The “Face of the Franchise”: Whose jersey is selling in each MFFL location? January 10, 2020 Ah, the mighty jersey sales. The metric we use to determine which players are garnering the most attention locally from their fan bases. Which players are the face of their franchises? To whom do fans look for some kind of hope for a better future to come? Let’s take a look around the league. Bangkok Blitz — Devin Singletary, RB/BUF It’s difficult for a fan base to rally around a particular player in an organization when the team ships off its best assets in a full-scale rebuilding mode. Gone is the trio of Todd Gurley, DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs. Quarterback Andrew Luck retired before the season, while backup Baker Mayfield failed to make a significant impact. And fourth-overall selection, N’Keal Harry, failed to leave the Rookie Corral and spent a good portion of the season injured. The Bangkokians had to rally around the youth and the newcomers to the team with an eye toward 2020. Receiver Michael Gallup showed an excellent second half of the season and will be a factor moving forward. The team acquired receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who never had the opportunity to leave an impression on the fan base, but could do so moving forward. Promising young prospects J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Mecole Hardman are just waiting to get a chance to show what they can do. But running back Devin Singletary, taken with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft showed quite a bit of promise and will be a key player in years to come for the Blitz. Christmas Island Crabs — Michael Thomas, WR/NO When you make a run to the Super Bowl, jersey sales will shoot through the roof. Thus, Christmas Island is currently teeming with Crab paraphernalia. Fans certainly weren’t lacking for options, either. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been a fan favorite for the past three years and had a remarkable season. Young wideout Kenny Golladay was a dynamic contributor to the team’s success. Same goes with fellow receiver Tyler Lockett, who’s been a hit with the club since signing before the 2019 season. Then there’s third-overall pick, Mile Sanders, who, after a slow start to the season, burst onto the scene and dominated in the postseason. High draft picks always receive a great deal of attention. But there can be little doubt that wide receiver Michael Thomas was the player whom Crab fans adored most. Acquired by the franchise in the offseason, Thomas was the cornerstone of the championship team. He now enters the offseason as an Unrestricted Free Agent who will command top dollar, so the organization will have to make a tough decision on him. Ecuador Ewoks — Ezekiel Elliott, RB/DAL If there is one player Ecuadorians are not infatuated with at the present time, it’s David Johnson. Any jerseys sold after the team made him the highest-paid player in the MFFL last offseason have since been burned in effigy as the Ewoks chanted and rioted in the forests of Endor … er, um, the streets of Ecuador. The Ewoks surely had a rough season with few bright spots. They landed a pleasant surprise in tight end Mark Andrews via trade with the Renegades at the beginning of the season. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel drew some fans with his big-play ability, as did scat back Tarik Cohen. Wide receiver Golden Tate turned out to be a big contributor after returning from suspension. And quarterback Drew Lock received a warm reception from the Ecuador fan base by virtue of his rookie status. But when it comes to the Ewoks, the conversation begins and ends with running back Ezekiel Elliott, who had to carry the team for most of the year. Elliott enters free agency for the second-straight year and will be unrestricted. The Ewoks will have to pay top dollar to keep the fan favorite, or enter full-on rebuilding mode. Egypt Pharaohs — Patrick Mahomes, QB/EGY The Pharaohs were so loaded at quarterback last year with the emergence of second-year pro Patrick Mahomes that they wound up shipping away Lamar Jackson to Ukraine — who in turn shipped him to Russia. While Jackson jersey sales have skyrocketed, they have not been in the red, white and black of Egypt. The Pharaohs went on to become the South Division champions while battling injuries for most of the season. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who signed a three-year deal before the season, was a fan favorite who missed quite a bit of time. Running back Phillip Lindsay, who dominated as a rookie, was another key contributor for the club in 2019, selling a bunch of jerseys and earning high praise from the fan base. Fellow backfield mate, LeSean McCoy, was a veteran fan favorite, but he had an up-and-down season with a point chart that looked like an EKG, and ultimately didn’t live up to his big contract. Running back Mark Ingram was a big fan favorite until the team shipped him away for Joe Mixon, who drew some accolades. The jersey sales of DeVante Parker took off like a rocket ship after the receiver had a dominant second half of the season. Ultimately, though, the Pharaohs are Mahomes’ boys and the fan base will be on pins and needles to see what the team does with the Restricted Free Agent this offseason. Jamaica Jerks — Dalvin Cook, RB/MIN There was, perhaps, no hotter team in the MFFL for such a large chunk of the season than the Jerks of Jamaica. Merchandise was flying off the shelves as Jamaica sprinted out to a 7-1 record. Much of that success was due to one of the strongest run games in the league, led by the trio of Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, and Austin Ekeler. All three of whom were huge fan favorites throughout the season. Ekeler eventually was shipped to Russia — and then to Christmas Island — which tanked his merchandise sales in Jamaica. Rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown is fast becoming a fan favorite, although he spent all season in the Rookie Corral after being acquired via trade with Christmas Island. Quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jared Goff, along with Carson Wentz, whom the Jerks acquired in a trade with Russia, impressed the Jamaica faithful for most of the season. Although, Goff’s erratic play surely put off many. In the end, the alpha dog of the backfield was Cook, who finished sixth in FLEX scoring and second in FLEX points per game. Nagasaki Kamikazes — Aaron Jones, RB/GB Kamikaze gear was among the most plentiful in the MFFL entering the 2019 campaign, as Nagasaki began the season among the favorites to win it all. There were enough big-named players on board, making it difficult for a clear face of the franchise to emerge. Among the leading candidates included the backfield of Le’Veon Bell, Chris Carson, Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon. Surely, the Kamikaze fan base was still unhappy with Bell for his holdout the previous season. Mixon had a rough start to the season and was jettisoned to Egypt. The fan base also rallied around tight end Travis Kelce, the top tight end in the league two years running. Receivers Davante Adams and JuJu Smith-Schuster were huge hits among the fans as well. Then, of course, there were any number of the nine rookies drafted by Nagasaki in the 2019 draft, most notable among them were quarterback Kyler Murray and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Murray’s jersey sales were big after the draft and continued to excel just as he did on the field. But among all the candidates for top-selling gear and media face time, perhaps nobody received the accolades that Jones did. Jones was fourth in FLEX scoring and was a big reason for the Kamikazes success in 2019. Russia Renegades — Lamar Jackson, QB/BAL The Renegades began the season in an interesting position, resembling those giant novelty boards with cut-out heads, just waiting for one of their players to stick their face in there. After trading away fan-favorites, Michael Thomas, Odell Beckham, and David Johnson in the offseason, one of the plethora of young prospects on the team was going to have to step up and be the face of the franchise. There were plenty of young options for the fan base to rally around. Former first-round wide receivers Calvin Ridley, D.J. Moore, Michael Gallup and Courtland Sutton were all looking to make second-year leaps. As was second-year running back Kerryon Johnson or veteran Derrick Henry. The Renegades left draft day stacked with four top tight ends in Evan Engram, Hunter Henry, O.J. Howard and Mark Andrews — before shipping Andrews to Ecuador. Then there was, of course, second-overall pick Josh Jacobs who was an immediate hit among the fans. Veteran quarterback Carson Wentz was back on a one-year deal having one Super Bowl title under his belt with the organization, which surely cements his status among the fan favorites. But ultimately, it would be Lamar Jackson breaking out an MVP-caliber season who would lay claim to the face of the franchise moniker. San Juan Scorpions — Nick Chubb, RB/CLE San Juan has become known for its influx of running backs in recent seasons. And not just any running backs, but home-grown ones. This past season was no different as Alvin Kamara, Nick Chubb, and Marlon Mack were set to lead the defending champions on their title defense tour. All three put forth strong seasons as part of a three-headed monster despite Kamara and Mack missing some time with injuries. And speaking of “Big 3’s,” the trio of veteran wide receivers that helped lead the Scorpions to a Super Bowl last season returned. Unfortunately for the fan base, A.J. Green missed the entire season, Alshon Jeffery missed about half the season, and T.Y. Hilton missed a handful of games — and missed Andrew Luck, too. The Scorpion fan base rallied around the new wave of receivers in town and new jerseys flew off the shelves. Veteran John Brown, plus rookies DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin were big bright spots for San Juan and got the fan base excited. Tight end Zach Ertz, certainly a fan favorite the past few years, finished strong. And even quarterback Josh Allen turned in a stellar second season. Still, in a city that loves its running backs, Chubb emerged as the leader of the ball club and the face of the franchise. Switzerland Squirrels — D.J. Chark, WR/JAX Switzerland, a lot like Bangkok, was in rebuild mode for much of the season. The preseason ACL injury to running back Lamar Miller certainly had to be a bad omen, one which hung a dark cloud over the organization from the get-go. Early in the season, the Grainers released quarterback Jameis Winston. The Squirrels claimed him off waivers and rode him to a Top 6 season, providing a little spark for the fan base. Switzerland then traded one of its top young stars in Cooper Kupp, but wound up getting another young stud in the making in D.J. Chark, who went on to draw rave reviews. In a now-for-later move before the trade deadline, the Squirrels unloaded running backs James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, and Benny Snell and received a haul of young receivers, including Deebo Samuel, who looks like he could be on track for a nice career. But, there is no doubt who the face of the franchise has been for a few years, and that is receiver Adam Thielen. Which explains how crushed the fan base must have felt when Thielen was dealt with high-priced free agent Robert Woods to San Juan. With all the moves the Squirrels made to prepare for the future, it created a void for someone to claim leadership. For now, it appears Chark — and possibly Samuel — have claimed that mantle. Turkey Jerky — Derrick Henry, RB/TEN Turkey began the season with the first-overall pick, instantly selling a lot of David Montgomery jerseys. But the Jerky abandoned ship on him faster than a passenger on the Titanic, as Montgomery didn’t even make it through September. The Jerky dealt him for receiver Mike Evans, who immediately earned himself a spot in the hearts of the fans. Turkey activated running back Derrius Guice, the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft who missed all of his rookie season. But Guice’s long-awaited debut was short-lived, as he suited up for just five games, spurning impatient fans. Wide receiver Amari Cooper earned his stripes with the Jerky a year ago and went on to have another successful campaign, solidifying his role in the organization. After the Jerky sent promising prospect D.J. Chark to Switzerland for Cooper Kupp, the fan base immediately took a liking to the latter’s instant offense. And of course, the veteran quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, received a huge following from their years of success. But it wasn’t until about midseason when Turkey acquired Derrick Henry from Russia that the fan base found their guy to rally around. Henry went on to finish fourth in scoring among running backs and endeared himself to the Turkey faithful. Ukraine Grainers — Christian McCaffrey, RB/CAR Ukraine has a deep roster stacked with both high-priced talent and young players on the rise. But, c’mon … as if there’d be any doubt whose face would be plastered all over Ukrainian Headquarters. Mr. Human Highlight Reel himself, McCaffrey, was lights out in 2019, earning the MFFL MVP award. He racked up a ridiculous 33 points per game, about 9 points better than the next at his position. Among the other fan favorites included exciting playmaking receivers Tyreek Hill and Odell Beckham, as well as tight ends George Kittle and Darren Waller, the latter of whom came out of nowhere to take the league by storm. Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s playmaking ability was largely overshadowed by McCaffrey’s presence, but Watson finished third in quarterback scoring and was a staple of the Grainers’ league-leading offense. As if those weren’t enough jerseys for Grainers fans to splurge on, third-year pro Chris Godwin blew up to have one of the best seasons among wide receivers. Any number of these players would likely be the face of another franchise in the league, but CMC runs Ukraine. Wake Island Wookiees — Saquon Barkley, RB/NYG After an 0-13 season in 2017, if you visited Wake Island, you’d see a bunch of abnormally tall, excessively furry creatures walking around without any red, white and blue jerseys. But the Wookiees drafted running back Saquon Barkley first overall in 2018, plus added some key veterans through the subsequent auction, including receivers Julio Jones and Brandin Cooks, plus quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, all of whom easily excited the fan base as the Wookiees finished third in scoring a season ago. This year, with most of the roster returning, the hope was the same kind of production would be evident and the fans would grow to love their players even more. The Wookiees went on to make the playoffs, but their production dropped off considerably, falling from 3rd to 10th in total points. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has a growing following from the Wookiee faithful. And running back Kenyan Drake exploded in the second half of the season, causing a surge in jersey sales. Ultimately, though, this island belongs to the first-overall pick from 2018 who electrified the organization more than a season ago, and the one through whom the ball club will excel moving forward.