Congratulations to those who took home a shiny trophy or some cash. For those of us who lost their league (lost mine in the Semifinals for the first time since 2017), there were some flashy players we likely had on our rosters. So, to cap off the fantasy season, here are my 2020 Fantasy Football Awards (these are based on ESPN PPR Standard):
Most Valuable Player:
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Kamara delivered with a monster week 16 performance, scoring 56.2 fantasy points. Six touchdowns really helped fantasy owners, especially those in their fantasy playoffs. Weeks 10 and 11 were lackluster for the fantasy MVP, scoring 16.7 fantasy points combined. Aside from that, Kamara averaged 25.2 fantasy PPG. He totalled 21 touchdowns (16 rushing, 5 receiving), along with 932 yards on the ground. Good enough to give him the fantasy MVP crown for me.
Honorable Mentions:
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
Biggest Bust:
Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
I narrowed it down to two players in particular (Barkley and McCaffrey) because they carried the most fantasy value out of the rest of the pack. McCaffery played in 3 total games this year, totaling 90.4 fantasy points. But, in the games he did play, he was averaging 30.1 ppg. On the other hand, Saquon suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 against the Bears. In the two games he played, he totaled 15.4 fantasy points. This comes out to an average of 7.7 ppg. Both are terrible considering their value. Barkley and McCaffrey are good enough to be a Top-3 selection in fantasy drafts. As fantasy managers, we can only hope that they fully recover and come back in 2021 better.
Honorable Mentions:
Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Christian McCaffery, RB, Carolina Panthers
Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Rookie of the Year:
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Not much of a surprise here after Herbert took the league by storm this season. The LA rookie scored just under 300 fantasy points, averaging 21.4ppg. Fantasy managers who picked Herbert up on waivers were not disappointed with his performance at all (I know I wasn’t). Considering the numbers he put up this year, like his 28 touchdowns, Herbert might be a top-3 quarterback next year in fantasy.
Honorable Mentions:
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Mr. Irrelevant:
Marcus Mariota, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Congrats, Marcus! One solid performance gets you this coveted reward! Mariota took over for an injured Derek Carr in Week 15. He totaled 25.84 fantasy points by throwing for over 250 yards and rushing for 88 yards. Did anybody have him in their starting lineups? Well, unless you predicted the future and started this backup QB, nobody started Mariota.
Steal of the Draft:
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
This undrafted rookie paid dividends if you had him stashed on your roster. Robinson totaled 250.4 fantasy points this season, and while sitting out his Week 17 matchup Robinson still put up a consistent 19.9 average. Probably one of the few players overlooked in the preseason, but fantasy owners of Robinson are certainly looking into his stock for 2021.
Mr. Hot and Cold:
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Just as the award says, Smith-Schuster was hot and cold all year. Unfortunately, managers wouldn’t score points for his Tik Tok dances. In one game he would score a decent value (around 15+ fantasy points), and the next week he would score 2 points. This trend started in Week 11 after scoring 5.9 fantasy points against Jacksonville with the ups and downs continuing. He did finish the season with a solid performance against the Browns, but a rollercoaster season fantasy-wise didn’t help managers that much.
Biggest Letdown:
Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Arguably the biggest letdown, especially after his 2019 campaign. Godwin took a big step backward after scoring over 250 fantasy points last year and now finishing 2020 with just over 150. Injuries kept the star receiver sidelined for a good portion of the season, but the scoring really came from Jameis Winston. Winston would sling up 50/50 deep balls, which gave Godwin so much value last year. A new offense under an older Tom Brady brought Godwin production, but not the same. His performance leaves managers questioning his value heading into the 2021 offseason.
Honorable Mentions:
Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints