1. Opportunistic at opposite eventWith the worlds top-ranked players some 12 time zones away in China, PGA Tour rookie Cody Gribble took advantage of the circumstances Sunday by winning the Sanderson Farms Championship, known as one of the PGA Tours opposite events.There are four such tournaments on the schedule, and they dont offer a spot to the winner in the Masters, dont offer as many FedEx Cup points as a regular tournament (300, compared to 500 at regular events) and typically come with less than a $1 million payday -- although Gribble is surely not quibbling about his $756,000 first-place check.But there are other valuable perks, not the least of which is the two-year PGA Tour exemption which means Gribble has a place to play through the 2018-19 season (it is two years beyond the current season). He also will get a spot in the winners-only Tournament of Champions in January, where there is a guaranteed paycheck, and sets himself up for a shot at the WGC-Mexico Championship by virtue of his place in the FedEx Cup standings.And those 300 points come in handy as it relates to getting in the FedEx Cup playoffs next August.A win is huge no matter the player or circumstances, but for someone in Gribbles position, it is especially so. Gribble, who played college golf at the University of Texas with Jordan Spieth and was making just his eighth PGA Tour start, earned his spot through the Web.com Tour, where he was 40th in the priority rankings. That number can change based on performance, so there was no guarantee he would get the playing opportunities necessary to keep his status.Now hes got it -- and for another two seasons -- along with a big check and a good head start on his rookie season.2. No guaranteesGribble does not have to do much research to find that others who have won opposite events have not necessarily prospered. In fact, Peter Malnati, who won the Sanderson Farms Championship last year, has missed 20 cuts in 32 events since. That is the beauty of having the two-year exemption. Malnati still has time to work out any issues. Nick Taylor, who won the event in 2014, had just a single top-10 in 2016, missed 10 cuts in 24 events and has slipped to 410th in the world.Tony Finau, who won the Puerto Rico Open last year played opposite the WGC-Dell Match Play, has probably had the most success, although hes had no top-10s in 18 tournaments since his victory. He is ranked 80th in the world.Greg Chalmers won the Barracuda Championship in July opposite the WGC-Bridgestone. He has placed no better than a tie for 33rd in seven events afterward and missed nine cuts on the PGA Tour in 2016. J.J. Henry, who won the Barracuda a year prior, has played 30 tournaments since, missed 13 cuts and had no top-10s.So while these tournaments provide an excellent opportunity, they are not necessarily an indication of future success.3. Should there be more or less?Currently, the opposite events are Sanderson Farms (WGC-Bridgestone), Puerto Rico Open (WGC-Match Play), Barbasol Championship (The Open) and the Barracuda Championship (WGC-Bridgestone).Some believe there shouldnt be any, that if you cant qualify for the PGA Tour event being played that week, so be it. But that is a minority view; the bulk of PGA Tour players want playing opportunities, and the PGA Tours mission is to provide them. Hence, the schedule that seemingly never ends.That does not help the overall product, however. The calendar is saturated with golf events and if anything, there needs to be less, not more.So as crazy as it might sound, why not add some opposite events? They would be played at the same time as some of the bigger tournaments, offer more playing opportunities, possibly affording the PGA Tour the ability to somewhat contract its schedule.Now there are 47 tournaments spread across 43 weeks, including the FedEx Cup playoffs.There is no movement to cut back, so why not have a few more tournaments opposite the big ones and shrink the schedule that way? There could easily be eight opposite events -- the same week as the four majors and four WGCs. (The Sanderson Farms used to be known as the Mississippi Masters as it was played the same week as the Masters from 1969 through 1993.)You could play the same week as the Players Championship, too, and maybe the same week as one of the invitationals where there are limited fields, such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational or the Memorial.The negative for the sponsor, of course, is playing the same week as a bigger more prominent tournament means less exposure. But many get little attention, especially some of those this time of year such as this weeks Shriners Hospital For Childrens Open, or the OHL Classic next week or the RSM Classic in two weeks.Make the FedEx Cup points and the purse half of a regular event. Those who play in these tournaments will have the benefit of less competition but will have to play well in a couple of them to earn the same number of points and money. More players get a chance, a sponsor potentially gets a break in fees and the tour can offer more playing opportunities while cutting back on tournament weeks.4. OopsBecause the Shriners tournament in Las Vegas was moved from October to November this year, those few extra weeks mean even less daylight. Hence, the tournament requested a reduction in field size from 144 players to 132 in order to better be able to complete the first two rounds. Alas, a clerical error at the PGA Tour led to players committing to the tournament under the previous 144 provisions, leaving the tour no choice but to go with the larger field size -- and the likelihood of rounds having to be completed the following day.5. Congrats from a fellow Longhorn ...Gribble got a shout out from his more famous former Texas teammate. 6. ... and a former college rivalJustin Thomas, who played college golf at Alabama, congratulated Gribble by noting his eligibility for the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii at Kapalua. 7. Japans finestHideki Matsuyama won for the third time on the PGA Tour and became the first Asian player to win a WGC event with his seven-stroke victory Sunday at the HSBC Champions. It followed a victory two weeks earlier at the Japan Open and moved Matsuyama to a career-best sixth in the world -- just one spot below the best ever by a Japanese player, Jumbo Ozaki.Masahi Jumbo Ozaki, now 69, was quite a character in his day, wearing colorful clothes and flying in a sushi chef for tournament appearances outside of Japan.Ranked among the top 10 in the world for nearly 200 weeks, Ozaki had little success outside of Japan. His record was often criticized for that very reason; he had 94 wins on the Japan Golf Tour -- including 12 money titles -- and more than 100 in his career -- but just one outside of Japan at the 1972 New Zealand PGA Championship. Ozaki was highly-ranked into his early 50s and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010. But he had just three top-10s in major championships among his 48 appearances.8. First-world problemsMatt Kuchar thought he had won a Cadillac when he made an ace at the par-3 17th hole Saturday at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. A car was placed at the hole for just that purpose, but there was some fine print in play. For insurance reasons, the car was being offered only if the tee shot measured 200 yards or more. For weekend play, tournament officials moved up the tee due to conditions and noted the change to the prize being offered as well. Kuchars shot was from 193 yards.I was teased by this beautiful car sitting there thats not to be mine, Kuchar said.9. Look, theres a tee back thereThey are really doing this at the Turkish Airlines Open this week. This is the 16th hole, which has a back tee atop a villa at the European Tours first of three Final Series events. Ty Law Jersey . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. John Henry Johnson Jersey . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. http://www.custompatriotsjersey.com/custom-j-d-smith-jersey-large-841f.html . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. Jeff Kemp Jersey . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Wholesale Custom Patriots Shirts . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Fantasy football players must now deal with an added challenge: the bye weeks. That means replacing top players in your lineups, starting with those from Seattle and Green Bay, where the Packers looked better on offense last week.There are always quality options if you worked waivers cleverly and were fortunate enough to avoid many significant injuries.---BIG BIRDSIf you are looking to replace some Packers such as Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, Baltimore is a good place to start. The Ravens host the Raiders, who are allowing an NFL-worst 340 passing yards per game. Joe Flacco should have a minimum of two TD passes and a resurgent Mike Wallace already has three TD receptions. The Redskins are another passing game to target for production, as they face Cleveland, which has allowed 294.3 passing yards per game and seven TD receptions. Kirk Cousins may be available as a free agent or trade bargain. Wideout Jamison Crowder caught six balls in each of his first two games and has scored in consecutive weeks.---RUNNING WITH ROOKIESEddie Lacy is on a bye and many managers have been dealing with running back injuries and bad performances. But there is a pair of alternatives to consider in this weeks Lions-Bears matchup. Rookie Jordan Howard takes over as the starter for the Bears because of Jeremy Langfords ankle injury, but Langford was in danger of losing his grip on the starting job even before he was hurt. Howard had a 36-yard run last week and caught four passes for 47 yards, displaying his potential. Consider him a pretty good plug-in at your flex spot. Another first-year performer, Dwayne Washington, may be needed to play a larger role after Theo Riddick rushed for nine yards on 10 carries in Week 3. The Bears have allowed 142.7 rushing yards per game, so Washington could offer a nice return if you start him as your second running back or flex player.---KEEPING THE FAITHThree notable wide receivers, Julio Jones, Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin, all hurt their fantasy owners badly last week. Jones caught one pass, Cooks caught two balls for 13 yards, and Benjamin was shut out. When top WRs get shut down or are quiet in a given week, their teams often make a strong effort to get them the ball in the next game. Jones is a bit banged up, but scored in each of the first two weeks. Cooks faces the Chargers, who have surrendered 322 passing yards per game, and Benjamin draws the Falcons, who have allowed an NFL-high 10 TD passes.---PROVE IT AGAIN, PRYORTerrelle Pryor played the Slash role so well last week, Kordell Stewart might be envious. He caught eight passes for 144 yards, rushed for 21 yards and a TD, and even threw for 35 yards. Before we get too excited, though, lets remember that Pryor has bounced in and ouut of the league since 2011 and only fully remade himself into a WR this season.dddddddddddd Now that opponents have seen what he is suddenly capable of, he is going to get increased defensive attention. You should remain skeptical, and dont start Pryor over a more proven player yet. If he draws some Josh Norman in coverage this week, hell have to show he can truly earn his receiving numbers.---ARIZONA IMPLOSIONCarson Palmer threw four interceptions in what seemed like a very friendly matchup at Buffalo last week. This week he draws the Rams, who have one interception. Los Angeles has only allowed four TD passes, but Palmer does have a good amount of weapons and should be able to bounce back at home. Even though this is a divisional game, and those can be tough battles, Palmer should be good for at least a respectable fantasy performance.---TRADE TODD?After a pair of mediocre outings to open the season, Todd Gurley rushed for 85 yards and two TDs at Tampa Bay last week. Now he faces the Cardinals, who were torn up by LeSean McCoy for 110 yards and two TDs last week. Arizona is going to key heavily on Gurley and he may also get out of the game flow if the matchup becomes one-sided. There will be more disappointing performances ahead for Gurley, so trade him coming off the good game if you can before Sunday.---HIGH FLYING FALCONSFans saw the Atlanta RBs soar on Monday at New Orleans, as Devonta Freeman totaled over 200 yards from scrimmage and Tevin Coleman rushed for three TDs. The pairing may have arrived as the best 1-2 combo at RB in the league, but this weeks opponent, Carolina, has allowed only 90.3 rushing yards per game and three TDs. Temper expectations on both players this week and realize that it could be a different guy every week outpointing the other statistically. Last week was fun, but could prove to be quite the anomaly. With the state of RB in fantasy right now, though, reliability is not easy to come by and you can continue to start both guys for their considerable upside.---SCORCH THE SAINTSThe corollary to the Falcons success is fantasy players should be checking to face the Saints every week, as their defense once again looks beyond terrible (448.3 yards per game allowed), and was depleted as well last week. This week its San Diego, so while the run defense is the worst in the league and that bodes well for Melvin Gordon, you should start WRs Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams with confidence, and even consider TE Hunter Henry if you need help at the position.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com . ' ' '