With waiver deadlines either approaching or passed, it’s an appropriate time to dish out a round of awards for those players who possibly proved to be the saviors of many a fantasy owner’s 2006 season:
Quarterback
Winner: Vince Young, Tennessee. This might come as a surprise, because the obvious choice appears to be Tony Romo. But Young settled down surprisingly well after his first NFL start. He likely went undrafted in most fantasy leagues, with the exception of some late-round fliers. Young has had just one truly bad game since taking over the starting job in Week 4 and is hovering around the top 10 passers in fantasy football since then.
Honorable mention: Romo, Dallas. Unlike Young, Romo has had a couple of truly horrific implosions in which he failed to score once, and those are the ones that lose contests for fantasy football players. He also has had more of the multi-touchdown explosions that win games for fantasy players, including a five-touchdown outing a couple of weeks ago. And those are quite nice.
Bust: Bruce Gradkowski, Tampa Bay. He burst onto the scene in Week 5 and 6, leading some owners to buy in. Those who did got a lemon. Gradkowski has since committed 13 turnovers.
Running Back
Winner: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville. Don’t ask me how, but this guy just continues to find his way to the end zone. Since he first blew up in Week 3 for 135 total yards and a touchdown, Jones-Drew has failed to score just twice. With many leagues now scoring a point per reception, his value is even higher than our honorable mention.
Honorable mention: Travis Henry, Tennessee. The Titans’ running back situation looked pretty scary around draft time, with Henry, Chris Brown and LenDale White all threatening to emerge. Henry finally busted loose in Week 5 and has since racked up 100 or more total yards five times.
Bust: Michael Turner, San Diego. Lots of fantasy players, including this one, went and picked up Turner after his Week 2 performance, in which he tallied 155 total yards as LaDanian Tomlinson’s backup. With lots of Chargers blowouts on the horizon, and the potential for an injury to Tomlinson, Turner was a smart waiver pick. He just hasn’t had a chance to pay off, having picked up 182 rushing yards since and scoring just once.
Wide receiver
Winner: Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets. This award would go to New Orleans’ Marques Colston, hands down, if not for an unfortunate ankle sprain that’s cutting into a truly breakout season (sorry to spoil the “honorable mention,” but it’s him). Cotchery, though, has given quarterback Chad Pennington a big, reliable target, especially in the red zone. But he’s fast enough to make for a deep threat, and that’s a beautiful combination that has led to 60 catches for 765 yards and five scores.
Honorable mention: Colston, New Orleans. His numbers are better, but just barely. Colston has 54 catches for 869 yards and seven touchdowns, but the questions around his injury make him a dicey play for the next couple of weeks, when Cotchery should make up the difference.
Bust: Reggie Williams, Jacksonville. Sorry, Husky fans. In his third pro season, Williams has disappointed again after raising expectations with 142 receiving yards and a score in the first two weeks. That was followed by a two-catch, 8-yard performance that was indicative of his 2006 campaign. Williams has been erratic, and there’s nothing that drives fantasy owners crazier than a player who goes wild when you bench him and does nothing when you start him. Fortunately, Williams had a five-game stretch in the middle of the year in which he touched the ball just once, which allowed fantasy players to completely forget about starting him.
Columnist Victor Balta:balta@heraldnet.com.
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