Holy cow, it's almost here! We are just a few hours away from the Season 6 premier of Lost! My sincere apologies to those of you in other countries that have to wait a few more days. Hopefully nothing gets spoiled for you in the meantime.
Today we are talking about Group 1 of the Lost Fantasy League. This is a collection of those characters that we feel are 'elite.' The character you chose from Group 1 will be the backbone of your Fantasy Team. One wrong decision here could mean the difference from rocking your way to the top of the standings or finding yourself somewhere in the middle of the pack.
So, do you think that you made a smart pick? Let's find out!
JACK SHEPHARD
While the debate over whether Jack or Sawyer is the better character remains to be settled, Jack is your clear winner in Fantasy League selections. Appearing on 45% of all Fantasy Team rosters, it seems that a lot of you took the sensible approach to Group 1. Jack has been very consistent with his LFL totals, landing in the 600's two seasons in a row. Lost started with Jack and I can't see him not being around for the end of it.
Whatever Happened, Happened: Jack was leading the way for WHH since Daniel died so I can't imagine he wouldn't be around to see the aftermath. Jack has always been in the middle of everything so I think he may become the leader of the A-Team once more no matter where WHH lands them. Jack's points potential is as high as it ever was.
Reboot: If we do get a reboot, I suspect Jack would be a very important part of it. Again, Lost started with Jack so I have to assume a reboot would as well. A reboot hurts everyone's potential for Island-related points but there might be enough for Jack to do on the mainland to tally up a nice score.
Grade: Great. Jack is always a sure-fire bet for the Fantasy League. If the rest of your team is pretty solid, then you ought to have a great year even if Jack fails to be the top-scoring character for the third straight year. He's going to have to step it up from last year but I think Jack will have an increased presence in everything in Season 6. His points will be up and that can only be good for you. I still think that there is a chance that Jack might die at the end of the series but he ought to rack up enough points to prevent his possible death from setting you back.
HUGO "HURLEY" REYES
Now that he is finally in the big leagues, Hurley needs to step up his game. He is going to need to score some major Numbers points and Island weirdness points to give Jack and Kate a run for the money. Hurley has been one of the best supporting members for Fantasy Team rosters, averaging around 520 points per season but he is going to need to step it up for the 18% of you that picked him.
WHH: He will benefit from being in the thick of it all and probably won't face too much real danger. Hurley has been one of the few characters to avoid a lot of injury deductions. I expect this to continue based on Hurley's perceived innocence. He's never been a part of a gunfight (though he has run someone over), so that is a definite advantage over the rest of Group 1.
Reboot: The Numbers followed him before the Island and I expect them to do the same in a reboot. He may get a kiss or two from his mother and he may even have a few Island Visions if the Island needed 815 to crash all along. He will probably be more of a supporting role in a reboot though, so Hugo-pickers will probably hope for WHH.
Grade: Pretty good but not the best. The numbers don't lie. Jack and Kate are the masters of the Lost Fantasy League. Hurley has done very well in the past but I just don't see him coming forward enough to catch up to the top dogs. If Hurley outlives both Kate and Jack, he might pull off an upset but I doubt it. Jack and Kate seem like long haul characters for the show.
JAMES "SAWYER" FORD
Even though he more than doubled his total from Season 4 to Season 5, I just can't support Sawyer as a smart choice. This may rub the 15% of you with him on your team the wrong way but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Even his impressive 560 points last year was well behind the likes of Jack and Kate. Not even his romance with Juliet could take him to the next level.
WHH: Whatever happens, Sawyer is going to be pissed about losing Juliet. I don't see him getting back with Kate and I don't see him being very agreeable for quite some time. This could make him more prone to violence and could make him reckless in dangerous situations. He's lost his reason to live but I don't know that he'll be trying to get himself killed.
Reboot: Sawyer goes back to being the slick con man of old. If he remains important to the story, we may see him wooing another rich woman for her money. This opens him up to some romance points but probably not much else. It will depend on how important Reboot Sawyer is.
Grade: Shaky. To me, Sawyer has always been the Island's favorite little punching bag. Therefor, I never get too excited about his chances. Sawyer does strike me as a likely candidate to die before the series is over but I can't imagine that happening (for anyone really) until Season 6 is almost over. Still, Sawyer's gruff demeanor and tendency toward violence is discouraging. I'd love to be proved wrong though.
BENJAMIN LINUS
Eep. Ben is in a similar situation as Sawyer. He was pretty 'meh' in Season 4 but jumped up significantly in Season 5. Despite this rise in points, he still had the lowest score of this year's Group 1 characters. Plus, I think a reboot will totally kill his points potential. The 16% of you who picked Ben are taking what could be the biggest risk of all.
WHH: He's surrounded by Island craziness and will likely be front and center when some of the big questions get answered. This could do well for him. But, if MIB decides that Ben is no longer useful, it could be lights out. That would be bad.
Reboot: I don't see how Ben would factor into an off-Island story line where Flight 815 lands. I just don't see how it is possible.
Grade: Shaky at best. If anyone looks certain to die to me, it's Ben. He seems to be little more than a pawn in a larger game and no one really cares about him. We haven't seen just how young Ben was re-introduced into the DHARMA Initiative but that prospect alone isn't enough to give me the warm fuzzies over Ben.
KATE AUSTEN
This one shocked me. After leading the LFL in points two seasons in a row, only 8% of you picked Kate? Wow. Sure, she had two flashbacks in Season 5, which helped her achieve an 85 point lead over 2nd place but Kate has always found ways to score points where you least expect it. I picked Kate and I hope that we 8% can have the last laugh at the end of Season 6.
WHH: She's right in the middle of everything, which is where she tends to pick up a lot of points. She wrote Jack off last season and Sawyer isn't likely to be putting out, so she my not grab the romance points she was once good for. But I still like her chances, even if she does get a little rough and tumble on people.
Reboot: This could be interesting. If Kate goes to jail, that all but seals her fate unless something really weird happens. I don't know what to expect for Kate given a reboot. Seeing as I picked her, I'm hoping all the more for WHH. I think this probably clouds my judgment quite a bit when it comes to grading this group.
Grade: Great. I mean, she has led the LFL two seasons in a row! That has to mean something. If she and Jack have the same number of centric episodes this year and no shipping happens, then Kate might find herself in a tight race for a change. Without Aaron to give so many kisses to, Kate will have to really put herself out there if she wants to win this footrace.
OVERALL
Despite Kate's track record, I think Jack will find a way to top her this year. It may only be a slight lead but I think Jack will be back to a Season 1 level of importance. Hurley will find himself in a comfortable third place while Sawyer and Ben duke it out to see who comes in fourth. Or it could be pretty even the whole way through. I see Jack and Kate going neck and neck all the way through though. Kate may be more likely to die before Jack, so I have to give Jack the top slot.
1) Jack
2) Kate
3) Hurley
4) Sawyer
5) Ben
Don't forget that you can look your team up by the first part of your email address in our Lost Fantasy Team Lookup Table. You can also follow the League on Twitter and Facebook. And once again, here is our official Season 6 rule book:
