The fantasy playoff hunt is about to start heating up after 8 hotly contested weeks, so now is the ideal time to get contemplative about how this season has played out thus far. Here are the players that I believe have provided owners with the most joy and pain through the first half of the fantasy season.
Biggest Surprise: 49ers Defense (27 sacks, 10 INT, 6 FUM REC, 2 TD)
I'm honestly flabbergasted by how good this group has been this year. A year ago this defense was a farce that almost seems like they were purposely avoiding making impact plays (they mustered a league-worst 7 takeaways), now they're a fearsome machine who gets after the quarterback and consistently takes the ball away. Most impressively, they've made this leap with very minimal personnel changes (only 3 of their 11 starters weren't on the team a year ago). Expect Robert Saleh to get some head coaching interviews after orchestrating such a swift turnaround.
Honorable Mentions: Austin Hooper (Falcons), Zane Gonzalez (Cardinals), Gardner Minshew (Jaguars)
Biggest Flop: Damien Williams (Chiefs) (100 Rushing YDS, 2 TD, 15 REC, 115 YDS, 1 TD)
Here's a classic case of the fantasy football world putting too much stock into a late season emergence. Williams has reverted back to the below average committee back he was prior to the post-Kareem Hunt release surge he enjoyed in the final month of 2018, operating as the 1B option to a more seasoned veteran (LeSean McCoy) and not doing a whole hell of a lot with his limited touches.
Dishonorable Mentions: O.J. Howard (Buccaneers), Baker Mayfield (Browns), Zach Ertz (Eagles)
Best Value Pick: Lamar Jackson (Ravens) (1,650 Passing YDS, 11 TD, 5 INT, 576 Rushing YDS, 3 TD)
Negative offseason buzz paired with his horrific playoff performance against the Chargers sent Jackson plummeting down fantasy draft boards over the summer. The owners who were fortunate enough to cash in on his high-end QB2 ADP are reaping the vast rewards. Jackson has been an even more deadly rusher in his sophomore campaign while showing some notable improvement as a passer under new OC Greg Roman.
Honorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Courtland Sutton (Broncos), Darren Waller (Raiders)
Worst Value Pick: Joe Mixon (Bengals) (320 YDS, 0 TD, 19 REC, 110 YDS, 3 TD)
A horrific offensive line that seems incapable of creating rushing lanes paired with a much more pass-happy attack from new HC Zac Taylor has relegated Mixon, whose ADP was around 14-18 in most leagues, to a volatile RB3/FLEX play.
Dishonorable Mentions: Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns), Le'Veon Bell (Jets), Damien Williams (Chiefs)
Top Successful Sleeper: Darren Waller (Raiders) (46 REC, 496 YDS, 3 TD)
Jon Gruden's passing offense has a tendency to run through tight ends and Waller proved that theory once again in 2019. With his steady hands and terrific after-the-catch ability, Waller has emerged as the most reliable receiver on a Raiders team that is lacking firepower following the fallout from the Antonio Brown debacle and delivered fantasy owners with a top-tier TE at a very affordable cost (last 2-3 rounds in deeper leagues, waiver wire in smaller leagues).
Honorable Mentions: Mark Andrews (Ravens), John Brown (Bills), Matt Brieda (49ers)
Still Asleep: Dante Pettis (49ers) (10 REC, 88 YDS, 1 TD)
While the 49ers have been the surprise breakout team of 2019, Pettis has done almost nothing to contribute to that success. This very popular sleeper pick has struggled to get consistent snaps in a receiving corps that isn't exactly overflowing with talent and has only logged more than 1 reception in a game 2 times all season.
Honorable Mentions: Darrell Henderson Jr. (Rams), Darwin Thompson (Chiefs), James Washington (Steelers)
Top Waiver Add: D.J. Chark (Jaguars) (39 REC, 660 YDS, 6 TD)
The Jags sophomore WR has taken advantage of his excellent chemistry with rookie QB Gardner Minshew to put together a breakout campaign that pretty much nobody saw coming. Chark is currently ranked 5th in total fantasy points* (standard leagues), 7th in YDS and tied for 1st in TD's among wide receivers- which puts him ahead of several top 25 draft picks including DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster in all 3 categories.
Honorable Mentions: 49ers Defense, Terry McLaurin (Redskins), Chase Edmonds (Cardinals)
Top Rookie: Josh Jacobs (Raiders) (620 Rushing YDS, 4 TD, 11 REC, 102 YDS)
The 1st rookie off the board in most fantasy drafts has lived up to the hype and then some. Jacobs has taken complete control of the Raiders backfield with his strong, aggressive rushing style and is currently averaging 103.1 scrimmage YDS per game-which ranks 6th among running backs. If he keeps this up in the back half of the season, he should be a top 5-10 overall pick in 2020.
Honorable Mentions: Terry McLaurin (Redskins), D.K. Metcalf (Seahawks), Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
Mid-Year MVP: Christian McCaffery (Panthers) (735 Rushing YDS, 8 TD, 39 REC, 343 YDS, 2 TD)
To me, this race hasn't even been close. McCaffery has put up video game numbers almost every week while facing stacked boxes on nearly every snap and having to adjust to a new QB in the middle of the season. If he can avoid missing time and keep producing at a similar clip the rest of the way, this might end going down as one of the most dominant fantasy season of all time.
Honorable Mentions: Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Deshaun Watson (Texans)
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