By Marc Hardin
NKyTribune contributor
The 2018 fantasy football season will go down in history as the breakout year of Patrick Mahomes. With eye-popping numbers and mind-numbing consistency from the outset, the second-year quarterback oversaw an explosive Kansas City Chiefs offense that shredded defenses and could not be derailed even with the sudden loss of suspended running back Kareem Hunt. That’s the NFL’s individual best and worst right there in one opening sentence.
Today, we are here to celebrate the best of the best after imposing some seriously challenging criteria. And we’re pulling out all the stops by handing out season-ending awards at all the positional categories and then some, and bringing in some big-name presenters.”
We’ve also got some some cool walk-up music as each standout makes his way to the fantasy podium. Without further ado, here are the 2018 honorees.
TOP PASSING QUARTERBACK
Winner: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) 417.1 fantasy points
Presenter: Peyton Manning
Walk-up music: “Brass In Pocket” by The Pretenders
Stratospheric numbers are not a passing fancy in the NFL. They are part of the passing phenomenon with extreme fantasy consequences. In 2018, seven quarterbacks threw for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, led by Mahomes who hit the next level at 5,000 and 50. His performance was so massive, it overshadowed a dominant late-career season by Ben Roethlisberger and remarkable comebacks by Andrew Luck and to a lesser extent Matt Ryan. It might have been eight in the 4,000/30 club had the Saints’ Drew Brees played and not sat due to coaches’ decision in the regular season finale. Not only did it break the hearts of Brees owners in fantasy championship games, it also broke the QB’s personal streak of 12 straight 4,000-yard passing seasons; he finished with 3,992. With 29 passing TDs, Tom Brady just missed joining the 4,000/30 club. But, alas, he did not miss the Super Bowl. Your 2018 passing yardage leaders:
Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) 5,129
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) 5,097
Matt Ryan (Falcons) 4,924
Jared Goff (Rams) 4,688
Andrew Luck (Colts) 4,593
Aaron Rodgers (Packers) 4,442
Tom Brady (Patriots) 4,355
Philip Rivers (Chargers) 4,308
Eli Manning (Giants) 4,299
Kirk Cousins (Vikings) 4,298
Deshaun Watson (Texans) 4,165
Derek Carr (Raiders) 4,049
Touchdown leaders: Patrick Mahomes 50, Andrew Luck 39, Matt Ryan 35, Russell Wilson (Seahawks) 35, Ben Roethlisberger 34, Drew Brees (Saints) 32, Philip Rivers 32, Jared Goff 32, Kirk Cousins 30.
TOP RUNNING QUARTERBACK
Co-winners: Lamar Jackson (Ravens) and Josh Allen (Bills)
Presenter: Fran Tarkenton
Walk-up music: “Catch A Keeper” by P-Funk All Stars
It seems every year of late we’ve watched a young NFL quarterback bounce back from an ugly passing season with an amazing one-year transformation to become an impact fantasy player. Mitchell Trubisky did that this season for the Bears. Jared Goff turned the trick the previous season with the Rams. Who could it be next season? Although a thing of beauty on the run as a rookie, Josh Allen was not so good at the passing part in 2018 with some of the worst numbers in the league for the Bills. For so many reasons, he bears watching in Buffalo. There were six QBs with at least 300 rushing yards and three rushing TDs in 2018. They are:
Lamar Jackson (Ravens) 695 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Josh Allen (Bills) 631 rushing yards, 8 TDs
Deshaun Watson (Texans) 551 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Cam Newton (Panthers) 488 rushing yards, 4 TDs
Mitchell Trubisky (Bears) 421 rushing yards, 3 TDs
Dak Prescott (Cowboys) 305 rushing yards, 6 TDs
TOP RUNNING BACK
Winner: Todd Gurley (Rams) 313.1 standard league points
Presenter: Jim Brown
Walk-up music: “Always On The Run” by Lenny Kravitz
Gurley had some late down time with nagging injuries and lost the rushing crown to Ezekiel Elliott, who finished with 1,434 yards. But Gurley, third in rushing, remained the touchdown king with 21. Alvin Kamara was second in the NFL with 18 touchdowns. Rookie Saquon Barkley was second in rushing and tied receiver Antonio Brown for third with 15 TDs and led PPR league backs with 385.8 points, edging Christian McCaffrey (385.5) and Gurley (372.1). The 2018 running back points leaders for standard leagues:
Todd Gurley (Rams) 313.1
Saquon Barkley (Giants) 294.8
Christian McCaffrey (Panthers) 278.5
Alvin Kamara (Saints) 273.2
Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys) 252.1
Melvin Gordon (Chargers) 225.5
James Conner (Steelers) 225
Kareem Hunt (Chiefs) 204.2
Joe Mixon (Bengals) 200.4
Qualified backs who averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry: Aaron Jones (Packers) 5.5, Kerryon Johnson (Lions) 5.4, Phillip Lindsay (Broncos) 5.4, Matt Breida (49ers) 5.3, Gus Edwards (Ravens) 5.2, Austin Ekeler (Chargers) 5.2, Nick Chubb (Browns) 5.2, Melvin Gordon 5.1, Christian McCaffrey 5.0, Saquon Barkley 5.0.
TOP RECEIVING BACK
Winner: Christian McCaffrey (Panthers)
Presenter: Larry Centers
Walk-up music: “Backfield In Motion” by Mel & Tim
Nine running backs had at least 450 receiving yards and 4 receiving TDs, adding to their production as rushers. Three of those also averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry. The nimble nine:
Christian McCaffrey (Panthers) 867 yards, 6 TDs
James White (Patriots) 751 yards, 7 TDs
Tarik Cohen (Bears) 725 yards, 5 TDs
Saquon Barkley (Giants) 721 yards, 4 TDs
Alvin Kamara (Saints) 709 yards, 4 TDs
Todd Gurley (Rams) 580 yards, 4 TDs
Melvin Gordon (Chargers) 490 yards, 4 TDs
T.J. Yeldon (Jaguars) 487 yards, 4 TDs
Kenyan Drake (Dolphins) 477 yards, 5 TDs
Running back all-purpose yards leaders: Saquon Barkley 2,028, Ezekiel Elliott 2,001, Christian McCaffrey 1,965, Todd Gurley 1,831, Alvin Kamara 1,800, Tarik Cohen 1,599, Phillip Lindsay (Broncos) 1,471, James Conner (Steelers) 1,470, Joe Mixon (Bengals) 1,464, David Johnson (Cardinals) 1,386, Melvin Gordon 1,375.
TOP WIDE RECEIVER
Winner: Tyreek Hill (Chiefs) 247 standard league points, 334 PPR points
Presenter: Jerry Rice
Walk-up music: “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” by The Gap Band
Six wide receivers totaled at least 100 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and eight touchdowns while adding 400 yards after the catch. Though Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins (115 catches, 1,572 yards, 11 TDs, 348 YAC) and Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill (87 catches, 1,479 yards, 12 TDs, 489 YAC) were not among them, Hopkins remained a metronome and nobody did more with fewer catches than Hill. The busy six:
Michael Thomas (Saints) 125 catches, 1,405 yards, 9 TDs, 502 YAC
Julio Jones (Falcons) 113 catches, 1,677 yards, 8 TDs, 448 YAC
Adam Thielen (Vikings) 113 catches, 1,373 yards, 9 TDs, 428 YAC
Davante Adams (Packers) 111 catches, 1,386 yards 13 TDs, 498 YAC
Antonio Brown (Steelers) 104 catches,1,297 yards, 15 TDs, 617 YAC
Stefon Diggs (Vikings) 102 catches, 1,021 yards, 9 TDs, 428 YAC
Wide receiver yards-per-catch leaders: DeSean Jackson (Buccaneers) 18.9, Josh Gordon (Browns/Patriots) 18.0, Mike Evans (Buccaneers) 17.7, John Brown (Ravens) 17.0, Tyreek Hill (Chiefs) 17.0, Tyler Lockett (Seahawks) 16.9, Courtland Sutton (Broncos) 16.8, T.Y. Hilton (Colts) 16.7.
TOP TIGHT END
Winner: Travis Kelce (Chiefs) 191.6 standard league points
Presenter: Tony Gonzalez
Walk-up music: “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells
Six tight ends totaled at least 50 catches, 500 receiving yards and 5 TDs in 2018. Of those six, three averaged at least 13 yards per catch. The exclusive club:
Zach Ertz (Eagles) 116 catches, 1,163 yards, 8 TDs
Travis Kelce (Chiefs) 103 catches, 1,336 yards, 10 TDs
George Kittle (49ers) 88 catches, 1,377 yards, 5 TDs
Jared Cook (Raiders) 68 catches, 896 yards, 6 TDs
Eric Ebron (Colts) 66 catches, 750 yards, 14 TDs
Trey Burton (Bears) 54 catches, 569 yards, 6 TDs
Tight end yards-per-catch leaders: O.J. Howard (Buccaneers) 16.6, Mark Andrews (Ravens) 16.2, George Kittle 15.6, Rob Gronkowski (Patiots) 14.5, Jesse James (Steelers) 14.1, Jared Cook 13.2, Travis Kelce 13.0, Chris Herndon (Jets) 12.9, Evan Engram (Giants) 12.8, Vance McDonald (Steelers) 12.2.
TOP KICKER
Winner: Ka’imi Fairbairn (Texans) 165 fantasy points
Co-presenters: Morten Andersen and Gary Anderson
Walk-up music: “I Get A Kick Out Of You” by Frank Sinatra
Usage is central to a kicker’s success. There were seven kickers with at least 25 field goal attempts and 40 point-after attempts in 2018. Of those seven, just one (Wil Lutz) connected on at least 90 percent of his field goals while missing no more than one extra point. But the big name this season belonged to a Hawaiian playing in Texas who was a no-name before the season began. The heavily used seven:
Ka’imi Fairbairn (Texans) 37-42 FG, 39-41 PAT
Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots) 27-32 FG, 49-50 PAT
Cody Parkey (Bears) 23-30 FG, 42-45 PAT
Wil Lutz (Saints) 28-30 FG, 52-53 PAT
Adam Vinatieri (Colts) 23-27 FG, 44-47 PAT
Sebastian Janikowski (Seahawks) 22-27 FG, 48-51 PAT
Harrison Butker (Chiefs) 24-27 FG, 65-69 PAT
Field goal percentage leaders: Robbie Gould (49ers) 97.1, Aldrick Rosas (Giants) 97.0, Matt Bryant (Falcons) 95.2, Daniel Carlson (Vikings/Raiders) 94.1, Mike Badgley (Chargers) 93.8, Wil Lutz 93.3, Jason Myers (Jets) 91.7, Josh Lambo (Jaguars) 90.5, Jason Sanders (Dolphins) 90.0.
TOP DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAM
Winner: Chicago Bears, 188 fantasy points
Presenter: The 1985 Chicago Bears
Walk-up music: “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor” by Drowning Pool
There were only five teams over the 100-point threshold that also had at least two defensive touchdowns and one kickoff or punt return for a touchdown. They are:
Baltimore Ravens 131 points, 3 DTD, 1 PRTD
New England Patriots 113 points, 2 DTD, 1 KOTD
Jacksonville Jaguars 109 points, 2 DTD, 1 PRTD
Tennessee Titans 108 points, 2 DTD, 1 KOTD
Los Angeles Chargers 105 points, 2 DTD, 1 PRTD
Sack/Pick leaders: Bears 77 (50 sacks, 27 interceptions), Chiefs 67 (52-15), Vikings 62 (50-12), Saints 61 (49-12), Redskins 61 (46-15), Broncos 61 (44-17), Steelers 60 (52-8), Rams 59 (41-18), Texans 58 (43-15).
That’ll put a bow on it. Have a great offseason!