Fantasy Football Tight End Targets 2022-2023

Sports Collectibles

Football season is right around the corner and fans all over the country are salivating to watch meaningful gridiron play again. Even more than that, co-workers and friend groups are trying to nail down their fantasy football leagues (including our own office). One of the most important positions always perplexes most players and that is: the Tight End.

When should you draft a tight end? What is the ‘sweet spot’ in each round to get the most production for the draft slot? Who will be Tight End Number 1 when the year is over? Will the reign of Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce being TE1 finally end?

All valid questions, none of them with clear-cut answers. However, there is hope out there for the many loyal readers of the SportsCollectibles.com blog. Within the Kansas City Chiefs offense, Kelce looks like he should take a step forward even further from the pack losing a weapon like Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. However, there is something being overlooked about him and that is the fact he will be double and triple-teamed even more in the upcoming season.

While Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes has had the luxury of both Kelce and Hill giving nightmares to opposing defenses about how to match up with them, he won’t have that same abundance of firepower at his disposal this season. Tyreek Hill always made defenses match his deep speed, and with Mahomes’ cannon-like arm strength 70-yard throws could happen at any time. This would usually give Travis Kelce a lot more room to operate with the rest of the field. With Tyreek getting traded to the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs looked to free-agency and the 2022 NFL Draft to improve the weaponry surrounding Patrick Mahomes with Western Michigan Broncos rookie receiver Skyy Moore and former Green Bay Packers speedster Marquez Valdes-Scantling. These guys are solid, but won’t help Travis Kelce get as open as Tyreek Hill did while he was playing in Kansas City.

Enter Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews into the Tight End 1 chat. With Lamar Jackson losing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Arizona Cardinals, the offensive skill players might look light to some fans. True NFL fans know about #89 Mark Andrews’ true dominance in the Greg Roman-led Ravens offense. A great blocker in the run game, Andrews can parlay this into getting wide-open in the play action game because defenders don’t want to get blocked by him and get sucked into the run action. This automatically gives Andrews a leg-up on his competition with how many targets he will have this season with no defenders around, giving him ample room to get plenty of yard after the catch (YAC).

Jackson is also fighting for a generational-wealth type of contract and will come out this season firing on all cylinders to prove the doubters wrong and show that he is more than a “running back playing quarterback”. Lamar also has the accolades to back up his performance come contract negotiating time led by his amazing agent- his mom. This all plays into Mark Andrews having a record-breaking 2022 season being Lamar Jackson’s safety blanket and number 1 target. It will also help if former first-round pick Rashod Bateman can demand some coverage and be another target for Lamar to throw to and another player that defenses must respect.

Most fantasy players can get Andrews a round or two after Kelce and could very well accumulate a considerable number of points this season. Make Andrews a top priority when drafting this year and you can also win your league and have bragging rights over your friends, family and co-workers. Good Luck Fantasy Players!

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Card Grading 101

Sports Collectibles

Card collecting is a pastime that many of us remember beginning in our childhood and possibly staying with us as we grow into adults. Whether you collected sports cards like baseball trading cards and football cards, or, depending on your age, Pokemon and Garbage Pail Kids cards, the excitement of opening a new pack is something many have experienced. Over the past few years, the trading card industry has exploded and some found themselves in a search to begin or add to their collection and some began going through their inventory and getting them graded or authenticated to prepare for and get the best price for their treasured piece of memorabilia. When looking to valuate and get your cards on the market, one of the first things experts recommend is to have them graded.

What is card grading? Card grading is often defined as the practice of submitting a trading card to a third-party service. The card is then inspected for authenticity and ranked, usually on a 10-point scale, for the condition. The card is then assigned an overall grade, sealed in a tamper-proof holder or slab, and finally given a catalogued serial number. What does all of this mean and why today have companies like Beckett and PSA graded over 75 million cards? Card grading started in the mid-1980s and has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Well-known companies like PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) and Beckett have set the industry standard with smaller companies like SGC (Sportscard Guaranty) and CSG (Certified Sports Guaranty) picking up steam during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each company offers a little something different for collectors and each has their very specific methods of grading to put out the best product. Collectors the world over have used the cards graded by these companies to set market prices, see how rare cards are with pop reports, and preserve their most wanted and most valuable cards in slabs. How does it all work though? While each company has its own formulas, cards are generally graded on four points. Graders look at the corners, the surface, the centering, and the edges. Each assessment works with the other to give the grader an overall grade usually on a 1-10 scale.

When it comes to corners, graders will look for any bend or white from under the main cardboard picture. For the surface, graders will look for imperfections on the front or back. It could be a small dent in the card from a finger pushing too hard or a slight print line. Sometimes the card has these imperfections by no fault of the collector but from the manufacturer. The centering of a card is where most cards will lose grades. Centering of the card refers to the position of the picture on the overall card based on the top/bottom and left/right. The final aspect they look at are the edges which are graded similar to the corners. Graders look for any bend in the edges or maybe some slight lifting where a card was shaken or put into a top loader too hard.

Once they have grades for each of these categories, they then use company-specific formulas to give the card a number or sometimes a letter grade. The card is then passed to a finalizer who will check the work of the individual grader to see if anything was missed, or if the card needs to be re-graded. When the finalizer signs off on the card, it is then sent to slab where it is encapsulated and photographed. The card is then shipped to the consumer where it can be admired in their personal collection.

Graded cards can be autographed or unsigned and you can find an extensive array of Autographed MLB Trading Cards, Autographed NFL Trading Cards, Autographed NBA Cards and more at SportsCollectibles.com!

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College Football Top 10 QBs – Do You Agree?

Sports Collectibles

Recently there was a list created by the wonderful people at PFF featured on Twitter that created some major controversy leading up to the next college football season. The list has since gone viral with everyone creating their own lists and/or just decimating other lists created. Here are our initial thoughts because at Sports Collectibles we have many of these debates daily within our own office.

The Tweet in Question:

Our Take on The Ten:

Obviously everyone needs to start with Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young at Number 1. This is probably the only part that people unanimously agree upon. Bryce is the current Heisman Trophy winner and is currently favored by many to be the first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He has all the tools that NFL and college coaches dream about. Nick Saban can’t speak high enough about his starting quarterback. He is athletic, smart and has an amazing arm to help his team win on Saturdays.

Apart from Young, the rest of the list is highly debated by all- with the next two spots on the list bringing up an inter-team rivalry and what could be a plotline of a reality TV show. PFF put Caleb Williams, the Oklahoma Sooners transfer at number 2, with the other Oklahoma transfer at number 3. The drama between Williams and Spencer Rattler was REAL, y’all. Both saw many snaps last season at Oklahoma before Lincoln Riley bolted for a lavish USC Trojans head coaching job, taking Williams with him. His former teammate, ranked at #3 on THE LIST, headed to the opposite coast and the other USC, the South Carolina Gamecocks. Now, Williams does look to have an edge over Rattler, since former Pittsburgh receiver and Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison just joined USC and Riley. Most expect Riley, Williams and Addison to be lighting up scoreboards in the PAC-12 all season long.

Most people took issue with Spencer Rattler being as high as number 3 on the list. He lost the staring job last season to Caleb Williams while at Oklahoma. Then he entered the transfer portal and ended up at South Carolina. While Rattler has always had all the talent in the world since he was one of the top quarterbacks in his class, that talent hasn’t always been on display while on the field. Some have even questioned his ability to be a great teammate at times as well. All of this drama is where the real debate begins. (Cue Judge Judy or a good “DRRR-AH-MAH” GIF!)

Next up, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud was the 4th-ranked player on the list and is probably a spot or two lower than most expected. Stroud had a phenomenal season last year with the Buckeyes and is returning to Columbus with Heisman Trophy expectations. He will return with the top receiver in the NCAA, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who he helped to set a Rose Bowl record for touchdown catches. Stroud is also thought to be one of the top prospects headed into the 2023 NFL Draft with Bryce Young and other players from the PFF list.

Sam Hartman from Wake Forest is also a little higher than most expected. He had a terrific season last year putting the Wake Forest Demon Deacons back on the ACC map with Head Coach Dave Clawson running the slow mesh offense that gave ACC defenses fits last year. While Hartman is a great quarterback, ranking him as high as #5 was pretty shocking to the college football world considering some of the other quarterbacks who could have been considered.

Following Hartman was Coastal Carolina signal caller Grayson McCall. McCall has always been a model of consistency since he took the reins for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. He has racked up some serious stats as well as some hype going into the season. McCall has helped turn the Chanticleers from an easy week for opponents into a game viewers’ circle on their calendar so they can tune in to watch his team take the field.

The most surprising spot was at number 10 with Tyler Van Dyke from the Miami Hurricanes. He has been a big riser among draftniks all over the country. He is a big, strong armed quarterback who has all of the skills that scouts dream of. With a new coaching staff headed by Mario Cristobal, the Canes are looking to turn the football program back into the national powerhouse it once was when Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Sean Taylor and so many other amazing players wore the orange and green.

Who Was Missing:

As far as the snubs go, everyone has their own opinion but we will go over a couple that we thought were a little shocking to not have made the cut. The first name left off of the list erroneously, in our opinion, is Will Levis from the Kentucky Wildcats. Levis was a Penn State transfer who didn’t take long to make a major impact on the gridiron with Mark Stoops‘ Wildcats. Once thought of as a basketball school, Mark Stoops and Will Levis are building the Wildcats’ reputation as a football school, winning 10 games last season and concluding with a victory in the Citrus Bowl against a tough Iowa Hawkeyes team.

Another passer we have our eye on is Georgia Bulldogs quarterback and 2021 National Champion Stetson Bennett IV. He took over for an injured JT Daniels and never looked back, taking the talented Bulldogs roster to the promised land in Indy. While Bennett might not get the same kind of NFL Draft love of some other quarterbacks we have talked about on this list, that doesn’t mean he won’t have a terrific 2022 season. With All-American-caliber tight end Brock Bowers coming back this season, everyone should be watching out for the Kirby Smart-led Bulldogs.

Speaking of former 5-Star QB JT Daniels, he is the next quarterback we were surprised didn’t make the cut. He has transferred north across the Appalachian Mountains to the West Virginia Mountaineers. Head Coach Neal Brown is looking to get the Mountaineers back on track and Bulldogs transfer Daniels is the guy who he will be leaning on to get the job done in the Big 12 this season.

Another QB everyone should have on their radar is Texas Tech Red Raiders gunslinger Tyler Shough. A former Oregon Ducks transfer, Shough had a rough season with the Red Raiders last year, but entering his final year of eligibility, you will see him leave it all on the line in the Big 12 this season. A tall and powerful QB, Shough was poised to break out last year before the injury bug got to him. With a full offseason under his belt, don’t be surprised to hear his name a lot this fall.

Lastly, we want to mention Boston College Eagles standout Phil Jurkovec. He is a lesser-known quarterback but possesses an arsenal of talent. Jurkovec got injured last season and only played in 6 games. This year, he will be playing for the NFL Draft scouts that will surely be in attendance at his games. A former Notre Dame Fighting Irish transfer, Jurkovec was a prolific high school quarterback in Pittsburgh before not seeing much action in South Bend, therefore taking his talents to the East Coast. This will be a big season for the future of Phil Jurkovec.

The ranking of this year’s NCAA quarterbacks has become the biggest debate in our office right now. What does your Top 10 list look like? Follow our social media accounts (@SpCollectibles) and tag us in your own College football Top 10 Quarterback lists!

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This post brought to you by Sports Collectibles Blog Dog Hall of Famer Barkley!


-Barkley is the best boy ever! He’s been with the SportsCollectibles.com team for 3 years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! He enjoys LONG walks around the neighborhood and playing fetch. His hero is Air Bud. His favorite foods are pizza and tortilla chips. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.

Eyes of the World on Cooperstown

Sports Collectibles

Cooperstown, New York will be THE place to be for baseball fans this weekend with a full class of players who will be inducted as members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame‘s Class of 2022. After a 2021 Class that was non-existent, the 2022 class is headlined by some amazing baseball players. Starting off with David “Big Papi” Ortiz who is always a fan favorite. Ortiz is a three-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox and was the face of the franchise for years. Ortiz has always been larger than life, and even during his last year playing baseball he was putting up numbers that were better than most players have ever seen. Ortiz even helped Boston get through major tragedy after the Boston Marathon bombing, giving an inspirational speech to the crowd that will give goosebumps to listers for years to come. He is true Hall-of-Famer in every sense of the word. No matter what team you root for it was hard not to like Big Papi.

Minnie Miñoso is also going to be inducted in this years Hall of Fame class. Minnie was a Cuban born player who famously played left field for the Chicago White Sox. He was the first ever black player on the Chicago White Sox and hit a homerun on the first pitch of his first at-bat and was a star ever since. He was elected by the Golden Era Committee and will be inducted posthumously this Sunday, a feat that most baseball fans feel is long overdue.

Another candidate that will be inducted is Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim Kaat. A 16-time gold glove winner and 1982 World Series champion, Kaat pitched for over 25 years and still contributes to the game today calling baseball games for a number of television networks. Kaat pitched over 4600 inning amassing 283 wins while keeping a career 3.45 ERA. A absolute stud on the mound with his arm and his glove having the 2nd most gold gloves won by a pitcher only trailing other Hall of Famer and Atlanta Braves superstar Greg Maddux.

The Minnesota Twins will also send Tony Oliva to Cooperstown this weekend as well. Another Cuban-born player, Oliva was a two-time World Series Champion, winning 3 AL batting titles. Oliva’s first season was so amazing, he became the first ever player to win a batting title and a Rookie of the Year award as well. Oliva is also the only Minnesota Twins team member to be on all 3 World Series teams, playing outfield in 1965 and helping coach the team in 1987 and 1991. Even without as many of the bombshell stats as some Hall of Famers, Oliva was always highly regarded by all during his time as a player and beloved by all players as a coach.

As always, be sure to check out and shop our array of Autographed Baseballs, Autographed Baseball Jerseys, Autographed Baseball Bats and more at SportsCollectibles.com! Autographed Major League Baseball memorabilia and collectibles make excellent gifts for the baseball fanatics in your life.

This post brought to you by Sports Collectibles Blog Dog Hall of Famer Barkley!


-Barkley is the best boy ever! He’s been with the SportsCollectibles.com team for 3 years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! He enjoys LONG walks around the neighborhood and playing fetch. His hero is Air Bud. His favorite foods are pizza and tortilla chips. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.

2022 MLB All-Star Game

Sports Collectibles

The Midsummer Classic is finally here. The MLB figurative intermission between the season’s two acts poises to be one of the best All-Star games we have seen in a while. Los Angeles will host baseball’s biggest stars for a couple of beautiful evenings in mid-July. Pete Alonso is looking to retain his Home Run Derby Championship and become a 3-Pete Champion. Please don’t say Three-Peat around the Lightning fans in the office, too soon… Pete is challenged by seven others including ‘The Machine’ Albert Pujols and, despite his advanced age for the sport, knows Chavez Ravine well.

The All-Star Game this year is littered with some of the most talented players in baseball today. Starting with Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox, The Bronx Bombers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron ‘All Rise’ Judge. One of the most exciting players in the history of the game, the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, The Strikeout Machine of the Tampa Bay Rays, Sugar Shane McClanahan, and that is just the American League.

On the National League home side, a few of the guys won’t even have to leave their home stadium with the Los Angeles Dodgers sending Trea Turner, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw. They will be accompanied by long ball specialists Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado, Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto. The National League bump will be manned by studs like Sandy Alcantara, Luis Castillo and Josh Hader, with all of them looking to take down the American League in the City of Angels.

With all of the star power, this year’s All-Star game is must-see TV viewing. Clear your calendar for Tuesday July 19th at 7pm EST because this is a can’t miss game!

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-Barkley is the best boy ever! He’s been with the SportsCollectibles.com team for 3 years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! He enjoys LONG walks around the neighborhood and playing fetch. His hero is Air Bud. His favorite foods are pizza and tortilla chips. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.