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With every NFL team’s season at
least halfway done (and many of our fantasy team’s seasons fully done), now is
an appropriate time to give out the first annual Mid-Season Fantasy Football
Awards! These awards recognize the best (and worst) of the first half of the
2005 NFL season, from a fantasy perspective. So, without further ado, let’s roll
out the red carpet and hand out some statues!
The Most Dominant Player Trophy –
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB San Diego Chargers
This award is given to, quite simply, the most dominant player in fantasy
football. Draft status is not factored in—this is just the guy that you want
most on your fantasy team. And that guy is LaDainian Tomlinson. In 9 games, he’s
racked up roughly 1,100 total yards and 15 scores. He’s on pace to challenge
Priest Holmes’ single-season touchdown record, and aside from a hiccup against
Philadelphia, he’s put up good fantasy points in every game this season. LT’s
only competition for this award, Shaun Alexander, is having a tremendous season
in his own right. He’s totaled just 100 fewer total yards and only one less
touchdown. What separates these two elite fantasy backs? How about the fact that
LT has thrown for three touchdowns? Talk about bonus points for your fantasy
team. Whether he’s running, catching, or passing, one thing is abundantly clear:
LaDainian Tomlinson is the one player you most want on your fantasy squad.
The Ricky Williams “Flame Out” Award –
Daunte Culpepper, QB Minnesota Vikings
Going into last season, Ricky Williams was a lock as a first round fantasy draft
pick. He was coming off a very solid 2003 season, and most owners considered him
one of the safest fantasy backs in the draft. We all know how that turned out.
This award, in honor of Ricky, is given to the biggest bust of the first half of
the season. While there are plenty of worthy candidates (Jamal Lewis was a
tempting choice), no player has “flamed out” more than Daunte Culpepper.
Some analysts expressed concern over the loss of Randy Moss this off-season, but
the majority opinion seemed to be that Culpepper would actually be better
without the talented-but-troubled receiver. Equipped with this belief, many
eager fantasy owners defied convention and selected Culpepper in the late first
round of fantasy drafts. Those owners were quickly punished in week one, where
‘Pepper fumbled twice and threw three interceptions. But that was just the
beginning. Week two brought five interceptions; week four saw two interceptions
and two fumbles; and week six blessed Culpepper owners with no touchdowns and
two more picks. In total, Culpepper threw just six touchdowns with twelve
interceptions, while running for just one touchdown yet fumbling five times.
Mercifully, his season came to an end in week seven, thus removing any pressure
on his former fans to keep him in their starting fantasy lineups. Heck, they’d
be just as well off with Trent Dilfer! For that reason, Daunte Culpepper is the
biggest bust of the first half of the 2005 season, and the winner of the “Flame
Out” trophy.
The “I wish the season lasted only 8 games” Award –
Donovan McNabb, QB
Philadelphia Eagles
After an off-season of turmoil, everything initially seemed to be fine for the
Eagles. While nobody would mistake Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb as best
buddies, they were able to put personal issues behind them on Sundays for the
first few weeks of this year. In fact, McNabb has been the #1 fantasy
quarterback for the vast majority of the season thus far, and Owens has been in
the top 5 receivers for most of this year. However, in recent weeks the
situation has deteriorated. Now suspended for the rest of the season, Owens is
essentially no longer a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The move has been
widely applauded by the media, as it should certainly improve the team’s locker
room chemistry. Unfortunately, chemistry is not a factor for fantasy teams, and
the player hurt most by Owens’ antics (other than Owens himself) is Donovan
McNabb. With rookie Reggie Brown taking over as the #1 receiver, nobody is
expecting McNabb to continue at his high level of production. So, if you were a
happy McNabb owner in the first half of the season, you’re likely wishing that
the season ended last week (unless, you know, you’ve got someone like Carson
Palmer as a backup).
The “Who that WR?” Award
– Santana Moss, WR Washington
Redskins
Last year, relatively obscure veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad became the
slightly-less-obscure #1 receiver in all of fantasy football. While surprising,
occurrences like that are nothing new; in fact, it would be even more surprising
if there was a season where an obscure receiver didn’t finish in the top 5. 2005
is no different, and this year’s “rags to riches” receiver is Santana Moss.
Following an off-season swap between the Jets and Redskins, most fantasy
football people (myself included) focused on Laveranues Coles’ prospects in his
new location. Little attention was paid to Moss, who was perceived as wildly
inconsistent, and entering a receiving wasteland in Washington. All he’s done is
post 856 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first eight games as a Redskin, making
him currently the #3 receiver in standard scoring leagues. Even more impressive
is the fact that he was rarely taken before the ninth round in fantasy drafts,
well behind countless fantasy busts such as Nate Burleson and Andre Johnson.
While fellow NFC East receivers Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson have also been
pleasant surprises, no receiver has produced better given where he was drafted
than Santana Moss.
The Fred Taylor Memorial
– Joe Horn, WR New Orleans
Saints
Ah, Fred Taylor. Any fantasy owner who has been around for a few years is
intimately familiar with the hate most owners have for Fred Taylor. It’s not
just that he never played up to his talent. It’s not just that he was generally
a first round fantasy draft pick. It’s not just that he’s been injured virtually
every year of his career. It is the combination of all those factors that made
Fred Taylor the most frustrating fantasy player for many years; a trait that
this award recognizes.
There have been plenty of high fantasy picks that have been injured this season.
Deuce McAllister, Andre Johnson, and Kevin Jones are among the long list of
players considered for this award. However, as far as pure frustration goes,
nobody topped Joe Horn in the first half of 2005. You see, not only did he miss
time due to injury, but he took the extra step by giving fans the impression
that he was likely to play, only to bow out at the last second (much to the
chagrin of his fantasy owners). He has missed 4 of his team’s first 9 games, yet
was never actually listed as “Out” until game day. What’s more, he hasn’t
exactly been productive on the field, with just 346 yards and 1 touchdown on the
year. For a guy that nobody really likes who was only taken in the third round
of most fantasy drafts because he was considered “solid,” Horn has been
infinitely more trouble than he’s worth. Therefore, he is this season’s most
frustrating player, so far.
The All Mid-Round Pick Team
Imagine that on the morning of your fantasy draft, some unavoidable circumstance
pops up, and you end up missing the first four rounds. Your team would be
ruined, right? Wrong. If you chose not to draft in the first four rounds of a
standard fantasy draft, your fantasy team could still be tremendous. Don’t
believe me? Take a look at the All-Mid Round Pick Team thus far. All these
players were selected, on average, no earlier than the fifth round of fantasy
drafts (based on AntSports.com’s preseason mock draft data), nor were they in
the top 7 players selected at their position. Next to their names is their
positional ranking in standard scoring leagues, which give you a point of
reference for just how well these mid-round picks have performed.
QB: Carson Palmer (#1)
RB: Thomas Jones (#8)
RB: Warrick Dunn (#12)
WR: Steve Smith (#1)
WR: Santana Moss (#3)
WR: Joey Galloway (#5)
TE: Jeremy Shockey (#2)
K: Neil Rackers (#1)
DEF: Indianapolis (#1)
Right now, how many fantasy owners would trade their teams in for this roster?
I’d think just about everyone. Not bad for guys considered “second rate” by us
fantasy owners going into the year.
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