With the 2013 NFL fantasy football season over, it’s time to hand out some hardware. Below is my personal awards for players that have achieved greatness, as well as those who have crashed and burned for a variety of reasons.
The Good
Player of the Year: Jamaal Charles RB – Kansas City Chiefs
At nearly 2,000 total yards with 19 touchdowns, Charles edges out Peyton Manning as the number one fantasy player in 2013. These numbers become even more amazing when you see that he only went over 20 carries in a game four times this season while averaging an impressive 5.0 yards per carry. This easy workload combined with him only being 26 makes me think that Charles may be occupying this top fantasy spot for the next few years and may even end up in the fantasy hall of fame.
Runner Up: Peyton Manning QB – Denver Broncos
Breakout Play of the Year: Josh Gordon WR – Cleveland Browns
Can you believe that the Browns were briefly dangling Gordon on the trade block earlier this season? I think it’s safe to say that isn’t the case now as Gordon has exploded onto the top fantasy wideout scene with 1,564 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Awesome stats made even better by two facts: he missed the first two games of the season and he had sub par quarterbacks throwing him the ball all year. This guy is going to be awesome for years to come.
Runner Up: Nick Foles QB – Philadelphia Eagles
Rookie of the Year: Eddie Lacy RB – Green Bay Packers
Lacy entered the season with question marks galore thanks to injury and durability questions. Well, almost a full season in and you can rest a little easier as Lacy has shown he can be a great player in the NFL. With over 1300 total yards and 10 touchdowns, mostly without Aaron Rodgers I might add, Lacy is the top rookie in a class with its fair share of impressive players.
Runner Up: Le’Veon Bell RB – Pittsburgh Steelers
The Bad
Worst Timed Injury of the Year: Aaron Rodgers QB – Green Bay Packers
Rodgers owners across the country are probably still crying foul over the November 4th injury that has kept Rodgers out of their line-up since then. Arguably the first quarterback off the board, Rodgers is the type of star that can carry an average team to a fantasy championship, but when he isn’t on the field, average is just, well, average. To add insult to his injury, Rodgers suited up in week 17 for a juicy matchup with the Chicago Bears. That’s one week too late for most championships.
Runner Up: Rob Gronkowski TE – New England Patriots
Most Frustrating Running Back Situation: The New York Giants
What else can you say about the Giants running game than it pretty much kept pace with the Giants passing game. Which means, for those keeping track, is that it was bad anywhere you look. In a season where David Wilson and Andre Brown were expected to dominate, neither showed up enough to matter. Brown went down early with a broken leg while Wilson failed to hold on to the ball enough to matter before suffering his own injury. The Giants performance as a whole was so horrendous that the stench of it will definitely carry over into the 2014 fantasy draft, a possible silver lining for those looking for draft day steals next year.
Runner Up: Lamar Miller/Daniel Thomas – Miami Dolphins
The Ugly
Underachieving Player of the Year: Ray Rice RB – Baltimore Ravens
Those who drafted Rice expect the solid dual threat back that has been operating at a high level over the past few years. Instead they got nothing more than a bowl full of disappointment as Rice saw his overall numbers drop by almost 50 percent compared to last season. With 645 yards rushing and 286 receiving with just four touchdowns, Rice broke the heart of many an owner this season.
Runner Up: Robert Griffin III QB – Washington Redskins
Worst No-Show in Championship Week 16: Alex Smith QB – Kansas City Chiefs
Week 16 Stats: 16 of 29 for 153 yards and two interceptions
Smith has had his best season as a pro in 2013, throwing for over 3,300 yards with 23 touchdowns but he really threw up a stinker when owners needed him the most. Coming off of a week 15 explosion that saw him toss 5 touchdown passes, Smith failed to reach the endzone in championship week while committing two interceptions.
Runner Up: Carson Palmer QB – Arizona Cardinals
Week 16 Stats: 13 of 25 for 178 yards, 1 touchdown, four interceptions
James LeBeau is an avid fantasy sports participant and a sports contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on twitter @LoboISbroke or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
