QB
Peyton Manning(Channel 4 News Team)
Drafted: 4th Round (37th Overall)
# of QB's Drafted Ahead of Manning: 2
QB Rank-1
Overall Rank-1
5211 Passing Yards, 51 Passing TD's, 10 INT, 1 Rushing TD, 6 Fumble Lost, 385 Fantasy Points
This is the 2nd straight year Manning wins this award. Why do we keep doubting his skills? No doubt in my mind this was a steal even though he was the 3rd QB taken in the draft. 12 teams passed on him 3 times before Albert snagged him at the beginning of the 4th round. All he did was break Tom Brady's Touchdown record and throw for over 5200 passing yards. He was not only the #1 QB in fantasy but the #1 fantasy player overall. 36 players were taken over him. That's unbelievable regardless of the position. He'll be a year older and will probably be a candidate for this award yet again next season. We'll just never learn!
WR
Josh Gordon (Welcome 2 Goodburger)
Drafted: 8th Round (90th Overall)
# of WR's drafted ahead of Gordon: 39
WR Rank:1
Overall Rank: 13
80 Receptions, 1564 Receiving Yards, 9 Receiving TD's, 88 Rushing Yards, 253 Fantasy Points
Here's the crazy thing. He wasn't even the highest suspended player taken! Mark took Justin Blackmon (who had a 4 game suspension, while Gordon had a 2) 1 pick before Gordon landed in Mike's hands. He missed two games and STILL outperformed Megatron. He had a four game stretch where he scored 20.5, 36, 43, and 27.5 fantasy points. That's BEYOND INSANE. He did it with one of the worst collection of QB's in the league. 39 receivers were taken ahead of him. Lance Moore, CHRIS GIVENS, Miles Austin, Tavon Austin, just a few of the receivers teams apparantly had more faith in. Even Mike himself tried to trade him on two occasions only to get denied (once for TRENT RICHARDSON, the other to me in the package for Marshawn Lynch, I chose V-Jax over Gordon). The value is crazy good here, and there's no doubt Gordon has established himself as an elite receiver in the fantasy game.
WR
Alshon Jeffrey (Bigger Balls)
Drafted: 9th Round (105th Overall) By Eugene
Acquired: Traded to Mayra by Eugene for Fred Jackson
# of WR's drafted ahead of Jeffrey: 46
# of WR's drafted ahead of Jeffrey in the 9th round alone: 4
WR Rank: 7
Overall Rank: 28
86 Receptions, 1341 Receiving Yards, 7 Receiving TD's, 105 Rushing Yards, 223 Fantasy Points
To say that Jeffrey busted out BIG TIME, would be one of the biggest understatements of the year. He was the 5th receiver taken.....IN THE 9TH ROUND. Kenbrell Thompkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Kenny Britt, Vincent Brown, just some of the "winners" taken right before Jeffrey. Unfortunately, Eugene traded him before he really peaked to Mayra for Fred Jackson. Mayra benefited from the trade big time as he helped lead her to her first playoff berth. Jeffrey made some unbelievable catches and is making a legit case as being the #1 receiver on his own team (remember, he has Brandon Marshall on the other side, who's not exactly a slouch). A top 7 finish at the position and top 30 overall, Jeffrey might not even be available next year as he's a prime candidate to be kept. A far cry from the late round selection of this year.
WR
Antonio Brown (Bigger Balls)
Drafted: 5th Round (54th Overall) By Kenny
Acquired: Traded to Mayra along with Knowshon Moreno for Calvin Johnson
# of WR Drafted Ahead of Brown: 20
WR Rank: 5
Overall Rank: 24
101 Receptions, 1412 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 1 Kickoff TD, 245.5 Fantasy Points
When you trade Calvin Johnson away and actually WIN the trade, you know you got a great player. Antonio Brown was expected to step up after Mike Wallace's departure, but I don't think anyone expected a top 5 season performance. Obviously with 20 receivers taken before Brown, teams didn't think much of him. Dwayne Bowe, Danny Amendola, Hakeem Nicks, just some of the "names" taken over Brown. Brown was a PPR monster, he finished with over 1400 yards and 100 catches. Only 4 receivers finished with better numbers and 3 of those were 1st and 2nd round picks. Brown's definitely going to be a coveted receiver going into next season. Especially if Mayra can't keep him due to her depth at the position.
RB
Knowshon Moreno (Bigger Balls)
Drafted: 11th Round (126th Overall) By Kenny
Acquired: Traded along with Antonio Brown to Mayra for Calvin Johnson
# of RB's taken before Moreno: 41
RB Rank: 4
Overall Rank: 7
1015 Rushing Yards, 10 Rushing TD's, 55 Receptions, 507 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 250.5 Fantasy Points
Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte. The only running backs who had more fantasy points than Knowshon Moreno. Draft Position? 3 for Charles, 4 for McCoy, and 8 for Forte. Moreno? Saw 41 RUNNING BACKS TAKEN BEFORE HIM. Guys like LaMichael James, Roy Helu, Bryce Brown, Bernard Pierce, hell his own teammate, rookie Montee Ball was taken 7 rounds earlier! Where did this come from?! Wasn't Moreno supposed to be done?! There were even preseason rumors that Moreno wouldn't even make the Broncos ROSTER much less be the starting back. Moreno was flat out DOMINANT though. Unfortunately for Kenny, he never believed the hype and traded him with Antonio Brown for Calvin Johnson. It was great trade for both teams, but when you look at the stats, it's almost like Kenny gifted a top 5 running back for free to Mayra. Over 1500 total yards and 12 TD's. Just an amazing season that no one expected. The funny thing? Moreno will probably have to overcome the same rumors yet again, especially with Montee Ball gaining a year of experience. It's always fun seeing these types of seasons though. Who would've thought the guy drafted in between Martellus Bennett and Fred Davis would outperform his draft position by 10 rounds?!
RB
Danny Woodhead (Next!!!)
Drafted: 10th Round (120th Overall)
# of RB's taken before Woodhead: 40
RB Rank: 19
Overall Rank: 58
411 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD's, 69 Receptions, 563 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumble Lost, 175.5 Fantasy Points
How bout this. The running back taken right before Moreno, Danny Woodhead, makes the team as well. With so many busts at running back in the early rounds, guys like Woodhead ended up being vital as late round gambles. Despite splitting time with Ryan Mathews, Woodhead still managed nearly 1000 total yards and 8 TD's, and was solid RB 2 especially in our PPR format. Woodhead ranked inside the top 20 which is crazy considering 40 running backs were selected ahead of him. Leland didn't have too many bright spots in his squad, but Woodhead was definitely one.
TE
Julius Thomas (Hoosier Daddy)
Drafted: 13th Round (148th Overall) by Me
Acquired: Traded along with David Wilson, Cam Newton, and DeSean Jackson to Ryan for Tom Brady, Marshawn Lynch, and Marques Colston
# of TE's taken before Thomas: 19
TE Rank: 3
Overall Rank: 43
60 Receptions, 752 Receiving Yards, 12 Receiving TD's, 177 Fantasy Points
I took him as a flier in the 13th round. He was the 20th tight end taken and 2nd to last one drafted overall (Mark drafted an injured Heath Miller to stash him). In a position that is always unpredictable and very thin to get the 3rd best tight end of the season with the 148th pick of the draft is nothing short of amazing. I thought he couldn't keep up what he was doing, so I stupidly dumped him in a trade to Ryan. Thomas even missed two games and it didn't matter he still finished only behind Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham. 12 TD's and over 750 receiving yards, and in a great offense. He established himself as among the best at the position. I'm just glad trading him didn't come back to bite me at the end of the day.
Draft Day Steal Of The Year
Knowshon Moreno (Bigger Balls)
A couple of interesting facts about this squad. 3 Denver Broncos made it, and fantasy wise, 3 of Mayra's players made it. There were some really good candidates for this award. I think because it's the running back position and to get a top 5 running back in the 11th round is just absurd. Peyton Manning's season isn't THAT surprising, both Alshon Jeffrey and Josh Gordon had some upside going in to the season (though no one saw what they did coming) and though Julius Thomas because of where he was drafted was probably the closest to win this award, I took Ryan not making the playoffs into consideration. Moreno completely defied the odds and proved to everyone just how talented he was.
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