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Welcome to week one of AFC training camp recaps. Every Friday I will be covering what went on for every AFC team at their camp. Everything from position battles, new signings, injury reports and coaching decisions.
Some top headlines for this week are Darren Waller is finally back with the Raiders, Odell Beckham Jr. may not be a top receiver anymore and the Broncos offense looks to be a fantasy goldmine.
With only a few weeks to the regular season, training camps are starting to wind down and teams are headed into their final preseason games. Some big news is that we got to see some position battles won.
Week 6: Gus Edwards draft stock on the rise
Some of the big news to come out this week is J.K. Dobbins will miss the season with an
ACL injury and Bryan Edwards could be the sleeper of the draft.
Quarterback Sleepers and Busts
Knowing when to pick a quarterback in your draft can either make or break your team. Most fantasy owners will stream quarterbacks, but you can still snag a 20 fantasy point-per-game quarterback late. The question is which ones? In this piece, I’ll be hooking you up with some quarterback sleepers, along with my busts and my hot-take bust for the season.
You can take Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen in the first few rounds if you want a secure quarterback. But why waste a pick that early on a quarterback when you can still snag a 20 point-per-game quarterback in the 10th.
Here are three quarterback sleepers and one deep sleeper that will still end up in the top 10 followed by my top busts for the season.
Quarterback Sleepers
Joe Burrow
Out of the three sleepers I have, Joe Burrow is a borderline sleeper. Meaning he is being selected in the round he should go. But what makes him a sleeper is he is still going around the eighth round.
Read more here
Running Back Sleepers and Busts
Every year there is always a deep sleeper or two in the draft and a huge bust. Last year James Robinson was the big sleeper of running backs in the draft. And we all know the person who drafted him would not shut up about how they got him in the eighth
round, even if they did not make the playoffs.
As for busts, Ezekiel Elliot and Miles Sanders did not show up to their potential last season. Lets not make that mistake again. Well, today I’m going to give you some of my top running back sleepers and one deep sleeper for the 2021 season. All of these running backs can be taken from the sixth or seventh round and on. Then you will be the one bragging about getting a stud in the 10th round.
I will also be giving you some busts to stay away from, and one hot take on a bust going in the first round.
Running Back Sleepers
AJ Dillon
Now that Jamaal Williams is out of the picture, AJ Dillon will be a top handcuff to Aaron Jones. We all saw the big game Dillon had in week 16 against the Titans when
we went for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
Read more here
Five PPR Strategies
Are you ready to spice up your league and move away from the stagnant scoring of a standard league? If so, then it is time to try out the scoring format of points per reception (PPR). Also, if you are already in a PPR league, welcome and get ready to hear
some PPR draft strategy for the 2021 season.
PPR Draft Strategy does not change drastically in the first rounds, but the middle to late rounds can lead your team to the championship or home. Generally, running backs are
still very valuable in PPR as the position is still scarce. Also, you will be surprised how deep the wide receiver position is in production for PPR.
Before we get into PPR draft strategy, let us break down how PPR is different from standard scoring for first-time players. In PPR, when your running back, wide receiver, or tight end catches a ball, they automatically get one point. So, even if your wide
receiver catches a ball for no yards, he will still get one point for the reception.
Doesn’t seem too different from standard right? That is true, but that one-point reception goes far when it comes to drafting and picking up players off of waivers.
Daily Titan
Feature: Chain Reaction Saved By Fanbase
Located in a strip mall next to a thrift store and kids’ gallery sits Chain Reaction, a do-it-yourself club that has been home to the Orange County hardcore punk rock music community since 1996. Like many other venues, Chain Reaction is struggling to stay open due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Oct. 23, it announced an indefinite closure.
Within days, local and international bands from the community showed their support and successfully gave the small club a chance to remain open.
Jesse Barnett, vocalist for Orange County-based hardcore band, Stick To Your Guns, received word through his manager that Chain Reaction would be closing.
News: OC Moves To Purple Tier
As California experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases, Orange County has returned to the strictest reopening tier on Monday, meaning indoor operations at fitness centers, restaurants, movie theaters, places of worship and other non-essential businesses must close.
Orange County is among 28 other counties in California that will restart strict restrictions to combat a rise in statewide coronavirus cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press conference on Monday.
Profile: Kelly Ford Receives Another HOF Induction
For the second time in her career, Kelly Ford, the Cal State Fullerton head softball coach, will be receiving a Hall of Fame induction, but this time it will be for her high school play.
Ford, along with 35 other Oregon athletes, will be inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Sports Hall of Fame. During her time at Madison High School, she played volleyball, basketball and softball. She also received three letters in each sport for her nomination.
“You know what, the first person I thought about was one of my teammates that you know, she passed away before our senior year and she was one of my best friends,” Ford said. “We had a kind of a rivalry started way back in elementary school and so she’s really the first person I thought about, you know, really dedicating this to her.”
Profile: Black + Brown Healing Project
What started off as a book club, to escape quarantine with life friends, transformed into the Black and Brown Healing Project, which is a platform supporting the BIPOC community with work centered on healing.
The project consists of Executive Director Issac Alferos and Creative Directors Lidia Rodriguez, Elizabeth Vergara, Dixie Samaniego and Kayla Woodson. Alferos, Rodriguez, Vergara and Samanigo all attend CSUF and Woodson CSULB.
Alferos said, that as the project started the group met weekly over summer, in
what was similar to a book club, to look at identity from a new perspective. Looking at art, music and literature created by people of color asking the questions of how much identity does the BIPOC community have control of or relinquish.
Then the murderings of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd during the summer sparked a responsibility within the Black and Brown Healing project, as they felt a need felt they had to serve their community.
News: Campus Hits 25 COVID-19 Cases
Since the start of the fall semester, Cal State Fullerton has reported 25 positive COVID-19 cases on campus, including seven students, 15 employees and three vendors or contractors.
In addition, the university revealed that 57 students and 18 employees have tested positive off campus. Numbers are updated weekly on the On-Campus Case Count website.
On Nov. 20, a CSUF athlete on the men’s basketball team tested positive for COVID-19, which put the season opener on hold.
Earlier this month, Orange County transitioned into the state’s most restrictive reopening tier amid a surge in cases and hospitalizations. As of Sunday, the county has reported 77,819 coronavirus cases and is averaging about 1,058 daily, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Feature: Pandemic Derails Freshman’s Debuts
COVID-19 has put restrictions on not only virtual education, but also on Cal State Fullerton freshmen athletes who have worked tirelessly to only have their first semester of collegiate athletics to be shut down.
Despite their debut season being postponed, freshmen athletes are learning from their unusual experience about adjusting to college life, even amidst the pandemic.
Australia native Bella Stratford, a women’s basketball guard, and Illinois native Dante Maddox Jr., a men’s basketball guard, shared their views on attending CSUF without having the luxury of stepping foot on campus.
Column: Coping With Grief During The Holidays
The inevitable holidays are coming with no escape route in sight. For me, the holiday season isn’t the happiest time of the year. It is the saddest time of the year intertwined with Father’s Day.
I sound like a broken record, but I lost my dad five years ago when I was 22 years old. He died two weeks before Thanksgiving, so the holiday season has always been something I tend to not look forward to. But, I learned from meeting classmates and co-workers that losing a parent at a young age is not unusual.
One positive factor this year is not having to attend a family Christmas party where my relatives only ask me “Do you miss your dad?” or “I hope you’re doing well,” when in fact they’re saying that because I’m standing right in front of them.
Grieving or feeling gloomy during the cheerful season is more normal than you’d expect. The difference is how you spend your holiday season; there is a fine line between feeling downhearted and feeling depressed.
News: CSUEU Layoffs
COVID-19 has put restrictions on not only virtual education, but also on Cal State Fullerton freshmen athletes who have worked tirelessly to only have their first semester of collegiate athletics to be shut down.
Despite their debut season being postponed, freshmen athletes are learning from their unusual experience about adjusting to college life, even amidst the pandemic.
Over 40 faculty and employees from the California State University Employees Union marched up and down Nutwood Avenue and Yorba Linda Boulevard on Saturday to protest the layoffs of more than 70 staff members at Cal State Fullerton.
Opinion: Keith Hufnagel
If someone asked the average person who Keith Hufnagel was, they would likely reply with a simple no or display a confused, curious look on their face. Replace the name Hufnagel with Tony Hawk or Rob Dyrdek and they would likely get the opposite response.
Although popular professional skateboarders like Hawk or Dyrdek have transformed the
skating world, they have often overshadowed Hufnagel and his unique style. Despite being overlooked, he made a massive impact on the world of skateboarding but hardly received the recognition he deserved.
On Sept. 24, Hufnagel passed away at the age of 46 due to brain cancer. He left his mark on the skateboarding community with his innovative skating tricks and the creation of his streetwear company, Huf Worldwide.
During the ‘80s, Hufnagel grew up in New York where he and his crew of friends would skate the steep slopes and stairs at the Brooklyn Banks, under the Brooklyn Bridge. From the beginning, he was ahead of the game and eventually moved to San Francisco in the ‘90s, where he joined Real Skateboards and introduced California to his unique New York skate style.
Hufnagel’s style was unmatched, with a simplistic yet graceful flair to his tricks. If it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be skaters like Grant Taylor, the 2011 Thrasher Skater of the Year, said Justin Eldridge, a pro skater, on his podcast, “The Nine Club.”
Tusk Magazine
Five Years Gone: A Story About Grief
Grief showed up as partying from the afternoon to early morning wearing whiskey as cologne and dropping out of college for the second time. Grief was my teacher, helping me figure out life without my dad.
I lost my dad at the age of 22, and I can tell you I took all the wrong steps when grieving, yet I managed to pull myself out of the hole I dug myself into.
It was ten years ago but I still remember the details. The phone call that morning. My mom’s voice cracking as she struggled through tears to tell me they had been in a bad car accident en route to Las Vegas.
No Car? No License? No Problem!
Don’t own a car and need to get around? Or did you have too much fun one day and now you can’t drive for a year (if you catch my drift)? No Problem, Metrolink and Amtrak have you covered for the time being.
Tusk traces the train lines that run from Fullerton to Los Angeles, and proffers some tips on what to expect and how to navigate them.
The Orange County Line from Fullerton
can take you to Union Station in LA or down to Oceanside. The good thing
about the Metrolink line is that train attendants rarely check for
tickets, especially for those riding from Fullerton to LA, which is only
two stops.
Upgrade Your Bar Scene
Downtown Fullerton is not everyone’s idea of a good time. There are some who’d rather not have to deal with that drunk person barfing on the curb or the obvious pressure of engaging in the dating scene.
If you’re into upgrading your scene, it’s time you level up to a local brewery. The ambiance will make you feel like you’ve stepped into another decade and most are beer-only so you can avoid those uncomfortable conversations with drunks who still think ordering “Adios Motherf*cker” is cool.
Locals Only: Skatepark Edition
Put the stress of life on hold in an active way by dropping by a local skatepark around OC. We’ve outlined three of the closest parks to campus, so you can take a quick break for some kick-flips and ollies between classes.
Brea Skatepark: Brea is an ideal skatepark for anyone who is learning the basics of skateboarding. Smooth concrete and coping on the quarter pipes are exactly what skaters are looking for.
Three Venues That Will Fit Your Music Needs
Are you into punk rock, electronic, indie, or pop music, but don’t want to make a trip to LA to see your favorite artist? Here are some OC music venues that will meet your musical requirements.
Chain Reaction: 1652 W. Lincoln Ave. Anaheim, CA 92801
As said in an article by OC Weekly, “Chain Reaction is the CBGB of the left coast.” Opening back in 1996 Chain Reaction has been home to live hardcore/punk rock music in the OC.
Titan Radio
The Haunts Zoom Interview
I recently changed my Instagram account from private to public, I always thought my page and life were boring, but since the change, I noticed a lot of traffic toward my page including a band I had yet to hear of.
Los Angeles based upbeat wavy indie rock band The Haunts liked a few of my pictures and after looking through their profile and music led us to have a chat over Google Hangouts. Sad to say this is how life is now, normally I’d invite a band out to coffee or for a beer but now I have to settle for virtual chats.
The Haunts are made up of three members, drummer Alanna Swadlow, Guitarist Aaron Britman, and vocalist Max Collier. Each member comes from a slightly different
background to mesh in with this wavy surf rock mixed with an indie alternative rock feel.
Below is an interview we held over webcam.
The Frights Instagram Live Concert Review
Here I am waiting on Instagram for Mikey Carnevale of The Frights to go live to play the You’re Going To Hate This album. Normally I’d be pre-gaming in the car ride to one of their shows, but watching a band virtually isn’t as bad as it seems. But, I much rather have a few drinks in me and dodging security to jump off the stage, but that just might be me.
This would be my Eighth time seeing The Frights live if you want to count this one, but it wasn’t as different as you’d think besides it just being Carnevale playing by himself on acoustic. Carnevale still had his same sense of humor, by responding to the troll in the comments while drinking his wine.
Everyone in the comments was writing “play Crust Bucket” or “play Beach Porn” even some people were writing some Mac Demarco and FIDLAR songs. At one point Carnevale said when they play actual concerts people shout out songs, but it is more annoying when people write it on chat.
Titan Radio DJ Spotlight: Lil Mayo
Before our station had to shut down due to COVID-19, Mondays at 2 PM was an interesting hour on Titan Radio.
Daniel Lozano or Lil Mayo hosted Deepfried Mayo, which consisted of starting off with some Strokes, Innerwave, the occasional Mac Demarco and if sometimes even some traditional Mariachi music.
When not playing music Lozano would then turn into a talk show mostly talking about his life and other controversial topics in the world. Almost like a version of a Theo Von episode. Anyways the show has a new time airing Mondays at 9 PM, so here’s a little interview to get to know Lil Mayo.
What’s your major and why did you choose it?
I honestly don’t even remember why I picked History if I’m going to be real with you. I think I remember hating it the least out of everything.
The Clarion Newspaper
Citrus Football Player Overcomes Rough Upbringing
Sometimes life can deal a bad hand, but it also gives second chances.
Citrus Owls defensive linemen Jonathan Shelley is taking his second shot by playing football in hopes for a Division I scholarship. Though he did have a rough start getting to this point.
“I was born in prison, drugs in my system,” Shelley said. “They said I wasn’t supposed to make it.”
At a young age Shelley was put into foster care with his half brother in East LA. He said he remembers visits from potential parents.
A single mother first adopted his half brother, and later Shelley, so they could grow up together.
Profile: John Boylan, Epic Records Producer
College students don’t often have the privilege to be taught by a professor who produced over 50 albums, with over 40 million records sold.
Recording Arts professor John Boylan, has been teaching songwriting, critical listening for sound engineers and careers for sound engineers in the music industry courses at Citrus for over 10 years.
Before teaching, Boylan worked in the music industry for over 40 years. Under experience, his resume could list working with Linda Ronstadt, Rick Nelson, the Little River Band, Carly Simon, Boston and forming the Eagles.
Spotify Project in the Works With Citrus College
Citrus College’s student band Night Shift could become the house band for the music streaming platform Spotify.
Audio engineer graduate from Citrus and audio engineer for Spotify Chris Heck said in an email the music service is developing a platform similar to YouTube, where one may search an artist or a song, and watch a video of that artist performing live.
“The project is a live performance video,” Heck said in an email. “The idea is for the band to perform not only in the studio, but in other interesting locations as well.”
Performing Arts instructor Alan Waddington said Citrus has the opportunity to become the house band for this new video platform Spotify is developing.
“Some artist doesn’t have a band and they’re going to film and record them performing and we are like the house band and it’s a live version of it,” Waddington said. “Which means we have some artistic freedom to change things up a bit, as long as the artists likes it. I like that because they can say, ‘Hey, I love it’ or ‘I hate it’ and we can run with it.”
Profile: Amour Glamour
Students may hear they are young and have all the time in the world to find a career or find themselves.
Citrus College music major Shane Malins has heard this saying his whole life, but has a different perspective on the saying.
“People always tell me you’re a kid you have all the time in the world,” Malins said. “But I always think no, I have no time and that is drive to push me on every day.”
After the fall out of Malins first band Fortune Boy, he wasted no time recording a full 10 song album by himself in the sanctuary of his room. Malins new solo project is called Amour Glamour, and his album titled “Dramatic Cinematic” came out on Feb. 14.
The album has been out for a little over two months and has already reached over 6,000 streams on Spotify and related artist on Spotify.
On Spotify an artist must reach over 100 monthly plays for related artists to appear on their page. Amour Glamour has 326 monthly listeners, the more monthly listeners the more coverage an artist gets.
Malins plays guitar, bass, piano, synthesizers, omnichord, drum machine and vocals for the album. He also mixed and edited the whole album himself, with no prior experience of what it takes to produce an album on his own.
“The hardest part was learning Pro Tools,” Malins said. He learned by watching Youtube tutorials.
He wanted to use the program because it is the most professional software in producing music.
Night Shift Records EP with Student Engineers
Listening to an album may be soothing, but many do not know the process that goes into the song.
Some may think a engineer will click record and the artist does all the work.
This is not the case for Night Shift and the recording arts program at Citrus College.
Night Shift is Citrus College’s pop rock band advised by professor Gino Munoz, which has been offered at Citrus for over 21 years.
Night Shift is recording their third EP in Professor Gordon McMillan’s recording arts class.
Profile: The Frick Fracks
Throughout history, punk rock music has always been an outlet for people to express their emotions through music. The punk rock scene has been mostly male dominated, but times have changed.
The Frick Fracks are a groovy punk band trio of young women from Glendora. The band is composed of bassist Devan Occhiato, guitarist Marielle Villaflor and drummer Samantha Martinez.
The band is labeled as punk on its website, but it has different music styles from thrash punk to blues to R&B.
“I love that we aren’t tied down to one genre,” Villaflor said. “It doesn’t limit us to one sound.”
Punk rock has become a diverse genre. ’70s and ’80s punk rock shaped the way for anyone that didn’t fit, to have a home. These first bands had music stripped down to a couple fast pace chords, and screaming about their broken homes.
Now, modern punk has many different inside genres from surf punk, hardcore punk and post punk, naming just a few. But, what all these genres from this scene have in common is, they all have a message to say, whether it be negative or positive.
Personal freedom, equality and self-expression are just a few values The Frick Fracks voice through their music and live shows.
The Frick Fracks demonstrate these values in their lyrics portraying unapologetic and strong sides of women hood Occhiato said.
Chase Bikle, photographer and graphic designer for The Frick Fracks,
wrote in an email, “Their songs come from experience as a human and
living in our current society.”
American Presidency Project Wins Best Online Reference Work
In elementary school, most children believe that their teachers are robot-like creatures who eat, sleep and exist only within the confines of their classroom.
This misconception seems to follow students throughout their education, as they often struggle to connect professor to personal.
Gerhard Peters shatters this elementary school mindset by bringing reality and personality to the Citrus College campus.
Peters, political science professor, invests his personal time into the American Presidency Project.
The American Presidency Project is an award winning reference website created by Peters and John T. Woolley.
The website won the American Political Science Association award for best reference work in September 2017. Over 20 awards are given out and best reference work is given out every three years.
Woolley, a professor who was teaching American Presidency at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was given a small grant in 1999 to create an online teaching resource.
“I started the project in order to provide undergraduates in my ‘American Presidency’ class with primary materials and important data sets that they could use to prepare research papers,” Woolley said in an email.
Owls Edge Out Win in Heated Battle
Citrus College men’s basketball defeated the Cañada College Colts, 101-89, Friday, Dec. 1 for game one of the Citrus Invitational at Citrus College.
With just under 10 seconds to play, sophomore Antony Navarette of Cañada College got physical with sophomore Kyle Gray, ending with a technical foul and benches almost rushing the floor.
The altercation was quickly resolved and campus safety was called toward the end of the game, making sure another incident would not occur.
Head coach Brett Lauer quickly composed his team while frustration was happening in the second half.
“Coach called a timeout and basically said for us to stop acting like kids and focus on the game,” sophomore Miles Crawford said.
Sophomore Jeremy Smith and Crawford combined for 59 points in the late win for the Owls. This was a career high for Crawford with 29 points.
Crawford shot lights out from three point range shooting 6-12.
“I felt locked in today, I meditate before every game and my shots were going in today,” Crawford said.
Citrus started both the first and second halves slow, almost blowing a 13 point lead to start the second half.