Almost beyond belief, the fantasy football season has come and gone. Most leagues have crowned their champions this past week. Congratulations on all that won their championships! You all may take a bow. With the season in the books and our memories fresh, let’s take a look back at what we just witnessed. This Fantasy Football Season Review edition is here to do just that.
While there are many awards that could be given out, this special edition will look at MVP, most improved, most disappointing and best rookie. As has been the case all season with my articles, I strongly encouraged comments and/or suggestions. Let me hear it! With all of that out of the way, let’s not waste another moment and recognize some players!
Fantasy Most Valuable Player
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
This selection may get some push back, but name another player that absolutely carried their fantasy teams each and every week. In his last eight games, Joe Burrow threw for at least three TDs in all of them. Additionally, he eclipsed the 400 yard passing mark twice and had two other games with at least 356 yards through the air. Significantly, there were only two games in the 2024 season that he didn’t throw a touchdown pass.
Truly, it was too bad for the Bengals that their defense was often putrid. However, that sure wasn’t Burrow’s fault. During one three game losing streak, Cincinnati put up 34, 28 and another 28 points. The fact that Burrow had to throw so much definitely helped his stats. Without question, his fantasy managers gladly accepted that.
In most, if not all, fantasy leagues, Burrow could be had in or around the sixth round. In the two redraft leagues that I am in, he went 54th (fortunately drafted by yours truly), and 59th. Without question, no other player returned the value that Burrow did this season. For that reason, he is declared the winner of the Most Valuable Player Award on this Fantasy Football Season Review edition.
Most Disappointing Fantasy Player
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
Absolutely, there are many players jockeying for the position to take home this unfortunate award. However, none took the plunge quite as deep as C.J. Stroud. Coming off a phenomenal first season, Stroud was often taken among the first quarterbacks off the board. In my league, he was drafted with the 37th overall pick. No one could take issue with that at the time.
However, looking at the season’s points leaders in standard ESPN leagues, Stroud is nowhere to be found. In fact, one would have to go all the way down to 50 to locate his name. As I write this, there are 18 quarterbacks ahead of him on the scoring chart. No matter how one looks at it, that is a disaster. Any manager that had Stroud as their fantasy QB had a difficult time making the postseason. Most likely, they missed the playoffs altogether.
One last note in the section before I move on. Players that missed significant time due to injury were not considered for this award. Injuries happen and players cannot control that. They shouldn’t be placed in the same category as those that didn’t play up to what was expected of them.
Best Fantasy Rookie
Jaylen Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Certainly, there were some surprising players to be found competing for this award. Even as that is so, Jayden Daniels takes home the honor of Rookie of the Year on this Fantasy Football Season Review edition. To begin with, no one knew for sure what to expect out of Daniels when the season began. Now that the year is coming to an end, there is no question whatsoever what kind of special player he is.
Certainly, he came without a high draft cost. In most, if not all, 10 man leagues, Daniels could be had at the end of a draft (such as 117th overall) or off the waiver wire. Despite this, when looking at the current scoring leaders, there are only five players in all of fantasy that have more points than Daniels does.
In his first game, Daniels came out surging, at least on the ground, with two rushing TDs. He punched the ball into the endzone four times in his first four NFL games. It took a bit to get it going in the air (no TD passes in his first two games), but once he did, he didn’t look back. In his last five games, Daniels threw 15 touchdown passes, leading the Commanders to a surprising playoff perth. While many could be considered for this award, Daniels stood out the most of all first year players.
Most Improved Fantasy Player
When it came time to make a decision on most improved fantasy player, there were only two names to consider. One was a running back: Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard, and one was a quarterback: Minnesota’s Sam Darnold. Unfortunately for Hubbard and his fantasy managers, he was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, ending his season during the fantasy championship. Even so, that can’t detract from the outstanding, and unexpected, season he had.
Before suffering the injury, Hubbard set career highs in carries (250), rushing yards, (1195), rushing TDs (10) and receptions (43). The 10 TDs almost matched the 12 he scored in his first three seasons combined. Additionally, he topped the 100 yard rushing mark four times and added three games of 92 or more yards on the ground. Carolina had a miserable season, but they found a star in Hubbard.
Meanwhile, Darnold came out of nowhere to lead the Vikings to the postseason. Many expected rookie J.J. McCarthy to be the starter, but he was lost for the year due to an injury suffered in the preseason. Minnesota had no worries, though, as Darnold took control from the outset, throwing for 11 TDs in the first four games. The ride didn’t end there, either, as he has thrown for 18 TDs against just two interceptions in his last six games.
For the season, Darnold now has 35 passing TDs. Not too shabby for a guy who threw for 27 TDs combined in his four previous years. Further, his 4,153 passing yards are more than the 3,967 he managed in his three seasons prior.
Without question, Hubbard took a big step forward in 2024. Even so, that pales in comparison to the giant leap that Darnold took this year. For that reason, Sam Darnold is the winner of the most improved player award.
The Final Word
Thank you for joining me for this Fantasy Football Season Review edition! Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to bellyupsports.com for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!
