Each year, millions of Americans play fantasy football. The fantasy games are based on real-life, weekly stats. This game, which has exploded in popularity with the rise of technology, is an exciting aspect of many fans’ weeks. With the NFL regular season just over halfway finished, let’s take a look at my mid-season fantasy football awards.
Note: The fantasy point numbers presented in this article are based on the NFL’s Official Fantasy Stats.
Fantasy Rookie of the Year:
Saquon Barkley
Coming off an explosive season at Penn State, fans had high hopes for Barkley. So far, he’s not disappointing at all. Out of all running backs, Barkley currently ranks sixth. He’s an essential aspect of a middling offense, and his fantasy stats show this. Currently, Barkley is averaging 18.3 fantasy ppg, and he’s a safe bet to continue production.
Most Improved(s):
Adam Thielen
Through nine games, Vikings’ WR Adam Thielen has 136.7 fantasy points, ranking first for his position. While Thielen was still a viable fantasy option last season, his production wasn’t even close to matching his production this season with Kirk Cousins at QB.
In the 2017 season, Thielen had over 145 points for fantasy, but he’s almost reached that total through only nine games this year. You should expect Thielen, who’s in his fifth year in the league (all with the Vikings) to continue to produce a fantastic fantasy football season.
James Conner
James Conner has also improved TREMENDOUSLY since last season. With Le’Veon Bell gone, Conner has overtaken the starting role and has shown off in his absence. Currently, Conner is averaging over 23 fantasy points/week, and he has the third most points of any running back. All of last season, Conner ran for only 144 yards. With only eight games played, Conner has increased his point total by over 1000%.
Biggest Surprise
Tyler Boyd
This third year Bengal is shaping up to be a star in the league. This season, he has surpassed his yardage and touchdown totals from his rookie season, which was his most productive to date. After a shaky Week 1, Boyd took off, and in Week 9, he had his third 100-yard receiving game (138). This Pitt grad looks ready to cement himself as a staple NFL WR, and he’s certainly taking the league by storm.
Kittle was a big consideration for Biggest Surprise, as well. He’s often playing phenomenally, but he’s inconsistent, and Boyd seemed to be more deserving.
Biggest Disappointment
(excluding injured players and Le’Veon Bell)
Larry Fitzgerald
Commonly drafted in the third or fourth round, Larry Fitzgerald let a lot of fantasy teams down this year. The veteran WR, stuck in the NFL’s second-worst offense, has seen a drastic decline in his fantasy production this season. He’s currently ranked 52nd at his position, and before Week 7, he failed to generate more than 10 fantasy points.
In his last two games, Fitzgerald has seen a resurgence to his old production. People who were patient and held on to Fitzgerald have reason to be excited about the possibility of a return to his former ways.
MVP(s)
Patrick Mahomes & Todd Gurley
These two players are the highest scoring fantasy players this season. Mahomes is leading the 8-1 Chiefs to a successful season, which is in no small part due to their offense. He’s the highest scoring fantasy player this year, tallying more than 27 fantasy points every week.
Similarly, Todd Gurley, the Rams’ RB, is leading LA’s high-powered offense, averaging almost 140 all-purpose yards every game. Gurley and Mahomes are the clear-cut leaders in the fantasy MVP race so far, and I don’t see them slowing down any time soon.
Who’s Due
Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski is “due,” and not under the “Biggest Disappointment” category because he has so much potential. Entering the season, Gronk was basically the consensus top TE. And, when he isn’t injured, he’s still projected to score as one of the top TEs in the league, yet he’s only ranked 10th overall at the position. From our experience of what Gronk can do, I expect him to have a successful remainder of his season (when/if he returns from injury).
Overall, this has been an exciting fantasy football season so far. Fans keep getting surprised by break-out stars and unexpected duds. With half of the NFL regular season over, the remainder of the fantasy football season should be fun to follow.