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Data Reveals Russell Wilson Could Be 'Next Tom Brady' Of NFL QBs

SAN DIEGO--AP--Which rising star quarterback in the NFL has what it takes to go down in history as a Tom Brady-esque legend of the game?

It's a daunting consideration; one that is debated ad nauseam by football fans, competitive fantasy sports players, talking heads, NFL head coaches, general managers and talent scouts.

To answer this question, Reality Shares, an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) issuer and research firm, harnessed its predictive analytics methodology to create QBCON, an algorithm that assesses and ranks NFL quarterbacks (aged 30 and younger) to determine their long-term potential to excel.

According to the research, the top 10 young, professional quarterbacks likely to rise to the top of the heap and pay future dividends to their respective teams and fans are:

  1. Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks
  2. Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys
  3. Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans
  4. Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins
  5. Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts
  6. Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers
  7. Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  8. Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions
  9. Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals
  10. Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders

Additionally, it is interesting to note the research ranks Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick just outside the top 10 despite each being unsigned free agents during the preseason with no fantasy auction value.

To generate this list, QBCON analyzed seven key NFL statistical categories for each young professional quarterback: career touchdown-per-game ratio, career passer rating, first-year passer rating, career yards-per-attempt ratio, first-year yards-per-attempt ratio, first-year completion percentage and NFL.com's player auction value in fantasy football for 2017. The first-year stats were compiled from players' first season as a starting quarterback with eight or more starts.

"At Reality Shares, harnessing the power of predictive analytics to help investors capture the potential benefits of dividend growth investing is our main focus, but we're also big sports fans," said Eric Ervin, CEO of Reality Shares. "By combining our passion for both predictive research and football, we created the QBCON ranking system to pinpoint the strong-armed quarterbacks most likely to pay Tom Brady-like dividends in the coming years."

Reality Shares is uniquely qualified to develop and introduce the QBCON methodology because of its existing expertise in predictive analytics, having already created DIVCON, the proprietary dividend health rating system that analyzes the dividend-paying stocks in the S&P 500 and ranks them according to the likelihood they will increase or decrease future dividends. DIVCON powers a suite of three Reality Shares ETFs that give investors multiple strategies for capturing future dividend growth.

"Just like the returns of an ETF hinge on the performance of its underlying holdings, the fate of all 32 NFL teams largely rests in the hands of their up-and-coming quarterback," says Ervin. "As we continue to bridge the gap between sports and investing, we are excited to apply our predictive analytics expertise to the football world."

About Reality Shares

Reality Shares is solely focused on dividend growth investing. We offer a range of ETFs that pinpoint and capitalize on investment in dividend growth. Our rules-based, forward-looking methodology sets us apart by allowing investors to access and harness the power of dividend growth investing. Our proprietary DIVCON scoring system systematically ranks companies' future dividend growth prospects based on a weighted average of seven quantitative factors that are correlated to dividend growth.

For more information, visit www.realityshares.com.

This material is prepared by Reality Shares Inc. ("Reality Shares"), and all material or information provided does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. It should not be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell a security. It does not take into account any investor's particular investment objectives, strategies, tax status or investment horizon. You should consult your tax and financial advisor. There is no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information and Reality Shares shall have no liability for decisions based on such information.

ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETF's net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.

There are risks associated with investing, including loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future performance and is no guide to future returns.

Eric Ervin is a Registered Representative of ALPS Distributors, Inc. Reality Shares Advisors, LLC is the Investment Advisor. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is the Distributor for the Fund. Reality Shares Advisors, LLC and ALPS Distributors, Inc. are not affiliated.

Copyright© 2017 Reality Shares, Inc. All rights reserved.

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