by Kirk Hollis
We have reached our final week for this column for this year and I hope you have enjoyed reading it each week or at least on occasion. As we wrap things up for this season, I wanted to give out some awards for the year and also give a list of the biggest surprises and disappointments of the fantasy season. First the awards:
Fantasy Football MVP: Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey has been running alongside Tyreek Hill all season with respect to this award, but with Hill getting injured late, McCaffrey has surpassed him in my estimation. Both have had historic seasons to be sure.
Best Fantasy Playoff Performance: Amari Cooper (Week 16)
I hope at least a few of you had the good fortune to have Cooper in your lineups this past weekend. I know he almost single-handedly earned me a key playoff win.
Worst Fantasy Playoff Performance: Davante Adams (Week 16)
Yes, the Raiders upset the Chiefs on Christmas Day, but Adams was MIA in large part because his QB was so inept. Then again, if you were relying on Adams this season, you likely weren’t in the playoffs anyway.
Biggest Draft Bust (2023): Austin Ekeler & Joe Burrow
There were no colossal busts this season, but these two are as close as it gets by my estimation. Injuries certainly played a role in their demise and both should/could bounce back in 2024.
Now, let’s look at our version of the Naughty/Nice list:
Biggest Surprises of 2023:
- Kyren The Great- Undrafted in most leagues last August, Williams burst upon the scene to become a top-3 RB and a weapon few saw coming.
- Raheem The Dream- Also in the top-3 and drafted late in most August drafts (if at all) was the standout veteran from Miami. 21 TDs through 16 games.
- A Trio Of Talented Rookies- C.J. Stroud (QB), Puka Nacua (WR), and Sam LaPorta (TE) were way better than expectations.
- Old Man Evans- Considered a lukewarm prospect on Draft Day due to a change at QB, Mike Evans instead had perhaps his finest overall season.
- Super Sophomores, Part One- Brock Purdy and Sam Howell both rose to fantasy starter levels with Purdy rising to top-5 overall status.
- Super Sophomores, Part Two- Running backs Rachaad White and James Cook took huge leaps forward to become top-10 at their position.
- Nico’s Revenge- Finally paired with a competent QB, Nico Collins became a surefire fantasy starter in the improved Texan offense.
- Three For The Road- Jordan Love, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trey McBride shone much brighter from a fantasy standpoint than anticipated.
Biggest Disappointments of 2023:
- Burrowing In Circles- Joe Burrow first played poorly, then got right, then got hurt. Not at all the year fantasy GMs had in mind for him.
- The A-Team- Both Austin Ekeler and Aaron Jones failed to lanuch in 2023, some due to injury, and some due to slowed production.
- The Patrick Price- Mahomes wasn’t awful, but the Big Three of Mahomes, Allen, and Hurts turned into the Big Two with Patrick not included.
- Davante’s Peak- Davante Adams remains a supremely talented WR, but the fit with the Raiders this season just wasn’t there.
- Overpaid and Underproductive- DeShaun Watson was a disappointment and was out-played by Joe Flacco after the veteran took the reins in Cleveland.
- Hey Jeudy- The talent is obvious to see, but something is just not right with the Broncos’ underachieving wide-out. Time to cut bait on Jerry in Denver.
- A Quartet Of RBs Stuck In Cement- Tony Pollard, Najee Harris, Dameon Pierce, and Miles Sanders all failed to progress as was expected.
- Justin Jefferson’s health- An eight-week injury deprived us of getting to see what Jefferson was capable of this season. The loss of Kirk Cousins (Achilles) was disappointing as well.
As Championship week in fantasy league now is now upon us, here’s hoping you’re still alive and well in at least one league and that you enjoy great success this weekend as seasons wrap on New Year’s Eve. Again, I hope this column has been helpful this season and/or if not, that it’s at least been entertaining. Happy New Year!
