Wow. What a year. We laughed. We cried. We flipped the coffee table. This year was everything that fantasy football embodies. So what better way to wrap up the fantasy football season than to take a look at the championship heroes and villains then maybe make some predictions for the Super Bowl and NFL Awards? Fantasy football isn’t done for us as we will soon be doing the FFPC Playoff Challenge over at MyFFPC.com. If you want to get involved with that like us, use promo code COOP when you sign up and they’ll give you $25 off when you deposit $35 or more. Until then, let’s wrap up this fantasy football season and start gearing up for NFL playoffs!

 

Championship Playoff Heroes

One month ago, we wrote an article predicting some “league winners” at each position. Tank Dell from that list got hurt but Kyren Williams was the RB1 this week, David Njoku was TE3, Kyler Murray was QB4, and the Cleveland Browns were DST6. Not too shabby! Here are the players who made a huge difference this week and helped teams take home the trophy!

RB - Kyren Williams: When Kyren Williams was drafted, many did not believe in him (including me). He was a Day Three pick that was a little on the small side, a little on the slow side. But I believe now. He put up a monster three touchdown day when folks needed it most.

Honorable Mentions: Isiah Pacheco, Breece Hall, James Conner, Jerome Ford

WR - CeeDee Lamb:  There were a LOT of good performances. But we’ve got to give the nod to CeeDee Lamb and his 13 targets on 17 receptions for 227 yards and a score. What a week to have two hundred yards for his fantasy managers!

Honorable Mentions: Davante Adams, DJ Moore, Jayden Reed, Brandon Aiyuk

TE - Juwan Johnson: Did you have the confidence to start Juwan Johnson after back to back touchdown games? In his press conference before the game, Derek Carr explained why he was confident in Juwan now that he’s “finally healthy”. And he put up a healthy stat line this week with eight catches on 12 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. 

Honorable Mentions: Isaiah Likely, David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Sam LaPorta

QB - Lamar Jackson: Not only was he a fantasy football MVP but he may have earned himself league MVP the last two weeks beating the 49ers and Dolphins. When it mattered most for us in fantasy land though, he threw five touchdown passes.

Honorable Mentions: Jordan Love, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Joe Flacco

Fantasy Playoff Villains

Of course, we have to acknowledge those who let us down in the biggest week of the year. If the players above were the heroes, here are your villains. 

RB - Austin Ekeler: This is the culmination of season long disappointment for a player you likely took in the top half of the first round. In what is typically his preferred format, full PPR, he scored four points in championship week. He totaled 50 yards from scrimmage but lost a key fumble that contributed to them losing the game and you losing your matchup.

Honorable Mentions: Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs, Tony Pollard, James Cook

WR - Eagles WRs - There were certainly some duds out there. But the Eagles served up the double dud combo. AJ Brown was started in 98% of Yahoo leagues while DeVonta Smith was started in 90%. Tee Higgins only caught one pass but at least he was only started in 66% of leagues where fewer people felt that pain.

Honorable Mentions: Tee Higgins, Tyler Lockett, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed

TE - Travis Kelce: There were a couple tight ends that put up goose eggs, like Cole Kmet. But you knew he was dealing with a knee issue. I’m not sure what is going on with Kelce but you likely drafted him in the first round. So three catches for 16 yards isn’t cutting it. God forbid you play in a standard league where that is 1.6 points. And he’s not the only Chief on the list.

Honorable Mentions: Cole Kmet, Kyle Pitts, Dalton Schultz, George Kittle

QB - Patrick Mahomes: Technically Jared Goff scored a couple fewer fantasy points. But he was started in only 44% of Yahoo leagues compared to 88% for Mahomes (the 4th highest). When you took Patrick Mahomes as one of the first QBs off the board in your fantasy draft, you were hoping for more than 12 fantasy points in championship week, no doubt.

Honorable Mentions: Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, C.J. Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa

Super Bowl Prediction

Baltimore Ravens over Dallas Cowboys

If you believe the combined conspiracy theories from Arian Foster that the NFL is scripted and from some NFL fans that the Super Bowl Logo foreshadows who plays, then you would have the Ravens against the 49ers. But I believe the Baltimore Ravens just gave the rest of the NFL the script needed to beat the fullback laden offenses run by the 49ers and Dolphins which is to blitz them hard and force them to throw to players other than the top options (neither team has a third WR with more than 25 catches this season). The Eagles just laid out the red carpet for the Dallas Cowboys with their insane loss to the Cardinals so I’m saying Ravens over Cowboys here. But, again, it might have been decided a long time ago if your believe the theories.  

NFL Awards Predictions

MVP: Lamar Jackson - In my opinion, he just earned the award over the last two weeks beating two of the league’s top teams. The king can rest in Week 18, if the Ravens choose.

Coach of the Year: Demeco Ryans - There are a lot of great options here and I love the attitudes fro Dan Campbell and Mike McDaniel. And I know that this rarely goes to first time coaches. But I have to give a shoutout to Ryans for the way he seemingly transformed this team into a winner both on the field and in spirit. For the first time in a long time, the Houston Texans have a “winning culture”. 

Offensive Player of the Year: Trent Williams - I don’t care that a lineman never wins this award. Trent Williams is the best offensive player on one of the league’s best teams. In the real world, more than half of the kids growing up player line. If you can’t tell those kids that their job is important and that they CAN be the best player on their team, then they need to create a new award just for offensive lineman. Name it the Anthony Munoz Award or something. Until then, I’m giving this award to Trent Williams. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett - Defense is about disruption. And Myles Garrett has easily been the most disruptive player this year. Him playing through a fairly serious shoulder injury just adds to his story and he deserves recognition for that. 

Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Flacco - These awards are picked by journalists. And journalists root for stories, not players. So Damar Hamlin may have already won simply by stepping on the field. But what Joe Flacco has done truly embodies what this award should mean. Because he didn’t simply step on the field. He stepped on the field and dominated it. Geno Smith last year was the perfect example of a player who was written off then came back to crush it and, in 2024, Joe Flacco is that guy. If he takes this team deep into the playoffs, his overall story isn’t all that far off from the legendary tale of Kurt Warner.