Most people have a favorite fantasy villain. It could be Darth Vader, it could be Lord Voldemort, it could be Sauron, it could be the Wicked Witch of the West, or it could be the villain from The VelociPastor.
Madman's top villains change every season. He had two main enemies this year.
Both played in most of the games, but their play was not very good. This is worse than an injury. Because at least when you get injured, you know you need to be replaced.
If anything, these players kept you guessing all season long: “Will this be the week they turn it around?” How can we make this premier player sit out in this high-profile matchup? Is this week's Favorite Wavers Scrub better?
Cowboys running back Tony Pollard was one of our opponents. He was a mid-second round pick and averaged the No. 6 running back.
Coaches drafted him as RB1. Still, he had only two weeks in the top 10 during the fantasy season and finished the year as RB14, behind many other players who were available later in the draft.
His production fell well short of expectations, leaving fantasy managers scrambling to find a more upward option if they had the courage to bench Pollard.
Yes, he was worthy of consideration for Big Bust. But as bad as Pollard's season was, he couldn't overshadow Austin Ekeler's misery.
Ekeler was drafted in the top four overall and is coming off a season in which he was the leading scoring fantasy running back. And after a strong Week 1, it looked like he was going to have another great year, but his ankle sprain forced him to miss the next three games.
After his return, he suffered a slump in a few games, but bounced back by ranking within the top six for three consecutive games. He's back, isn't he? no.
With seven games remaining, his weekly ranking is 31.7, with just one game in the top 10 and one game in the top 24. This was devastating for fantasy teams trying to make the playoffs.
For these reasons, Austin Ekeler, you have earned the distinction of being Madman's biggest fantasy bust of the year. However, as a consolation, Pollard won RB Bust of the Year.
QB Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
The consensus draft pick was QB1, but managers had doubts about keeping him in the lineup during the playoffs, and he finished as QB8.
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WR Bust of the Year: Cooper Kupp, Rams
His four-game absence continues. However, we rate him as the 28th WR per game and 39th overall WR as the third WR taken in the draft. Honorable Mention: Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals. Davante Adams, Raiders. Garrett Wilson of the Jets.
TE Bust of the Year: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
He wasn't bad, but he wasn't as great as his draft cost required. That means he was 100 points better than the second-ranked tight end in 2022. Another such farewell would have been expected when he was drafted in the top five to seven in 2023, two rounds before the next tight end. I did not know.
the last straw
Tyler Huntley QB, Ravens
This type of decision is why the league should not decide the championship in the final week. There's no reason to think the Ravens will risk Lamar Jackson because there's nothing to play for.
Chad Henne QB, Chiefs
The Chiefs are locked into the No. 3 seed, so expect some of their key players to rest or avoid injury. However, Henne should only be used if the starter is unavailable and not before any of his other QB scrubs. He's still at rock bottom.
Elijah Mitchell RB, 49ers
Christian McCaffrey left Sunday's game with a calf injury. The hopeful San Fran plays it safe in a meaningless match and shuts him out. That should affect Mitchell a lot.
Gerald Everett TE, Chargers
He has had at least eight targets in four straight games. Even with a backup QB, we're going to chase that kind of volume at a thin position.
the last thing you threw away
Matthew Stafford QB, Rams
I'm not convinced the Rams will keep Stafford on the field for the entire game just because of the seeding (6-7). Even with no playoff incentive, Niners D is too demanding a task to risk Stafford's health.
Breece Hall RB, Jets
This could be Bill Belichick's last game with the team, so I'm worried the Patriots will be affected in some way. If so, we would expect it to manifest most clearly as defensive aggression.
Tuba Hubbard RB, Panthers
Tampa Bay has something to play for, not Carolina. And looking at Sunday's blowout loss, it appears the Panthers are already gearing up for the season.
George Pickens WR, Steelers
It's called guts and it's called hostility. Despite playing two big games in a row, Pickens has not been used. We don't trust him and think if we stop doing karma he will eventually catch up.
