Tue Jan 9th 2024

2023 Year-End Awards

We've come to the end of the dynasty season and the NFL regular season. I hope you enjoyed the ride and brought home some championships or a load of draft picks. I played in four championships and brought home the trophy in two of them. It was a good year but could have been better had Najee Harris not decided to have his highest-scoring fantasy game since week eleven of last season. I lost a championship by 1.5 points because of him. Ugh!

I cashed in five of nine dynasty leagues and compiled draft picks in the other four leagues, so I am pleased with my 2023 season. I also cashed in six of my ten bestball leagues, winning first place in three. If you've followed me for long, you remember that last year was terrible, but I'm happy to say I won $700 this year. Cheers to 2023!

That said, it's time to say farewell to the 2023 season and jump into offseason mode for 2024. Before I do, I want to present my 2023 Year-End Awards.

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Breakout Player of the Year

• Candidates: Kyren Williams, Rachaad White, Nico Collins, and Trey McBride
• Each of these four candidates deserves the award after breaking out this season. Trey McBride finally lived up to his hype and draft capital, finishing as the tight end #9 on the season. Rachaad White scored 120 more fantasy points than he did his rookie season, finishing as the running back #5. He is one of the players I was most wrong about this season. Nico Collins was a player I was higher on than most managers, and he outperformed my expectations, finishing as the 17 highest-scoring wide receiver and the 14th highest-scoring in average points per game.
• The award, however, must go to Kyren Williams, who finished as the running back #4 on the season, even after missing four games due to injury. He was the #2 running back in points per game, 2.5 points per game behind Christian McCaffrey. Williams was a back-of-the-roster player on dynasty rosters and was possibly on the waiver wire in shallow leagues after doing nothing in his rookie season, with a presumably healthy Cam Akers ahead of him on the depth chart to start the season. Still, from game one, it was Kyren's backfield. Dynasty managers with Williams on their rosters got the breakout of the year and rode Williams into the playoffs and, for many, the Super Bowl. What an incredible breakout season Williams had! Near the end of the season, I traded Williams away for Jonathan Taylor. I was confident in the decision then, but now I have regrets.

Surprise Player of the Year

• Candidates: Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Kyren Williams, and Rachaad White,
• Williams and White deserve this similar award, too, but the quarterbacks #5 and #6, Jordan Love, and Brock Purdy, were the biggest surprises in my eyes. Purdy and Love scored the exact same amount of points per game, 21.2. Purdy went from Mr. Irrelevant to fantasy superstar this season, winning the job ahead of Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. As surprising and impressive as his season was, I was even more surprised by Jordan Love.
• Love finished second in the league in touchdown passes with 32 and 7th in the league in passing yards with 4159. He did this with a cast of first and second-year pass catchers on his team. I was very pessimistic about Love's dynasty value and ability to lead the Packers' offense. I invested a lot in Sean Clifford after he played so well in the preseason. I could not have been more wrong about Love. Thankfully, I course-corrected and traded for Love in one league, giving away Tua Tagovailoa, Romeo Doubs, and a 4th round pick for Love, Zay Flowers, Luke Musgrave, and 1st and 2nd-round picks. That trade worked out well for me. It's my only share of Love, and I'm glad to have my most surprising player on at least one roster.

Rookie Player of the Year

• Candidates: C.J. Stroud, Jahmyr Gibbs, Puka Nacua, Tank Dell, and Sam LaPorta
• Each of these rookies burst onto the scene this season. C.J. Stroud finished as the #11 highest-scoring quarterback this season and 9th in points per game. He elevated the play of all of the Texan's pass catchers, including Tank Dell, the 11th-highest-scoring wide receiver in points per game, and would have finished as a top-12 wide receiver had he not broken his leg in week 12 of the season. Jahmyr Gibbs was slower to break on the scene, but he took over the Lions' backfield by midseason and ended the year as the 9th highest-scoring running back. Even so, he is not the rookie of the year on his own team since Sam LaPorta finished as the tight end #1 in his rookie season, making him the top-ranked dynasty tight end at the end of the year. The Rookie of the Year award came down to LaPorta and Puka Nacua, but I had to give the prize to Nacua, who set the NFL record for most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie wide receiver.
• If you followed me last offseason, you know that I touted Nacua as one of my favorite sleepers in rookie drafts. I drafted him in five of my nine dynasty leagues, and my only regret now is not being more aggressive in drafting him. Even though I was a believer, I would never have imagined that he could finish as the wide receiver #6 at the end of the season and surpass Cooper Kupp as the team's WR-1. A 5th round draft pick rarely becomes the rookie of the year, but he has this season, and I believe he'll win the NFL's Rookie of the Year award, too.

Veteran Player of the Year

• Candidates: Baker Mayfield, Joe Mixon, Mike Evans, and Davante Adams
• Joe Mixon finished his 7th season as the 7th highest scoring running back and did so very quietly. His 7th ranked finish was based on something other than a five-touchdown game like last year. He was a steady and reliable starting running back, week after week. Davante Adams' production was more up and down from week to week, but he finished the season as the wide receiver #13 while catching passes most of the season from rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell. The veteran duo of Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans stole the show this year. Mayfield was battling for a starting position at the start of the season, and he finished as the quarterback #10 to end the season. Mayfield elevated the play of the veteran of the year, Mike Evans.
• Evans played out the last year of his contract and finished as the wide receiver #4, scoring just 13 fewer points than his most productive year of his career. He and Tyreek Hill led the league with 13 touchdown catches. Evans has a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career already, with ten straight 1000-yard seasons. He's a beast and is showing no signs of slowing down. I saw him traded away by rebuilding teams this season, but I would rather keep and ride him until the end of his Hall-of-Fame career.

Bounce-Back Player of the Year

• Candidates: Breece Hall, DeAndre Swift, Saquon Barkley, and Calvin Ridley
• DeAndre Swift was traded to the Eagles during the NFL draft and surprisingly became the Eagles' leading running back, leading to the most productive fantasy year of his career. He started much hotter than he finished, but his 17th-ranked fantasy season boosted his dynasty value back up. His contact is up this year, so we'll see if the Eagles bring him back. Barkley returned from his injury-ridden year last season to finish just ahead of Swift as the running back #16. He was the offense's focal point, which kept his production high even though it was one of the least productive offenses in the NFL. His contract is up, too, and I would love to see him sign with a team with a better quarterback and offense next season. Ridley returned from his year-long suspension to play well for the Jaguars, who took a chance trading for him. He ended his 29-year-old season as the wide receiver #24. He was unreliable as a starter but ended the season as a WR-2. He played better than I expected, given his nearly two years away from the game due to his injury and suspension.
• The bounce-back player of the year award has to go to Breece Hall, who finished the season as the running back #6, even after splitting carries at the beginning of the season. Once the Jets let him carry the load, he returned to his rookie-year form and proved that he's a top-five dynasty running back again. If Aaron Rodgers comes back and the Jets have a capable offense next season, the sky is the limit to Hall's production. 

In-Season Waiver Wire Player of the Year

• Candidates: Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew, Josh Dobbs, and Greg Dortch
• Josh Dobbs helped fantasy managers early in the season while starting for Arizona and when he was traded to Minnesota, but the Vikings ultimately benched him. He'll be a backup quarterback for the rest of his career. Gardner Mnishew helped dynasty managers in superflex leagues as a reliable QB-2 for the rest of the season after Anthony Richardson was injured. He'll have a chance to start for a team next year, but this year's rookie quarterback class is big enough to keep him as an NFL backup. Greg Dortch was a great late addition to rosters and started on one of my teams that won the Super Bowl. With Marquise Brown injured, Dortch provided a safe floor in PPR leagues and contributed to the fantasy playoffs for teams.
• The award must go to Joe Flacco, who averaged the third most fantasy points per game this year after becoming the Browns' starter in week 13. He even roasted the Jets' top-ranked passing defense in the fantasy playoffs. His incredible end-of-season run will keep him in Cleveland and will give him opportunities to play next year as a backup at least, but maybe even a starter. What he does in the NFL playoff will determine his future.

Dynasty Waiver Wire Player of the Year

• Candidates: Dontayvion Wicks, Andrei Iosivas, Demario Douglas, and A.T Perry
• Wicks stepped into a starting role after Christian Watson was injured, and he took advantage of his opportunity, complicating the receiving room in Green Bay in the future. The Packers are loaded with young talent. Jayden Reed is the player with the highest and most secure dynasty value. Wicks could battle Watson and Doubs for the WR-2 role next year. Iosivas came on the scene late but established himself as the next man up in Cincinnati by the end of the season, especially in week 17 when the backups played, and he scored 18 fantasy points. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd's contacts are up, and the Bengals have to pay Ja'Maar Chase this year, so Iosivas will likely become the WR-2 in Cincinnati next season. He was my most added player off the waiver wire at the end of this season. A.T. Perry ended the season well, earning a more active role in the Saints' offense, scoring two touchdowns in the last game of the season. He can become the Saints' WR-2 behind Chris Olave next season.
• It's a tough call between these candidates, but I will give the award to Demario Douglas. He had become the Patriots' top target by midway through the season. He had averaged almost seven targets per game after week seven. The Patriots' wide receiver room is pretty bare, giving him a chance to remain their top target next season, and he'll have a new rookie quarterback to get the ball to him. I added Douglas to my roster in several leagues where my teams are in rebuild mode. I'm eager to see what he becomes.

Most Valuable Player

• Candidates: Christian McCaffrey, Kyren Williams, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyreek Hill
• CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill finished as the #1 and #2 highest-scoring wide receivers. Lamb had the most points, and Hill had the most points per game. I was fortunate to have them on Super Bowl-winning rosters this year. Both were the MVPs of those teams. Kyren Williams was the breakout player and worthy of the MVP had he not been outscored by Christian McCaffrey by 102 points.
• McCaffrey is this year's most valuable player. It's doubtful that any team with McCaffrey missed the playoffs this season. He was the most productive player in fantasy this season, scoring double digits in every game and scoring more than 20 points in ten games. It's unfortunate that his worst game of the season was in the fantasy Super Bowl, where he only scored 11 points, but he carried teams throughout the season and was the clear cut MVP.

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