The 2019 fantasy football season is in the books. It was definitely a year that brought some surprises and a fair share of disappointments. Now it’s time to honor some of the best and worst performances with some our fantasy awards.
Now that the season is over some of what happened is starting to sync in. What a season it was.
There were some eye-popping stats put up and some movers and shakers in the NFL standings. Let’s look at some of the award winners:
MVP: QB Lamar Jackson (BAL)
The dual-threat signal caller did with both his legs and arm in 2019 to lead the Ravens to an AFC North title and the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed. Jackson scored more than 4.5 fantasy points per game than the next closest quarterback and was drafted outside the top 12 at the position in nearly every league this season. He led the NFL with 36 TD passes and finished with 3,127 yards through the air to go along with his 1,206 yards and seven scores on 176 carries. As great as his numbers were, Jackson didn’t even play Week 15 and had several games where he took seat after building large leads.
Rookie of the Year: WR A.J. Brown (TEN)
There were plenty of first-year players to consider here, but the second-half surge turned in by Brown not only help propel his fantasy owners to playoff spots it gave the Titans just what it needed to rebound from a 2-4 spot to grab the AFC’s final wildcard spot. He finished as the WR15 overall on the season in 0.5 PPR formats and tied for No. 1 in that format over the last five weeks. Brown’s final rookie numbers were 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns.
Comeback Player: RB Dalvin Cook (MIN)
Despite sustaining a shoulder injury that kept him from playing the last two weeks of the regular season, Cook came back nicely from the ACL issue that cost him a large chunk of his 2018 campaign and finished as a top 5 running back across all formats. The Viking rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 53 catches for 519 yards. Expect Cook to be locked in as a top five overall fantasy pick in 2020.
Best Waiver Wire Add: WR DeVante Parker (MIA)
After four disappointing seasons, the former first-round pick finally delivered for the Dolphins and finished as a top fantasy wideout in the process. Things really clicked once Ryan Fitzpatrick took over for good as the starter in Week 7 for Miami and the Dolphins lost talented rookie Preston Williams, Parker exploded. From that point on only Michael Thomas offered more fantasy production at the position. Parked ended the year with 72 receptions for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. That matched how many total scores he had his previous four seasons.
Bust of the Year: WR Anthonio Brown (FA)
One game, four catches, 56 yards, and a single TD. That is what Brown, who was drafted between the mid-second round and early Round 3 most of the summer gave his fantasy owners. It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll ever get another chance, but regardless he’ll turn 32 this summer and his best days are in the rearview mirror.
Most Impactful Injury: RB Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)
There were a ton of injuries this year to players with much higher fantasy profiles than Big Ben. However, given the ripple effect his injury had on all other Pittsburgh fantasy assets and how early the season occurred there wasn’t an injury that delivered a bigger fantasy blow this year.
