From the Bleachers: Where Stanton will end up, who’s atop of the NFC, and what’s wrong with the Cavs?

Welcome to the first installment of “From the Bleachers” by Dominic Hoscher. “From the Bleachers” is a weekly sports column covering some of the top stories in professional and college sports. The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA, and professional soccer will be the main focuses of most of the columns.

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Week of Nov. 12-Nov. 18 First Edition of “From the Bleachers”

In the second full week of November, the NFL has many new faces appearing as top contenders, LeBron James and the Cavaliers are on the outside looking in in the Eastern Conference, and the MLB Hot Stove is…cold? While rumors have been swirling, as they usually do this time of the year, it’s been mostly talk and little action in baseball. However, this is set to change sooner rather than later. All of this, plus a major shakeup at the top of playoff rankings in college football and a surprising top team in the NHL, will be covered in this week’s edition of “From the Bleachers.”

NFL

What if I told you at the beginning of the season that the Rams, Eagles, Vikings, and Saints would hold the best records in the NFC one week from Thanksgiving? You’d probably sooner believe that next Thursday’s party with your family would have neither turkey or gravy on the menu. Imagine your Thanksgiving dinner without turkey, and you’ll get something pretty similar to the Eagles without Carson Wentz, both being MVPs in their respective issues. Wentz, the number two pick in the 2016 NFL draft, has exceeded all expectations coming into the year, leading the league in passing touchdowns (23) and is fourth in QBR (70.5 via ESPN) and has carried his team to the best record in the NFL at 8-1. The first pick in that draft, Jared Goff, has led the Rams to a 7-2 record, best in the NFC West. Calling them busts after just one year may have been a bit of an overreaction.

While Wentz and Goff have been the leading catalysts for their two teams, a surprisingly strong run game and defense has given the Saints the best record in the NFC South at 7-2. None of these three teams, along with the Vikings in the NFC North, were expected to be playoff contenders in 2017, much less Super Bowl contenders. 

Who is the favorite to win Super Bowl 52 half way through the season?

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The AFC is slightly less exciting. First off are the Patriots, who are leading the AFC East. Again. Tom Brady is playing at an MVP level. Again. The Steelers and Chiefs, behind All-Pro running backs Le’Veon Bell and Kareem Hunt, are on top of their divisions. Again. The Jaguars are leading the AFC South. Aga-wait what? With a record of 6-3, Blake Bortles and the Jags are joint top of their division with the Tennessee Titans. Jacksonville’s defense has been elite, allowing the third fewest yards per game (285.8) and the fewest points per game (14.9). Add in rookie rusher Leonard Fournette leading his team to the most rushing yards per game (163.0) and Blake Bortles actually looking like a competent quarterback, this Jaguars team is shaping up to be one of the biggest threats in the AFC. 2017 has been that kind of a year. Either way, with such a large variety of contenders in both conferences this season, the question of who’s the favorite to bring home the Lombardi has been more difficult than usual. 

The answer to this, for now, is the Philadelphia Eagles. Behind elite play at the quarterback position, a stellar running game with newly-acquired Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, and rookie Corey Clement, and arguably a top ten defense, the Eagles look like the strongest team to take the Patriots crown in 2017-18.

NBA

With the Cleveland Indians falling short of their expectations in the past baseball season and the Browns being, well, the Browns, the pressure was on for the Cavaliers to uplift the city. How have the Cavs responded to this pressure? With an underwhelming 7-7 record. With big names such as LeBron James, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, and Dwyane Wade making up the roster, Cleveland’s struggles have seemingly come out of nowhere. The offense has been clicking, average the sixth most points in the league(110.2) and shooting a healthy 47.7% which ranks fourth in the NBA. So how is this team just .500 on the year?

One word: defense.

The Cavaliers have allowed the third most points per game (113.4) and have as much trouble getting a rebound as the Browns do finding a quarterback, averaging the eighth fewest rebounds per game (49.3). If head coach Tyronn Lue can’t fix his team’s defense, the Cavs are in danger of falling well behind the Boston Celtics for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Watch out for LeBron James, who is already averaging 28.4 PPG, to take over in the next couple of weeks to get his Cavs back on track.

MLB

The biggest storyline in the 2017 MLB offseason is Giancarlo Stanton and where he will end up. After slugging 59 home runs and driving in 132 runs, Stanton’s trade price is reasonably high. That’s not the only price that’s high involving the Marlins’ star. Stanton is set to make $231 million through his age 36 season, 2025. Due to this, trade negotiations have been flowing rather slowly, with the team’s interested not wanting to take part in the right fielder’s massive contract. In order to make the deal work, Derek Jeter and his Marlins will likely have to take in some of Stanton’s salary to keep team’s interested. Some of these teams include the Giants, Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, and Red Sox, with St. Louis and San Francisco showing the most interest, according to Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports. The Cardinals have the edge in terms of prospects, with arms like Luke Weaver, Alex Reyes, and Sandy Alcantara potentially making up a deal, and have the cash to absorb Stanton’s contract, while the Giants’ west coast location could sway him to join San Francisco. 

My prediction: He goes to neither of those two teams, but rather to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers not only have a strong farm system, the cash, and the location to pull the deal off, but also provide Stanton’s best chances of winning. Los Angeles is coming off their best season since 1988, winning 104 games during the regular season and the NL pennant in October. While they fell short of a World Series title in the end, the Dodgers still have one of the more talented rosters in the league, revolving around young talents such as Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager to go along with a future Hall of Famer in Clayton Kershaw. Add in a player of Stanton’s caliber, and Los Angeles could finally get over the hump and win their seventh World Series title.

NHL

Robby Fabbri, Patrik Berglund, Zach Sanford, and Jay Bouwmeester are just some of the injuries that the St. Louis Blues have faced through the first month of the season. With such a large list of key players missing, expectations were being hampered for the Blues at the start of the season. Many members of the hockey universe left St. Louis out of their playoff predictions, questioning how the team would respond to the injuries. 

Two weeks into November, it seems the Blues have responded rather well to their early season health issues. As of 11/14, St. Louis currently sits atop of the Western Conference and second in the entire NHL with a record of 13-5-1 and 27 points. They’ve seen key contributors step up from all across the ice. Vladimir Tarasenko (22 points) and Jaden Schwartz (24) lead the team in points, while more unexpected skaters in Alex Pietrangelo (16) and Vladimir Sobotka (10) have also contributed to the team’s strong start on offense. One of the more eye-opening stats is plus-minus, where the Blues have three (Tarasenko, Schwartz, and Brayden Schenn) of the top four players in the NHL in the category. On the other side of the ice is the lights-out duo of Jake Allen and Carter Hutton. Allen is fourth among goaltenders in wins with nine and Hutton leads the NHL in both save percentage and GAA. Granted, it’s early, and a lot can happen in the next couple of weeks. But with an excelling offense and exceptional goaltending, the Blues are already looking like one of the better teams in the NHL, despite all of their injuries.

NCAA

Starting first with college football, the Georgia Bulldogs(who came into week 11 ranked #1) suffered a crushing 40-17 loss at the hands of the Auburn Tigers. Capitalizing on the loss were Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Miami, who all had convincing victories over the weekend. With the number one team in the nation going down, who should top week 12’s playoff rankings? That spot should belong to the Miami Hurricanes, who are coming off the most impressive win over the weekend. The Hurricanes dismantled the number three team in the country in Notre Dame, winning by a score of 41-8. The last time the Fighting Irish gave up over 40 points? You have to go all of the way back to November of 2016, when they gave up 45 points to USC. While Alabama was ranked number two last week and certainly has a strong case for the top spot, the Hurricanes’ explosive offense is what gives them the edge for the number one ranking. 

College hoops tipped-off last Friday, with highly touted prospects Michael Porter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III finally hitting the court. Both of the stars had similar expectations going into Friday night, but not so similar opening weeks. Bagley showed how dominant of a force he can be for the Duke Blue Devils, averaging 24.5 PPG and 10 RPG through his first two games in college. Porter Jr. was slightly less fortunate in his debut for the Missouri Tigers. After putting up two points and grabbing two boards, Porter was forced to exit the Tigers’ opening game vs. Iowa State. While it’s unclear when the projected lottery pick will return, both Bagley and Porter Jr. showed, in the minutes they played, why they’re two of the more special talents in college basketball.