We're nearing the end of the NFL and more importantly fantasy season, which means it's time to doll out some fantasy awards. So consider this our NFL Fantasy LIVE end of the year awards banquet. It's kind of like a youth sporting league, where everyone gets a participation award. Except for a few of the "bust" nominees, who seem to have participated in about as much NFL action as we have this season. Anyway, this will have all the fun and excitement of a typical awards show, without any of the long speeches and overcooked chicken. Plus, there's no band to play anyone off the stage.
Be sure to watch NFL Fantasy LIVE's year-end awards special Friday, January 1 on NFL Network to see who takes home each award!
Spot Start of the Year
Nominees: Kirk Cousins (Week 10), Jeremy Langford (Week 10), Josh McCown (Week 5)
It's been an interesting season for Kirk Cousins. The Washington quarterback grabbed the starting job this season and did at times did some nice things for fantasy managers. None were better than the week Cousins threw for 324 yards and four touchdowns against the woeful New Orleans Saints. That translated to 28.96 fantasy points at a time when few people had begun to belive in Cousins' fantasy potential. You like that? You like that!
When Matt Forte went down with an injury mid-season, plenty of people picked up the rookie Jeremy Langford but few knew if he could adequately fill Forte's spot in their lineup. He racked up 22 fantasy points in Week 9, but was against a bad Chargers run defense. What would he do against a tougher Rams squad? Oh not much, just 182 total yards, two touchdowns and 30.20 fantasy points. At that point, Langford arrived as a legitimate fantasy performer.
The early season cries of the fans wanting Johnny Manziel as Cleveland's starter had fallen on deaf ears with the coaching staff. Week 5 was the week that they were validated. He followed up a 22-point performance 35.48 fantasy points against the Baltimore Ravens. That Sunday, McCown threw for 457 yards with two passing touchdowns and another rushing score. Afterwards, McCown was scarce on fantasy waiver wires.
Best Waiver Wire Pickup
Nominees: Thomas Rawls, Gary Barnidge, Tyrod Taylor
With Marshawn Lynch out of action early in the season, Thomas Rawls announced his presence to the world. However Rawls was relegated to a lesser role for several weeks when Beast Mode returned. Yet when Lynch was back on the shelf, Rawls re-established himself with a trio of dominant performances. Sadly a broken ankle ended his season, but not before he brought plenty of fantasy joy to running back-deficient teams everywhere.
Trying to find a quality tight end has been the bane of fantasy football enthusiasts the world over. Who would have ever imagined we'd find one hiding in Cleveland? Barnidge broke out in Week 3 against the Raiders with 16.50 points. He would go on to score touchdowns in five of his next seven games and vault his way into the top three at the position. The Barnyard Dog was born!
During the summer when there was talk that Tyrod Taylor could earn the starting job in Buffalo, some people laughed. When Taylor dropped 25.98 fantasy points against the Patriots in Week 2, everyone stopped laughing and started paying attention. Through Week 15, Taylor had posted six 20-point outings and was a fringe QB1 for much of the season. Not bad for a guy few people believed in back in July.
Biggest Bust
Nominees: Eddie Lacy, Peyton Manning, Jordan Matthews
In a season when plenty of first round picks didn't live up to their billing, few were as truly disappointing as Eddie Lacy. The Packers rusher scored single-digit fantasy points in six of his first eight games (including a -1-point game in Week 9). Meanwhile rumors of weight issues and disinterest placed Lacy in head coach Mike McCarthy's doghouse. A pair of nice performances late in the season hasn't done much to salve the wounds of frustrated owners.
After a late season fade in 2014, Peyton Manning had plenty of doubters entering this season. But few of those naysayers would have envisioned Manning being this bad. The longtime fantasy stud was anything but in 2015, throwing at least one interception in each of the nine games he played. The low point was the Week 10 loss to the Chiefs in which Manning threw for just 35 yards with four interceptions before being benched for Brock Osweiler. By that point, he'd long been benched in plenty of fantasy leagues.
The Eagles offense was everyone's fantasy darling during the preseason. Fantasy managers were clamoring for all of Philadelphia's players -- most notably receiver Jordan Matthews. The second-year wideout climbed as high as the third-round in some drafts but after a string of five straight games with five or fewer fantasy points, many realized that they had made a mistake. Matthews certainly wasn't the only Eagle to disappoint fantasy owners, but he did become the poster boy for Philly's fantasy struggles.
Comeback Player of the Year
Nominees: Carson Palmer, Doug Martin, Brandon Marshall
Palmer was having a great start to his 2014 season, but injuries prevented it from lasting too long. This season, the veteran quarterback is showing us what could have been last season. As the leader of the league's highest-scoring offense, Palmer has been rock solid all year long on his way to being a top three fantasy quarterback. Not bad for a player who was drafted, on average, in the 12th round.
Doug Martin barely finished among the top 50 fantasy running backs last season and any talk of him being a sleeper behind a bad Tampa Bay offensive line was met with derision. That changed in Week 4 when the Bucs started feeding Martin the football and he ripped off a string of 17-plus point performances. He would eventually vault into the top three among fantasy running backs. Say goodbye to the Muscle Hamster. Say hello to The Dougernaut!
Few expected big things from Brandon Marshall after his move to the New York Jets. He was coming off one of the most unproductive seasons of his career and would be playing with the wildly inconsistent Geno Smith. Things changed with Ryan Fitzpatrick took over unexpectedly for Smith. Marshall came alive, on a pace to set a career-high in touchdown passes. Through Week 15, the veteran was second only to Odell Beckham in fantasy points among wide receivers. Marshall has found a fourth act playing on Broadway.
Watch NFL Fantasy LIVE on Friday, January 1 as the winners of these awards will also be unveiled:
Best Draft Bargain
Fantasy Rookie of the Year
Breakout Player of the Year
SAP Fantasy Player of the Year
To find out who wins the award for Fantasy Player of the Year, tune in to this year's NFL Honors to be aired on February 6, 2016!
Be sure to get your vote in, then watch NFL Fantasy LIVE on Friday, January 1 to see the winners!
