Fantasy Football Awards for Week 16

By Guest Writer John Belaska:

The fantasy season is officially over. It is a sad time of the year. Whether you won your league’s championship or not you still have to mourn the fact there will be no more fantasy football for an entire year. At least we have the NFL playoffs the look forward to. This past weekend was the championship round of fantasy football and here are the player who helped bring a trophy to a few lucky owners.

Quarterback of the Week- Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos)      

Courtesy of ICON SMI

Peyton Manning did it. He took back the record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season. He did it at the right time too. In the championship round of fantasy football, Manning threw for 400 passing yards and four touchdowns. He did it against a team he is quite familiar with too, the Houston Texans. Manning started the fantasy football season with a bang and he closed it in similar fashion.

Running Back of the Week- DeMarco Murray (Dallas Cowboys)    

Cowboys’ running back Demarco Murray has a huge game in week sixteen versus the Washington Redskins. He ran for 96 yards and a touchdown and added 15 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown to his totals. Despite a midseason injury, Murray emerged as one of the best running backs to own during the fantasy playoff run.

Wide Receiver of the Week- A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals)

A.J. Green came up big for fantasy owners when it counted most. Green was one of the most consistent wide receivers early in the season, but his stat lines started to fall off during the last stretch of the season. Last week, he caught seven passes for 97 receiving yards and a touchdown. There was a reason you needed to draft him in the second round and he made it all worth it with this performance.

Tight End of the Week- Julius Thomas (Denver Broncos)

Julius Thomas has been one of the biggest breakout players of the year. For owners who waited to draft a tight end until later rounds, Thomas was a miracle. If he was one your team in the championship game, he gave you a very nice stat line: seven receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown of the day was Peyton Manning record breaking 51^st passing touchdown of the season.

Kicker of the Week- Nick Novak (San Diego Chargers)

Nick Novak performed very well against the Oakland Raiders. He knocked all four of his field goal attempts through the uprights and tacked on two extra points to his total. Novak outscored some of the best players in the league including Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and DeSean Jackson.

Team Defense of the Week- New England Patriots

The Patriots looked as strong as they have ever been on defense against the Baltimore Ravens. The team caused four sacks, three picks, and recovered a forced fumble in the game. They also scored two defensive touchdowns and only allowed seven points the whole game. The Patriots defense had relatively quiet this season, but they proved they are capable of being an every game fantasy defense last week.

Rookie of the Week- Geno Smith (New York Jets)    

Maybe the Jets have found a future starting quarterback in Geno Smith. His rookie campaign has been a complete rollercoaster ride, but recently he has been playing better than he had all season. In week sixteen he threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 48 yards and scored on the ground as well. Smith is looking like he could be a major fantasy sleeper next season.

Sleeper of the Week- LeGarrette Blount (New England Patriots)

The Patriots backfield is a horrible headache for fantasy owners. They have four running backs that could all be started as a flex player any week. The problem is it is too hard to predict which one is going to be the featured back for a particular week. In week sixteen, they featured their bruiser, LeGarrette Blount. Blount rushed for 76 yards and scored two times against one of the best rushing defenses in the league.

Bust of the Week- Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals)

It appears Larry Fitzgerald’s time is coming to a close. Once the king of fantasy wide receiver; Fitzgerald caught three passes for 18 yards in the most important week of the fantasy football season. He was expected to have a bounce back season this year, but 2013 has not been too much better than his 2012 campaign.

Comeback Player of the Week- Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals)

 After having one of the best mid season stints a fantasy quarterback could have, Andy Dalton quieted down and left many fantasy owners to search the waiver wire for a starting quarterback. Last weekend he had one of the big games reminiscent of his mid season run. He threw for 366 passing yards and four touchdowns. He also added an extra fantasy point on the ground, running for 10 yards. The offseason will have big implications for the Bengals quarterback. He could either be leaving town or once again be named the starter. If he remains in Cincinnati, he easily could have a spot on the fantasy radar.

Fanspeak.com Most Valuable Player- Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos)

Peyton Manning has to get this award. In big games, you need you best player to have a huge game. Manning did not disappoint. If you had him in your lineup for the championship game, he very well could have won it for you. Very fitting considering he is a major reason you were there in the first place.