Fantasy Football: 2010's Season In Review

Fantasy Football is like a second job for those who take their imaginary team seriously. 

Reading countless pages of expert analysis and participating in mock drafts right before the season are now more commonplace than ever.

Still, regardless how hard someone prepares, there is no way to be ready for the unpredictability of the NFL. 

Which is why some of the biggest busts of the season were drafted in the first round, and some of the biggest surprises, sat on the waiver wire ripe for the picking.

Therefore, let us evaluate some of the best, and worst, draft picks of the 2010-2011 fantasy football season. 

Randy Moss, WR Tennessee Titans

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NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 21: Randy Moss #84 of the Tennessee Titans is introduced before a game against the Washington Redskins at LP Field on November 21, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

There is no bigger disappointment to a fantasy football aficionado than seeing an early draft pick turning out to be an absolute waste. 

That was the definition of Randy Moss this season. 

Moss had the worst season of his career this year, with a barely believable 28 catches for 393 yards and four touchdowns.

In PPR formats where each reception was worth a ½ point, Moss was worth 83.3 points.  Falcon’s wide receiver Roddy White nearly tripled that production (257.7 points). 

During the preseason, many analysts argued that Moss could be the most productive fantasy receiver this season.  Boy, could they have ever been more wrong.

Fans and analysts alike are certainly going to question how much gas is left in the tank for Moss at this point, who turns 34 years old in February.

Ryan Matthews, RB San Diego Chargers

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SAN DIEGO - AUGUST 21: Running back Ryan Matthews #24 of the San Diego Chargers rushes during the pre-season NFL football game against Dallas Cowboys at Qualcomm Stadium on August 21, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Imag

At a glance, Matthews’ numbers do not look horrible for a rookie. 

158 carries for 678 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

He also crossed the chalk a respectable seven times.

However, a glance at Matthews Week 17 performance shines some light on the situation: 26 carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns.

This was his only 100 yard game of the season, and just the second time he notched over 20 carries.

The Chargers traded up in this years draft to find LaDainian Tomlinson’s heir apparent, and Matthews was anything but that in 2010.

To be fair, he only played in 12 games and was listed as the starter for just nine of them.  Still, from a fantasy perspective Matthews was a complete let down.  He finished the season with only 124.3 fantasy points. 

Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown outscored Matthews by the seasons end, and his season was mediocre at best.

Shonn Greene, RB New York Jets

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 26: Shonn Greene #23 of the New York Jets runs against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 26, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Jets 38-34. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Just about everyone was convinced that the Jets were only going to use LT as a change of pace/third down back, with Greene being the workhorse.

This seemed reasonable, as LT had his worst statistical season in 2009 and Greene went off for the Jets in last year’s playoffs.

However, those who drafted Greene had to be horrified to see Tomlinson have a career renaissance during the first half of the season. 

Greene only officially started the first two games of the season for the Jets, with LT getting every subsequent start. 

The NFL sophomore just cracked triple digit points in fantasy land, with 101.6 on the season. 

Although Matthews outscored Greene, Matthews is still considered a bigger bust since he was typically drafted in the first round of fantasy drafts, while Greene often went in the third or fourth round.  

Dishonorable Mention: Chad Ochocinco, WR Cincinnati Bengals

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CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 21: Chad Ochocinco #85 of the Cincinnati Bengals watches the final minute of the Bengals 49-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Paul Brown Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Coming off a Pro Bowl year in 2009, Ochocinco was expected to have a solid year in 2010 even with the signing of flamboyant receiver pal Terrell Owens.

This could not have been further from the truth though, as TO significantly outperformed his younger receiver counterpart.

Ocho had a measly four touchdowns and only two 100 yard receiving games all season. 

Although he only had five less catches than 2009 this year (67 vs. 72), he had over 200 less yards and five less touchdowns.

Both TO and Ochocinco are rumored to be heading out of Cinci this season, so hopefully Mad Chad can find success again with a new, more consistent squad. 

Arian Foster, RB Houston Texans

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HOUSTON - JANUARY 02: Running back Arian Foster #23 of the Houston Texans rushes for major yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Reliant Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

In August, if anyone told you that this season’s rushing leader would still be available in the 9^th round of fantasy drafts; you clearly would have assumed that person was a moron.

However, this actually turned out to be the case for Arian Foster. 

Even after Ben Tate suffered a season ending injury before receiving a carry, many questioned whether or not Foster’s strong finish in 2009 was just a flash in the pan.

Foster silenced quite a few critics by notching 231 yards and three touchdowns during the Texans Week 1 upset of the Colts.

Undrafted in the NFL, the Tennessee product finished the season with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and a whopping 18 total touchdowns

Peyton Hillis, RB Cleveland Browns

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CLEVELAND - NOVEMBER 28: Running back Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns scores a touchdown in front of safety Sherrod Martin #23 of the Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns Stadium on November 28, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sulliva

While he slowed down in the final quarter of the season, Hillis led a lot of teams into the playoffs this year.

Originally a fullback on the Denver Broncos roster, Hillis was acquired by the Browns in a trade that also involved quarterback Brady Quinn. 

Although the Browns already had running back Jerome Harrison and then drafted Montario Hardesty, they wanted some insurance just in case.

Once Hardesty tore his ACL late in the preseason, boy, what a great insurance policy Hillis turned out to be.

Stealing the starting job from Harrison in Week 3, Hillis finishes the year with over 1600 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns.

Pretty good output from a guy who had 73 yards and one touchdown in 2009, in a season where he was active for 14 games.

Hillis showed his human side by not scoring from Week 12 on, with only one 100 yard rushing game from Week 13 on.

Still, for a guy who no one even considered drafting to their imaginary team, Hillis more than exceeded expectations.   

Brandon Lloyd, WR Denver Broncos

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DENVER - NOVEMBER 14: Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd #84 of the Denver Broncos reacts as his touchdown reception was confirmed by instant replay during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at INVESCO Field at Mile High on November 14, 2010 in D

Brandon who? 

The former 49ers, Redskins, and Bears cast off apparently had a better late than never mantra heading into the 2010 season.

In his 8^th NFL season, the 29 year old was nearly unstoppable en route to recording 77 catches for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns.

This was good enough for Lloyd’s first career Pro Bowl bid.  Lloyd’s previous career best for yardage was 733 in 2005, with his previous best of touchdowns being 6 in 2004.

Lloyd was on the 49ers for both of these seasons. 

Although it looked like the young receiver was heading for an early retirement, but now it looks like he will be a staple in the Broncos offense for seasons to come.  

Honorable Mention: Mike Tolbert, RB San Diego Chargers

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 16: Running back Mike Tolbert #35 of the San Diego Chargers rushes with the ball as cornerback Shawntae Spencer #36 of the San Francisco 49ers trys to tackle him at Qualcomm Stadium on December 16, 2010 in San Diego, California.

Tolbert, originally listed on the depth chart as a full back, was expected to be an after thought in fantasy land this year after the Bolts drafted Ryan Matthews.

Not to mention that speedy receiving back Darren Sproles was still on the roster.  However, while Tolbert was not the most useful fantasy entity in the world, he was tons more useful than teammate Ryan Matthews.

Tolbert finished the season with 164.60 fantasy points, a nice total for a player who had 148 yards and only one touchdown in 2009.

The human bowling ball was nearly impossible to tackle at the goal line, racking up 11 touchdowns from short distance. 

Tolbert also finished the season just shy of 1,000 yards from scrimmage (951), and looks to be a big piece of the Chargers offensive puzzle in 2011.   

Fantasy MVP: Michael Vick, QB Philadelphia Eagles

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 28: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles in action against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on December 26, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Remember the preseason where analysts were predicting a breakout year for Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb?

The claim seemed pretty reasonable, with offensive weapons like DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy at his disposal.

However, Kolb’s time as a starter only lasted for 30 minutes of football.  Michael Vick nearly led a miraculous comeback against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, with Vick reasonable for 278 yards of offense and a touchdown in just one half of football.

Although Andy Reid initially said that Kolb was still the starter when he was healthy, he quickly changed his mind and decided to ride the hot hand with Vick. 

He clearly made the right call, as Vick finished the season with 30 total touchdowns and positioned the Eagles into the third seed of the NFC playoffs. 

Those who were fortunate enough to grab Vick off the waiver wire had to be every bit as excited as Reid, as Vick was second among all NFL players with a hefty 320.32 points on the year.

This feat is even more impressive considering Vick sat out 4 full games, and missed half of two others.  In the end, Tom Brady outscored Vick by just 12 points, and Brady only missed one half all season.   

Vick is clearly back and better than ever, and obviously now warrants a first round pick in 2011 drafts across the board.