As we near the FF mid-season mark, I’ve reflected on some of the biggest surprises on each team in relation to pre-season expectations, either good or bad.
1. LAMAReyoukiddingme?! (Eric) (5-2) [1]
Lamar Jackson is killing it for Eric. Add Mark Andrews’s production into the mix, and Eric’s got a recipe for success. Granted, Andrews won’t get 2 TDs every week, but this version of Andrews looks a lot better than Weeks 3 and 4. Bijan and Jacobs continue to produce too, but all Eric really needs is for Lamar to continue being QB1.
Biggest Surprise: Mark Andrews
A lot of players qualified for Eric’s biggest surprise - Lamar Jackson’s dominance, Alvin Kamara’s positive production, Stefon Diggs’s solid numbers, Jameson Williams’s usage. But Mark Andrews has been the rollercoaster ride of the season so far. He was a borderline drop consideration after Week 4, but has now become at least a usable starting TE.
2. 第六 (Abraham) (4-3) [3]
Abraham’s team continued to roll in Week 7 with solid performances from pretty much every position, earning #HighScore for the 2nd time in 4 weeks. Losing Chris Godwin will be a big blow for Abraham, but the addition of Romeo Doubs and Keon Coleman may help soften that blow, and Olave will hopefully return soon.
Biggest Surprise: Dalton Kincaid
Kincaid was supposed to develop into a top-tier TE, but he’s been mid throughout much of the season - decent enough not to drop but unproductive enough to give Abraham a few more white hairs.
3. Breece Mode (Haji) (3-4) [2]
Haji was wise to pick up (kind of) a hedge in Jauan Jennings with Deebo still being Questionable and Aiyuk out for the season, even if he had to pay up for it. I could see it turning into a good investment. I’m sure Haji was happy to see how Amari Cooper made an immediate impact after the trade - could the Allen-Cooper stack actually be a thing? Even if not, Haji’s still got a solid core of players to continue on as one of the stronger teams in our league.
Biggest Surprise: Chuba Hubbard
I think Chuba was the last starting RB to be taken in the draft, as Haji was freaking out about not having any good options at RB2. Now, he’s got one of the more consistent RBs in FF and Chuba has actually looked good enough on the field to warrant him keeping the starting job, even if Jonathan Brooks returns from injury.
4. Kraft Mac Salad (Andrew) (3-4) [5]
Andrew’s team lost, but overall still put up respectable numbers. Question marks for me revolve around Rhamondre and CJ Stroud, but I think Njoku’s stock will rise with a new QB throwing the ball to him. Andrew’s team has improved as the season has progressed, and I would expect it to continue to post solid numbers as long as Derrick Henry continues to do what he’s been doing.
Biggest Surprise: Derrick Henry
Henry has been the overall RB1 in FF by a long shot, and that has helped Andrew big-time. I thought Henry would be good, but not this good. I expected signs of age and wear to show up by now, but he still looks like vintage Henry, and that means good things for Andrew moving forward.
5. Terrific Tortoises (David) (3-4) [9]
David’s team got the victory it needed with an impressive line from Javonte Williams. He’ll get at least one more week of that kind of production when Denver faces / demolishes Carolina this week. The return of Nick Chubb should also be huge for David, and the DeAndre Hopkins trade should be good news moving forward. In spite of all the injuries, David has adapted well and seems to be on the upward trajectory.
Biggest Surprise: Christian McCaffery
I don’t think anyone expected CMC to miss this much time. Who knows if he’ll even play at all this FF season, and even if he does, how effective he’ll be. Honorable mentions to Rashee Rice before he got injured and to Jordan Mason, who has filled in well enough to keep David’s team afloat in CMC’s absence.
6. I am not sacko! (Jeff Chen) (3-4) [6]
Jeff Chen got steamrolled by Lamar on MNF, and on top of that, Mike Evans was injured and will miss some time. Jeff does have Wicks as a decent backup plan, and at least Drake Maye looks like a usable FF asset so far.
Biggest Surprise: George Kittle
Can I say Jeff’s whole team? I was really expecting Jeff to end up in Sacko contention, but his team has proven otherwise. Montgomery and Dobbins have been solid RB options, Nico was playing extremely well before he got hurt, Joe Burrow and Drake Maye have been serviceable QBs, and Mike Evans and DK Metcalf have shown flashes. But Kittle has been the overall TE1 in FF this season, and in a TE landscape that has been extremely hit-or-miss this season, Kittle’s relative stability has given Jeff the consistency he needs.
7. Run It Back! (Gabs) (4-3) [4]
I didn’t expect Gabs would drop Anthony Richardson by now, but it happened. While he still has a good core of Kenneth Walker, Brock Bowers, and Brian Thomas Jr, there are some players trending in the wrong direction for Gabs. Diontae Johnson’s production will drop with Bryce under center, Garrett Wilson will continue to compete for targets with Davante Adams, and Aaron Rodgers just doesn’t look great.
Biggest Surprise: Brock Bowers
A case could be made for Brian Thomas Jr - who has scored the 6th most points amongst WRs this season. An opposite case could be made for Anthony Richardson, who Gabs has clearly been frustrated with. But Brock Bowers, rookie TE for a struggling Raiders team, currently has the 2nd most points amongst TEs and has proven to be a solid draft pickup for Gabs.
8. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (5-2) [7]
I was disappointed in my team losing to Aaron’s team in Week 7, but I’ll comfort myself with the fact that if Jayden Daniels didn’t get hurt, I’d still be at #1 in league standings - just look at what Marcus Mariota did to the disgrace of a defense / team that is the Carolina Panthers. I get it, injuries are part of the game so I’m not complaining. Also, my team really isn’t that good.
Biggest Surprise: Jayden Daniels
My other Jayden (Reed) has also been a pleasant surprise, but I didn’t expect Jayden Daniels to be a reliable every-week FF starter so soon. Reed at least showed flashes of it last year, but with Daniels as a rookie QB, I was expecting a little more time for development before he exploded. Hopefully his injury won’t set him back too much, but I guess that’s always a risk with mobile QBs.
9. Love thy Naber (Jeff Lin) (3-4) [8]
Jeff Lin had another down week, but with Kupp returning and Achane likely to get a bump up with Tua’s return, I can see a sliver of hope for him moving forward. Tank Dell’s goose egg will not be the norm, and Malik Nabers should return to form. At least Jeff’s got an easier matchup against Luke coming up to hopefully right the ship.
Biggest Surprise: Malik Nabers
Given where they were drafted and the teams that they were going to, most people expected Marvin Harrison Jr to outperform Malik Nabers going into the season. But Nabers has shown to be the more reliable FF asset so far, minus the 2 weeks he was out due to injury. Moving forward, I would expect Nabers to continue to be the better rookie WR for FF.
10. Maybabyboo (Laura) (3-4) [10]
Laura got a needed win this week and her team did decent without some starters (you know you can put players that are “out” in IR for the week to pick up another player, Laura? Aka Jake Moody). I still think it’s possible for Laura’s team to excel if the right pieces fall into place, and Waddle’s stock should go up if Tua stays healthy, which is good news for Laura.
Biggest Surprise: D’Andre Swift
I was convinced after Week 3 that Swift was droppable, but thankfully Laura kept him. Whether he’ll be able to continue his Weeks 4-6 production is TBD, but at least his matchups are a bit more favorable for the next month or so. Laura will need him to continue putting up big numbers to remain out of Sacko.
11. choubacca (Aaron) (3-4) [12]
Baker Mayfield saved the night for Aaron - he’s (Baker) been impressive in FF this season. With Tua returning, Tyreek’s stock should go up, and Dak + CeeDee ought to see better days moving forward. But Aaron’s team still sux for now, so I won’t bump his team too far up in the rankings yet.
Biggest Surprise: Tyreek Hill
The narrative of Tua getting injured negatively affecting Hill has been a large part of this surprise. But even with Tua hurt, I wouldn’t have expected Hill to be this bad. Hopefully Tua can stay healthy, because otherwise Aaron’s team is in trouble. Sam LaPorta was also a Biggest Surprise candidate with how poorly he’s played based on pre-season expectation.
12. Spider Pig (Luke) (3-4) [11]
I was going to keep Luke’s team at 11th, but after taking a closer look at it, I’m not impressed. Aaron’s team I feel like has more potential moving forward, and Luke’s team just seems stuck in a rut. Losing Aiyuk didn’t help. But I also don’t see league-winners on his team besides someone who rises up following an injury (maybe DeVonta Smith if AJ Brown gets hurt, Jordan Addison if Jefferson gets hurt, Charbonnet if Walker gets hurt, or Ray Davis if James Cook gets hurt?).
Biggest Surprise: Patrick Mahomes
Saquon has been the main man keeping Luke’s team relevant, and while his production has exceeded my expectations, I don’t think it’s as big of a surprise to me as how bad Patrick Mahomes has been for FF. Part of that can be attributed to losing Rashee Rice, but rookie Caleb Williams has scored more FF points than Mahomes (with both already having their byes). That just feels wrong, and has definitely negatively impacted Luke’s team.
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