The 2023 Fantasy Football Awards

If I could describe the 2023 fantasy football season in one word, it would be chaotic. Maybe this is a result of my shrinking memory and attention span, but it felt like the fantasy gods dealt us a ton of devastating blows throughout the year. You could argue that nine of the top 12 players taken in standard league drafts this year delivered disappointing returns.

And the injuries, good grief. Quarterback was particularly decimated, with 54 different starters taking the field this year and 16 teams trotting out multiple QBs.

If you won your fantasy football league this year, kudos to you. This was one of the more brutal gauntlets of a year I can remember. 2023 was a year of pure survival (or simply drafting a player who we’ll get to later).

Now, as the NFL regular season wraps up, it’s time to reflect on the year that was. Here are the 2023 fantasy football awards.

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The 2023 Fantasy Football Awards

2023 Fantasy Football Most Valuable Player: Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)

Typically, when I write these awards I generate a build-up and announce the winner at the end of the blurb. But when an award is so obvious, it’s best to just cut to the chase.

It’s rare for the No. 1 overall player taken in August and September to wind up as the fantasy MVP. But CMC is simply the exception to the rule. According to ESPN, 58.9% of teams that made the championship game had McCaffrey. The next closest player is Kyren Williams, who is on 40.9% of finals teams.

McCaffrey’s case becomes even stronger when you consider just how poorly the players drafted after him in the first round performed. He’s also put up 100 points in half-PPR formats than the RB2, Raheem Mostert, who is also deserving of consideration for this award.

But the fact that six out of 10 fantasy players who drafted McCaffrey made their championship game is all the evidence you need to validate CMC as the 2023 fantasy MVP.

Honorable mentions: Raheem Mostert, Kyren Williams, CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Puka Nacua, Brock Purdy

2023 Fantasy Football Rookie of the Year

There are a few viable candidates for the 2023 fantasy rookie of the year. C.J. Stroud could finish the year with 4,000 yards passing and currently sits as the QB13 while his Houston Texans are competing for a playoff berth this week. While Bijan Robinson might not have lived up to the billing of being an early first-round pick, he’s still put up 1,200 total yards and is the RB12 in half-PPR formats. However, Robinson’s ride wasn’t as smooth as the final result, as the Falcons used him inconsistently.

The top runner-up is probably Jahmyr Gibbs, who is the RB9 in half-PPR leagues and has come on strong for the Detroit Lions as of late. But inconsistent usage at the start of the year, along with the presence of David Montgomery in the backfield has put a damper on his weekly fantasy upside. And while Gibbs wasn’t drafted quite as high as Robinson, he was a third-round pick according to ADP.

The winner of this award is also an obvious choice when you factor in ADP and end-of-season stats. Puka Nacua garnered some late hype in draft season, but he was still the WR88 according to ADP when draft season wrapped up. Entering Week 18, Nacua is the WR6 in half-PPR formats. That’s the definition of a home run late-round pick in fantasy football. Nacua’s season is even more impressive when you consider he’s only scored five touchdowns this season.

Sure, Cooper Kupp has battled injury. And sure, we don’t know how much longer Matthew Stafford can play at this level. But Nacua is legit, and extremely deserving of this award.

And the winner is… Puka Nacua (WR – LAR)

The Heartburn Award for Most Agitating Player

As I mentioned above, 2023 has been a chaotic season, which makes this a wide-open award. You could argue Travis Kelce has been extremely agitating when you consider he was a Round 1 pick and has put up a grossly disappointing season by his standards. The Taylor Swift saga hasn’t done him many favors either. Heck, the entire Kansas City Chiefs offense could win this award, particularly their wide receivers.

Jonathan Taylor made us nuts at the beginning of the year with his holdout, then came back and was relatively productive, only to get injured again when we needed him most.

Jaylen Waddle was a top-24 pick who has battled injuries throughout the year and is somehow the WR29 in a Miami offense that’s been a cash cow for fantasy players.

But the winner of this award is actually a tandem. A QB-WR combo that came into the year with plenty of hype and expectation. The quarterback was the QB8 in ADP but finished as the QB14. The wide receiver was a third-round pick who was wildly inconsistent and barely finished the season as a WR2.

Have you guessed it yet? One last chance…

Trevor Lawrence and Calvin Ridley win the award for most agitating players. Lawrence has generally been a nightmare to have this season, as he’s wavered between disappointing and injured, but not injured enough to sit out games. Ridley has at least had some flashy performances, but his inconsistency and tendency to disappear in games probably cost anyone who trusted him at least once.

It’s been a frustrating season for Jaguars fans, and anyone who’s had Lawrence or Ridley on their rosters can definitely relate.

And the winner is… Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC) and Calvin Ridley (WR – JAC)

The Matt Ryan Award for Excellence in Ineptitude

This award dates back to the 2022 season when I foolishly trusted Matt Ryan to be a viable starter in his final NFL season with the Colts. Last year’s winner was the entire Denver Broncos offense after an embarrassing campaign. But in a year filled with plenty of ineptitude, one team takes the cake: the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina equipped Bryce Young with a terrible supporting cast. And while I’m more inclined to think Young is a bust, it’s completely fair to say he hasn’t been set up for success. Carolina’s offensive line is miserable. Adam Thielen finished the year as the WR19 but has completely cooled off and been an unreliable asset down the stretch. There are no other viable pass catchers in the offense, and newly-signed tailback Miles Sanders will represent one of the biggest busts in the league from a fantasy perspective after being a top-5o pick this year.

And to top it off, their owner is throwing drinks at fans!

Oh, and did I mention Carolina’s draft pick, which happens to be No. 1 overall, is going to the Bears due to the trade that got them Young? What a mess.

And the winner is… the entire Carolina Panthers organization

The J.K. Dobbins Award for Player I’ll Vow to Never Draft Again

This is more of a personal jab at myself. I tend to never quit on guys I believe in. J.K. Dobbins has let me down two years in a row, but I took the plunge again in my most important league.

I vowed I wouldn’t do it. But when J.K. Dobbins fell to me in Round 6 of a keeper league, I just had to take a shot. This would be the year Dobbins would stay healthy and reach his potential! And for about 30 minutes this season, I thought I was brilliant. Dobbins was one of the first players to score a touchdown in the 2023 season, and I just knew that finally, FINALLY, J.K. Dobbins would put up the season we expected…

Then Dobbins tore his Achilles.

Never again.

And the winner is… J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)

The Rising Star You’ll Want to Draft in 2024

Last year, I picked Christian Watson and Drake London for this award, and that wasn’t exactly a great call.

Heading into next season, I think Rashee Rice will be a guy I’ll be targeting heavily in drafts next season. In a year where Kansas City has been hamstrung by terrible receiver play, Rice seems to be emerging from the pile. Rice is currently the WR22 in half-PPR formats, and while he still has plenty of development ahead of him, he’s built a rapport with Patrick Mahomes as the season’s gone on.

Rice could be a popular year two breakout pick, and I understand why.

And the winner is… Rashee Rice (WR – KC)

The Player I Was Most Wrong About

I came into the 2023 season pretty excited about what Jahan Dotson could do in his second season. And while Dotson wasn’t drafted all that high this summer, his 2023 campaign was nothing short of a disaster. Dotson caught 47 passes for 501 yards and four touchdowns, good for the WR55. His long-term standing in Washington could be in flux, assuming a coaching change comes. And Dotson went from an exciting year two breakout candidate to a complete afterthought by midseason.

And the winner is… Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS)

The Biggest Bust of the Season

I define a bust as a player who grossly underperformed based on expectation. And given what we expected out of this player, I think it’s fair to say that an RB18 season was insanely disappointing.

That’s right, I’m calling out Tony Pollard. A borderline first-round pick in drafts, Pollard failed to deliver. He might not even cross the 1,000-yard plateau and finished as an RB1 just four times this season.

Now, of course, part of this is outside of Pollard’s control. Mike McCarthy is a terrible coach who has bizarrely gravitated to players like Rico Dowdle, cutting into Pollard’s snap count. The Cowboys’ offensive line also hasn’t been very good in run blocking.

But this play is a perfect summation of Pollard’s disappointing season.

And the winner is… Tony Pollard (RB – DAL)