2010 Fantasy Football: 25 Players Who Totally Screwed Their Owners
The 2010 fantasy football season is winding down as playoffs come to an end and teams close up shop until next season.
That means it's time to take a look back on the year that was, and some of the biggest disappointments of the season. These are the players who vastly underperformed expectations due to poor play, a lackluster supporting cast or injury. They left you pulling your hair out, wailing and gnashing your teeth as you frantically scanned the waiver wire for someone, anyone, who could get you more production.
Let's take a look, shall we?
25. Ryan Grant, RB, Green Bay Packers
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Here are Grant's 2010 numbers: 8 carries, 45 yards.
That's it.
He broke his leg just eight carries into the first game of the season and has been out since.
For a guy who was a third-round pick in most leagues, that's a serious problem. Fortunately, Grant was hurt early enough that most teams were able to piece together equivalent production off the waiver wire, which is why he's not higher on the list.
Still, for a guy who was a reliable source of eight to 16 points a week, this was a killer of a season.
24. Chad Ochocinco, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
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Remember when everyone was so sure that Chad was one of the NFL's elite receivers?
Well, this season proved once and for all that he's not.
Ocho posted just three games with 10 or more points in 2010. He was held below five points in eight games this year. For a guy you had to invest an upper to mid round pick in, that's just not going to get it done.
23. C.J. Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills
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Remember before this season, when Spiller was seen as the best running back in the rookie class and a serious sleeper pick, who went as high as the fourth round in many leagues?
Instead, Spiller has been an utter waste of a pick. He's not getting touches and when he does, he's not doing much with them. Fortunately, most teams saw the writing on the wall and grabbed someone else early, while the grabbing was good.
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22. DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers
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Yes, I realize both of these guys battled injuries all year long. But when they were healthy, they were pretty terrible. Williams totaled 42 points in six games and Stewart broke 10 points once before Week 13.
Both of them were early round picks and both made you wish you'd stayed away from the Panthers.
21. Anquan Boldin, WR, Baltimore Ravens
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Boldin hasn't been awful in 2010, as he's posted seven double digit scoring days. But along with the big games, he dropped eight games with fewer than five points. For a guy most people drafted no later than round four or five, that kind of boom-or-bust play will kill you.
The worst part was, just when your mind was made up to trade him, Boldin would post another fantastic outing and make you keep him around.
20. Jason Campbell, QB, Oakland Raiders
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Big things were expected of Campbell when he came over from Washington, but he was an utter disaster through the first six weeks of the season. He posted just four games with 15 points or more, the bread-and-butter zone of fantasy quarterbacks.
He wasn't tough to replace, but if you were too patient with him, he could have really hurt you this season.
19. Donald Driver, WR, Green Bay Packers
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Driver was seen as a steady, reliable wideout coming into 2010, capable of getting you six to 12 points per week. And for a good chunk of 2010, Driver did just that.
But from Week 6 on, Driver has posted just one game with more than five points, a 13 point game in Week 13. He has fallen off the face of the Earth and seems to be showing his age.
18. Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Miller was seen as a reliable mid-level tight end coming into the season, but he's been all but forgotten in 2010. 45 points in 15 games and a season high of 11 points just isn't going to get it done.
Miller wasn't hard to replace, particularly if you figured things out before someone snagged Marcedes Lewis or Tony Moeaki off the wire.
17. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks
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Lynch wasn't highly regarded coming into 2010, but once he was traded from Buffalo to Seattle, many saw him as a potential star for the Seahawks (and your fantasy team).
Instead, Lynch was mediocre at best, cracking 80 yards just twice. He failed to deliver the goods in every week but one (a three touchdown, 27 point performance in Week 13), and was more or less as bad as he was in Buffalo.
16. Brandon Marshall, WR, Miami Dolphins
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Remember when we thought Marshall would have a career year with Chad Henne and that he was no worse than a second or third round pick?
Instead, Marshall struggled to find a rhythm for most of the season, posting 11 single-digit days out of 15 games. He hasn't looked like the wideout he was in Denver, even if he is behaving himself.
15. Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
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Celek had a breakout season in 2009 and most had high hopes for the third-year tight end.
But instead, Celek has been the forgotten man in Philly's offense with Michael Vick at the helm. He's posted just three games with 10 or more points and has been held under five points nine times. If you banked on Celek, you were in a world of hurt this year.
14. Justin Forsett, RB, Seattle Seahawks
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Forsett was a potential breakout candidate and the dynamic (but diminutive) runner was seen as a solid RB2 in many circles.
Instead, Forsett has battled a lack of carries and inconsistency, struggling to get his hands on the ball. Things reached a head when the team traded for Marshawn Lynch and Forsett's value fell off a cliff.
13. Chad Henne, QB, Miami Dolphins
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Henne was seen as a potential breakout quarterback in 2010, with a baseline no worse than a backup.
Instead, Henne has been one of the biggest risks in all of fantasy football. Sure, he could get you 10-12 points. But he could also implode and deliver a five-point howler like he did against Cleveland.
He was just too risky to be on your team and you risked an instant loss if you started him.
12. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
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It's not that Fitz has been bad, just that he hasn't been the dominant force he was in years past. Thanks to a terrible quarterback situation, Fitzgerald posted nine games with fewer than 10 points, making him a colossal disappointment, given his talent.
He was just good enough not to cut, but inconsistent enough to cost you a win or two.
11. Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Ward was Mr. Consistent coming into 2010. He wasn't going to wow you with his numbers, but he was good for eight to 14 points a week.
This season, though, Hines is showing his age. He had eight games with fewer than five points and 10 total games with fewer than 10 points.
In short, Hines Ward has been reliably unreliable.
10. Mike Sims-Walker, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Sims-Walker was regarded as the only serviceable wideout in Jacksonville and was typically taken in the fifth round of most drafts.
But Mike's boom-or-bust antics so frustrated quarterback David Garrard (and fantasy owners) that he turned to Mike Thomas instead.
If he could deliver consistent results, MSW would be a valuable asset. But he's too scatter shot to be trusted.
9. Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys
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Jones is another one of the potential breakout candidates in 2010 (sensing a pattern here?) who crashed and burned spectacularly. 10 single-digit scoring games and a severe lack of touches for much of the 2010 season meant that Jones cost many owners quite a few wins week in and week out.
8. Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins
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Three double-digit scoring games in 15 contests doomed one of football's more consistent rushers to one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
He failed to run the ball with conviction, but always did just enough to make you talk yourself into trying him again the next week, when he would burn you again.
7. Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers
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Mathews was one of the most hyped rookies of the 2010 season. And when he played, he flashed some fantastic potential.
But he was maddeningly inconsistent, battled injuries all year and wound up in a timeshare with power back Mike Tolbert. He posted 11 single digit games and never broke the 80-yard plateau.
For teams who bought the hype and picked him in the third round, he was a costly bust.
6. Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets
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Greene was going to be the lock breakout star of 2010. He had a run-oriented offense and a decent backup to keep him fresh.
Instead, it was Greene who wound up being the backup, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners who took him in the second or third round. He's posted all of three games with 10 or more points and is often forgotten in the Jets offense.
5. Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Minnesota Vikings
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Shiancoe had his breakout season in 2009 and, with the same offense being run in 2010, most expected him to be an elite tight end once again.
There was just one problem: the Vikes stopped throwing to him. With just two double digit scoring games and two other games with five points or more, Shiancoe was an utter bust in a year where productive tight ends were rarer than ever.
He was a consistent fourth round pick and his poor play proved devastating to many teams.
4. Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints
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Thomas was an excellent back in 2009 and the hype that surrounded him heading into 2010 was fully understandable.
But a mysterious ankle injury kept him out from Week 4 through Week 14, but was never bad enough to make him a lock to be out. He was easily the most frustrating player in all of fantasy football in 2010.
3. Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals
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Wells was another young running back laden with potential coming into 2010 and was, without a doubt, the biggest bust of the bunch. He was injured frequently and when he wasn't, he couldn't find any space to run.
Four games with more than five points and plenty of goose eggs and one-pointers make Wells one of the costliest busts of 2010.
2. Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers
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Smith was doomed by his quarterback play. No one saw him matching his best years, but even the most cynical owners didn't think things would be this bad. He didn't score more than six points after Week 2 and was frequently double and triple teamed by opposing defenses.
1. Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots/Minnesota Vikings/Tennessee Titans
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Why was Moss a bigger disaster than Steve Smith, despite scoring more points? No one saw it coming. No one expected Moss to flop like he has. No one thought he'd bounce between three teams in the same season.
But Moss has been a disaster area all year long. He posted just two games with 10 points and failed to exceed 100 receiving yards in any game this season.
But because no one saw it coming, Moss was a first or second round pick in most leagues. The kind of production he cost you was almost impossible to replace, unless you managed to snag Brandon Lloyd in Week 3.
It is the unexpected crash and burn that makes Moss most guilty of screwing his owners.
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