WRBL 2018 Record Book

Technically, we've been doing this for five years now and have yet to have a repeat champion. What started out as a fledgling idea as friends from school (most of whom without cars at the time) doing an online draft just to see if there was anything sustainable there as far as feeding our gambling addictions through guise of bonding and friendship (Don't worry, we're all buddy-buddy now but once official season #5 starts up? There might be some silent treatments), is now entering it's 5th official season (and god knows how many years before we actually met for drafts and started this series of blog posts that there was some form of a fantasy football league with Nick Zurawski at the helm). Our Wisconsin Rapids Bro League (AKA: The Buffalo Wild Wings League, AKA: Lincoln '13 + Ryan League & AKA: The Source of Nick Zurawski's December anxieties) has a draft scheduled for Saturday, August 24th at 10:00 AM as we are headed back to an online draft format for this year at least. The only league to actually establish parity is still waiting on championships for Tyler Sneen, Nick Zurawski and Darrin Aschebrook. Will this be the magical season? Well, depending on which player they keep and how they build around that player this weekend will sure do a load of help in aiding their process.

With the calendar hitting draft day, here is one last look at the WRBL Record Book from the year 2018 and an update on some of the award winners plus cumulative leaders over the past four official seasons. Good luck to all and may your rosters be satisfactory headed into week one.

Here are some things I found while digging through the WRBL record books...

Ben Roethlisberger had no points last year.

(Since Nick's win in 2014) The only two-time champions are... RBs Todd Gurley & Dalvin Cook and WRs Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Brandin Cooks & Jarvis Landry.

Derrick Henry did not have any points until last year... RBs that did have points from 2015-17 while Henry sat on benches? Matt Jones, Branden Oliver, Kenneth Farrow, Paul Perkins, Bishop Sankey, Shaun Draughn and Antonio Andrews.

3 Quarterbacks, 21 Running Backs, 10 Wide Receivers, 7 Tight Ends and 2 Kickers all made their WRBL debuts in 2018. Should they all be Rookie of the Year eligible for our league from now on, no matter how long they've been in the NFL? (ex: James Conner, Patrick Mahomes, George Kittle and somehow, Robert Woods would all be eligible ROTY candidates)

After one season, George Kittle is the #10 scoring TE in our league's history.

Among active Tight Ends, nobody comes within 385(!!!) points of Travis Kelce besides Delanie Walker.

1,000 point players? (averaging 200+ per season or 12.5+ per week for the past 5 years) Aaron Rodgers, Todd Gurley, Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones.

Cole Walters finished with the same regular-season record (7-7) as the year he won The Shelby trophy.

Despite all the hoopla surrounding Scott and I's trade, Nick Zurawski finished in first place in the Hypothetical Standings last year.

I used 40 different players last season.and despite the Mahomes trade, finished with 38 more points from my quarterbacks than he did.

Cole Walters once erased a 96-point deficit in the 2017 WRBL Championship against Darrin Aschebrook.

Final Standings
1st - Walter Polish Z Slayers (Scott Aschebrook)
2nd - Team Easy Breesy (Ryan Dougherty)
3rd - Tax Evading Vagrant (Nick Zurawski)
4th - Tax Paying Homeowner (Alec Swanson)
5th - Team ChowHounds (Darrin Aschebrook)
6th - Colieveland 96ers (Cole Walters)
7th - Crazy Todd's Driveway Band (Andy Todd)
8th - SNEEN MACHINE (Tyler Sneen)

Things we blamed Cole Walters for in 2018
1. The wifi at Applebee's.
2. Nosy neighbors.
3. Mirages.
4. People chewing with their mouths open.
5. Falling asleep in the middle of completing a project.
6. Every Midwestern townsperson having a bad taste in music.
7. The disappearance of the Lindbergh baby.
8. Not being very cash money.
9. Florida Man's existence.
10. Not everyone using their turn signals.
11. Millennials ruining the Bro League.
12. Jeff Dunham's popularity.
13. My inability to swim.
14. Post Malone.
15. No Championship weekend meeting.
16. Andy not having Venmo.

Team-by-Team Results

Key: Opponent's Name, Result. It's really that simple. 

Team ChowHounds (Darrin Aschebrook) 5th, 6-8

Week 1 - Nick Zurawski W 146-110

Week 2 - Ryan Dougherty L 104-124

Week 3 - Tyler Sneen W 133-86

Week 4 - Scott Aschebrook W 134-124

Week 5 - Cole Walters L 138-146

Week 6 - Alec Swanson L 137-164

Week 7 - Andy Todd L 95-138

Week 8 - Nick Zurawski L 124-132

Week 9 - Ryan Dougherty W 161-148

Week 10 - Tyler Sneen W 115-112

Week 11 - Scott Aschebrook L 96-121

Week 12 - Cole Walters L 111-141

Week 13 - Alec Swanson W 126-105

Week 14 - Andy Todd L 97-121

Week 15 - #7 Andy Todd W 93-81

Week 16 - #5 Cole Walters W 186-128

Walter Polish Z Slayers (Scott Aschebrook) CHAMPION, 11-3

Week 1 - Andy Todd W 153-110

Week 2 - Alec Swanson L 126-172

Week 3 - Cole Walters W 128-123

Week 4 - Darrin Aschebrook L 129-134

Week 5 - Nick Zurawski W 121-116

Week 6 - Ryan Dougherty L 98-158

Week 7 - Tyler Sneen W 133-83

Week 8 - Andy Todd W 162-112

Week 9 - Alec Swanson W 112-87

Week 10 - Cole Walters W 134-104

Week 11 - Darrin Aschebrook W 121-96

Week 12 - Nick Zurawski W 173-147

Week 13 - Ryan Dougherty W 168-116

Week 14 - Tyler Sneen W 144-101

Week 15 - #4 Nick Zurawski W 126-105

Week 16 - #3 Ryan Dougherty W 158-98

Team Easy Breesy (Ryan Dougherty) 2nd, 8-6

Week 1 - Tyler Sneen W 185-98

Week 2 - Darrin Aschebrook W 124-104

Week 3 - Nick Zurawski W 155-117

Week 4 - Alec Swanson L 96-169

Week 5 - Andy Todd W 141-127

Week 6 - Scott Aschebrook W 158-98

Week 7 - Cole Walters L 122-129

Week 8 - Tyler Sneen W 119-94

Week 9 - Darrin Aschebrook L 148-161

Week 10 - Nick Zurawski W 150-147

Week 11 - Alec Swanson L 120-171

Week 12 - Andy Todd W 120-105

Week 13 - Scott Aschebrook L 116-168

Week 14 - Cole Walters L 113-114

Week 15 - #2 Alec Swanson W 120-102

Week 16 - #1 Scott Aschebrook L 98-158

SNEEN MACHINE (Tyler Sneen) 8th, 3-11

Week 1 - Ryan Dougherty L 98-185

Week 2 - Nick Zurawski l 124-149

Week 3 - Darrin Aschebrook L 86-133

Week 4 - Cole Walters L 109-132

Week 5 - Alec Swanson L 115-139

Week 6 - Andy Todd W 138-137

Week 7 - Scott Aschebrook L 83-133

Week 8 - Ryan Dougherty L 94-119

Week 9 - Nick Zurawski L 97-150

Week 10 - Darrin Aschebrook L 112-115

Week 11 - Cole Walters W 101-92

Week 12 - Alec Swanson L 133-141

Week 13 - Andy Todd W 106-83

Week 14 - Scott Aschebrook L 101-144

Week 15 - #5 Cole Walters L 78-99

Week 16 - #7 Andy Todd L 128-131

Tax Paying Homeowner (Alec Swanson) 4th, 9-4

Week 1 - Cole Walters L 131-136

Week 2 - Scott Aschebrook W 172-126

Week 3 - Andy Todd W 129-117

Week 4 - Ryan Dougherty W 169-96

Week 5 - Tyler Sneen W 139-115

Week 6 - Darrin Aschebrook W 164-137

Week 7 - Nick Zurawski L 100-125

Week 8 - Cole Walters L 127-158

Week 9 - Scott Aschebrook L 87-112

Week 10 - Andy Todd W 137-102

Week 11 - Ryan Dougherty W 171-120

Week 12 - Tyler Sneen W 141-133

Week 13 - Darrin Aschebrook L 105-126

Week 14 - Nick Zurawski W 160-139

Week 15 - #3 Ryan Dougherty L 102-120

Week 16 - #4 Nick Zurawski L 113-126

Crazy Todd's Driveway Band (Andy Todd) 7th, 4-10

Week 1 - Scott Aschebrook L 110-153

Week 2 - Cole Walters W 132-123

Week 3 - Alec Swanson L 117-129

Week 4 - Nick Zurawski L 114-181

Week 5 - Ryan Dougherty L 127-141

Week 6 - Tyler Sneen L 137-138

Week 7 - Darrin Aschebrook W 138-95

Week 8 - Scott Aschebrook L 112-162

Week 9 - Cole Walters W 159-137

Week 10 - Alec Swanson L 102-137

Week 11 - Nick Zurawski L 145-165

Week 12 - Ryan Dougherty L 105-120

Week 13 - Tyler Sneen L 83-106

Week 14 - Darrin Aschebrook W 121-97

Week 15 - #6 Darrin Aschebrook L 81-93

Week 16 - #8 Tyler Sneen W 131-128

Colieveland 96ers (Cole Walters) 6th, 7-7

Week 1 - Alec Swanson W 136-131

Week 2 - Andy Todd L 123-132

Week 3 - Scott Aschebrook L 123-138

Week 4 - Tyler Sneen W 132-109

Week 5 - Darrin Aschebrook W 146-138

Week 6 - Nick Zurawski L 120-150

Week 7 - Ryan Dougherty W 129-122

Week 8 - Alec Swanson W 158-127

Week 9 - Andy Todd L 137-159

Week 10 - Scott Aschebrook L 104-134

Week 11 - Tyler Sneen L 92-101

Week 12 - Darrin Aschebrook W 141-111

Week 13 - Nick Zurawski L 86-164

Week 14 - Ryan Dougherty W 114-113

Week 15 - #8 Tyler Sneen W 99-78

Week 16 - #6 Darrin Aschebrook L 128-186

Tax Evading Vagrant (Nick Zurawski) 3rd, 8-6

Week 1 - Darrin Aschebrook L 110-146

Week 2 - Tyler Sneen W 149-124

Week 3 - Ryan Dougherty L 117-155

Week 4 - Andy Todd W 181-114

Week 5 - Scott Aschebrook L 116-121

Week 6 - Cole Walters W 150-120

Week 7 - Alec Swanson W 125-100

Week 8 - Darrin Aschebrook W 132-124

Week 9 - Tyler Sneen W 150-97

Week 10 - Ryan Dougherty L 147-150

Week 11 - Andy Todd W 165-145

Week 12 - Scott Aschebrook L 147-173

Week 13 - Cole Walters W 164-86

Week 14 - Alec Swanson L 139-160

Week 15 - #1 Scott Aschebrook L 105-126

Week 16 - #3 Alec Swanson W 126-113

Player Scoring By Team

Key: * = Scored for another team as well.

Team ChowHounds

QB - Aaron Rodgers 298

QB - Andy Dalton 7

RB - Alvin Kamara 340

RB - James White 248

RB - LeSean McCoy 66

RB - Lamar Miller 63
RB - Jamaal Williams 27*

RB - Latavius Murray 19

RB - Javorius Allen 16

WR - Antonio Brown 317

WR - Demaryius Thomas 91

WR - Tyler Lockett 65

WR - Marvin Jones 20

WR - Chris Godwin 18

TE - Jimmy Graham 87

TE - Jared Cook 60*

TE - C.J. Uzomah 9*
PK - Dan Bailey 54

PK - Robbie Gould 44

PK - Jake Elliott 10
PK - Chris Boswell 2

DF - Minnesota Vikings 70*

DF - Baltimore Ravens 23*

DF - Cleveland Browns 8*

DF - New York Jets -1*

2018 Champions Walter Polish Z Slayers

QB - Patrick Mahomes 231*

QB - Russell Wilson 41*
QB - Philip Rivers 38*

QB - Carson Wentz 11*

RB - Christian McCaffrey 367

RB - Joe Mixon 122*

RB - Nick Chubb 71

RB - David Johnson 56*

RB - Mark Ingram 37
RB - Dalvin Cook 31*
RB - Carlos Hyde 17

WR - Davante Adams 324

WR - Mike Evans 254

WR - Jarvis Landry 91

WR - Odell Beckham Jr. 75*

WR - Kenny Golladay 5

TE - Jordan Reed 65*

TE - Jared Cook 40*
TE - Austin Hooper 36*
TE - Evan Engram 16*
TE - Ian Thomas 3

PK - Justin Tucker 125
PK - Ka'imi Fairbairn 9*

PK - Jason Myers 6*

DF - Los Angeles Rams 100

DF - Baltimore Ravens 10*

Team Easy Breesy

QB - Drew Brees 296

QB - Carson Wentz 24*

RB - Todd Gurley 360

RB - Phillip Lindsay 107

RB - Jordan Howard 64*

RB - Adrian Peterson 30
RB - Dion Lewis 13*
RB - Josh Adams 8

WR - Michael Thomas 300

WR - Julio Jones 289

WR - Alshon Jeffery 69

WR - Golden Tate 54

WR - Nelson Agholor 13

WR - Corey Davis 5*

TE - Eric Ebron 152

TE - Kyle Rudolph 43

TE - Greg Olsen 5*

PK - Greg Zuerlein 96

PK - Matt Prater 26*

PK - Cairo Santos 10
PK - Adam Vinatieri 9*

DF - Houston Texans 45*

DF - Philadelphia Eagles 34

DF - Washington 14

DF - Miami Dolphins 13*

SNEEN Machine

QB - Tom Brady 193

QB - Jameis Winston 43
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick 7*

RB - Sony Michel 100

RB - Isaiah Crowell 73

RB - Jalen Richard 37

RB - Alex Collins 35

RB - Jamaal Williams 16*

RB - Devonta Freeman 12

WR - JuJu Smith-Schuster 260

WR - Robert Woods 176

WR - Sammy Watkins 52

WR - Doug Baldwin 34

WR - Chris Hogan 27

WR - Will Fuller 17

TE - Zach Ertz 270

TE - Rob Gronkowski 78

PK - Mason Crosby 138

DF - Indianapolis Colts 51*

DF - Green Bay Packers 29*
DF - Miami Dolphins 18*
DF - Houston Texans 13*

Tax Paying Homeowner

QB - Matt Ryan 287

QB - Mitchell Trubisky 29

RB - Saquon Barkley 351

RB - Melvin Gordon 257

RB - Tarik Cohen 102

WR - Tyreek Hill 294

WR - Stefon Diggs 237

WR - Amari Cooper 77

WR - Cooper Kupp 61

WR - D.J. Moore 28
WR - Allen Robinson 19
WR - Taylor Gabriel 9

TE - David Njoku 87

TE - Trey Burton 44

PK - Wil Lutz 147

PK - Graham Gano 3

DF - Jacksonville Jaguars 59
DF - Denver Broncos 17*

DF - Kansas City Chiefs 17

DF - Dallas Cowboys 12*

DF - Pittsburgh Steelers 11

Crazy Todd's Driveway Band

QB - Jared Goff 144

QB - Patrick Mahomes 112*
QB - Russell Wilson 65*
QB - Lamar Jackson 38

RB - Kareem Hunt 223

RB - David Johnson 165*
RB - Matt Breida 64

RB - Joe Mixon 52*

RB - Gus Edwards 30

RB - Dalvin Cook 24*

RB - Duke Johnson Jr. 18

RB - Derrick Henry 15

RB - Jaylen Samuels 15

RB - Jordan Howard 14*

RB - Austin Ekeler 11*
RB - Marcus Murphy 3

WR - T.Y. Hilton 224

WR - Odell Beckham Jr. 105*

WR - Josh Gordon 61

WR - Sterling Shepard 32

WR - Corey Davis 21*

WR - Devin Funchess 14

WR - John Brown 12
WR - Keelan Cole 12
WR - Jamison Crowder 9 

TE - Evan Engram 46*

TE - O.J. Howard 39
TE - Austin Hooper 22*
TE - C.J. Uzomah 17*
TE - Benjamin Watson 10
TE - Cameron Brate 6

PK - Harrison Butker 139

PK - Ka'imi Fairbairn 12*

DF - Chicago Bears 98

DF - Baltimore Ravens 29*

DF - New England Patriots 17*

DF - Indianapolis Colts 16*

DF - New York Jets 5*
DF - Seattle Seahawks 4
DF - New Orleans Saints -4

Colieveland 96ers

QB - DeShaun Watson 133

QB - Andrew Luck 128

QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick 24*

RB - James Conner 256

RB - Tevin Coleman 112

RB - Leonard Fournette 82

RB - Marlon Mack 44

RB - Damien Williams 29

RB - Elijah McGuire 23

RB - Marshawn Lynch 14
RB - T.J. Yeldon 12*
RB - Jeff Wilson Jr. 10
RB - Peyton Barber 3

WR - Adam Thielen 293

WR - A.J. Green 144

WR - Emmanuel Sanders 97

WR - Larry Fitzgerald 71

WR - Tyler Boyd 48
WR - Courtland Sutton 3
WR - DeVante Parker 1

TE - George Kittle 209

TE - Delanie Walker 9

TE - Greg Olsen 8*

PK - Matt Prater 72*
PK - Matt Bryant 52
DF - Carolina Panthers 21
DF - Detroit Lions 19
DF - Minnesota Vikings 16*
DF - Buffalo Bills 13*
DF - Arizona Cardinals 12*
DF - Dallas Cowboys 7*
DF - Cleveland Browns 5*
DF - Green Bay Packers 2*

Tax Evading Vagrant
QB - Derek Carr 66
QB - Matthew Stafford 64* 
QB - Tyrod Taylor 50
QB - Philip Rivers 27*
RB - Ezekiel Elliott 314
RB - Aaron Jones 81
RB - T.J. Yeldon 51*
RB - Giovani Bernard 43
RB - Chris Carson 42
RB - Kenyan Drake 37
RB - Kerryon Johnson 31
RB - Austin Ekeler 25*
RB - Dion Lewis 5*
WR - DeAndre Hopkins 302
WR - Keenan Allen 241
WR - Brandin Cooks 116
WR - Julian Edelman 71
WR - Randall Cobb 8
TE - Travis Kelce 275
TE - Jordan Reed 13*
PK - Stephen Gostkowski 125
PK - Ryan Succop 5
PK - Adam Vinatieri 5*
DF - Houston Texans 44*
DF - Los Angeles Chargers 38
DF - Tennessee Titans 15
DF - Cleveland Browns 11*
DF - Buffalo Bills 9*
DF - New England Patriots 7*
DF - Miami Dolphins 6*
DF - Arizona Cardinals 4*
DF - Denver Broncos -2*

Heroes of the Week
1 - RB Alvin Kamara, WR Tyreek Hill, WR Michael Thomas
2 - QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Stefon Diggs, RB Todd Gurley
3 - QB Matt Ryan, QB Drew Brees, RB Alvin Kamara
4 - RB Alvin Kamara, RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR DeAndre Hopkins
5 - RB James Conner, RB Todd Gurley, TE Eric Ebron
6 - WR Tyreek Hill, RB Saquon Barkley, RB Todd Gurley
7 - RB Kareem Hunt, QB Patrick Mahomes, RB Todd Gurley
8 - RB James Conner, RB Todd Gurley, WR Sammy Watkins
9 - WR Michael Thomas, RB Alvin Kamara, RB Kareem Hunt
10 - TE Zach Ertz, RB Christian McCaffrey, RB David Johnson
11 - WR Tyreek Hill, WR T.Y. Hilton, RB Christian McCaffrey
12 - RB Christian McCaffrey, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, RB Saquon Barkley
13 - TE Travis Kelce, WR Keenan Allen, RB Tarik Cohen
14 - WR Amari Cooper, TE George Kittle, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
15 - WR DeAndre Hopkins, RB Todd Gurley, RB Damien Williams
16 - WR Antonio Brown, QB Aaron Rodgers, TE Zach Ertz

Scott Varley/Getty Images
Todd Gurley had a four-week stretch of heroic numbers for Team Easy Breesy.

Zeros of the Week

1 - DF New Orleans Saints

2 - DF Baltimore Ravens

3 - NONE

4 - DF Minnesota Vikings

5 - K Mason Crosby, K Robbie Gould, DF Denver Broncos

6 - DF Chicago Bears, RB Alfred Morris, DF Jacksonville Jaguars

7 - Owner Tyler Sneen, Owner Alec Swanson

8 - DF Miami Dolphins, TE David Njoku

9 - Owner Tyler Sneen, DF Los Angeles Rams

10 - DF New York Jets, DF New England Patriots

11 - Owner Scott Aschebrook, TE Eric Ebron, WR Demaryius Thomas

12 - DF Jacksonville Jaguars, TE Evan Engram, DF Washington

13 - DF Minnesota Vikings, K Adam Vinatieri

14 - K Dan Bailey, Owner Tyler Sneen

15 - DF Los Angeles Rams, K Matt Prater, Nick Zurawski's Training Staff

16 - TE Rob Gronkowski, Owner Ryan Dougherty

All-Time Scoring Leaders By Position (2015-18)
Key = Player Name, Point Total (Owner during highest scoring season)

Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers 1,006 (Darrin)
2. Tom Brady 906 (Andy)
3. Drew Brees 828 (Ryan)
4. Cam Newton 822 (Josh)
5. Matt Ryan 671 (Alec)
6. Russell Wilson 486 (Alex)
7. Philip Rivers 431 (Moon)
8. Ben Roethlisberger 410 (Scott)
9. Andrew Luck 384 (Cole)
10. Patrick Mahomes 353 (Scott)

Running Backs

1. Todd Gurley 1,012 (Ryan)
2. LeSean McCoy 753 (Darrin)
3. Melvin Gordon 751 (Alec)
4. Le'Veon Bell 738 (Alec)
5. David Johnson 726 (Nick)
6. Devonta Freeman 686 (Darrin)
7. Ezekiel Elliott 661 (Nick)
8. Lamar Miller 611 (Scott)
9. Alvin Kamara 565 (Darrin)
10. Christian McCaffrey 550 (Scott)

Wide Receivers

1. Antonio Brown 1,264 (Sneen)
2. Julio Jones 1,096 (Andy)
3. DeAndre Hopkins 1,051 (Nick)
4. Mike Evans 842 (Scott)
5. Odell Beckham Jr. 833 (Cole)
6. A.J. Green 787 (Alec)
7. Demaryius Thomas 701 (Moon)
8. Jarvis Landy 686 (Nick)
9. Brandin Cooks 650 (Cole)
10. Larry Fitzgerald 647 (Darrin)

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce 856 (Nick)
2. Rob Gronkowski 621 (Nick)
3. Delanie Walker 499 (Andy)
4. Zach Ertz 471 (Sneen)
5. Jimmy Graham 438 (Nick)
6. Greg Olsen 397 (Darrin)
7. Jordan Reed 334 (Sneen)
8. Jason Witten 289 (Josh)
9. Tyler Eifert 218 (Alec)
10. George Kittle 209 (Cole)

Kickers

1. Stephen Gostkowski 571 (Scott)
2. Justin Tucker 533 (Sneen)
3. Mason Crosby 376 (Darrin)
4. Matt Bryant 361 (Cole)
5. Wil Lutz 355 (Alec)
6. Matt Prater 307 (Cole)
7. Dan Bailey 217 (Darrin)
8. Greg Zuerlein 211 (Ryan)
9. Brandon McManus 209 (Alec)
10. Harrison Butker 207 (Andy)

Defenses

1. Denver Broncos 379
2. Minnesota Vikings 344
3. Carolina Panthers 333
4. Los Angeles Rams 291
5. Houston Texans 274
6. Seattle Seahawks 266
7. Baltimore Ravens 242
8. Arizona Cardinals 223
9. New England Patriots 200
10. Philadelphia Eagles 162

End-of-season Awards

First Team All-Bro

QB - Patrick Mahomes (Andy Todd/Scott Aschebrook)

RB - Christian McCaffrey (Scott Aschebrook)

RB - Todd Gurley (Ryan Dougherty)
WR - Davante Adams (Scott Aschebrook)

WR - Antonio Brown (Darrin Aschebrook)

TE - Travis Kelce (Nick Zurawski)

FLEX - Saquon Barkley* (Alec Swanson)

K - Wil Lutz (Alec Swanson)

D/ST - Houston Texans (Tyler Sneen/Nick Zurawski/Ryan Dougherty)

Second Team All-Bro

QB - Aaron Rodgers (Darrin Aschebrook)

RB - Alvin Kamara (Darrin Aschebrook)

RB - Ezekiel Elliott (Nick Zurawski)

WR - DeAndre Hopkins (Nick Zurawski)

WR - Michael Thomas (Ryan Dougherty)

TE - Zach Ertz (Tyler Sneen)

FLEX - Tyreek Hill (Alec Swanson)

K - Harrison Butker (Andy Todd)
D/ST - Los Angeles Rams (Scott Aschebrook)

* = rookie.

WRBL Rookie of the Year - RB Saquon Barkley (Alec Swanson)

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
An incredible rookie season from Saquon Barkley has him in talks to be the #1 pick in 2019 for fantasy football leagues.

WRBL Draft Bust of the Year - #8 overall pick RB Leonard Fournette (Cole Walters)

AP
You can't be a bust simply based on injury but, you can win Bust of the Year if you combine that with incredibly disappointing performances when healthy and Fournette had both issues in '18.

The Waiver Wonder of the Year - RB James Conner (Cole Walters)

USA TODAY Sports
Once it became clear how serious Le'Veon Bell's holdout was going to be, James Conner should have been on all of our radars as a late-round sleeper but, only Cole was smart enough to grab him immediately following our draft.

WRBL Comeback Player of the Year - QB Andrew Luck (Cole Walters)

AP/Jeff Roberson
After some bad LUCK concerning his health after a skiing incident, the Colts' QB kept Cole at .500 despite injuries to most of Cole's team.

Zero of the Year - NFL Referee Bill Vinovich & The NFC Championship Umpiring Crew

AP/Gerald Herbert
The referees for the NFC Championship earned a lifetime of scorn from known Saints fan Ryan Dougherty because of this photo.

MVP (Chosen by the league champion): RB Christian McCaffrey (Scott Aschebrook)

USA TODAY Sports
Despite many controversial trades and a roster packed with all-stars, only one star shone brightest this year with 367 points for Scott.

Playing Along With The 61st Annual Grammy Awards

Between the icy conditions outdoors and the busy sports season (NBA Trade Deadline/Upcoming All Star Weekend, Super Bowl, MLB Free Agency stalling) it's about time I hopped back on my blog to break my 2019 silence. Yeah I was dead wrong about that awful Super Bowl but, nobody could have foreseen the lowest-scoring of all 53 Super Bowls coming. Moving on to a more fun topic... Alicia Keys is set to host the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, an award show that has never felt less relevant to the music world than it does now. Years removed from Drake and Justin Beiber skipping out on the event and only one year removed from not giving Lorde a platform when each of her fellow Album of the year nominees were invited on stage, the biggest name in music today has turned down performing at the event due to some pretty stupid production by the lead producer of a show that is supposed to highlight the biggest and best of music today. In other words, I won't feel like I'm missing out on a ton when I have to work instead of doing my annual live tweet-storm during the broadcast on CBS (7 PM CT). I'm rooting for Alicia Keys.

The nominees are a total guessing game this year with one-third of the nominations being predictable, popular choices, another third being actual quality music and then there's total wildcard picks like Brandi Carlile and H.E.R. that keep me up at night wondering, "How the hell do they choose these nominations?!". It's time to pick apart who SHOULD win each of the big awards and who ultimately WILL be crowned as Grammy winners.

Record of the Year

And the nominees are...

- "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- "God's Plan" by Drake
- "I Like It" by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny, & J Balvin
- "Rockstar" by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
- "Shallow" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
- "The Joke" by Brandi Carlile
- "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? Childish Gambino
Who will win? Brandi Carlile

The Grammy committee could finally decide that they've snubbed Kendrick for far too long and finally give him a major category win for "All The Stars" (A very deserving song) but, "This Is America" is still a more interesting song, even without the all-timer music video. This could be anyone's award to win but, I don't foresee "Shallow" or "Rockstar" getting many votes when "Shallow" is a song with Bradley Cooper singing (not that he's bad but, he's not GRAMMY AWARD WINNING great) and "Rockstar" is the third or fourth most notable Post Malone song of the past calendar year. Ultimately, they'll give this award to Brandi Carlile because she is the second best songwriter here behind Kendrick and the Grammy's are really good at picking that one obscure (in the majority of viewers' eyes) artist with a guitar over the biggest name in music (right up there with Ariana, Drake and Cardi) time and time again. Just please don't make "The Middle" any more of a thing than it already is.

Album of the Year

And the nominees are...

- Beerbongs & Bentleys by Post Malone
- Black Panther: The Album by Various Artists
- By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile
- Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae
- Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
- H.E.R. by H.E.R.
- Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B
- Scorpion by Drake

Who should win? Either Janelle Monae or the Black Panther Soundtrack
Who will win? Kacey Musgraves

It's very weird and telling for how little attention Kacey Musgraves gets on country channels across America in 2019 but, she won the CMA for Country Album of the Year so it's sort of the safest pick here as an already established winner. Overall, it's a pleasant yet dull listen for me outside of the singles. The Black Panther soundtrack feels like a damn Now! That's What I Call Music collection with more hip hop as every song could effortlessly slide into a hip hop or pop playlist and be a highlight of that playlist. Janelle Monae's album is the most obviously well thought out conceptual album with androids and sex dominating every song's narrative. Ultimately, I'd ideally choose one of those two for my personal Grammy (My real Album of the Year is still Beach House's 7). H.E.R.'s nomination here covers two bases that the show has had issues with in the past (It's a combination of "Why aren't black artists getting the big awards?" and "The Grammy's are so un-hip that they gave Bon Iver Best New Artist five years into his career") and realistically has no chance at winning. The popular albums nominated are either too overhyped (Invasion Of Privacy) or the most boring, sluggish albums full of filler that produced overrated hit songs (Drake and Post Malone). I'm okay with Cardi B winning but, she's received enough "ALBUM OF THE YEAR!" nods from every publication around that the album itself is severely overrated. Oh! Did I mention Brandi Carlile? I've been a huge fan of hers for over a decade now and despite having yet to release a bad album, I must say that By The Way, I Forgive You is quite possibly my LEAST favorite album of hers (and it's still good) so, I'm 100% fine with them giving her a well-earned, legacy win... I just don't want it to be for an album that was a tad too yeehaw for my tastes (It really pains me to say anything bad about her music when she is just a perfect live act).

Song of the Year

And the nominees are...

- "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai
- "God's Plan" by Drake
- "In My Blood" by Shawn Mendes
- "Shallow" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
- "The Joke" by Brandi Carlile
- "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? Childish Gambino
Who will win? Donald Glover (AKA: Childish Gambino)

Despite the controversy surrounding whether or not "This Is America" is an original song, it is still by far, the most sonically interesting entry here.

Best New Artist

And the nominees are...

- Bebe Rexha
- Chloe x Halle
- Dua Lipa
- Greta Van Fleet
- H.E.R.
- Jorja Smith
- Luke Combs
- Margo Price

Who should win? Jorja Smith
Who will win? Dua Lipa

Quite an eclectic mix in the Class of 2018. In country corner, you have Luke Combs and Margo Price... yeehaw. In R&B corner, you have H.E.R. (A heavy favorite considering her Album of the Year nod) and Jorja Smith (Had the best album of anybody listed here and it's not close). In pop corner, Dua Lipa came out with some STRONG smash hits in "New Rules", "IDGAF", "One Kiss" and "Electricity" and Bebe Rexha somehow has the biggest country song of all time with her Florida Georgia Line feature on "Meant To Be". Chloe x Halle remain interesting for future Grammy nominations as their vocals can be absolutely hypnotizing and that Beyonce' co-sign should help them garner even more attention after an outstanding performance of "God Bless America" at Super Bowl 53. Lastly, rock is not dead with Led Zeppelin's zombie reincarnation project Greta Van Fleet being another possible winner with all of the older rockheads still hanging around on the committee.

Now that I've picked apart the major awards, here are how I see some of the lesser (but still interesting!) dominoes falling this Grammy weekend...

Best Pop Solo Performance

And the nominees are...

- "Better Now" by Post Malone

- "Colors" by Beck

- "God Is A Woman" by Ariana Grande

- "Havana (live version?)" by Camila Cabello

- "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" by Lady Gaga

Who should win? Ariana Grande
Who will win? Post Malone

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

And the nominees are...

- "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Backstreet Boys

- "Fall In Line" by Christina Aguilera featuring Demi Lovato

- "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B

- "S Wonderful" by Tony Bennett & Diana Krall

- "Say Something" by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton

- "Shallow" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

- "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Who should win? I have NO strong feelings about this but... Backstreet Boys
Who will win? Maroon 5

Best Pop Vocal Album

And the nominees are...

- Beautiful Trauma by P!nk
- Camila by Camila Cabello
- Meaning Of Life by Kelly Clarkson
- Reputation by Taylor Swift
- Shawn Mendes by Shawn Mendes
- Sweetener by Ariana Grande

Who should win? Camila Cabello
Who will win? Camila Cabello

Best Alternative Music Album

And the nominees are...

- American Utopia by David Byrne
- Colors by Beck
- Masseduction by St. Vincent
- Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys
- Utopia by Bjork

Who should win? You already fucking know.
Who will win? Considering they have her performing with Dua Lipa (WTF?) on television, I'm optimistic about St. Vincent's odds here. Never count out Beck.

Best Rap Performance

And the nominees are...

- "Be Careful" by Cardi B
- "Bubblin" by Anderson .Paak
- "King's Dead" by Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake
- "Nice For What" by Drake
- "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott featuring Drake, Big Hawk & Swae Lee

Who should win? "Nice For What" or "Sicko Mode"
Who will win? Cardi B

Best Rap/Sung Performance

And the nominees are...

- "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- "Like I Do" by Christina Aguilera featuring Goldlink
- "Pretty Little Fears" by 6lack featuring J. Cole
- "Rockstar" by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? Kendrick or Gambino
Who will win? Kendrick & SZA

Best Rap Song

And the nominees are...

- "God's Plan" by Drake

- "King's Dead" off the Black Panther Soundtrack

- "Lucky You" by Eminem featuring Joyner Lucas

- "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott featuring Drake, Big Hawk & Swae Lee

- "Win" by Jay Rock

Who should win? Travis Scott

Who will win? Just Drake.

Best Rap Album

and the nominees are...

- Astroworld by Travis Scott

- Daytona by Pusha T

- Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B

- Swimming by Mac Miller

- Victory Lap by Nipsey Hussle

Who should win? Pusha T (and I reallllllly like both Astroworld and Swimming)

Who will win? Cardi B

Best Music Video

And the nominees are...

- "Apeshit" by The Carters

- "I'm Not Racist" by Joyner Lucas

- "Mumbo Jumbo" by Tierra Whack

- "Pynk" by Janelle Monae

- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? "This Is America"

Who will win? "This Is America"

I'm not too invested in this year's show but, am fully prepared for the outrage following upsets like every year in the past. Ultimately, I just want some good performance and considering the stacked lineup of guests they'll have on stage this Sunday, they really are letting the music do the talking. Here's a list of performances taking place...

- Camila Cabello with J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval and Young Thug

- Cardi B

- Brandi Carlile

- Chloe x Halle

- Miley Cyrus

- Dan + Shay 

- Fantasia, Andra Day and Yolanda Adams

- H.E.R.

- Dua Lipa and St. Vincent

- Little Big Town

- Post Malone and Red Hot Chili Peppers

- Shawn Mendes

- Janelle Monáe

- Kacey Musgraves

- Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson

- Dolly Parton with Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus 

- Diana Ross

- Travis Scott

There might not be any "Bubble Bowl" cameos but, I get the feeling that Grammy night will destroy Super Bowl night in terms of entertainment value. If it doesn't, then why do people still have cable?

Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
The only "Sweet Victory" Travis Scott will get this Sunday is the chance to perform in front of music's biggest audience for a second weekend in a row.

Andy Todd's Top 20 Albums of 2018

Here are my grades for the 243 new albums I listened to in 2018, followed by my official Top 20 Albums of 2018.

KEY: Artist/Band - Album Title Grade (Date Released)

TL;DR - Just CTRL+f on your keyboard (if viewing on computer/laptop) and you'll be able to find whatever album it is that you are looking for.

A-
Rejjie Snow - Dear Annie (2/16)
Rich Brian - Amen (2/2)
Nao - Saturn (10/26)
Kids See Ghosts (Kanye West & Kid Cudi) - Kids See Ghosts (6/8)
Let’s Eat Grandma - I’m All Ears (6/29)
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V (9/28)
Ryan Beatty - Boy In Jeans (7/20)
J. Cole - KOD (4/20)
The Go! Team - Semicircle (1/19)
Tune-Yards - I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life (1/19)
Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel (5/18)
Choker - Honeymoon (8/3)
Robyn - Honey (10/26)
Estelle - Lovers Rock (9/7)
Christina Aguilera - Liberation (6/15)
Kanye West - Ye (6/1)
Kimbra - Primal Heart (4/20)
Dirty Projectors - Lamp Lit Prose (7/13)

B+

Lori McKenna - The Tree (7/20)

The Beths - Future Me Hates Me (8/10)

MØ - Forever Neverland (10/19)

Florence + The Machine - High As Hope (6/29)

Kali Uchis - Isolation (4/6)

Hookworms - Microshift (2/2)

Joji - Ballads 1 (10/26)

Jay Rock - Redemption (6/15)

JMSN - Velvet (9/21)

MGMT - Little Dark Age (2/9)

Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E. (6/22)

Brockhampton - Iridescence (9/21)

Chvrches - Love Is Dead (5/25)

Kurt Vile - Bottle It In (10/12)

Wet - Still Run (7/13)

Confidence Man - Confident Music For Confident People (4/13)

Travis Scott - Astroworld (8/3)

Alessia Cara - The Pains Of Growing (11/30)

H.E.R. - H.E.R. (3/30)

The Carters (Beyonce’ & Jay Z) - Everything Is Love (6/16)

Mariah Carey - Caution (11/16)

Greta Van Fleet - Anthem Of The Peaceful Army (10/19)

Ariana Grande - Sweetener (8/17)

Action Bronson - White Bronco (11/2)

U.S. Girls - In A Poem Unlimited (2/16)

Denzel Curry - TA13OO (7/27)

Dessa - Chime (2/23)

Foxing - Nearer My God (8/10)

Eminem - Kamikaze (8/31)

Charlie Puth - Voicenotes (5/11)

Santigold - I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions (7/27)

B

Devon Welsh - Dream Songs (8/24)

Mac Miller - Swimming (8/3)

Phosphorescent - C’est La Vie (10/1)

Nas - Nasir (6/15)

Lucy Dacus - Historian (3/2)

Mitski - Be The Cowboy (8/17)

Meg Myers - Take Me To The Disco (7/20)

Albert Hammond Jr. - Francis Trouble (3/9)

Leon Bridges - Good Thing (5/4)

Buddy - Harlan & Alondra (7/20)

Benny Blanco - Friends Keep Secrets (12/7)

The Voidz - Virtue (3/30)

Leikeli47 - Acrylic (11/14)

Death Cab For Cutie - Thank You For Today (8/17)

J.I.D. - DiCaprio 2 (11/26)

Laura Veirs - The Lookout (4/13)

Logic - YSIV (8/31)

Marian Hill - Unusual (5/11)

Pinegrove - Skylight (9/28)

Chromeo - Head Over Heels (6/15)

Neko Case - Hell-On (6/1)

Vance Joy - Nation Of Two (2/23)

Parquet Courts - Wide Awake (5/18)

Mountain Man - Magic Ship (9/21)

Vince Staples - FM! (11/2)

Dashboard Confessional - Crooked Shadows (2/9)

First Aid Kit - Ruins (1/19)

Saba - Care For Me (4/6)

Sobs - Telltale Signs (6/22)

Bas - Milky Way (8/24)

Noname - Room 25 (9/14)

Empress Of - Us (10/19)

Chloe x Halle - The Kids Are Alright (3/23)

Camila Cabello - Camila (1/12)

Natalie Prass - The Future And The Past (6/1)

Meek Mill - Championships (11/30)

Blood Orange - Negro Swan (8/24)

S. Carey - Hundred Acres (2/23)

Nicki Minaj - Queen (8/10)

The Neighbourhood - The Neighbourhood (3/9)

Cupcakke - Ephorize (1/5) 

Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes (5/25)

The O’My’s - Tomorrow (9/7)

Creed II: The Album - Various Artists (11/16)

Video Age - Pop Therapy (6/15)

B-

Brandi Carlile - By The Way, I Forgive You (2/16)

Ezra Furman - Transangelic Exodus (2/9)

Hayley Kiyoko - Expectations (3/30)

A$AP Rocky - Testing (5/25)

Twin Shadow - Caer (4/27)

James Bay - Electric Light (5/18)

Jim James - Uniform Distortion (6/29)

Justin Timberlake - Man Of The Woods (2/2)

The Decemberists - I’ll Be Your Girl (3/17)

88Rising - Head In The Clouds (7/20)

Ella Mai - Ella Mai (10/12)

The Wombats - Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (2/9)

Jack White - Boarding House Reach (3/23)

Shy Boys - Bell House (8/3)

Lord Huron - Vide Noir (4/20)

Honne - Love Me/Love Me Not (8/24)

Wussy - What Heaven Is Like (5/18)

Franz Ferdinand - Always Ascending (2/9)

Jeff Tweedy - Warm (11/30)

Bishop Briggs - Church Of Scars (4/20)

KT Tunstall - Wax (10/5)

Snow Patrol - Wildness (5/25)

6lack - East Atlanta Love Letter (9/14)

Peter Bjorn and John - Darker Days (10/19)

Lauv - I Met You When I Was 18. (The Playlist) (6/1)

Harry Hudson - Yesterday’s Tomorrow Night (3/30)

Lykke Li - So Sad So Sexy (6/8)

Twenty One Pilots - Trench (10/5)

Snail Mail - Lush (6/8)

Mumford & Sons - Delta (11/16)

Logic - Bobby Tarantino 2 (3/9)

The Internet - Hive Mind (7/20)

Cloud Nothings - Last Building Burning (10/19)

Atmosphere - Mi Vida Local (10/5)

Wye Oak - The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs (4/6)

C+

LANY - Malibu Nights (10/5)

Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (3/30)

Tove Styrke - Sway (5/4)

Paul McCartney - Egypt Station (9/7)

The Vaccines - Combat Sports (3/30)

Various Artists - Superfly Soundtrack (6/8)

Trampled By Turtles - Life Is Good On The Open Road (5/4)

Bea Miller - Aurora (2/23)

Lily Allen - No Shame (6/8)

Lovelytheband - finding it hard to smile (8/3)

David Byrne - American Utopia (3/9)

The Ting Tings - The Black Light (10/26)

Clean Bandit - What Is Love? (11/30)

Hippo Campus - Bambi (9/28)

Damien Jurado - The Horizon Just Laughed (7/6)

Rae Sremmurd - SR3MM (5/4)

Migos - Culture 2 (1/26)

Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics (10/19)

Han Solo - album1 (9/21)

Dreamgirl - Dreamgirl (1/1)

Pale Waves - My Mind Makes Noises (9/14)

Mikky Ekko - FAME (11/2)

Gorillaz - The Now Now (6/29)

Jess Glynne - Always In Between (10/12)

Wild Nothing - Indigo (8/31)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Sex & Food (4/6)

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Sparkle Hard (5/18)

Børns - Blue Madonna (1/12)

Amen Dunes - Freedom (3/30)

Holly Miranda - Mutual Horse (2/23)

La Luz - Floating Features (5/11)

Lil Yachty - Nuthin’ To Prove (10/19)

C

Takeoff - The Last Rocket (11/2)

The Kooks - Let’s Go Sunshine (8/31)

Trippie Redd - Life’s A Trip (8/10)

Lil Xan - Total Xanarchy (4/6)

Belly - Dove (5/4)

Nipsey Hussle - Victory Lap (2/16)

Cardi B - Invasion Of Privacy (4/6)

Amy Shark - Love Monster (7/13)

Interpol - Marauder (8/24)

Ben Howard - Noonday Dream (6/1)

Tinashe - Joyride (4/13)

Flatbush Zombies - Vacation In Hell (4/6)

Frank Turner - Be More Kind (5/4)

Young Thug - Slime Language (8/17)

Zayn - Icarus Falls (12/7)

Eleanor Friedberger - Rebound (5/4)

George Ezra - Staying At Tamara’s (3/23)

Metro Boomin’ - Not All Heroes Wear Capes (11/2)

Son Lux - Brighter Wounds (2/9)

Mary Gauthier - Rifles And Rosary Beads (1/26)

Jungle - For Ever (9/14)

Cat Power - Wanderer (10/5)

Porches - The House (1/19)

Sophie - Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides (6/15)

Capital Cities - Solarize (8/10)

Towkio - WWW. (2/23)

Kylie Minogue - Golden (4/6)

Lonnie Holley - Mith (9/21)

Tom Morello - The Atlas Underground (10/5)

YG - Stay Dangerous (8/3)

C-

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (5/11)

Post Malone - Beerbongs & Bentleys (4/27)

Sheck Wes - Mudboy (10/5)

30 Seconds To Mars - America (4/6)

Jon Bellion - Glory Sound Prep (11/9)

Emily Warren - Quiet Your Mind (10/5)

Bebe Rexha - Expectations (6/22)

Lil Yachty - Lil Boat 2 (3/9)

Anne-Marie - Speak Your Mind (4/27)

Colleen Green - Casey’s Tape/Harmontown Loops (9/7)

Mike Shinoda - Post Traumatic (6/15)

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs (11/30)

D+

Ne-Yo - Good Man (6/8)

Usher - “A” (10/12)

Fetty Wap - Bruce Wayne (6/8)

Dave Matthews Band - Come Tomorrow (6/8)

Fall Out Boy - Mania (1/19)

Now, Now - Saved (5/18)

Rhye - Blood (2/2)

Neil & Liam Finn - Light Sleeper (8//24)

Juice WRLD - Goodbye & Good Riddance (5/23)

D

KYLE - Light Of Mine (5/18)

Bazzi - Cosmic (4/13)

Quavo - Quavo Huncho (10/12)

Kate Nash - Yesterday Was Forever (3/30)

The Aces - When My Heart Felt Volcanic (4/6)

D-

5 Seconds of Summer - Youngblood (6/15)

Muse - The Void (11/9)

Drake - Scorpion (6/29)

Matt and Kim - Almost Everyday (5/4)

Awolnation - Here Come The Runts (2/2)

F (AKA: My least favorite album of the year)

Panic! At The Disco - Pray For The Wicked (6/22)

The Top 20 Albums of 2017

#20. Anderson .Paak - Oxnard

Standout Track: "6 Summers"

Other Must-Hears: "Tints (ft. Kendrick Lamar)" & "Who R U?"

Anderson .Paak received mostly praise (with some mixed reviews that felt it was an average album from an above-average artist) for Oxnard. The rapping multi-instrumentalist is still flirting with potential greatness as he collaborated with more of his inspirations on his second album including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip. It was never seriously in Album of the Year contention but, it is still another strong album from a creative mind.

#19. Superorganism - Superorganism

Standout Track: "Everybody Wants To Be Famous"
Other Must-Hears: "Reflections On The Screen" & "Night Time"

Between the random sound effects of traffic, distorted vocals and the opening of multiple soda cans, this album is the musical definition of "bubbly" in 2018. Listeners will either love Superorganism's shtick on the eight-person band's debut as it is certainly an acquired taste and something fresh among the current musical landscape.

#18. Tash Sultana - Flow State

Standout Track: "Harvest Love"
Other Must-Hears: "Blackbird" & "Free Mind"

An incredible live-performer already, Tash Sultana's guitar driven debut album is perfect music to relax to and get caught up in awe at her powerful vocal performances over some kick-ass guitar playing.

#17. Christine & The Queens - Chris

Standout Track: "The Walker"
Other Must-Hears: "5 Dollars" & "Girlfriend (ft. Dam-Funk)"

The concept album that landed four tracks on my Top 40 Songs of 2018 list from an artist that missed out on any previous lists from her debut album. Heloise Letissier's second album completely puts her in the character of "Chris", a trans version of herself. None of the songs will gain the cult classic status that "Tilted" will have but, there is not a single skip on this 11-track pop album.

#16. Soccer Mommy - Clean

Standout Track: "Skin"
Other Must-Hears: "Your Dog" & "Still Clean"

Sophie Allison's first album as Soccer Mommy is a sterling 34-minute indie rock listen that combines the lyrics and delivery of Liz Phair with a lower fidelity sound. As a whole, it's a fantastic first album and given a few years, I expect Soccer Mommy to reach the Car Seat Headrest level of awesome indie rock acts with even more experience to add to her lyrics once she hits legal-drinking age.

#15. Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer

Standout Track: "Just Dumb Enough To Try"
Other Must-Hears: "Hangout At The Gallows" & "Date Night"

Josh Tillman takes a step back from the bleakness of this idea of a life and instead does more self-reflecting on his fourth album as Father John Misty. There is a much more upbeat or at least less sarcastic version of the man that was focused on the end of the world not even a full year before this album and it's refreshing.

#14. Caroline Rose - Loner

Standout Track: "Jeannie Becomes A Mom"
Other Must-Hears: "Animal" & "To Die Today"

Formerly a country singer, Caroline Rose turned up the weirdness and made her third album a complete Loner, being one of the more uniquely fun albums of 2018. There are sixties' surfer pop sounding songs combined with indie pop bops like the opener, "More Of The Same" and "Jeannie Becomes A Mom".

#13. Odie - Analogue

Standout Track: "Little Lies"
Other Must-Hears: "Story" & "Midnight"

Another shorter album at just 34-minutes long, Odie is a combination of Sade and Theophilus London on his debut album with a pleasantly smooth singing voice and many songs where his flow is reminiscent of Kid Cudi or London. 

#12. Pusha T - Daytona

Standout Track: "Come Back Baby"
Other Must-Hears: "If You Know You Know" & "What Would Meek Do? (ft. Kanye West)"

In just 21 minutes King Push took us to middle-of-nowhere Wyoming, and with some production help by his G.O.O.D. Music co-captain Kanye West, made THE rap album of the year. With a controversially iconic album cover of Whitney Houston's crack-filled bathroom, Pusha T keeps finding new ways to make dealing cocaine sound like the coolest shit ever (Don't do this, kids) on his third solo record.

#11. Years & Years - Palo Santo

Standout Track: "Don't Panic"
Other Must-Hears: "Sanctify" & "Preacher"

Olly Alexander and company have perfected the art of electropop over the first two Years & Years records. I may not have ever been fully invested in whatever their sci-fi themed Palo Santo videos were but, the music more than made up for that as this is Years & Years unrestrained and much more in your face than the bubbly-ness that was their first album.

#10. Big Red Machine - Big Red Machine

Standout Track: "Forest Green"
Other Must-Hears: "Hymnostic" & "Deep Green"

Aaron Dessner from The National and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame collaborated on the perfect album for anybody that is a fan of both musical acts. It's glitchy in all the right ways that a Bon Iver album would be and it has beautifully haunting instrumentals the way most The National albums now do. This one has gone under the radar this list season (that's why I still make these lists! There is greatness going unrecognized!) and it stars two widely acclaimed artists in the indie scene.

#9. Metric - Art Of Doubt

Standout Track: "Dressed To Suppress"
Other Must-Hears: "Now Or Never Now" & "Art Of Doubt"

A return to form for the Canadian rock band on their seventh album, Art Of Doubt as Metric hops between and blends their harder rocking beginnings with their latest decade of synth-driven music and together, they made an album that sounds pretty damn convincing as a greatest hits compilation. Fantasies is still the best Metric album but, at least they have a pretty clear top-two now.

#8. Jorja Smith - Lost & Found

Standout Track: "Blue Lights"
Other Must-Hears: "The One" & "Lifeboats (Freestyle)"

I've been waiting for a decade to find the next soulful Amy Winehouse-like lyricist and finally, I think Jorja Smith is the closest we're getting to those days being revisited. The 21-year old might not have the lyrical content that made Winehouse an icon yet but, she's still exceeding in that category over many other artists trying to recapture the hype surrounding Amy after Back To Black. Jorja Smith and "Hotline Bling" were the only two good things to come out of Drake's 2015 album, Views.

#7. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

Standout Track: "Americans"
Other Must-Hears: "Make Me Feel" & "Crazy, Classic, Life"

The top eight here feels like it's on a whole other tier compared to everything listed thus far. Dirty Computer is rightfully nominated at the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year as Janelle Monae comes for that EGOT title with an epic pop album that hops from pop to rap to funk. Janelle Monae in 2018 is the closest thing we have to a Lady Gaga in 2010 right now. She's also the closest thing we have to a living, female version of Prince.

#6. Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar

Standout Track: "In My View"
Other Must-Hears: "Border Girl" & "Fee Fi"

The Scottish hip hop trio Young Fathers already had a Mercury Prize (for 2014's Dead) and my #20 album of 2015 (White Men Are Black Men Too) so, it was not an enormous surprise to find that I enjoyed their latest output. What was surprising is how they just keep getting better and with no two songs sounding exactly the same on Cocoa Sugar, it's amazing this isn't getting more love this list season. There are songs to fire the listener up, songs to make the listener think while dancing and every beat switch brings chills.

#5. Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Face To Face)

Standout Track: "Famous Prophets (Stars)"
Other Must-Hears: "Beach Life-In-Death" & "Nervous Young Inhumans"

Unless you were a friend of the band back in 2011, this album was new in 2018. With great success comes money and with money comes new recording equipment, better studios and enough fame that eventually the fans decide they want to hear more. Once Car Seat Headrest's 2016 album Teens of Denial was universally hailed as a breakout album for the band, many took notice to their 2010's take on The Cars and went back and listened to the NINE(!) previous albums they had released since 2010. One that stood out was 2011's Twin Fantasy. The band decided to update those songs and give them a cleaner sound and voila, it's even better than originally recorded.

#4. Various Artists - Black Panther Soundtrack

Standout Track: "Opps (by Vince Staples with Yugen Blakrok)"
Other Must-Hears: "Pray For Me (by Kendrick Lamar with The Weeknd) "Big Shot (by Kendrick Lamar with Travis Scott)"

My favorite soundtrack to a film in years. It helps when the accompanying movie is wildly entertaining but, the soundtrack to Black Panther could have survived as a standalone album called "Kendrick Lamar and Friends" or "Kung Fu Kenny's Bar-B-Q Playlist". It's just stacked from top to bottom with potential smash hit after smash hit by some of the biggest names off the TDE label (Lamar, SZA, Jay Rock, etc.), some of the best vocalists around (James Blake, The Weeknd and Khalid) and a few artists already mentioned on this very list (Anderson .Paak, Jorja Smith and just missing the cut, Travis Scott). Nothing but bangers from top to bottom and one of my four A-plus albums of 2018.

#3. Troye Sivan - Bloom

Standout Track: "My My My!"
Other Must-Hears: "Animal" & "Bloom"

Pop music is no longer popular because of how similar all of it sounds and how similar all of the topics are in those songs. Bloom was the only pop album that felt like a huge deal in both the build-up and release of the album. With "My My My!" (my #2 song of the year) coming out in January, the hype just kept mounting behind this album until it's eventual release on the last Friday of August. Incredibly, Sivan's second album exceeded expectations as he matured dramatically since his first album (2015's Blue Neighborhood). Not only is he openly singing about other men on basically every song but, there's songs referencing the features he liked most in his possible partners (think the "buzzcut" line in "My My My!"), a song about an encounter with a much older man when Troye was just 17 ("Seventeen") and a song directly in-your-face about gay sex (The title track). This album is a hell of a ride with sad songs that are actually sad and upbeat pop songs that should have dominated the charts and radio this year because of some tremendous storytelling.

#2. The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

Standout Track: "The Man Who Married A Robot/Love Theme"
Other Must-Hears: "Love It If We Made It" & "Sincerity Is Scary"

I never saw this one coming. The 1975 were an average band to me in 2013, as I gave their self-titled debut album a B- (Promising but, nothing truly special yet) and their second still-obnoxiously-titled second album a C+ (Didn't care for the direction they were going sonically and thought the lyrics were a step down also). Typically, there is some sign that a band or artist is going to have an all-timer of an album but... nobody saw the modern pop version of whichever Radiohead album you want to compare this one to. (OK Computer was the one NME went with.) The album deals with addiction, insecurities and (as hinted at by the title) relationships in 2018 with technology as a variable.

The #1 Album of 2018               

Beach House - 7

Standout Track: "Dark Spring"
Other Must-Hears: "Lemon Glow" & "Dive"

Seven albums in and Beach House is still finding ways to make similar sounds just unfamiliar enough to still sound fresh and exciting. 7 is the first Beach House record that could be played at a party or during a complete breakdown and it would fit either scenario. It's just a gorgeous album with gorgeous, sometimes eerie sounds guiding the music on every song to an explosive conclusion. It may not have been the most enthralling album with smash hit after smash hit (only one song on my end-of-year Top 40 among the three songs with official videos) but, there is not a single weak spot or interlude to 7 with all 11 tracks being highlights in a long career for the band and in my opinion, that makes this the Album of the Year for 2018.

Here's to 2019 and may the New Year bring more sweet, sweet music to my ears and yours.