Musesboy
Footballguy
The 2006 fantasy season is in the books. What do you feel that you learned? What surprised you? Are there new trends that you will try to benefit from next year? Here are some of my observations and thoughts.
It is impossible to play fantasy football and not be surprised or caught out by a great many unexpected occurrences during the season. Whether it is a freak performance, a big season from a player that you didn’t previously consider, a sudden change in productivity, or a change in a player’s situation, there will always be something. It may be more than that, and could be something that changes the way you will play fantasy football in the future. With that in mind, here are some of the things that I noticed in 2006.
Rookie Quarterbacks
What happened to the rule that rookie quarterbacks are not worthy of fantasy consideration? Quarterbacks are typically given one or two years on the bench so that they can fully absorb the playbook and get used to the pace of the NFL. It seems to me that there were an unusually high number of rookies given a chance in the 2006 season, and some of them had quite an impact.
Vince Young was sharing time with Kerry Collins early in the season, and the Titans looked like a different team after he emerged over the second half of the season. His last eight games saw him complete 115/207 passes for 1437 yards with 7 TDs and 6 INTs. He added 415 rushing yards and another 5 TDs over that span. That performance would have seen Young contend for a top three finish among QBs if repeated over the entire season.
Other rookie QBs that played above my expectations were Matt Leinart (shouldn’t the Bears’ defense have killed him in his first start?), Jay Cutler (9 TDs in his five starts) and Bruce Gradkowski (three good starts).
Tight End Production
After looking at 20 years of data, I discovered that the depth at TE appears to be greater than ever before. 2004 and 2005 both saw eight TEs reach 600 receiving yards. That number was matched twice more in the 20 year span, in 1993 and 1995. But the 2006 season produced an incredible 12 TEs with 600 receiving yards. The last two seasons have also both produced seven players with 100+ points at the position.
Is it time to lower the value of the elite tight ends now that there is so much depth at the position? What are the possible reasons for the recent change?
Wide Receivers Changing Teams
Isn’t there supposed to be a significant drop in production the first year that a wide receiver plays on a new team? I can certainly think of very few examples to dispute that claim. Since the 2000 season, I remember Terrell Owens, Laveranues Coles, Joe Horn, Plaxico Burress, Jerry Rice and Santana Moss doing well immediately after a move, but that’s about all.
The 2006 season saw Owens repeat his feat by placing second in the fantasy standings after moving to the Cowboys. He also managed 16 games for the first time since 2001. Javon Walker was another to do well after the Broncos traded for him. Walker finished in the top 10 despite the move, and the fact that he was recovering from an ACL injury. Even the change to a rookie QB didn’t stop Walker from producing. Mike Furrey moved to Detroit after playing as a DB for the Rams. He managed 98 catches and a top 20 finish. Marques Colston was not changing teams, but he also produced in a new offense as he was in his rookie season. He placed 14th in just 14 games after suffering an injury.
Why did those things happen? Most of those on the list are experienced receivers, but not all. Did they play similar roles in familiar schemes? Was it just a freak occurrence?
What else did you notice in 2006?
It is impossible to play fantasy football and not be surprised or caught out by a great many unexpected occurrences during the season. Whether it is a freak performance, a big season from a player that you didn’t previously consider, a sudden change in productivity, or a change in a player’s situation, there will always be something. It may be more than that, and could be something that changes the way you will play fantasy football in the future. With that in mind, here are some of the things that I noticed in 2006.
Rookie Quarterbacks
What happened to the rule that rookie quarterbacks are not worthy of fantasy consideration? Quarterbacks are typically given one or two years on the bench so that they can fully absorb the playbook and get used to the pace of the NFL. It seems to me that there were an unusually high number of rookies given a chance in the 2006 season, and some of them had quite an impact.
Vince Young was sharing time with Kerry Collins early in the season, and the Titans looked like a different team after he emerged over the second half of the season. His last eight games saw him complete 115/207 passes for 1437 yards with 7 TDs and 6 INTs. He added 415 rushing yards and another 5 TDs over that span. That performance would have seen Young contend for a top three finish among QBs if repeated over the entire season.
Other rookie QBs that played above my expectations were Matt Leinart (shouldn’t the Bears’ defense have killed him in his first start?), Jay Cutler (9 TDs in his five starts) and Bruce Gradkowski (three good starts).
Tight End Production
After looking at 20 years of data, I discovered that the depth at TE appears to be greater than ever before. 2004 and 2005 both saw eight TEs reach 600 receiving yards. That number was matched twice more in the 20 year span, in 1993 and 1995. But the 2006 season produced an incredible 12 TEs with 600 receiving yards. The last two seasons have also both produced seven players with 100+ points at the position.
Is it time to lower the value of the elite tight ends now that there is so much depth at the position? What are the possible reasons for the recent change?
Wide Receivers Changing Teams
Isn’t there supposed to be a significant drop in production the first year that a wide receiver plays on a new team? I can certainly think of very few examples to dispute that claim. Since the 2000 season, I remember Terrell Owens, Laveranues Coles, Joe Horn, Plaxico Burress, Jerry Rice and Santana Moss doing well immediately after a move, but that’s about all.
The 2006 season saw Owens repeat his feat by placing second in the fantasy standings after moving to the Cowboys. He also managed 16 games for the first time since 2001. Javon Walker was another to do well after the Broncos traded for him. Walker finished in the top 10 despite the move, and the fact that he was recovering from an ACL injury. Even the change to a rookie QB didn’t stop Walker from producing. Mike Furrey moved to Detroit after playing as a DB for the Rams. He managed 98 catches and a top 20 finish. Marques Colston was not changing teams, but he also produced in a new offense as he was in his rookie season. He placed 14th in just 14 games after suffering an injury.
Why did those things happen? Most of those on the list are experienced receivers, but not all. Did they play similar roles in familiar schemes? Was it just a freak occurrence?
What else did you notice in 2006?
