The 2nd Annual "Rummy" Awards

 

You know the feeling, you walk away on draft day feeling like the cock of the walk, rostering a Silverback gorilla of a fantasy team...only to be left with a Curious George of a squad by midseason. Maybe Lady Luck was on your side and you stuck with a 2nd or third string RB and rode their over achieving arse all the way to championship weekend. In any case, these are the straws that stirred the fantasy drink this year...for better or worse.

The Chef-Boy-Ardee Bustaroni of the Year

Unlike years past, I'm not excluding players deemed "injury prone." Why? Because collectively we should know better. The siren song of the perceived "value" RB with hamstrings like fettuccine noodles is tempting, but generally a teeth gnashing endeavors. So with great bias, the nominees are...

Darren McFadden - Picked as a top five selection on many draft boards, he barely cracked the top 25 heading into week 16. He was on the gimp more than Zed in "Pulp Fiction."

Ryan Mathews - I was skeptical, but a majority of the fantasy community was not, all in as they say, about the 3rd year back out of Fresno State. He was either hurt or limited, or due to the wishy-washy play calling of HC Norville Turner, he barely saw the field. However, even when he did get a full complement of work, he did very little for fantasy owners.

Hakeem Nicks - Drafted ahead of teammate Victor Cruz, the consensus was that Nicks was going to blow up like a bee stung honey badger. Unfortunately, the entire Giants offense sputtered, and Cruz far outpaced his more highly touted teammate. Nicks was also on "game time decision" watch for nearly every week.

 

And the winner is...

Ryan Mathews. Drafted third (YES THIRD!) in many drafts, he's currently 27th among fantasy RBs. Norved.

 

The Fantasy Strongman Circus Freak Award

This was the player that carried your team, hoisted the front end of a Buick if you will. No explanation needed. Without much bias, here are the nominees...

Adrian Peterson - Yes, while the fantasy community said "hands off" after a return from ACL surgery, the Mugs said "why not?" In fact, AD was a big RB2 value according to our "Simple Plan" strategy guide in the preseason. From a late 2nd round pickup in most drafts, to 40 fantasy points ahead of number one pick Arian Foster as of week 16. Un-fucking-real.

Doug Martin - Can't have a strong man competition without a Muscle Hamster, right? The rookie out of Boise State carried many teams on his furry back throughout the year, but sputtered on his wheel as the season wound down. That said, he far outpaced fellow rookie Trent Richardson, in both the actual draft and fantasy drafts. He’s the number three fantasy back as of week 16.

Robert Griffin III - That's right, will all due respect to Megatron and Cam Newton, RG3 is still 4th in overall fantasy scoring, despite missing two games to a leg injury. Another remarkable rookie season.

 

And the winner is...

Adrian Peterson. Can't really argue on any front. He carried you, Ponder, and the damn Vikings all by his lonesome. Amazing.

 

The Flavor Flav Don't Believe the Hype Award

These are the cats that everyone pumped up prior to the season, but instead of sounding the mighty horn from atop the mountain peak, they were squeaky fart of production.

Any Bengals WR not Named A.J. Green - Whether it was Andrew Hawkins, Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones or even Jermaine Gresham, none lived up the WR2 billing. Dalton spread it around, but it was an uneven offering week to week.

Any Chargers WR...not named Danario Alexander - Remember the splash Eddie Royal was supposed to have (right Peter King?), or how Robert Meachem was a sneaky WR three in your league (sorry, that was on me)?  Well they all pretty much sucked. Gates got old quick, leaving the robo-kneed Alexander as the lone bright spot in this anemic offense.

Brandon Lloyd - The Mugs warned the masses against the "Number one WR with upside" hype, especially with so many mouths to feed in New England and WR chemistry at a premium with Tom Terrific. Lloyd has come on as of late (mostly due to injuries to Gronk and Edelman).  He's put up #3 WR numbers with a late season surge.

 

And the winner is...

The Chargers WRs - Coupled with Rivers' erratic play and Mathews underwhelming everyone, this was a colossal fantasy dumpster fire.

 

The Mayan Apocalypse "So Much for that Shit" Award

Remember the players that were supposed to fall off the fantasy cliff into bubbling Mayan lava? Yeah. Suckers. The nominees are...

Tony Gonzalez - A favorite late round preseason pick of yours truly, the ageless one  was the top scoring TE for fantasy, despite being 112 years young. Go figure.

Frank Gore - The "Inconvenient Truth" inconveniently was eighth in scoring among fantasy RBs, despite many (like yours truly) setting banana peels all around Candlestick Park in the hope that it would open the door for Kendall Hunter. Well, it never happened.  We can't handle the truth, folks.

Benjarvus Green Ellis - Yep, the Law Firm was openly berated by the fantasy community, and even on the 2Mugs podcast. What did he do? He finished 13th among fantasy running backs, despite never be ranked higher than 30th in the preseason. Shame on all of us.

 

And the winner is...

Tony Gonzalez. I honestly think Gonzo may retire if Atlanta wins a Super Bowl. If they don't, he'll be a value late once again, especially if pundits continue to write off this future Hall of Famer. 

 

The Waiver Wire Wunderkind Award

These players were those risk/reward guys that made your fantasy season. Singling out that guy who could carry you right through to the playoffs, or even help you win a championship. Yes, they were that important.

Cecil Shorts - Despite having the juggernaut tandem of Blaine "The Plain Train" Gabbert and Bad Chad Henne at QB, Shorts wound up being a must start every week in the flex, and a top 20 option in an otherwise bad offense.

Alfred Morris - Finally! Someone managed to thwart the spell of "Shanihanigans," and Morris was not only a great fit for Shanahans' zone blocking scheme, but he wound up 7th among all RBs in fantasy scoring in an otherwise crowded, if not oft injured backfield.

Randall Cobb - Cobb was format proof, getting it done for fantasy owners in PPR, standard and even combo leagues that scored return yards. In a year where Nelson and Jennings were both hampered by injuries, Cobb stood out. I could argue for James Jones here as well, but again, Cobb was format proof.

 

And the winner is...

Randall Cobb. Universally mocked when I selected this 2Mugs favorite in the preseason, he's become Aaron Rodgers binky of sorts and promises to see an even bigger role next year with Jennings set to hit free agency in 2013.

 

And finally, an early look at next year...

 

The Gotta Have It! Get that Cat on Your Team Next Year Award

Whether they blew up in 2012 or not, these are the guys you will have exponentially high on your draft board next year...even if it's too damn early to even go there.

Dez Bryant - Yes, he overcame nagging injuries and down weeks early to get it done when it really mattered...for your fantasy playoff stretch. He finished top 5 heading into week 16, and may surpass that with his monster week 16 numbers. He'll be a top 3 WR option next year for sure. 

Brandon Marshall - I'm crazy, right? No, but Marshall is...like a fox! Kidding aside, Marshall is looking like vintage Andre Johnson out there, leading the league in catches  and scoring double digit TDs in the process. All while the Bear's offense finished 29th in the NFL. Marshall carried this team on his back...like it or not, that's a fact.

Adrian Peterson - I keep hearing that a 2nd year removed from modern ACL surgery actually makes athletes stronger. WHAT?! Does this mean All Day will begin smashing through walls like the Hulk unscathed? One shudders to think. His numbers when defenses put eight in the box are staggering. Just put him atop your RB list and sleep like a baby, okay?

Andrew Luck - Sure, we love Cam Newton and RG3, but Andrew Luck presents 6th or 7th round QB value, which is a longstanding 2Mugs precept "wait on your QB." Luck has some nice weapons to grow with, and a defense that will ensure they'll be a pass heavy offense for the several years to come.

Rob Gronkowski - Tony Gonzalez is no lock to return in 2013, and the great TE value pool of 2012 was much more shallow than we all expected. Fickle as TE production can be, a fresh Gronk in 2013 is a first round pick, even if he misses time.

 

And the winner is...

YOU! Especially if you have these studs on your early fantasy cheat sheet. I hope you enjoyed the freshly brewed intel that Ryan and I put out there this year, and we looked forward to getting you drunk with fantasy power once again in 2013. Cheers!