With the blink of an eye, another action packed fantasy football season has come to an end. But before we turn the page to our 2023 preparations, the Sunday Surefire team takes one last look back at the season that was and recognizes those who performed at the highest of levels in 2022.
Stone Cold Stud Award
- Given to the best high-profile player who we projected to be fantasy gold and delivered on those lofty expectations
Winner: Austin Ekeler
What can I say about Austin Ekeler that you don’t already know? Drafted in the early first round of most leagues, the PPR machine lived up to the price tag this year. Ekeler followed up a 2021 RB2 overall finish by grabbing the top spot to himself in the 2022 half and full PPR scoring formats. The only RB to eclipse the 100 catch mark, he posted a career-high 107 grabs on the season. As for coming up clutch when it mattered most, Ekeler delivered in the final 2 weeks of the fantasy season delivering a combined 240 scrimmage yards, 8 catches and 2 TDs in the semi final and championship rounds.
Comeback Player of the Year Award
- Given to the player who bounced back from a challenging 2021 season and produced for fantasy managers in 2022
Winner: Christian McCaffrey
Boy, the “I’ll never draft CMC ever again” crowd sure got real quiet real fast didn’t they? Coming off back to back injury plagued campaigns that saw the star tailback miss a combined 23 contests, CMC silenced the naysayers and delivered for those who kept the faith in 2022. His 85 receptions ranked 2nd among RBs and his 1,880 scrimmage yards and 13 total TDs were exactly what fantasy mangers were looking for when they invested a first round pick in him last Fall.
Newcomer of the Year Award
- Given to the best player who changed teams between the 2021 & 2022 seasons
Winner: Tyreek Hill
Typically, when a WR changes teams we tend to see a dip in production. Following the highest scoring season of Hill’s career, it’s safe to say he did not get that memo. When the Dolphins shelled out a number of draft picks along with a massive contract there were concerns that going from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa would tank Hill’s value. 170 targets, 119 receptions, 1,700 yards and 7 TDs later, it’s clear that Miami got the most out of their high-priced off-season addition.
King of the “RB Deadzone” Award
- Given to the best RB selected between rounds 3-6 in ADP
Winner: Josh Jacobs
The “RB Deadzone” was a catchy phrase that caught fire during draft season and the general consensus among industry experts was to pivot to other positions in this territory. Not bad logic given some of the RBs in that range of most drafts, but if you gobbled up shares of Josh Jacobs at his 5th round ADP you almost certainly were in the mix for a championship this year. Jacobs wasted no time putting concerns over how he would fit into the new regime’s plans to rest, registering more carries and rushing yards than any other back in the league. The 4th year pro was also one of just 3 RBs to crack the 300 half PPR point mark.
Mr. Playoffs Award
- Given to the player that separated themselves from the field come weeks 15-17
Winner: George Kittle
If you grabbed Kittle at his 5th round ADP you probably weren’t overly thrilled with his TE7 half PPR finish to the fantasy regular season. Given the unpredictable landscape of the TE position, however you likely continued to roll Kittle out there each week once the playoffs came around and hoped for the best. To say that decision paid off would be an understatement. Serving as Brock Purdy’s security blanket, Kittle’s 60.6 half PPR points were good for 15 more than the next closest TE during that span. Half of that point total can be attributed to the whopping 5 TDs Kittle dropped over the fantasy season’s final three weeks. He may have disappointed early on, but if you stuck with him, you most likely took home some hardware this year.
Rookie of the Year Award
- Self-explanatory
Winner: Kenneth Walker
Positional scarcity helps Walker edge out rookie WRs Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson for the Sunday Surefire rookie of the year award. K-9 rewarded fantasy managers who exercised patience in the early going and made for a smash waiver wire add in league where managers were quick to cut ties. A predictable early season injury to Rashaad Penny paved the way for Walker to finish as half PPR RB8 overall between weeks 5 and 17. The hard charging runner also displayed a nose for the end zone during his rookie campaign, registering 9 TDs on the year.
Top Dog Award
- Given to the player who scored the most points during the 2022 season
Winner: Patrick Mahomes
This one was always meant to be a QB award, but in the early going Mahomes did not appear that he was on the way to bringing this award home. Between Lamar Jackson’s blazing start, Jalen Hurts’ MVP front running season and Josh Allen’s ideal combination of rushing and passing ability, Mahomes was about as much of a fantasy afterthought as a player of his caliber could have been to start the season. Needless to say, a stretch of 1,240 yards and 12 total TDs over the fantasy season’s final 4 weeks vaulted the perennial top 5 QB all the way up to the number 1 spot at season’s end.
