| SUNDAY SALUTES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | Pass-Rush | TD |
| Davis Mills | 298-6 | 3 |
| Russell Wilson | 283-18 | 3 |
| Josh Allen | 254-16 | 3 |
| Deshaun Watson | 230-44 | 2 |
| Mac Jones | 243-5 | 3 |
| Running Backs | Rush Receive |
TD |
| Nick Chubb | 12-77 5-45 |
1 |
| Zack Moss | 18-114 3-7 |
1 |
| Jamaal Williams | 16-72 | 2 |
| Alexander Mattison | 10-54 1-6 |
2 |
| Latavius Murray | 15-103 1-15 |
1 |
| Wide Receivers | Yards | TD |
| Keenan Allen | 8-102 | 2 |
| DeVante Parker | 6-79 | 2 |
| Jerry Jeudy | 5-157 3-39 |
0 |
| Stefon Diggs | 7-104 | 1 |
| Ja’Marr Chase | 8-86 | 1 |
| Tight Ends | Yards | TD |
| Jordan Akins | 4-70 | 2 |
| George Kittle | 4-29 | 2 |
| Isaiah Likely | 8-103 | 0 |
| Cole Kmet | 4-57 | 1 |
| Lawrence Cager | 8-69 | 0 |
| Placekickers | XP | FG |
| Jake Elliott | 1 | 5 |
| Jason Meyers | 1 | 4 |
| Younghoe Koo | 3 | 3 |
| Greg Joseph | 2 | 3 |
| Mason Crosby | 1 | 3 |
| Defense | Sack – TO | TD |
| Bills | 0 | 0 |
| Bengals | 0 | 0 |
| Commanders | 0 | 0 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 0 |
2022 IR/Major injuries
5+ games missed
QUARTERBACK
Trey Lance
Jimmy Garoppolo
Dak Prescott
Carson Wentz
Matthew Stafford
RUNNING BACK
Elijah Mitchell
Javonte Williams
Rashaad Penny
Mark Ingram
Gus Edwards
J.D. McKissic
J.K. Dobbins
Damien Harris
Melvin Gordon
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Khalil Herbert
Breece Hall
Cordarrelle Patterson
TIGHT END
Dallas Goedert
Zach Ertz
Hayden Hurst
Greg Dulcich
Darren Waller
Kyle Pitts
Donald Parham
WIDE RECEIVER
Michael Thomas
Jarvis Landry
Hunter Renfrow
Van Jefferson
Julio Jones
Allen Robinson
Rondale Moore
Treylon Burks
Mecole Hardman
DJ Chark
Corey Davis
Nico Collins
Darnell Mooney
Chase Claypool
Michael Gallup
Jahan Dotson
Keenan Allen
DeAndre Hopkins
Marquise Brown
Deebo Samuel
Mike Williams
Cooper Kupp
Ja’Marr Chase
The Huddle Awards
Draft slots were taken from the Average Draft at MyFantasyLeague. Standard performance scoring with reception points were considered.
QUARTERBACK
Best Player – Patrick Mahomes
The Chiefs franchise player was the only quarterback that passed 5,000 yards when he threw for 5,250 yards and a league-best 41 touchdowns. He added 358 rushing yards and four more scores.
Runner-up: Josh Allen
Best Fantasy Draft Pick – Trevor Lawrence (ADP No. 18)
The second-year quarterback was a 1.01 NFL draft pick that flopped with the rest of the imploding Jaguars last season, but he pulled up and became the No. 7 fantasy quarterback with most of his stats in the second half of the season. Lawrence threw for 4,113 yards and 25 touchdowns, plus ran for 291 yards and five more scores.
Runner-up: Justin Fields
Best Rookie – Kenny Pickett
This wasn’t a great year for fantasy rookie quarterbacks and they’ll no doubt improve next year. Pickett was only the No. 28 fantasy quarterback with 2,404 pass yards and seven touchdowns and 237 yards and three more scores as a rusher. He never quite offered any fantasy starts.
Runner-up: Brock Purdy
Worst Fantasy Draft Pick – Lamar Jackson (ADP No. 4)
He was drafted in the fourth to fifth rounds in most drafts by players looking for a top quarterback that didn’t cost them too much. Ends up he cost a lot since he not only ended as the No. 17 quarterback, but he missed the final five games when you needed him most.
Runner-up: Kyler Murray
Best Free Agent – Geno Smith
No one expected the 32-year-old itinerant quarterback on his fourth NFL to offer the Seahawks more than a “bridge quarterback” to whatever happens in 2023. What is going to happen is that the Seahawks will resign Smith who ended as the No. 5 fantasy quarterback with 4,681 passing yards and 32 touchdowns and 366 rushing yards.
Runner-up: Daniel Jones
Best Game – Tua Tagovailoa, Week 2 at BAL
47.55 FF Pts. – Rush: 1-19, Pass: 36-50-469, 6 TD
Runner-up: 45.8 FF Pts. – Lamar Jackson, Week 2 vs. MIA
RUNNING BACK
Best Player – Austin Ekeler
He was the No. 2 back last year. Ekeler maintained the top spot most all year, and ended with 915 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, plus 107 catches for 722 yards and five more scores.
Runner-up: Christian McCaffrey
Best Fantasy Draft Pick – Tony Pollard No. 35 RB Drafted
The Cowboys backfield was the top fantasy scorer between Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, but this was the year that Pollard took a clear lead on fantasy teams by ending as the No. 9 fantasy running backs with 1,007 rushing yards and nine scores, plus 39 catches for 371 yards and three more scores.
Runner-up: D’Onta Foreman, No. 62 RB Drafted
Best Rookie – Kenneth Walker
He was the 2.09 pick by the Seahawks who had to wait five weeks for the annual injury to Rashaad Penny to clear the way for Walker to become a workhorse. He finished as the No. 18 fantasy back but had an ADP as the No. 40 running back taken. He wasn’t a starter until Week 6 but still ended with 1,050 rushing yards and nine touchdowns with 27 catches for 165 yards added.
Runner-up: Breece Hall
Worst Fantasy Draft Pick – Jonathan Taylor, No. 1 RB Drafted
He finished as the No. 31 fantasy back but the first pick in about 99% of all fantasy drafts went from the King of 2021 to shockingly bad, then he got a little better, and then he was gone after Week 11. Catastrophic top fantasy owners who often waited a long time on running backs thinking they already had the equivalent of two.
Runner-up: Javonte Williams
Best Free Agent – Jerick McKinnon
He not only was undrafted in many leagues, he might have changed hands a few times before he started scoring touchdowns every week as of Week 13. He is still scoring and has nine scores over the final six games right when fantasy leaguers were making and winning playoff games. McKinnon ended with 803 total yards, 56 catches and ten touchdowns as the No. 20 running back – but more like Top-5 for the last six weeks.
Runner-up: Jeff Wilson
Best Game – Joe Mixon, Week 9 vs. CAR
55.1 FF Pts. – Rush 22-153 4 TD, Receive 4-58 TD
Runner-up: 48.3 FF Pts. – Josh Jacobs, Week 12 at SEA
WIDE RECEIVER
Best Player – Justin Jefferson
He had the rare down game, but Jefferson ended with 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns. That included ten 100-yard games and even a 223-yard effort.
Runner-up: Tyreek Hill
Best Fantasy Draft Pick – DeVonta Smith, No. 43 WR Drafted
He was the No. 29 fantasy wideout as a rookie and the assumption was that add Tyreek Hill would redirect a lot of passes from Smith to Hill. Didn’t happen – it only gave Smith single coverage. He ended as the No. 9 fantasy wideout with 95 catches for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns.
Runner-up: Jaylen Waddle, No. 30 WR Drafted
Best Rookie – Garrett Wilson
The Jets quarterback situation scared off most drafters, but the rookie still managed to post 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns as the No. 21 fantasy wideout.
Runner-up: Chris Olave
Worst Fantasy Draft Pick – Cooper Kupp, No. 1 WR Drafted
He was great right up until he wasn’t. The Rams imploded around him and yet he remained a fantasy gold mine. But then he was gone by Week 10 as he succumbed to the injury whirlpool that sucked down all starting Rams skill players.
Runner-up: Deebo Samuel
Best Free Agent – Zay Jones
It is hard to find a starter at wideout when most leagues scrape off 50 to 70 players from the position. Jones was a surprise free agent though that benefitted from landing with the Jaguars and the improve Trevor Lawrence. Jones ended as the No. 26 fantasy wideout with 82 catches for 823 yards and five touchdowns.
Runner-up: Donovan Peoples-Jones
Best Game – Mike Evans, Week 17, vs. CAR
48.7 FF Pts. – 10-207, 3 TD
Runner-up: 44.8 FF Pts., Stefon Digs, Week 2, vs. TEN
TIGHT END
Best Player – Travis Kelce
He’s getting older. He became the sole weapon once Tyreek Hill left. And Kelce has never been better, catching 110 passes for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had 33% more fantasy points than No. 2 T.J. Hockenson. He had his second best yardage but it was his career-high touchdowns.
Runner-up: T.J. Hockenson
Best Fantasy Draft Pick – Evan Engram, No. 18 TE drafted
He spent five years at the Giants and then signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars this year. He ends as the No. 5 fantasy tight end with 73 catches for 766 yards and four touchdowns. He turned it up in the final month with two 100-yard games.
Runner Up: Pat Freiermuth
Best Rookie – Chigoziem Okonkwo
The Broncos fourth-round pick was just the No. 25 fantasy tight end which means he’s not worth owning, but he came around later in the year and finished with 32 catches for 450 yards and three scores. It’s something to remember since most tight ends improve in their second season.
Runner-up: Cade Otton
Worst Fantasy Draft Pick – Kyle Pitts , No. 2 TE drafted
The highest-drafted tight end in NFL history had a promising rookie year and the expectation that he would improve in HC Arthur Smith’s second season with Marcus Mariota proved very flawed. Pitts became unplayable as he was ignored by Mariota and then was lost for the season after Week 10 which just made it easier for fantasy owners to not start him and get killed every week.
Runner-up: Darren Waller
Best Free Agent – Taysom Hill
The Saints quarterback, or tight end, or running back, wasn’t drafted in most leagues but eventually was picked up and even started if only occasionally. How he was tabbed as a tight end is still a mystery, because he ended up with 96 runs for 575 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught just two scores on his nine catches for 77 yards.
Runner-up: Tyler Higbee
Best Game – Evan Engram, Week 14, at TEN
39.2 FF Pts, 11-162, 2 TD
Runner-up: T.J. Hockenson, Week 4 vs. SEA 37.9 FF Pts.
Huddle player of the year
Travis Kelce – There were plenty of great players in every position – except tight end. Kelce ended with 110 catches and 1,338 yards with 12 scores in a position that was otherwise in decline all year. Every position has a three or four player knot at the top but not in tight end. Kelce offered an advantage that you could not hope to match with any other tight end. He’s 33-years-old and has to decline at some point, but he’ll be a first rounder next summer after his dominating performance.
Salute!
2022-2023 NFL PLAYOFFS
On bye: Chiefs and Eagles
Saturday, January 14
Seahawks at 49ers, 3:30 PM
Chargers at Jaguars, 7:15 PM
Sunday, January 15
Dolphins at Bills, 12:00 PM
Giants at Vikings, 3:30 PM
Ravens at Bengals, 7:15 PM
Monday, January 16
Cowboys at Buccaneers, 7:15 PM
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
| Comedy | Yards | TDs | Tragedy | Yards | TDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Davis Mills | 298 | 3 | QB | Jalen Hurts | 242 | 0 |
| RB | Zack Moss | 121 | 1 | RB | Austin Ekeler | 70 | 0 |
| RB | A. Mattison | 60 | 2 | RB | Josh Jacobs | 50 | 0 |
| WR | DeVante Parker | 79 | 2 | WR | Tee Higgins | 7 | 0 |
| WR | A.J. Green | 91 | 1 | WR | Tyreek Hill | 23 | 0 |
| WR | Velus Jones | 70 | 1 | WR | Justin Jefferson | 38 | 0 |
| TE | Jordan Akins | 70 | 2 | TE | T.J. Hockerson | 16 | 0 |
| PK | Jake Elliott | 1 XP 5 FG | PK | Brett Maher | 0 | ||
| Huddle Fantasy Points = 148 | Huddle Fantasy Points = 30 | ||||||
Thanks for being a part of The Huddle!
And for the 444th time since Week 1 of 1997…
Get back to work!