – the receiver, not the defense… really?…  and Celek).

Boggis earned two at QB, four at RB, three at WR, picked up a bonus point with Fred Davis, picked up two at PK with Novak and Cundiff and also got a point for Detroit’s DST. Boggis also earned six points by selecting Washington, Celek and Seattle for blackjack, his second week in row with at least 20 points. It is the second time this week that Boggis, who was Charlie Sheen for Halloween this week, experienced “winning”!

Conn earned his 20 points without the benefit of a player bonus point… just sayin’, and Zalis was the only other expert to reach the 20-point mark.

The following five followed closely behind with 19 points: Adam Helbling (411Fantasy), John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) and Jonathan Phillips (Just a bit Outside).

Jake Ciely (RotoExperts), Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts),Eric Karabell (ESPN), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks), Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) and Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) all scored 18, while Christopher Harris (ESPN), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks), and Steve Siniski (College & Pro Footballweekly) tallied 17.

Our current leader Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) got 16 points as did Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) and Patrick Welsh (Fantasy Pros 911).

Boggis jumped from 16th to 9th overall. Thitoff’s effort earned him a spot in the Top 5 (my frustration grows) and Zalis climbed up to 16th after not being ranked in the top half just a week ago….

Lederboard at the halfway mark:

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 17.0

2. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 16.38

3. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 16.17

4. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 15.88

5. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.75

6. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 15.5

7. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 15.25

8. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 15.0

t9. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) and Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 14.88

t11. Adam Conn (411Fantasy), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) and Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.75

14. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.63

15. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 14.5

t16. Ken Zalis (Fans FF), Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook), Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus), 14.25

19. Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts) 14.13

t20. Robb Perkins (FF Trader),and Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) 14.0

t22. Chris Morgan (Rotowire), Jeremy Odem (freelance), Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters) 13.88

Greco has many reasons to be smiling - 28 to be exact.

In Week 9 of the 2009 season Dave Richard posted a score of 26 that has since held up as the highest score in Expert’s Contest history – No more.

Last week’s co-winner is also this week’s record breaker. Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911 sought new heights with a score of 28 points in what was a remarkable week for just the majority of the field. The average score was a whopping 18.1, which is typically a very good week in itself. But today, it won’t even get you a mention with Week 7’s top performers.

Greco scored five at QB, which was more common this week than it sounds, with Brees +1, Rodgers, Newton and Roethlisberger. He added three at RB with Forte +1 and Foster. Five more were collected at WR with Calvin Johnson, Jennings +1 and Wallace +1. Greco got two at TE (Graham, F.Davis) and PK (Kasay, Crosby) and three for DST (Saints, Browns+1)… Did I mention he picked the Browns defense??? To be fair, a handful of experts picked the Browns defense (against Seattle), which was by far the ugliest game since the Steelers/Dolphins 3-0 game in a bowl of soup at Heinz Field. I digress – Greco cleaned house by answering four multiple choice questions for eight more points. Murray, Lloyd, Denver’s D and that luck-box Tebow earned Greco an all-time high. His average score rose nearly two points in the process – Well done!

Normally that might put a ton of distance between him and the rest of the field, but as mentioned it was a record day with 16 experts in all scoring 20 points or more.

Jake Ciely (RotoExpers) maintained his Top 5 momentum with 24. He was tied with Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts), who jumped from 12th to 4th, and Andrew Fiorentino (RotoWire). Firoentino was one of just two experts to name all Top 5 QBs and collect seven points right off the bat.  That also might be a first that occurred twice in one week. Also accomplishing this was 411’s Adam Helbling, who notched 23 points.

With 21 points were Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) and Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook). Ten experts tallied 20 – Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey), Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires), Jason Sarney, (FantasyPhenoms), Tommy Landry (RotoExperts), Christopher Harris (ESPN) and Patrick Welsh (Fantasy Pros 911).

Rounding out roughly the top half with 19 were Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan), Brad Evans (Yahoo), Andy Behrens (Yahoo), Chris Morgan (Rotowire), Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) and Tristan Cockroft (ESPN).

All that said and it’s safe to say there was quite a bit of fluctuation on the leaderboard, so here it is….

1.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 17.14

2. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 16.14

3. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 15.86

4. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 15.8

5. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 15.14

6. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 15.0

t7. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) and Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 14.86

9. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 14.71

10. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.57

t11. Brad Evans (Yahoo), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) and Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus), 14.29

15. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.14

t16. Andy Behrens (Yahoo), Adam Conn (411Fantasy), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) Jeremy Odem (freelance), Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters) 14.0

t21. Chris Morgan (Rotowire), Joe Everett (TheFantasyExchange),  Robb Perkins (FF Trader), Jason Sarney, (FantasyPhenoms), Brandon Funston (Yahoo) 13.86

aconn@411fantasy.com

Erik Dell was let out of his cage and he leaped into first place overall with a Week 5 score of 21.

The average weekly score continues to climb and so does the top score. In Week 5 Eric Dell of BabyBlueMonkey.com set the bar at 21 points for the highest score so far this season.  In the last two weeks Dell has raised his average from 12 points (through Week 3) up to 15 and is now in the top spot overall out of 50 fantasy football experts polled.

Dell scored four points at QB (Rodgers +1, Vick, Newton) and a league-high six points at RB (ADP+1, Foster, Jackson, Gore+1).  He added one for Calvin Johnson at WR (who didn’t?) and two at TE with Graham and Vernon Davis. Three more came from his defense (Bengals+1, 49ers) and oddly enough just one from his kickers, a position the majority of the group did very well with this week. He correctly answered the Law Firm and Pierre Garcon for four multiple question points and totaled 21.

Dell was the only expert to list Frank Gore in his top 5 RBs – And since he did so well, I feel comfortable in pointing out that, while it would not have mattered, he listed Dallas Clark as his No. 5 TE, but selected Kevin Boss to score more points among the listed options, which included Clark… Way to cover all the angles, Erik!

Trailing Dell by one point were two members of Yahoo Sports – Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) and Brandon Funston (Yahoo). Pianowski tallied 20 points, Funston 19 and both have climbed into the Top 5 overall.

A three-way tie for fourth place followed: Jake Ciley (RotoExpers), Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) and Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) had 18 apeice. Hendricks was the only expert to select Alex Smith over Mark Sanchez, Jason Campbell or Kevin Kolb.

ESPN’s Eric Karabell and Ken Zalis (Fans FF) shared seventh place with 17 points and the following all tied for ninth place with 16 points — Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters), Adam Conn (411Fantasy), John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Matt Schauf (Rapid Draft), Chris Morgan (Rotowire), Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts), and Tommy Landry (Rotoexperts).

Following in 19th place with 15 points were Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911), Brad Evans (Yahoo), Jeremy Odem (freelance), Jeff Mans (Fantasy Alarm), Matt Wirkiowski (Rotoexperts) and Ginny Loveless (GoAheadScore).  Loveless was the only expert to select the Buffalo Bills as a Top 5 defense.

The average weekly score also reached a new high at 14.13 points, up from 13.85 in Week 4.  Well done everyone.

Here is the leaderboard through Week 5.  Note, most of those not appearing on said list are within a point or just over a point from  joining the masses.

1. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 15.0

2. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.8

3.  Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 14.6

4. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 14.4

t5. Robert Shaw (Bloomberg Sports), Jake Ciley (RotoExpers), Brandon Funston (Yahoo) 14.2

t8. Eric Karabell (ESPN) and Andy Stuckins (Coach & Hud) 14.0

t10. Russ Bliss (Fantasy Football Starters) and Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 13.8

t12. Brad Evans (Yahoo), John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) and Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) 13.6

t16. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy), Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires), Jeremy Odem (freelance) 13.4

t19.  Joe Everett (TheFantasyExchange), Matthew Berry (ESPN), Andy Behrens (Yahoo) 13.75

t22.  Ken Zalis (Fans FF), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Matt Schauf (Rapid Draft), Chris Morgan (Rotowire), Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline), Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts),  Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) and Christian Ingram (First Fantasy) 13.0.

aconn@411fantasy.com