I'm pretty sure Expert drops work like this now:
2 Grails for participating
+ 1 Grail for starting
+ 2 Grails for MVP and 1 Grail for vice-MVP
Therefore, it's impossible to get only 2 Grails from an Expert you started, even if you don't MVP nor vice-MVP (and most old players should be able to MVP easily and get 5 Grails anyways...)