By Dan O’Shea
I know you’ve been waiting all season for this, the special time of year when we all gather around the table like one big happy family, solemnly join hands, and together trash the worst fantasy football players of the season.
That’s right, it’s time for the Pope’s Nose Awards. I could explain the name, but to save time (my own, not yours) I’d rather have you follow the link to last year’s awards, and add another hit to the website to please the Beachwood powers-that-be.
This season, like every season, featured plenty of great performances, and plenty of guys have exceeded expectations all year long. But, we’re not here to praise, we’re here to bury. There also were no shortage of disappointing performances, but the biggest bombs at each position this season have been fairly obvious:
QB: Brett Favre, Minnesota.
You don’t have Brad Childress to kick around anymore, but he wasn’t the one who had thrown 17 interceptions going into this week against 10 TDs. There have been a couple flashes of the old brilliance, but Favre looks a lot like an old man playing a young man’s game and he was likely a wasted draft pick regardless of how late you got him.
RB: Ryan Mathews, San Diego.
Injuries have played a part here, but what makes the rookie a big stinking failure is how high he was ranked in the draft – a first-round pick in most leagues. He has only two TDs, and his single-game season-high of 78 yards came in Week 1. Mike Tolbert and Darren Sproles have been better plays, while Mathews has been jettisoned in at least a handful of leagues.
WR: Randy Moss, Tennessee.
Playing for his third team this year, and it just keeps getting worse. How bad? So bad that he didn’t catch a single pass last week – in a game that went into overtime. His days as a top WR pick likely are done unless he somehow lands in an offense like New Orleans’ or San Diego’s.
TE: Brent Celek, Philadelphia.
Here’s a player who wasn’t ranked all that highly in the pre-season, yet was almost universally viewed as the sleeper at this position. Unfortunately, Philly’s three-man attack of Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy has left him out in the cold with only two TDs.
K: Jeff Reed, formerly Pittsburgh.
Another easy choice, since he was just dumped by the Steelers. Traditionally one of the more reliable kickers and higher picks at the position – and though he actually made a couple 50-yarders this season – he missed seven field goals overall.
Those are my turkeys. Enjoy your own this week.
Expert Wire
* Yahoo! Pickups of the Week lists forgotten Minnesota QB Tarvaris Jackson as a moderate buy. The thinking is that the Vikings are bad enough that Favre will sit soon and Jackson will play, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
* Bleacher Report Week 12 Sit ‘Em/Start ‘Em says to start NY Giants WR Mario Manningham. He’s had a couple good games this season, but the main reason to start him is because the Giants’ other two more preferred WRs, Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith are both out at least the next two weeks.
* SI.com is the latest fantasy football tracker to celebrate the value of the lowly kicker. This is a variation on a column somebody somewhere writes at least once a season. Washington’s Graham Gano apparently is one to watch. Whatever you do, don’t pick up Jeff Reed.
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Dan O’Shea’s Fantasy Fix appears in this space every Wednesday. He welcomes your comments. You can also read his about his split sports fan personality at his Beachwood blog SwingsBothWays.
Posted on November 24, 2010