IS IT TIME TO PANIC?

The star TE suffered a groin injury on Monday that has kept him out of practice both Tuesday and Wednesday and his status is now up in the air for Sunday's game against the Bears. This also should move the betting line in addition to crushing fantasy owners such as myself that have him as our only TE on multiple teams. Keep a close eye on this one. 

Look for Austin Hooper, Irv Smith Jr., or Albert Okwuegbunam on your wavier wire (in that order). 

I’ll be completely honest; I believe that these will be the top two fantasy running backs this season. Just to get it out of the way: I don’t think McCaffrey will play consistently enough to rank him ahead of them, nor do I trust Pittsburgh’s offense enough to take Harris higher, and Austin Ekeler is a close third but I’m worried about him staying healthy. 

That leaves me with Jonathan Taylor, the breakout star of 2021, and Derrick Henry, the perennial fantasy beast and stiff-arm God. I don’t think anyone, including myself, is passing on Jonathan Taylor at any spot in this year’s draft, but there is a bigger case to be made for Henry than you might think. 

Last season through week eight, Henry had amassed 175.3 fantasy points but Taylor only 131.4. As we all know, the first eight weeks of Fantasy are the most important weeks to get your team to at least a record of 4-4 so you have a shot at making playoffs. Anything worse than a 4-4 start and I’m thinking about trading my RB2 for flyer wide receiver just to plug a hole. However, week eight was also the week that Henry broke his foot and Taylor started ccelerating into the overall RB1. Both teams are looking to ride their running game to the playoffs and Taylor’s youth gives him the edge here. By the way, in his final eight games (leaving out week 17), JT put up 192.2 huge points. 

As of today, Kansas City is starting JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Mecole Hardman. This wide receiver group has 12 years of combined experienced yet has more hyphenated last names than 1,000 yard seasons. The only time any of the three topped the thousand-yard mark was Smith-Schuster in 2018 when he finished with an impressive 1,426. 

Obviously, all-world tight end Travis Kelce will be the primary target for Patty Mahomes but let’s not discount the fact that Tyreek Hill was opening up the middle of the field for the Mahomes-Kelce connection to thrive these past years. Will Valdes-Scantling be able to do the same? If he was unable to produce strong numbers with Aaron Rodgers, what makes us think he can do it with Mahomes? 

There isn’t a team entering the 2022 season with more uncertainties than the San Francisco 49ers. What we do know, is that Trey Lance is their starting quarterback and that they are not trading Deebo Samuel. But what we don’t know is how Lance will perform. He made some brief (and exciting) cameos last season but wasn’t given much of a chance to show us what he can do as a dual threat. We also don’t know how Deebo will react if he doesn’t get his big contract signed by the start of the season after his off-season trade demand was ignored by upper management. Will we see a repeat of his amazing 2021 season in which he transformed from one of the league’s best wideouts to one of the league’s best running backs? And what will Elijah Mitchell and Greg Kittle look like? They both have huge upside as well. In it’s entirety, the SF offense has the potential to have top performers at every skill position (we haven’t even mentioned Brandon Aiyuk or Jeff Wilson Jr.). 

That should actually read “Tua to a Trio” because Dophins QB Tua Tagovailoa has some serious weapons at his disposal this coming season. Last year, Tua established immediate chemistry with rookie standout Jaylen Waddle en route to leading the Dolphins to their second straight winning season on the heels of three straight losing seasons. The roster has added some huge fire power to compliment Waddle with Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr., who combined for 1,841 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021. Add starting TE Mike Gesicki (780 yards, 2 TD) to that mix and the pressure is now firmly on the shoulders of Tua to produce a stellar season under new head coach Mike McDaniel. 

Aaron Rodgers called Davante Adams the best wide receiver in the NFL and signed his huge contract extension during the off-season assuming he would be throwing the ball to his longtime favorite target. Less than two weeks after signing his deal, the Packers dealt Adams to the Raiders and now Rodgers is left trying to figure out who will fill not only that insurmountable void but also the role of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who went to the Chiefs. Rodgers has shown before that he can make any wideout look great so we’ll look forward to seeing who emerges in the Green Bay offense this year. 

Pat Mahomes, on the other hand, has never entered a season without start receiver Tyreek Hill and will have to prove that he’s worth every penny of his huge contract as he throws to a very average receiver group. There is no way the Chiefs offense will look the same without Hill but Andy Reid is an offensive genius that will need to get more creative this season to keep Mahomes production at the top of the league. 

By Kevin Lew-Hailer | Los Angeles

February 12, 2021

Dear Karl-Anthony, 

I wanted to write you and let you know that I am so happy and relieved to see that you survived COVID and are able to get back to your woman, your family, your friends, and lastly, your job. 

I wanted to write you and tell you that your mother and your other family members who were lost to this pandemic have changed not only my life but the entire world. 

COVID-19 hit my radar as soon as it arrived in my hometown of Seattle in late January of 2020. I followed it closely as it spread from state-to-state across our country. I was lucky enough to attend the last Lakers game before the NBA wisely shut down operations following Rudy Gobert’s positive test result. But I only started fearing and respecting the danger of COVID when I learned of the horror that you had to go through with both of your parents hospitalized. 

I empathized with the devastation that this deadly virus brought to your family and I urged my own mother to shut down her clothing boutique in downtown Seattle. Every night, we nagged her for what seemed like a month but was probably only a few days, until she closed shop and a huge stress was lifted from me and my sister. It's very possible that our constant pleading may have saved her life. 

Much to the dismay of many co-workers, I acted early and instituted safety protocols at my workplace. And even though I myself tested positive in November, we have avoided an outbreak. Taking early action and understanding the true threat of COVID-19 may have saved one of our lives as well.

I wanted to write you and tell you that you were never one of my favorite players to watch in the NBA. I grew up idolizing Nick Van Exel and Jason Terry, and now I circle the dates when Steph matches up with Dame. But Karl-Anthony, I know that you are a man with no political motive to urge us to wear a mask or push some conspiracy scare tactic about a Chinese virus that is nothing but the common flu. You are a person who has been tortured by this very real virus and who will feel its impact for the rest of your life, even after surviving it and returning to what many of us consider a dream job. 

I’m writing this to you, Karl-Anthony, to thank you and let you know that you are one of my favorite people in the NBA. Thank you for sharing your experiences in a tough post-game press conference two nights ago. For unselfishly playing alongside your teammates and showing us that we can be knocked down by this pandemic, we can go through hell, depression, mental setbacks, family deaths, and we can survive. 

Sharing your story and speaking so candidly with reporters means more than you know. We appreciate you as a person who shares his struggles with us. We hurt for your loss and we root for you and your family in life. 

Today is my father's fifth birthday since he lost his life to cancer and while the hurt never goes away, it is a constant reminder of the important things in life and the blessings that are all around us. I know you are well aware of that as well. 

Godspeed, my friend.

Kevin Lew-Hailer | Los Angeles

February 5, 2021

The year is 2017 and the NBA free-agent market is in a summer frenzy. 

Steph, KD, Blake, Gasol, and others all had chances to re-sign or follow their dreams to greener pastures. For NBA general managers, it was like the lottery…nothing but a daydream until most of these superstars would surely opt-in and stay with their current teams. 

Then the heart and soul of the Clippers, Chris Paul, the undisputed top point guard in franchise history smack in the middle of his prime, snatched up all the headlines and shocked the hoop world by announcing he wanted out of Lob City, USA. Suddenly, daydreams turned into roster restructures and swirling sign-and-trade rumors. 

Would Paul join his buddy Kobe and seek revenge on the Clippers? Would he fill the void left by Tony Parker’s injury in San Antonio and make them an instant contender again? Maybe the Nets or Knicks, who were both in dire need of a superstar to lead their pitiful franchises into contention would figure out a way. No one had any idea, but everyone wondered.

The CP3 hype lasted a few days to kick off June until the finals got going and everyone remembered that nothing happens in free agency until July when teams are actually allowed to start making offers. Personally, I was more concerned about the Dubs taking down the almighty King James and his band of misfits. 

I spent the first half of my life in Seattle and the second half down here in the City of Angels, Trojans, and aspiring entertainers. But as the story goes, I was baptized in the “O” and I tend to go S-T-U-P-I-D for my family roots in the Bay. This includes rooting for hand-picked squads from various NorCal cities. On June ninth, the Warriors were up 3-0 in the Finals and the brooms were out of the witch’s closet. It was Friday night, all of the Bay Area transplants and Curry fanboys filled the L.A. sports bars and were ready to go hyphy. But Lebron wasn’t having it and he single-handedly twomped the Warriors 137-116, with one of the nastiest lines in NBA Finals history – 31 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.

Feeling defeated and about to head home, I got a text from DJ Ren that there was a high-key lit fiesta going down at Adults Only on La Brea and Sunset. 

Say less, fam. 

The night played out in typical Hollywood fashion: shots, shots, a tequila and water, and some more shots. Before I could say “Warriors in five,” it was already last call and what started out as me, DJ Ren, and BruceBruce was now a group of about 20, including the birthday boy of honor for the night. There was not one person in this growing group of degenerates that was ready to call it a night. 

We had two choices: Bossa Nova or the real adults-only establishment located kitty-corner from the bar Adults Only (no relation to each other). This was not a hard decision for a crew of drunken animals trying to create an epic celebration in our stupor. 

So, we pulled up to the unnamed location across the street and I inquired about a group rate for the entry fee. 

“Two hundred dollars each,” advised the security guard. Some quick math told me that was roughly $4,000 for the group just to walk in. I suggested that the security guard was out of his mind and he told me that every celebrity in L.A. was inside and there would be no negotiating. 

I returned to the group to deliver the bad news and as I turned around to point to the security guard, a recognizable young gentleman strolled out of the venue. I was pretty tipsy but I knew I had seen this character before. Ah… that’s Trevor Ariza. The kid that gave my Trojans fits during his freshman year at UCLA. The thought didn’t last long when a much more recognizable bearded man who had just set the NBA record for points in a single season followed. 

“Yo! That’s James Harden,” someone from our group yelled out. No shit, Ernie Johnson. I turned to tell whoever said that to chill when our birthday boy starts going brazy. 

“CP3!! You’re my favorite player of ALL-TIME!! CP3!! CP3!!”

Oh, shit. Sure enough, it was the Carolina legend himself, hat pulled down and swiftly maneuvering into the Uber XL in what would have been stealthy had our birthday buddy not put him on full-out TMZ blast mode. The excitement of seeing two NBA superstars and one UCLA legend lasted long enough to end our night on the sidewalk in front of the Mobil gas station and save us $4,000 in entry fees. And three weeks later, Chris Paul joined James Harden and Trevor Ariza on the Houston Rockets. 

The moral of the story is: no matter what they teach you in journalism school, there are more than one ways to go about getting a scoop.