FANTASY SURFER presented by Boost Mobile
2007 Mid-Year Review

Ben Dunn has set himself up to make a run at the Top 16.

=21 - Ben Dunn

Best 2007 result: Equal 5th at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 62

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Did you know?: Despite his rookie status, Dunn had already surfed in 6 WCT events as a wildcard before 2007.

The Dirt: When is a rookie not a rookie? When his main sponsor grooms him for the WCT by giving him wildcards into their WCT events be fore he qualifies. Dunn has used his experience in WCT heats to advance through some tough heats that most rookies wouldn’t have normally made it through. Expect him to jump up the ratings a little bit this year with decent performances in places like Trestles, France and possibly even Mundaka. If he can maintain his patience, the quarterfinals at those events are almost a certainty.

24 - Adriano de Souza

Best 2007 result: Equal 5th at Billabong Pro J-Bay.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 73

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $6,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $6,250,000

Did you know?: Adriano now spends much of his off time in Australia and the U.S..

The Dirt: Once the most promising world title threat to ever come out of Brazil, de Souza’s WCT career has seemingly stalled in the bigger waves of the WCT tour. His best results have come at venues where the waves fail to cooperate. At small Narabeen for the 2006 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, he made the semifinals. This year, he made the quarters at crossed up, smaller J-bay. A must have for Fantasy Surfer teams in the Brazil event, but he must seriously step it up everywhere else.

=25 - Tom Whitaker

Best 2007 result: Equal 3rd at Rip Curl Pro Bells.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 56 $8,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $7,250,000

Did you know?: Despite his beginning of the year rating of 8th, Whitaker has only advanced past Round 3 once in 2007 (Bells).

The Dirt: Bad luck seems to follow Whitaker wherever he goes this year. He will consistently have some of the better individual wave scores throughout most events, but can’t seem to find the backup waves needed to win heats. As one of the better tactical surfers on tour, this bad luck is bound to run out eventually. The European leg of the WCT will be where Whitaker will need to make his charge. After Brazil, if he doesn’t have re-qualification wrapped up, he doesn’t stand much chance in Hawaii.

=25 - C.J. Hobgood

Best 2007 result: Equal 3rd at Rip Curl Search in Chile.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 60

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $7,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $6,250,000

Did you know?: Hobgood has won 3 of the 4 WQS events that he has entered in the US in 2007 (Sebatian Inlet, Trestles, Huntington Beach).

The Dirt: Surfers on the WCT seem to fall into two categories; “Living the good life”, and “In serious trouble”. Hobgood falls into the later of those two groups. While his victories on the WQS this year are great stories of inspiration, the bottom line is that for the past year and a half, he has absolutely tanked on the WCT. A former world champ, Hobgood has fallen out of his title contender mode, and slipped into a lower-level survival mode. Trestles could provide a brief bright spot in his year, but he will need to re-focus his efforts on the WQS in order to assure himself a spot on the 2008 WCT.

27 - Ricky Basnett

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at all 5 events.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 78

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,750,000

Did you know?: Basnett has lost in the 3rd Round at all 5 WCT events this year.

The Dirt: Despite the string of equal 17th place finishes that Basnett has piled up, there’s one thing you can say; he’s consistent. He’s done just enough to make it through to Round 4. If he maintains that same consistency, he’ll be on the edge of qualification all year. At worst, he’s a solid score for your Fantasy Surfer teams at each event.

=28 - Raoni Monteiro

Best 2007 result: Equal 9th at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 57

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Did you know?: Monteiro is averaging 57 Fantasy Surfer points per event – higher than several surfers ranked above him in the ASP ratings.

The Dirt: At 26, Raoni is 6 years older than Adriano de Souza, but still has about the same shot at a top 10 finish as de Souza. Both tend to surf well above the wave and are extremely fast through their turns. The only thing that Monteiro has against him at this point is age. If he can keep his youthful approach to the tour, Monteiro will remain at surfing’s highest level for years to come. A solid choice at most righthand points for your Fantasy Surfer teams.

=28 - Bernardo Miranda

Best 2007 result: Equal 9th at Billabong Pro Tahiti.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 56

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Did you know?: Was formerly known as Bernardo Pigmeu (Pigmeu was his nickname).

The Dirt: The key to Miranda’s re-qualification hopes are small waves. The smaller the conditions, the better chances he has. France and Brazil seem to be his best shots, but for the most part Bernardo has found himself overmatched in most situations. A cheap pick for Brazil might be the best time to select him for your Fantasy Surfer teams.

=28 - Leonardo Neves

Best 2007 result: Equal 9th Rip Curl Pro Bells

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 54

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Did you know?: Leonardo is one of the most physically imposing surfers on tour. Constantly training, Neves has earned a reputation as the surfer you’d least like to meet up with in a dark alley – despite the fact that he’s also one of the nicest guys on tour as well.

The Dirt: He’s going to work for it. Neves is one of the strongest surfers on tour and can bury the rail in any type of conditions. A real surprise that he isn’t ranked higher, he has the potential to at least make it to the quarterfinals of a few events remaining on this year’s schedule.

31 - Josh Kerr

Best 2007 result: Equal 5th at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 42

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Did you know?: Since his hot start at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, Kerr has not advanced past Round 3 at any of the following 4 WCT events.

The Dirt: Talk is cheap. The results are where the money is. We’ve all heard about Kerr’s mouth and how he talked himself up before the start of the year, so instead we’ll focus on something else; Round 1. Kerr has only won one Round 1 heat so far this year (Gold Coast). If he can focus his energy in Round 1 and get down to business, he’ll save himself a lot of stress and worry and correct his slide in the overall ratings. Currently in the Mentawaii Islands on a surf trip, Kerr would do himself a world of good to get to Trestles early and focus on winning. If the waves are small, he has to be a favorite at every event he’s in.

32 - Royden Bryson

Best 2007 result:Equal 5th at Rip Curl Pro Bells.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 72

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Did you know?: Bryson missed the Billabong Pro Tahiti due to passport problems.

The Dirt: Bryson’s year completely hinges upon his performances in the next few events. While many questioned his commitment after he missed the Billabong Pro Tahiti, the bottom line is that the smaller waves at Teahupoo could possibly have saved his year. Unfortunately for him, he’ll need to pin his re-qualification hopes on his results the final 5 events of the year. He could go either way at this point, but he’s a solid pickup and a pretty steady competitor. Go ahead and roll the dice on him.

33 - Greg Emslie

Best 2007 result: Equal 9th at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 39

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $6,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $5,000,000

Did you know?: Emslie missed the Bells event to witness the birth of his first child.

The Dirt: It’s a shame that Emslie could potentially lose his spot on the WCT for staying home to watch the birth of his child. But that’s one of the hurdles he needs to overcome. Bad results at the Gold Coast, Bells, and J-Bay are seriously going to hurt him as he typically goes on a second-half slide. He’ll need to reverse his fortunes, but Fantasy Surfer players should select with extreme caution.

=34 - Phil MacDonald

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at Gold Coast, Bells and Chile.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 52

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $7,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $6,000,000

Did you know?: MacDonald has fallen 21 spots from his 2006 year end ranking of 13th.

The Dirt: How the mighty have fallen. A year ago, MacDonald was one of the favorites at just about every stop on tour. His powerful style was the talk of every Fantasy Surfer user looking for a darkhorse pick. This year, the talk has shifted to how low in the ratings and how poorly he has surfed so far. Typically, MacDonald does well at Trestles (2nd in 2005, =9th in 2006), so perhaps he can turn things around still. Still a solid darkhorse pickup at his current price.

=34 - Michael Lowe

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at Bells, Chile and J-Bay.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 54

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $5,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $4,250,000

Did you know?: Lowe has 3 career WCT victories (2004 Gold Coast, 1999 Fiji, & 1997 France).

The Dirt: For many years the “Keg on Legs” has been the jovial, good natured goofyfoot that surfers on tour took playful verbal jabs at for his fitness (or lack thereof). But perhaps that low level of fitness has finally caught up with Lowe. With WCT surfers on year-round fitness programs, dedicating themselves to the tour, and preparing for events with conditioning programs, the tour may have just passed him by. A great surfer based on talent alone, he can’t simply drop out of the sky into massive barrels at every event, and must be ready for all types of waves. Select him for your team at Mundaka and Pipe if you must, but avoid him at all costs everywhere else.

=34 - Rodrigo Dornelles

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at Bells, Tahiti and J-Bay.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 53

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,250,000

Did you know?: Dornelles did not win any WQS events en route to qualifying for the 2007 WCT. His best result was a 3rd place finish.

The Dirt: Did you see that turn? That was one of the most overheard statements after watching the replay footage from the Billabong Pro J-bay. In one of his early-round heats, Dornelles executed one of the most polished, smooth, and powerful roundhouse cutbacks that Supertubes has seen in a long time. Unfortunately, these little flashes of brilliance haven’t occurred quite frequently enough for Rodrigo. If he can string together a series of turns such as that at Trestles or France, a solid finish would be in the cards. A great potential darkhorse pickup for the second half of the year.

=37 - Victor Ribas

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at Tahiti and Chile.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 32

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Did you know?: Ribas best results of the year typically occur during the second half of the year.

The Dirt: Ribas has a history of battling back to make the qualification cutoff. He’s made great strides at venues such as Trestles, France and Brazil in order to save his year on numerous occasions. A good value at those three spots, be sure to drop him from your teams before Pipeline.

=37 - Dayyan Neve

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at Bells and Tahiti.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 35

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $3,000,000

Did you know?: Neve is currently one of several WCT surfers without a sponsor.

The Dirt: It sure would make things easier on Neve if he had a sponsor. After all, it’s one thing to be depending upon prize money if you’re winning – but to be depending upon prize money and losing is even harder to stomach. He’s in the Top 50 of the WQS currently, but in reality we’re probably looking at Dayyan’s one and only shot on the WCT unless he wins an event or two. Choose with caution as he usually takes on the higher seeds in the draw at just about every event.

39 - Trent Munro

Best 2007 result: Equal 17th at Gold Coast, Tahiti and J-Bay.

2007 Avg Fantasy Surfer Points Per Event: 62

2007 Starting Fantasy Surfer Value: $1,500,000

Current Fantasy Surfer Value: $1,500,000

Did you know?: Munro has two career WCT victories (Brazil 2001 & Bells 2005).

The Dirt: When Timmy Reyes announced that he would not be surfing in at least the first 5 events on the 2007 WCT, the door was opened for first alternate Munro. Trent promptly went out and closed that door in his own face. With two Round 2 losses and two Round 3 losses to go with a withdrawl at Chile, things could not possibly have gone any worse for this former member of the Top 5. With a Fantasy Surfer value set at $1,500,00 for the year because of his injury replacement status, he’s a low risk chance for just about every event but Pipeline.