If you read the rules from the East Region you know what to do. Please go ahead and make your selections on the sports stew with drew facebook page @stewdrew on twitter #bestathlete. Let’s make the #bestathlete a trending # on twitter. Matchups are below.
1 Patrick Mahomes Vs 16 Leon Draisati
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs Football)- 2020 Season 4,738 yards, 38 TD’s 6 Int. Overview: Patrick Mahomes legacy took a small hit with the 31-9 Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday but facts are facts. Mahomes in his first three years as a starter has hosted the AFC Championship game every year. Has one league MVP and one Super MVP. Tom Brady is the only quarterback ever to be even close to having that type of resume through his first three season
Leon Draisaitl (Oilers Hockey)- 2021 Season 8 goals, 17 assists, 25 points. Overview: Leon Draisaitl is fast becoming one of the best players in all of hockey and is off to a monster start in the 2020-2021 Season. Matched up with young superstar Conor McDavid the Oilers have the best young tandem in all of hockey and could be a force to be reckon with in the 2021 postseason.
8 Nikola Jokic Vs 9 Nolan Arenado
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets Basketball)- 2021 Season 27.5 ppg, 11.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists. Overview: Maybe the best all around game for a big man in all of basketball Jokic is becoming a superstar in the NBA this season with numbers that you would think would come from a video game. The big question for Jokic and the Nuggets will be can they threaten the Lakers in the playoffs when the time comes.
Nolan Arenado (Cardinals baseball)- 2020 Season .253 average, 8 homeruns, 26 RBI, 2019 Season .315 average, 41 Homeruns, 118 RBI. Overview: Arenado has been arguably the best defensive player at any position in all of baseball over the past decade winning a gold glove in each of the past eight seasons. He isn’t too shabby with the bat either having 5 seasons in a row with 37 homeruns or more. Arenado just last week got traded to the Cardinals from the Rockies.
5 Travis Kelce Vs 12 Jose Abreu
Travis Kelce (Chiefs Football)- 2020 Season 105 Receptions, 1,416 yards, 11 Touchdowns. Overview: Travis Kelce is trying to insert himself into the conversation with the Sharpe’s, Gonzalez and Gronkowski’s of the world as the best receiving tight end of all time. 2020 was no different for the former Cincinnati product with Kelce putting up over 1,400 yards as a tight end which is a stupefying number. Especially saying that he didn’t play in the Chiefs last game of the season.
Jose Abreu (White Sox baseball)- 2020 Season .317 average, 19 homeruns, 60 RBI, 2019 Season, .284 average, 33 homeruns, 123 RBI. Overview: Certainly one of the most underrated hitters in all of baseball Abreu was able to put in all together in the shortened 2020 Season winning AL MVP honors. Even with the great year in 2020 the 2019 Season was nothing to sneeze at with Abreu leading the American League with 123 RBI’s, the definition of a run producer.
4 Conor McDavid Vs 13 Khalil Mack
Conor McDavid (Oilers Hockey)- 2021 Season 9 goals, 18 assists, 27 points. The best player in hockey today is widely regarded to be Conor McDavid. This year is no different with McDavid almost averaging a ridiculous 2 points a game. McDavid just barely turned 24 as well which means that the fans in Edmonton maybe looking at their new Wayne Gretzky. If only McDavid can even accomplish close to what Gretzky did would be special and not impossible with McDavid’s abilities.
Khalil Mack (Bears Football)- 2020 Season 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception. Overview: Khalil Mack had a down year by his standards in 2020 but is still widely regarded as arguably the most unblockable pass rusher in all of football. The Bears traded for Mack before the 2018 season from the Raiders and paid immediate dividends with Mack getting 12.5 sacks and leading the Bears to a 12-4 record and an NFC north division championship.
6 Nathan MacKinnon Vs 11 Devante Adams
Nathan McKinnon (Avalanche Hockey) 2021 Season 2 goals, 12 assists, 14 points. Overview: Nathan MacKinnon is fast becoming one of the best players in all of hockey. MacKinnon has led the Avalanche deep in the playoffs the last two seasons and the Avs may be due for another deep run in 2021. The Avs are known as the most athletic team in all of hockey and MacKinnon is the most athletic on all of the Avalanche players.
DeVante Adams (Packers Football) 2021 Season 115 receptions, 1,374 yards, 18 touchdowns. Overview: Devante Adams is quickly becoming one of the best receivers in all of football and Aaron Rodgers favorite target. Adams is widely regarded as maybe the best route runner and that was on full display in a Week 16 snow game against the Titans when it looked like Adams was running on concrete while the Titans corners on ice.
3 Aaron Rodgers Vs 14 Donvoan Mitchell
Aaron Rodgers (Packers Football) 2020 Season 4,299 yards, 48 Touchdowns, 5 Interceptions. Overview: Aaron Rodgers MVP award in 2020 proved that even at the age of 37 Rodgers is still one of the best quarterbacks in all of football. There is no throw that Rodgers can’t make. Rodgers also showed the Packers front office that he is not even close to ready to giving the keys to the franchise over to 2020 first round pick Jordan Love.
Donovan Mitchell (Jazz basketball)- 2021 Season 23.5 ppg, 4.9 assists, 41.6% 3pg. Overview: Donovan Mitchell is becoming one of the best young players in all of basketball. His first round performance in the 2020 playoffs in the NBA bubble in Orlando was one for the ages in his nightly duels with the Nuggets Jamal Murray. Being 20-5 and the current #1 seed in the Western Conference with Mitchell being the Jazz best player shows his value to this basketball team.
7 Tyreek Hill Vs 10 Christian Yelich
Tyreek Hill (Chiefs football) 2020 Season 87 receptions 1,276 yards 15 touchdowns. Overview: Known as the cheetah Tyreek Hill is likely the fastest player in all of football. Hill’s big play ability has been on full display throughout his career as he can take any jet sweep screen or slant to the house. With Patrick Mahomes behind center will Hill for years to come expect Hill to keep having monster seasons for the next few seasons.
Christian Yelich (Brewers Baseball) 2020 Season .205 average, 12 homeruns, 22 RBI. 2019 Season .329 average, 44 homeruns, 97 RBI. Overview: Christian Yelich is reason number 1 why I am not putting too much stock into the 2020 Season for baseball players. Yelich hit .328 over the previous two seasons with an MVP award and likely a second MVP in 2019 if he didn’t get injured in September on a hit by pitch. Expect Yelich to be one of the best players in baseball again in 2021.
2 Giannis Anteokounmpo Vs 15 Jack Flaherty
Giannis Anteokounmpo (Bucks Basketball) 2021 Season 27.3 ppg, 11.1 rebounds, 55.7 fg%. Overview: Giannis as he’s known by the media has won back to back MVP awards for the Bucks of Milwaukee. This season is another monster start for the Greek freak as Giannis is trying to change the narrative that he can’t win in the playoffs. His Bucks will certainly be a top two seed in the East this season and will have his chance to change the narrative in May.
15 Jack Flaherty (Cardinals Baseball) 2020 Season 4-3 4.91 ERA, 2019 Season 11-8 2.75 ERA. Overview: Jack Flaherty is one of the few young pitchers in baseball that we can call an ace and workhorse. In 2019 Flaherty was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball with a WHIP below 1 and one of the lowest hard hit rates in all of baseball. Flaherty’s numbers was up in 2020 but in only 9 starts is a small sample size. With the best corner infield defense in all of baseball expect Flaherty to get back to his 2018-2019 metrics in 2021.