Week 4: Kick, Baby, Kick!
Tears, bros. True tears came to my eyes that first time that first time I laid my outstretched hands across Charis’ growing belly. Well, if I’m being honest, it actually wasn’t the first time I’d done that. I probably had developed this practice for a couple days. There were a few false alarms: “Baby, come here! Joshua kicked!” Charis would shockingly exclaim. It was such a new feeling for her, and she was so eager to share this feeling with me. I would dash from the kitchen to the living room like I forgot to set my fantasy lineup to immediately get that sense of amazement that she would often showcase in her facial expressions. But each time, I just walked away bewildered. I didn’t feel a response when I laid my hands on her belly. It was like I just got hosed in a fantasy trade or something.
Not shaken, I would continue this process for days anytime Charis called my name. It got to a point when I could tell that she felt a kick just by the way she yelled my name! And then … it happened. One day in early August, we were just hanging on opposite ends of the couch. I was watching TV and she was writing a script for one of her videos; another average evening in the Davidson household. But out of nowhere, I heard a silencing of those rhythmic clicks of her nails clasping against the laptop’s keyboard. I looked over to her. She was frozen; like she just saw the ghost of Deshaun Watson coming back to life. “Char, you good?” … Not moving a bone in her body, she muttered in response, “come touch my stomach. Joshua is kicking; like kicking, kicking.” I inched closer, moving slowly without any sudden movements, like I was going after that annoying fly on the kitchen counter that you didn’t want detecting any motion. Thinking that maybe the heat from my hands will get him to react, I started to vigorously rub back against each other. Finally I laid my palm firmly against her belly and waited. Not even 5 seconds went by before BOOM! I felt a thump against my palm that took me aback! “OMG was that him?!” Charis just nodded as tears rolled down her eyes. It was one of the most euphoric things I’ve ever experienced. We transitioned from this ‘ideal’ of pregnancy to this new pragmatic phase. I could feel him. A human that we created. This is my son. My DNA. Living; breathing, moving, kicking!
Again, this was back in early August. Two months later, I still get a kick out of feeling his movements (no pun intended). It’s like, we’ve developed our own way of communicating. When we’re watching the game, I announce to him what’s happening, and he kicks back! I’ve become a baby-kick-translator at this point. I have convinced myself that I know the difference between his happy kicks and his “I’m hungry” kicks; his sleepy kicks and his enthusiastic kicks on football sunday. Those are my favorite. I feel like he loves the game already! And I know how this is coming across. I sound like that junior in college who lost his virginity later in life than any of his friends, but is talking to them like it’s an experience only he knows about. I’m one of the latest bloomers of parenthood in our bunch, so I know you guys can relate. You’re proud already! “My boy is kickin with force. He’s definitely going to be outgoing, intelligent, and athletic!” You start to dream about who your son will become: the next Obama? The next Lebron? The next Mahomes? And then it hit me… all this kicking he’s doing. He just might be “the next Aubrey”
No, not Aubrey Graham. I’m talking Brandon Aubrey - the #1 kicker in the NFL. I know it’s not the household name of our childhood heroes or even our current MVPs, but Brandon Aubrey, and other top kickers in the NFL, are probably the most consistent players in the league, even more than Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson. And I’m not just talking reality, I’m talking fantasy as well. Let’s look at this quick comparison now that we’ve concluded the first quarter of the regular season. In our draft, by position, these were the first five players of each position that we drafted followed by the top 5 players in total points 4 games into the season:
QB - Draft Values
Jalen Hurts - $35
Kyler Murray - $26
Josh Allen - $25
Patrick Mahomes - $20
Dak Prescott - $20
QB - Point Totals (through week 4)
Jayden Daniels - 94.68
Lamar Jackson - 92.12
Baker Mayfield - 87.86 (before last night’s game)
Sam Darnold - 81.28
Josh Allen - 79.16
RB - Draft Values
Christian McCaffrey - $69
Isaiah Pachecho - $68
Saquon Barkley - $68
Bijan Robinson - $54
Kyren Williams - $54
RB - Point Totals
Alvin Kamara - 98.1
Saquon Barkley - 92
Derrick Henry - 91
Kyren Williams - 75.1
Jordan Mason - 71.4
WR - Draft Values
Tyreek Hill - $70
CeeDee Lamb - $58
AJ Brown - $57
Justin Jefferson - $50
Cooper Kupp - $45
WR - Point Totals
Nico Collins - 75.9
Malik Nabers - 74.1
Justin Jefferson - 69.8
Jayden Reed - 69.2
Jauan Jennings - 64.9
TE - Draft Values
Travis Kelce - $18
Dalton Kincaid - $11
Mark Andrews - $10
Trey McBride - $10
Kyle Pitts - $9
TE - Point Totals
Dallas Goedert - 42.1
George Kittle - 35.6
Brock Bowers - 32.8
Cole Kmet - 31.2
Pat Freiermuth - 30.1
Most kickers in our league go for $1 or $2 (our scraps at the end of the draft). But we know the power players: Aubrey, Koo, Moody, Fairburn, Butker, and Tucker. 4 of who would call the top 6 guys are in the top 5. That’s more consistency than any other position in fantasy. Kickers, this year, have been saving matchups. And more than any other year, they’re scoring 15+ points consistently. 50+ yard FG’s have been at an all-time high. Guys are making them like they’re chip shots. In just 4 weeks of the season, kickers have scored 20+ points 8 different times. Through the entire season last year, that happened 7 times total. And with passing yards and total possessions at historic lows this year, the question must be asked: is it more important to possess a great kicker in fantasy vs an elite QB or TE? They’re obviously more predictable. Who would’ve guessed that Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Jayden Daniels would be in the top 5 when we were drafting? And as far as my aspirations for young Joshua Maddox to “keep kicking,” good kickers have a 20 year career with great money and no concussions. You couldn’t ask for anything more. And if you’d like to invest in Young J’s future, feel free to purchase a gift from our registry on Amazon or Babylist here 🙂.
