It’s Tuesday again, and your fantasy lineup is due soon. Not to worry! We have all the info you need to play like a pro this week.
Note that we’ve updated our “weeks” to correspond with meet weeks, so we’ll have no “Week 3” fantasy central; this is the third week of counting fantasy scores, but the fourth meet week of 2020.
Injury updates:
Bold indicates confirmed season-ending injuries or absences.
- Sekai Wright – UCLA – ineligible to compete this academic quarter, will be eligible for postseason (1/13)
- Savannah Pennese – Arkansas – torn achilles (in December, confirmed on 1/15)
- Logan Varnadore – Utah State – unknown season ending injury (1/15)
- Molly Russ – Iowa State – torn achilles (1/15)
- Rose DeBarberie – Penn – torn ACL (in the fall, confirmed 1/16)
- Caroline Mitsch – Penn – in a boot (1/16)
- Kendal Toy – Yale – knee brace and crutches (1/16)
- Kaylee Quinn – Nebraska – knee brace and crutches (1/16)
- Monica Servidio – Temple – medical retirement (1/16)
- Tia Kiaku – Alabama – no longer on roster (1/16)
- Dymiana Cox – Penn State – knee brace (1/16)
- McKenna Zimmerman – Seattle Pacific – in a boot (1/16)
- Simone Dumas-Guzman – Seattle Pacific – in a boot (1/16)
- Sydney Coons – Seattle Pacific – in a boot (1/16)
- Ashtyn Winter – Seattle Pacific – in a boot (1/16)
- Aleeza Yu – Stanford – medical retirement (1/18)
- Rachael Flam – Stanford – unknown season ending injury (1/18)
- Collea Burgess – Maryland – disciplinary leave, will not compete in 2020 (1/19)
Week 4 Byes and Doubles
Byes: Iowa State, William & Mary
Doubles: Rhode Island, Rutgers
Experts Say…Your Hot Tip for Week 4
Phew, we finally made it through the weekend including Martin Luther King Day. That means most schools are back from break and “weeks” will be more normal. Arkansas will be at home again next week, so be sure your Razorbacks are in your lineups; they were strong, and Barnhill came through last week. Florida is also home; scoring in Gainesville was tight last time out, so consider that when thinking about Florida and LSU gymnasts.
Arizona State gets a big matchup in the Huntsman center, and the Utes are home coming off a bye. Expect them to be well-rested and relishing the sure-to-be-sold-out home crowd. We’ve also got Alabama, Denver, Georgia and Oklahoma on the Metroplex slate. That should be an exciting and high-scoring affair—though whether we’ll actually get live scores is anyone’s guess.
On Sunday, Nebraska heads to East Lansing, which has been good to Michigan State during its three-meet home stand. Don’t shy away from putting Spartans in your lineups.
Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em
Are you struggling to decide when the time is right to pull a gymnast who keeps letting you down? Wondering whether that surprise star has what it takes to score well in the weeks to come? Never fear! We’re going to weigh in.
Vault
Maddi Leydin added her Yurchenko one and a half back on vault for a 9.875, so she’s an easy start this week.
Emily Giambalvo at the Washington Post reported that Collea Burgess will miss the 2020 season due to a team rules infraction. We don’t know why Abbie Pierson didn’t vault this week, and we’d be hesitant to put her in this lineup until we know more.
Start: Maddi Leydin, Hannah Demers, Deja Chambliss
Sit: Aleeza Yu, Collea Burgess, Abbie Pierson, Gracie Kramer
Bars
We heard two weeks ago that Tirzah Delph should be ready for bars this week. It’s a risky play, but if you’re desperate for strong swingers, give her a start. Michigan has had some movement in its bars lineup, but after a 9.900 exhibition and 9.875 competition set, we expect Abby Heiskell is there to stay. We think of Denelle Pedrick as an outstanding vault and floor worker, but she’s a true all arounder and her 9.863 bar average should be in lineups.
According to the Eastern Michigan meet broadcast, Emili Dobronics has been out of this lineup with a shoulder injury, and the Eagles don’t expect her back here soon; keep her on the other three, though. Kalyany Steele is the routine that UCLA pulled for Madison Kocian’s return; while Kocian is healthy enough to so much as look at the bar, we expect her to keep her spot.
Start: Tirzah Delph, Abby Heiskell, Denelle Pedrick, Kiara Gianfragna, Mei Li Costa, Tiara Wright, Madison Kocian
Sit: Emili Dobronics, Kalyany Steele, Shannon Evans
Beam
It’s easy to focus on how excellent Khazia Hislop is on vault and floor, but she’s a stellar beamer, too. If you haven’t been putting her in this lineup, change that. Karrie Thomas has become a fixture in Oklahoma’s beam lineup, and with a 9.867 average, it looks like she’ll stay.
Lexi Graber has turned into a true mystery. She had a gnarly ankle-twist on beam in week two and was in pain after bars last week, per Dana Duckworth on the broadcast, and so was pulled from beam and floor. Sit her on those two for now if you absolutely can’t stomach a zero. Alabama’s beam lineup did seem settled last week, so Shallon Olsen is also a risky choice here.
Start: Khazia Hislop, Hannah Joyner, Karrie Thomas, Kylie Noonan, Kelley Hebert, Ragan Smith, Jenna Dunn
Sit: Lexi Graber, Shallon Olsen, Olivia Aepli, Colby Miller
Floor
Jada Rondeau was kept to bars and beam last week due to illness; expect her back in the all around this week. Mike Rowe said on the Michigan State broadcast that he was “resting” gymnasts, so it seems likely that Gabriella Douglas will be back here next week. Lauren Guerin has been getting better here week after week and put up a lovely and clean set for a 9.925 at Maryland; she needs to be in your floor lineup.
We were excited to see Maryland transfer Randi Morris crack this lineup, but she was on the broadcast team for the season opener, which doesn’t bode well for her being in this lineup any time soon. Arayah Simons wasn’t in Illinois lineups this week; keep her off of floor for now until we learn details. Ragan Smith is a high risk, high reward play here. We know KJ Kindler doesn’t keep people in lineups for sentimentality if they’re not ready, and she did fall last week. It’s possible Kindler will have her focus on bars and beam, where she shines. It’s also possible that she’ll be in the lineup and score a 9.900. She’s a true tossup.
We saw Kyla Bryant take a scary beam fall last week. If she sits any event next week, we’ll expect it to be floor, which she already sat out once this year.
Start: Jada Rondeau, Gabriella Douglas, Lauren Guerin, Claire Gagliardi, Drew Grantham, Tyler Davis, Anna Salamone, Maile O’Keefe
Sit: Randi Morris, Arayah Simons, Ragan Smith, Alexia Burch, Kambrie Brandt, Kyla Bryant
Week 3 Pickups
Trying to figure out who to pick up to replace an injury? Looking for a ninja to up your weekly beam total? We’ve got you covered, down to the data on who should still be available.
Vault
Emily Shepard (32 conferences) scored a 9.875 this week and has also been strong on floor. Vault specialist Sydney Jennings (74 conferences) is widely available and a reliable choice. North Carolina senior Alexis Allen (76 conferences) has put in two solid performances so far, and already bested her career-high on the event.
Rebecca Wells (84 conferences) has put up a 9.800 and 9.775 so far. Kent State all arounder Olivia Amodei (81 conferences) is strongest on vault and floor.
Bars
A pair of Big Ten bars workers have been stellar so far. Look for Jori Jackard (85 conferences) and Allyson Steffensmeier (28 conferences). Conference-mate Olivia O’Donnell remains available in eight conferences.
Emma Silberman (33 conferences) and Hope Masiado (16 conferences) could be a solid stand-ins for the recently retired Aleeza Yu. Northern Illinois’ all arounder Morgan Hooper has put up two 9.825s to start her season on bars.
Beam
Minnesota’s Mary Korlin-Downs is available in 31 conferences; the beam specialist was part of the Gophers’ record-setting rotation this weekend. Breakout all arounder Rachel DeCavitch is available in 44 conferences and is especially good on beam. Fellow MAC beamers Morgan Tong (two conferences) and Mia Lord (19 conferences) are also good options.
Floor
Ashley Hofelich (three conferences) and Ariana Castrence (two conferences) are not fully drafted; be sure they’re not available in your conference! Paige Williams is available in one conference as well; double check for her!
Megan Ruttan (49 conferences) performed a solid floor in Washington’s first outing and had a solid set on Monday as well. Karlie Franz (52 conferences) of Kent State has a solid 9.812 average so far.
Notes From the Fantasy Roundtable
We think we spotted Payton Bellows perform an exhibition vault. She hasn’t competed since her Achilles injury during her freshman season, but we’re watching the situation closely. Minnesota has been amazing on beam; be sure any Gopher beamer you have is in your lineup.
We’re watching Ursinus’ Kaylin Knapsack. Her scores are out of this world for Division III, and she’s very close to having fantasy-worthy totals on beam and floor.
A side note: We believe here at CGN that fantasy gym is in fact a net positive for the sport. That said, don’t be a jerk. Obviously something like an Achilles injury or medical retirement is worse for the gymnast than it is for you and your made up team in an online game of numbers. Come on, folks. We’re all in this weird little corner of the sports world together.
Article by Emily Minehart with additional reporting form Kalley Leer, Jenna King, Rebecca Scally and Katherine Weaver
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