We have reached the midway point of the NFL season and that means for many fantasy football players it’s time to start looking towards either the playoffs or a very long, discontent winter.
But while we’re at this point in the year it seems worthwhile to stop and take a look back on all that’s gone right (and wrong) for fantasy managers. So we’re giving out some midseason awards.
The one caveat here is that players must have played in the majority of their team’s games. We’re not knocking players for having bad injury luck.
Got it? Let’s get into it.
All draft data via FantasyPros
MVP: Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Average Draft Position: 5.3
Stats: 69 receptions, 1,076 yards, 8 touchdowns
Those of us who play in PPR or half PPR already know the Miami Dolphins wideout has scored more fantasy points than all but two players this year: Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.
He’s the guy you brag to your very unamused friends about having on your roster and the guy you dread matching up against. Considering most of the elite quarterbacks in the league tend to produce about the same amount of points, Hill gets the easy nod for MVP here.
Biggest Bust: Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams
(AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Average Draft Position: 17.0
Stats: 51 receptions, 573 yards, 3 touchdowns
Many leagues saw Adams as a first round talent, even if his ADP had him going in the middle of the second round. Wherever he went in your draft he was likely seen as a WR2 at the absolute worst.
Welp. So much for that. Between the now-fired Josh McDaniels’ inability at head coach, the benching of starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and a refusal to trade their star wideout before the deadline, Adams has put fantasy managers in the worst possible position.
He’s too talented to bench and too inconsistent to trust.
Most Frustrating Player: Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase
Average Draft Position: 4.0
Stats: 64 receptions, 697 yards, 4 touchdowns
This award could really be called the “Damn You Joe Burrow’s Calf Memorial Trophy”. The frustrating part of Chase’s season had very little to do with his talent or his targets. It was because of a quarterback who wasn’t fully healthy.
Chase began the year with three sub-100 yard games over the first four weeks. He didn’t record a touchdown until Week 5, when he exploded for three scores.
Now we just have to wait and see if this Bengals bounce-back is for real. But if you were counting heavily on Chase earlier this season, you might be running out of time for it to matter.
Coach You Can Blame All Your Woes On: Atlanta Falcons Arthur Smith
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Did you draft Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Tyler Allgeier, Mack Hollins, Cordarrelle Patterson or Desmond Ridder? This one goes out to you.
I’ll let my For The Win colleague Robert Zeglinski take it away:
The fantasy community has been talking about Smith’s misuse of Robinson for the better part of two months. This also happened with Kyle Pitts. I’d say it might happen to the next first-round skill player Smith’s team drafts, but I’m not sure he’ll be around for that pleasure.
Whenever Smith catches wind of the mostly constructive critiques, it feels like he can’t resist lambasting the disconnect between playing a game on the computer and in person. It’s his way of deflecting, of pretending that criticism of the way he uses players like Robinson is, in a way, unwarranted from people on the sidelines.
After the way Smith rationalized Robinson being a de facto decoy on Tuesday, I’m afraid I have to spell it out: he has made inherently irrational fantasy football players look positively brilliant for calling him out time and again. Bravo, sir.
Rookie Keeper of the Year: Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Average Draft Position: 193
Stats: 2,270 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, 1 interception
Thanks to my own (arbitrary) rules, injured Miami Dolphins tailback De’Von Achane just missed the cut here — but if and when he’s healthy Achane may just steal Stroud’s crown.
In the meantime, the Texans’ quarterback is running away with Offensive Rookie of the Year and is proving he probably should’ve been the No. 1 overall pick instead of Bryce Young. Houston has a gem on their hands and anyone who drafted Stroud late in keeper or dynasty leagues is probably still bragging about it.
Best Late-Round Steal: Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert
Average Draft Position: 114
Stats: 109 carries, 605 yards, 11 touchdowns, 4 fumbles, 1 fumble lost
The injury to Achane opened the door for Mostert to show he’s not done cooking defenses just yet. If you drafted him, it was likely as an insurance policy for another tailback and wow was that the right move. Since Week 5, Mostert is averaging a touchdown per game while continuing to make some noise in the passing game too.
An absolute steal.
Waiver Wire MVP: Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Average Draft Position: 272
Stats: 64 receptions, 827 yards, 2 touchdowns
Let’s be honest, none of us knew Puka’s name before the season. An untimely injury to Cooper Kupp at the beginning the year, however, put Nacua on everyone’s radar.
The 22-year-old BYU product put the league on notice with a 119-yard season debut, followed by a 147-yard Week 2 stunner against the 49ers. He’s now topped 100 yards receiving in four games this season.
Losing in Week 1 always hurts, but being able to grab someone like Nacua off waivers immediately always eases that burn.
