Now that another NFL Fantasy season is in the books, it is time to look back and evaluate players in terms of best value (steals), worst value (busts), and position MVPs. The selections are based on the collective preseason Yahoo! Fantasy expert rankings relative to end of season rankings, and the average draft positions in Yahoo! public leagues. Players were excluded if they missed more than a few games due to injury, and an added emphasis was placed on performances in fantasy playoff weeks 14 through 16. Standard PPR scoring format is used.
QB – In years past, drafting a QB in the first round was a risky proposition due to the glutton of available stud RBs. It made sense to wait at least a round or two. Enter the year of the QB. In 2011, five QBs averaged over 300 yards per game, and five QBs produced at least 35 TDs. Value could be found in the early to mid rounds, and there were only a few legitimate busts.
MVP: Drew Brees – the average numbers are staggering: 342 ypg and 2.9 TD. Throw in 352 ypg and 11 TDs in wks 14-16 and you have not only the most valuable QB, but likely the overall fantasy MVP. In leagues that start one QB, Brees should be the favorite to go #1 overall in 2012 drafts (provided the Saints re-sign him of course).
Honorable Mention: Aaron Rodgers – actually produced one more TD than Brees in one less game. They were very close on a per game average, but Rodgers had two less TDs and 80 less ypg in the playoffs. Tom Brady – 327 ypg and 2.6 TD, and 9 TDs in the playoffs. Matthew Stafford – Finally healthy, he rewarded owners with 315 ypg and 2.6 TD. Those numbers jumped to 330 and 3 in the playoffs. Cam Newton – the precocious rookie was responsible for 252 ypg (and 44 yards rushing per game) and 35 total TDs.
Steal: Newton – based on his tepid play in Carolina’s preseason games, Newton was pre ranked as the #27 QB and was drafted around #100 overall. He was picked in only 17% of Yahoo! drafts. If you drafted him anywhere after the first 30 picks, he was a huge get. Owners that got him late as their second QB also had the luxury (in leagues that started one QB) of trading either of them for considerable value.
Honorable Mention: Stafford – preseason #10 QB and drafted around #88 overall. Considering that his two prior seasons saw Stafford in a sling more than under center, his slide in the draft was understandable. Owners that took a risk were rewarded with a #4 QB and top 30 overall value. Eli Manning – preseason #11 QB and drafted around #92 overall, Eli had his best regular season. 308 ypg and 30 total TDs made him the #6 fantasy QB. Andy Dalton – preseason unranked, and mostly undrafted. Ignored due to the uncertainty surrounding whether he had beaten out Bruce Gradkowski for the starting gig, Dalton hooked up owners with an impressive rookie season that made him a strong QB2 play.
Bust: Michael Vick – preseason #3 QB and drafted around pick #11. Any way you spin it, Vick had a mediocre season. He did miss a few games, but when he did play, he was inconsistent. Based on per game averages, Vick was the #8 fantasy QB.
Honorable mention: Philip Rivers – preseason #4 QB and drafted around pick #21. Rivers approached his career averages in yds and TDs, but turned the ball over 25 times. He finished as the #9 QB.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/byposition?pos=QB
http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/nfl/news?slug=ys-expertpoll-pre11-qb
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/draftanalysis?tab=SD&pos=QB&sort=DA_AP