(S1) - Weekend PT #5 - Top 50

[HENDRIX]

My teammate from the Baltimore Hawks Stephen Harrison deserves recognition for the top 50 players list. Throughout the year he showed why he is one of the most versatile linebackers in the league. He had production all across the board: he flew around all over the field racking up 84 tackles, got into the backfield tallying six sacks and three tackles for loss, and performed well in pass coverage with four pass deflections and two interceptions. He is also one of just twelve defenders to score a defensive touchdown this year. He spent most of his snaps at the strong side linebacker position. He was often tasked with defending the opposing tight end in pass coverage, shedding blockers in pursuit of the running back, and occasionally being sent on a blitz. His top game of the year came on a Monday night win against the Sabercats. With Baltimore trying to defend a three point lead late in the fourth quarter Harrison sealed the deal by intercepting Jameis Christ and returning it eight yards for a touchdown. He is considered a team leader and core member of the Hawks football team. He will be relied upon heavily moving forward and deserves recognition for a great first season.

[124715]

In case you've been living under a rock for the past NSFL season, Josh Garden, who was picked with the 2nd overall pick in the NSFL S1 draft, is pretty good. Sure, he has character issues that can't be ignored, but it's difficult to overstate the impact of 1178 receiving yards on a team's offense. This gets even crazier when you consider that Yellowknife QB Chris Orosz has only 2788 passing yards and the team as a whole combined for 2853! This means that Garden accounted for 41% of Yellowknife's passing yards! In addition, his breakaway speed (80) gives him the second highest yards/reception (min. 5 rec) of all receivers in the league, only behind Stormblessed of the Outlaws. His 47 yard reception gives him the second longest reception, again behind Stormblessed. These stats show how valuable Garden was to his team. But forget the stats. If you watched the Wraiths' first playoff game, you'd see the way Garden impacts the whole field. Many times, Garden would gain 5-10 yards of separation from the DB within seconds of the snap. This forces the secondary to adjust, making it easier for other WRs to pick up yards. For a diva off the field, Garden is a team player on the field. The team will be devastated if he hits free agency this season.

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[DrunkenTeddy]

Robert Phelps could easily be considered a top 50 player in this league, I would argue that his stats from the inaugural season would put him in the top 20. He is a shoe in for the pro bowl, being on every single ballot seen so far. He had led the entire league in receiving yards almost the entire season until he was passed by Josh Garden after a 120+ yard performance in the final game of the season. Despite that, Phelps still ended the season with the most catches in the league, and the second most yards gained. His touchdown numbers have not been great, but that's more of an issue with his usage. Phelps tends to be the choice for the long ball, and the Otters tend to go with Westfield or one of their running backs when trying to hit the end zone. I would also argue that Westfield should be considered a top 50 player along with Phelps, the two have been the most dynamic, and strongest pair of receivers in the entire league all season. If you're including Phelps you have to include Westfield with him. After all, this duo is inseparable on the field, off the field, in a forest, or wherever.

[TheWoZy]

Vinny Cox is top 50 players in the league. He might not have more than 10 sacks but that doesn't mean he's not a top 5 DT and top 50 players in the league. He's a nose tackle. Nose tackles tend not to make a large impact statistically, but they can have an enormous impact on the offense's ability to run the football if they can keep the offense from opening holes for the running back. Vinny Cox has 69 tackles which the most by a DT. His primary job is to clog up as much of the middle of the offensive line as possible to allow the other defensive players to make plays. The Yeti have 2 LB with Fulton having 10 sacks and Saint having 14 sacks. Also, the two DE that plays to his side has 8 sacks for Teagarden and 10 by Wozy. Those players are skilled for sure but the one who's creating an opening for them is Vinny Cox. He can take care of multiple OL letting the pass rush going after the QB and the speed rusher will get him from the outside. That's only because OL are focusing too much on the pressure that Vinny Cox is giving them. He deserves to be in the conversation for top 50 players in the league.

[Raven]

[Zoone16]

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The top 50 players in a league is usually filled with all the stars from all the teams. However, there are some players that can make their way there without having as much light shone unto them. This is the case for Alexandre LeClair, who was the clear number 2 receiver on the Wraiths. He was however clearly among the best secondary receivers in the league, with 754 yds. received (9th in league) with an average of 14yds run per pass (7th in league) despite received a significantly lesser number of passes from his QB at 54 (12th in league). His 4 TDs (Tied 6th in league) show that he can contribute to the score sheet as well.
LeClair also showed solid kick & punt return skills with 586 yds. gained from kick returns (4th in league) and another 210yds. from punt returns (6th in league). His average returns were, once again, not the highest, but near the top with an average return of 17.8yds. for kicks (6th in league) and 8.1yds. for punts (5th in league).

As a route runner, LeClair will never be the flashy, superstar player that the fans & analysts all talk about but on the game side of things, he is one of the most constant & reliable players on the field on any game day. And for all the talk about comparing him to lead receiver Josh Garden; Garden ran a total of 1380yds. this season (received yds + kick return yds, + punt return yds). LeClair ran a total of 1550yds. Although not split the same way, this is a significant number that should not be dismissed.

And with LeClair going to the Las Vegas Legion expansion team for next season, all eyes will be on him to continue to show consistency. He has a real chance to become the lead receiver in Vegas and improve on all his numbers. This is why we believe that Alexandre LeClair belongs in the top 50 players of today.

[BrokkLee]

To the best offensive lineman on my team the Yeti.

[deadendpath27]

[jparks98]

The topic of who belongs on the top 50 list is interesting one. Everybody wants to be on the list but it's reserved for the elite of the elite. One of the players that deserves to be on the top 50 players list is Alex Hayden. This guy has put time in the gym and proved that on the field he is a top 5 defensive back on a team headed to the inaugural championship game. He has 63 tackles which is 7th in defensive backs and 2nd in cornerbacks. He also has 4 interceptions where he is tied for third place and 18 pass deflections with Isaiah Rashad being the only player with more. Getting a tackle for loss and a forced fumble strongly helps his case too. These statistics show that he not only excels in pass coverage but is also really good at run support. Even though his stats are good, they do not tell the whole story though. The Colorado Yeti had 56 sacks on the season and many of them were coverage sacks because of Hayden. With a lot of speculation on who should be on the top 50 list, there is one name for certain that belongs on the list and that name is Alex Hayden.

[Sanctus]

Tomlinson is the best DE in the league!

@Jbearly