FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

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The huddle awards 2011

quarterbacks

Most Valuable - Has to be Drew Brees who came on late to overtake Aaron Rodgers. Brees has been money every week and then threw for 412 yards and 5 TDs in week 15 and then 307 yards and 4 TDs in week 16 during fantasy championships. Honorable Mention - Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady

Best Surprise - Cam Newton not only easily, but he may be the best surprise of all time. Set the new NFL rookie passing record (4051) and is the only NFL quarterback to throw for 4000 and run for 500. Oh yeah, no QB has ever ran for 14 touchdowns before. And he was always drafted as a backup if he was drafted at all. Honorable Mention - Matthew Stafford

Biggest Bust - Philip Rivers was the #5 QB in Average Draft Position but was mediocre for the biggest stretch of the season while claiming all was fine despite throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Honorable Mention - Josh Freeman

running backs

Most Valuable - This is a tough one. Have to go with LeSean McCoy and his 20 touchdowns. He was money every week and in fantasy terms, automatic 20 points per week was always great. Honorable Mention - Ray Rice

Best Surprise - Marshawn Lynch hands down. After four years in the league and nothing that notable, he is in the second year on the Seahawks and then suddenly a month into yet another forgettable season he starts scoring touchdowns and he did not stop until the finale. Lynch had a career best 4.2 YPC and scored 13 times. Honorable Mention - Reggie Bush, Michael Bush

Biggest Bust - Chris Johnson would have been kinder had he done like Jamaal Charles and just not played this year. A few decent games surrounded by a lot of mediocrity and week killing stats. Honorable Mention - Darren McFadden

wide receivers

Most Valuable - Calvin Johnson. Megatron did have a mini-slump in the middle but has been money at the end and money at the start. He leads all wideouts in receiving yardage (1681) and receiving touchdowns (16). Honorable Mention - Wes Welker

Best Surprise - Victor Cruz has been a huge benefit for every fantasy owner who picked him off the waiver wire. For a guy who started the year as the #3 or #4 receiver and had NO CATCHES as an undrafted rookie. Come on - 1536 yards and nine touchdowns? Just goes to show you never know. Honorable Mention - A.J. Green, Laurent Robinson

Biggest Bust - Andre Johnson was most often the first wideout drafted last summer and other than his first three games, he did nothing for owners but take up a roster space. You hope for more than that from a first or second round pick. Honorable Mention - Austin Miles

tight ends

Most Valuable - Rob Gronkowski ended with an unbelievable 17 touchdowns and 1327 yards. He was basically like owning two top stud tight ends. It was a monster season like none other for a tight end.

Best Surprise - Jimmy Graham. We knew he would have a better year but in a very diverse offense with so many receivers, his 1310 yards and 11 touchdowns was tops for the Saints regardless of position.

Biggest Bust - Jermichael Finley. Not that he never had a big game, but for the most part he was just another mediocre tight end and not the #2 average draft position player we thought. Honorable Mention - Vernon Davis, Dallas Clark

Open the record books

1. Both Rob Gronkowski (1327) and Jimmy Graham (1310) passed Kellen Winslow Sr.'s 1290 yards set in 1980 for the most yardage in a single season by a tight end.

2. Darren Sproles finished the season with 1089 kick return yards, 710 receiving, 603 rushing and 294 punt return for 2696 and passed Derrick Mason (2690 in 2000) for the most total net yardage in a single season in NFL history.

3. In the Green Bay - Detroit game, both quarterbacks threw for over 400 yards and five touchdowns in the same game. Matt Flynn has two starts to his name and has set the franchise record with 480 passing yards AND six passing touchdowns. Yes, he is better than Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre.

4. Drew Brees shattered the all-time single-season mark for passing record with 5476 yards to bury Dan Marino's mark of 5084 yards back in 1984. Tom Brady (5235) also broke it but could not catch Brees who also had the #2 record with 5069 in 2008. Matt Stafford ended up with 5038 yards to not only make it three players to pass the 5000 yard mark this year, but those three were more than all of the previous NFL history combined. It only happened twice before and now three times in just one year.

Drama 101 - Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Another season and this is only the 240th Tunnel Vision I have written in 15 years. This has been a great season and one that had plenty of changes to digest and figure out. The Lockout turned into a non-event but that didn't mean teams were not affected. Somehow, the toughest positions to learn (QB and WR) had multiple impressive rookies and yet rookie running backs were duds. Four of the first six RBs drafted are already on injured reserve.

The Packers spent all year looking unbeatable but then the Chiefs broke that magic. Now the Packers are looking like a nice match for the Saints. The post-season is on and with that we have contests to play and a nice cooling down period from the frenetic pace of change during the regular season.

I'll also whisper to you that we've been listening to you all, going over all the surveys and already making plans on how to make The Huddle an even better place to be for 2012. We'll see what changes we make but rest assured nothing changes unless for the better. We won't rest on our laurels so you can rest on yours.

Have a great postseason - play in a contest or two like the ones we'll have on our message board for free. Then spend the spring checking back on the coaching changes, free agents and then the rookie happenings. I'm going to go take a nap, call it good and then 2012 starts.

Have the best New Year of your life and enjoy yourself!

Now I'll get back to work...

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BoobMonger

Posted Jan 3, 2012 7:23pm EST

MORE KEEPER INFO IN 2012, PLEASE!!!!!

Davekp

Posted Jan 3, 2012 5:32pm EST

Thanks again for another great year David! All the best in 2012!!!

DAS

Posted Jan 3, 2012 2:01pm EST

Thanks to y'all, I won my second championship yesterday! I'm in a keeper league (love to see more advice on those next year) and with the good advice I wound up with Brady, Rice, McCoy, Welker, Gronk (who was a backup for Dallas Clark) GB DF and
Extras of Sproles, Lance Moore, Nate Washington, Bironas, Britt and Dalton.

Thanks again - I'll be back again, and hopefully you'll have a column on keepers!

Hebrew Nationals

Posted Jan 3, 2012 10:18am EST

Since joining the site, I have won at least one of my two leagues 4 out of 5 years. This year I drafted Drew Brees, Darron Sproles & Jimmy Graham and picked up Jordy Nelson & Laurent Robinson on waivers. Thank you to The Huddle for guiding my way to victory. Good job, boys!

David Dorey

Posted Jan 3, 2012 2:13am EST

Yeah - I split out rush and pass TDs. I am looking into the TE's in the offseason but I am thinking it is more two mega-TE's and then just normalcy. Hard to imagine Graham and Gronk can repeat but we shall see.

mcut

Posted Jan 2, 2012 5:34pm EST

The first number was running TD's

MedCityBob

Posted Jan 2, 2012 12:04pm EST

Dave-- I believe that it is Rushing TDs.....same as the # before
Passing Yards is Rushing Yards......
David, J2V, JUMbo.....THANK YOU ! ! As Arnold says.."I'll be
baccck" ! !

Dave

Posted Jan 2, 2012 11:55am EST

What's first number under QB TDs? Thought might be interceptions but no way Stafford had 0 interceptions. What's you thoughts on TE trend started by NE, more to come next year and how will D Coordinators contend with it? First win in over15+ years in 14 team league this year - thanks for your help.
Dave

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