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Kirk Hollis | Archive | Email  
Staff Writer


Tuesday Morning Buzz
Fantasy Headlines from Week 16
12/27/16

Well, another year of fantasy football has come and gone with only Week 17 remaining, which doesn't carry much weight. This final edition of the Buzz will take a look at both Week 16 and the season as a whole…

David Johnson

Fantasy MVP: With three more touchdowns in Week 16, David Johnson ran his TD total up to 20.


Sorting Through Week 16...


After a couple of lackluster weeks offensively, Week 16 brought back the fireworks. And most of the biggest stars of fantasy football did not disappoint. The “Big Four” at running back (David Johnson, Le'Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, LeSean McCoy) combined for 510 yards and 8 TDs and in doing so, likely led a number of teams to championships. Aaron Rodgers absolutely tore up the fading Vikings defense by way of 360 yards, 4 passing TDs and another rushing TD to boot. His battery mate, Jordy Nelson (more on him shortly) caught 9 passes for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That was better than what Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, and Odell Beckham Jr. did, but that trio performed admirably as well. Dez Bryant not only caught two touchdowns, but threw for one as well. And finally at tight end, Travis Kelce (11-160-1) continued his streak as the hottest tight end on the planet. All in all, few stars disappointed. But, not every “hero” from Week 16 was a star…

If you started Adam Thielen, Cameron Meredith, J.J. Nelson, Brandon LaFell, or Sammy Watkins on Saturday, you got an amazing return on your investment. It's possible that some started one or more of those guys as a WR3 - in the championship game of my longstanding league, the guy who won picked up both Cameron Meredith and Charles Clay off the waiver wire and started both in the big game. That worked out well, as Clay scored two touchdowns and piled up 80-plus yards. At running back, DeAndre Washington, Chris Thompson, Zach Zenner, and Isaiah Crowell scored a pair of touchdowns each. And finally, anyone who took a chance on quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor, Sam Bradford, Blake Bortles, or Alex Smith got rewarded for their risk taking. As for the two rushing TD club, we offer up Kirk Cousins after he ran for a pair of scores. Yes, the stars were great, but so were the supporting actors.

Of course, there were a few championship round disappointments, but they were few and far between. Cam Newton returned back to earth, DeMarco Murray had his quietest game of the season, and Jeremy Hill played hurt and hurt his fantasy owners in the process. And, for those of us who picked up Robby Anderson and started him thinking he would keep his hot streak going, shame on us. That one decision cost me a title in a league with other FFToday Staff writers.
Now, let's take a more cumulative look…

Biggest Surprises of 2016:

1. Dak And Zeke - The two rookies have taken Dallas by storm, and exceeded most expectations for sure, particularly Prescott.

2. Resurgent Ryan - Matt bounced back from a lackluster 2015 campaign to lead the Falcons and fantasy teams to glory.

3. Mr. LeTouchdown - LeGarrette Blount was a legitimate RB1 with a nose for the end zone and the ability to salt away games in the fourth quarter.

4. Additional Rookies Not Named Ezekiel - From Jordan Howard to Michael Thomas to Tyreek Hill to Hunter Henry, many just starting their NFL career made an impact.

5. DeMarco and Davante - Different NFL teams, but same surprising results. Murray proved his time in Philly was a fluke; Adams proved he could excel after all.

6. Captain Kirk And His Crew - Cousins played at an elite fantasy level and helped elevate Jamison Crowder and Rob Kelley as well.

7. Charger Power - Melvin Gordon was a MUCH better sophomore than freshman and Tyrell Williams is no longer anonymous after a breakout year.

8. Tampa Terrific - Improved play by Jameis Winston brought about the full potential of Mike Evans and introduced us to Cameron Brate.

Biggest Disappointments of 2016:

1. Todd Gurley - Every list like this has to begin with him...not that it was all his fault...not by a longshot.

2. More Running Backs Missing In Action - Injuries took out Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, and Eddie Lacy along with a few others.

3. From Breakout to Breakdown - Last year's darlings at WR, DeAndre Hopkins and Allen Robinson, became this year's disasters.

4. As The Gronk Turns - Those counting on Gronk this season were again subjected to random torture due to his ever-changing health.

5. Cam And Russell - Another example of how 2015 did not replicate itself as two of its top QBs flopped for the most part in '16.

6. Brandon And The Jets - The Jets were a disappointment offensively in general, but Brandon Marshall was easily the most disappointing of all.

7. Thomas The Promise - Rawls was supposed to carry on the legacy of Marshawn Lynch. Umm....no.

8. Marvin Jones and Stefon Diggs - Disappointing they didn’t finished the year in the way they started it.

Fantasy MVP: From my perspective, this was a two-man race between David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott. Le'Veon Bell would have also been in the running had he played a full season. The vote here is for Johnson based on an incredible set of numbers scored consistently from week to week. With one week to go in the regular season, Johnson has amassed 2,074 yards from scrimmage and 20 TDs. That's absurd. He never fell below 100 yards in any one game. The stud RBs are back and Johnson was the best of the bunch.

Fantasy Playoff MVP: Le'Veon Bell. A good, but not great game was sandwiched in between two out of this world performances. A close second to LeSean McCoy for three outstanding efforts in his own right.

Comeback Player of the Year: This one was easy. Jordy Nelson leads all WRs with 14 touchdowns one year after tearing up his knee in a preseason game, causing him to miss the entire 2015 season. Matt Ryan ran a distant, but impressive second as was previously noted.

Rookie(s) of the Year: Another no-brainer here with Ezekiel Elliott already at 2,000-plus yards and double digit TDs. Other rookies who would have been under consideration in any other year include Michael Thomas (Saints), Tyreek Hill (Chiefs), and Jordan Howard (Bears). It was a good year for freshmen overall.

The “Dirty Dozen” Heading Into 2017: So, who are the top 12 players in a redraft next August? In non-PPR leagues, there will likely be a near even distribution of RBs and WRs. . We'll go non-PPR and roll with…

1. David Johnson
2. Ezekiel Elliott
3. Le’Veon Bell
4. Antonio Brown
5. Odell Beckham Jr.
6. LeSean McCoy
7. Julio Jones
8. Jordy Nelson
9. Mike Evans
10. Melvin Gordon
11. DeMarco Murray
12. Aaron Rodgers

A lot can and will change between now and August, but there's a jumping-off point for you. I welcome any and all feedback on your “dozen” in the comments section, so fire away if you will.
Finally, you read articles like this one to gain a broader perspective and often, we succeed in granting you that. But, sometimes we miss the boat by a mile. With that in mind, here are the Five Dumbest Things we've uttered at the Buzz this season. Counting down from earliest to most recent…

5. “The Jets offense is on the rise and one to latch onto moving forward.” - (Week 2)

4. Stefon Diggs owners, rejoice! You may have the biggest draft steal of 2016.” - (Week 2)

3. Jeremy Kerley should be rostered in all leagues. He's an intriguing prospect.” - (Week 5)

2. “With C.J. Anderson out, Devontae Booker is a fantastic RB2 for the rest of the season.” - (Week 8)

1. Cam Newton is a player worth trading for as trade deadlines approach.” - (Week 10)

There's nothing wrong with chuckling at yourself from time to time…

And so we come to a close here at the Buzz. It's been a fun and wild ride this season! Sometimes, we steered you in the right direction. As noted above, a few times, we fell short of that goal. All in all, I hope you found the weekly offering enjoyable and that you'll make the Buzz a part of your weekly fantasy football intake in 2017.

Happy New Year everybody!