Fantasy Football: Top 10 Biggest Surprises
Now it is time to narrow it down to the top 10 biggest surprises as we head into the fantasy playoffs. Which fantasy superstar was the most important to the regular fantasy season?
Will it be the Houston Texans’ Adrian Foster, the Cleveland Browns’ Peyton Hillis or the Philadelphia Eagles’ electrifying Michael Vick?
One of these three superstars made the biggest impact in the first 13 fantasy football weeks.
10. Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars TE
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Lewis, along with Dustin Keller, has been the biggest surprise at the tight end position. These two were considered afterthoughts in most fantasy drafts. The difference between the two is that many wrote Lewis off and believed that Keller had a chance to breakout this season since he was one of Mark Sanchez’s favorite targets last year.
Marcedes Lewis has been in the league for years now but never materialized until this season. He also had fantastic athleticism, but this year David Garrard has been able to get the ball to his big target. Lewis has finally proven to be reliable this year and has been getting open more effectively.
Lewis has been a top five tight end throughout the season. He is in the top 10 in yards among all tight ends and ranks just second to future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates in touchdowns.
Lewis has caught 41 passes for 517 yards and eight touchdowns in his breakout season.
9. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders RB
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A common theme in keeping players lower on this list than last will be based on their consistency and ability to stay healthy.
Darren McFadden finally lived up to his top billing out of Arkansas this season. He clearly dedicated himself in the offseason. Already equipped with fantastic speed and receiving ability, McFadden trained harder in the offseason to come into the season stronger than at any point in his life. His field vision also greatly improved, as he is now more accustomed to the speed and tendencies of professional NFL defenses.
Injuries remain the number one concern with McFadden. McFadden missed two games earlier in the season. He also threw in a dud against the daunting Pittsburgh Steelers defense, when he only rushed 10 times for 14 yards and caught just two passes for 16 yards. In the following week he had another terrible rushing output, carrying the rock just eight times for two yards. In that contest, he made up for his rushing woes by catching seven balls for 63 yards.
Still, McFadden proved this season that he has elite talent at the running back position. If he stays healthy for the full course of an NFL season, the sky is truly the limit for this young superstar. He has the ability to take the Raiders back to the top of the AFC West division. Despite the injuries, McFadden is currently a top 10 fantasy running back with 870 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and 36 receptions for 351 yards including two touchdowns.
8. LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets RB
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It’s amazing how many people wrote off LaDainian Tomlinson entering the season.
Those who believed in one of the best running backs to ever take the gridiron were greatly rewarded, though.
Tomlinson, until the past couple of games, was one of the most consistent fantasy players in the entire game.
Tomlinson was clearly rejuvenated by Rex Ryan and the atmosphere of the New York Jets. Running behind one of the best offensive lines in the league certainly helped, but Tomlinson regained the step he lost over the past two seasons. His field vision remains among the best the league has to offer, and he continued to prove once again that he is one of the greatest pass-catching running backs in the history of the game.
Mark Sanchez’s game has greatly improved because of the addition of LaDainian Tomlinson, who has not only been an excellent pass blocker, but a crutch for Sanchez to check down to whenever he needs.
Tomlinson would have ranked much higher on the list if he hadn't stumbled in recent weeks. In most leagues, Tomlinson has scored at least double digit points in 10 of the 13 fantasy weeks, a remarkable stat for a fantasy afterthought to most entering drafts.
Tomlinson has rushed for 788 yards and five touchdowns while catching 47 passes for 343 yards.
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7. Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills WR
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Who knew the Bills would have been so fantasy relevant this season?
They weren’t, until Ryan Fitzpatrick took over for Trent Edwards at quarterback. Ever since the switch was made, third-year receiver Steve Johnson proved the “third-year receiver theory” true once again.
Generally in a wide receiver's third season, he takes the leap to the next level as he has had two seasons to adjust to the NFL. Steve Johnson flipped the switch this season.
The unlikely Bill has been a top 10 fantasy wide receiver since Week 3. He caught his first touchdown of the season in Week 3 and proceeded to catch a touchdown in five straight games. After a two-week touchdown drought, he caught a whopping 137 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
For the year, this outstanding shocker special has caught 832 yards and nine touchdowns on 61 receptions.
6. Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos QB
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Perhaps the one good thing Josh McDaniels did in Denver was create a fantasy superstar out of Kyle Orton. McDaniels' system neglected to run the football and instead called for Kyle Orton to continuously drop back and repeatedly throw the football. McDaniels’ system favors the quarterback, but I don’t think many realized that Kyle Orton could be this effective for fantasy. Orton made accurate, strong and smart throws for most of the season. This has led Orton to remain a top 10 fantasy quarterback throughout the season, and at one point he was inside the top five.
In the beginning of the season, it didn’t even matter who was out there running routes, Orton was finding his targets all over the field. Whether it was Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal or Demaryius Thomas, Orton dropped back and lit up just about every secondary he faced.
It is always reassuring for a fantasy owner to know their quarterback is going to throw early and often. In Orton’s case, he did so and also refused to turn the ball over.
Orton has completed 60.0 percent of his passes for 3487 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
5. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs WR
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Dwayne Bowe would have ranked higher if we weren’t expecting this type of production since he entered the league. Bowe regressed mightily last season, but he has turned it on over the past two months.
He was held without a reception Week 13 against Denver and failed to produce in three of the first four games of the season.
Bowe’s production in eight of the past nine games has been leaps and bounds more than anybody could have ever expected, though.
Prior to Week 13, Bowe scored at least two touchdowns in three straight games, including the hat trick in Week 14. He caught 13 passes in both his Week 10 and Week 12 outings. He has scored at least two touchdowns in five games this season. He scored a touchdown in seven straight games heading into Week 13.
Bowe has caught 58 passes for 885 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns.
4. Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos WR
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Although Brandon Lloyd has failed to produce in four games this season, this journeyman has finally found a home in Denver. Lloyd used to only be good for one or two circus, highlight reel receptions a year.
This season, with Kyle Orton throwing the rock, Lloyd has been sensational. He has run solid routes, displayed excellent, soft hands and amazing foot work to finally complement his leaping ability.
Lloyd has been the main beneficiary of Josh McDaniels’ system and Kyle Orton’s efficient passing ability. In seven games this season, Lloyd caught at least five passes. He topped the century mark five times, including two separate performances totaling 169 receiving yards. He also has three multi-touchdown games. Prior to Week 13, he scored a touchdown in four straight games.
Brandon Lloyd has 60 receptions for 1153 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
3. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles QB
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Michael Vick has been the biggest surprise this season, but he cannot be ranked any higher on this list because he missed three games due to injury and was injured in the first quarter against the Washington Redskins.
Michael Vick, when healthy, more than made up for his missed time. If he were healthy, he would have easily been No. 1 on this list.
One of the leading candidates for the MVP award, Michael Vick retained his blazing speed, agility and rocket arm in the offseason but added impeccable field vision and accuracy from the pocket. Equipped with two of the fastest receivers in the game and one of the best pass-catching backs in the league, Michael Vick has been a superstar in every sense of the word. He is easily the most improved player in the league and one of the most impressive stories this season.
Michael Vick has put up video game numbers in his start, including the pure domination of the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football Week 10 in which Vick tossed four touchdowns and 333 yards while rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Vick has scored at least one rushing touchdown in four of the past five games.
Vick has completed a career high 63.8 percent of his passes this season for 2243 yards, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions in nine games this season. He also added 467 yards and six touchdowns on the ground with just one fumble.
2. Adrian Foster, Houston Texans RB
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Adrian Foster, despite being the leading scoring running back, falls short of No. 1 because of the Week 5 dud against the New York Giants. Otherwise, Adrian Foster has been leaps and bounds above any other fantasy player with his spectacular week-to-week performances.
Adrian Foster was the subject of heavy debate heading into fantasy drafts. Nobody knew exactly where to draft him, but he generally went as early as the third or fourth round in a lot of drafts.
If only we knew just how effective Foster would be in Gary Kubiak’s system, he would have gone No. 1 overall in every fantasy draft. His speed, power and vision are a perfect fit for Gary Kubiak’s one-cut, downhill running scheme. Foster hits every hole quick with great amount of power. He is elusive and has enough power to run through opposing defenders.
Prior to the season, Foster was known for fumbling the ball. He corrected his woes and proved doubters wrong. He has only lost two fumbles this season.
Foster leads the league in rushing and touchdowns. He has shown that he is a dual threat in this league with fantastic receiving ability out of the backfield. Foster is the starting running back the Houston Texans have been searching for since 2003. We have seen this story before: a Texan running back excelling in his first year as a starter only to fall off the face of the Earth a la Domanick Williams (aka Domanick Davis) and Steve Slaton. Foster will have to prove it all over again next year that he is truly the real deal, but for now, his fantasy owners are enjoying an impressive fantasy debut.
Foster has rushed for 1230 yards, 13 touchdowns and caught 50 passes for 479 yards and two touchdowns.
1. Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns
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Peyton Hillis was rarely drafted in fantasy leagues.
It didn’t take long for people to notice this human wrecking ball. The only knock on Hillis has been his fumbling woes, as he lost four fumbles, including two in the first two games of the season. Otherwise, Hillis has been an unstoppable monster, scoring double-digit fantasy points every single week in most leagues. It is this consistency that makes Hillis the No. 1 surprise, in addition to being a waiver wire or late round draft gem.
Hillis has proven that he is matchup-proof, producing numbers against the toughest of defenses the league has to offer like the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets.
Hillis has enough speed to break away from defenders, but it is his brute power that has made him so effective this season. He simply runs over defenders and is a safe bet to steam roll through somebody each week.
Hillis has been a fantasy superstar because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He has been the Browns’ primary receiver along with their most effective. He has been a crucial crutch for all three of the Browns’ quarterbacks this season.
For the year, Hillis has rushed for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns, while catching 53 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns as the focal point of the Browns offense.
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