The Dynasty Aftermath: Final Year-End Edition

Welcome to DLF’s Dynasty Aftermath. This Tuesday staple is our longest running signature piece as we have a little fun after a tough week at the Dynasty League Football office. This article typically reviews the week’s happenings in a variety of ways and helps set you up for the coming weeks as we spin around the league in the way we know best. Since the season is over and most leagues were done prior to week seventeen, I decided to do something different this week and do a year-end edition.

Let’s take a look back at the year that was!

2013 Fantasy MVP

You could make a case for several players this year. Jamaal Charles had a phenomenal season for the Chiefs. Josh Gordon of the Browns became the best value pick in virtually all start-up drafts as he led the league in receiving even after serving his suspension. The point differential from Jimmy Graham to the next best tight end was enormous. Any of those three could have helped you win your league. However, there’s one player who truly deserves the award this year and that’s Peyton Manning. We could have expected a solid QB1 season from the perennial stud quarterback, but nobody could have predicted he’d throw for a record breaking 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. That’s hard to do in a video game, people. Manning will go down as a fantasy legend and that season will be tough for any quarterback to ever duplicate, unless you’re, well, Peyton Manning.

2013 Fantasy LVP

As always, there are a ton of candidates here as well. Arian Foster’s workload finally caught up with him. Ray Rice seemed to fall off a cliff. Doug Martin and Trent Richardson had Sophomore seasons to forget for very different reasons. And those are just some of the running backs. I’ll go a different direction just for fun and give this award to David Wilson, who went from the fastest rising player in dynasty drafts to a player who may never play again.  It’s easy to argue that’s unfair because of his injury, but many people may be forgetting how poorly Wilson played when he was healthy this year. Owners who drank the Wilson Kool-aid and took him at the end of round one are now stick with a player who has a confidence issue, fumbling problems and an injury that may derail his career before it even got started. Ouch.

Lineup Fun

The unbeatable lineup of the year…

QB Peyton Manning DEN = 5,477 passing yards, 55 touchdowns, ten interceptions
RB Jamaal Charles KC = 1,287 rushing yards, 70 catches, 693 receiving yards, 19 total touchdowns
RB Matt Forte CHI = 1,339 rushing yards, 74 catches, 594 receiving yards, 12 total touchdowns
RB LeSean McCoy PHI = 1,607 receiving yards, 52 catches, 539 receiving yards, 11 total touchdowns
WR Antonio Brown PIT = 110 catches, 1,499 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
WR Demaryius Thomas DEN = 92 catches, 1,430 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns
WR Josh Gordon CLE = 87 catches, 1,646 receiving yards, nine touchdowns
TE Jimmy Graham NO = 86 catches, 1,215 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns

The dominant underdog lineup of the year…

QB Nick Foles PHI = 2,891 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, two interceptions
RB Knowshon Moreno DEN = 1,038 rushing yards, 60 catches, 548 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns
RB Danny Woodhead SD = 429 rushing yards, 76 catches, 605 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
RB Joique Bell DET = 650 rushing yards, 53 catches, 547 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
WR Julian Edelman NE = 105 catches, 1,056 receiving yards, six touchdowns
WR Harry Douglas ATL = 85 catches, 1,067 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Riley Cooper PHI = 47 catches, 835 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
TE Charles Clay MIA = 69 catches, 759 receiving yards, six touchdowns

The unexpectedly horrible lineup of the year (and imagine how afraid your league would have been at seeing this in week one)…

QB Eli Manning NYG = 3,818 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 27 interceptions
RB Trent Richardson CLE/IND = 563 rushing yards, 35 catches, 316 receiving yards, four touchdowns
RB Doug Martin TB = 456 rushing yards, 12 catches, 66 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Arian Foster HOU = 542 rushing yards, 22 catches, 183 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Hakeem Nicks NYG = 56 catches, 896 receiving yards, zero touchdowns
WR Justin Blackmon JAX = 29 catches, 415 receiving yards, one touchdown, one suspension
WR Kenny Britt TEN = Eleven catches, 96 receiving yards, zero touchdowns
TE Dennis Pitta BAL = 20 catches, 169 receiving yards, one touchdown

Gut Checks

I’d be worried if I expected that season again from Harry Douglas.

I’d be worried if I owned Kenny Britt. What in the world happened here?

I’d be worried if I have Robert Griffin III. Next year is, uh, pivotal.

I’d be worried if I owned Mike Wallace. Unfortunately, he kind of was what we thought.

I’d be worried if I have Arian Foster. There are no guarantees with back injuries and a new coaching staff could change everything.

I’d be worried if I owned Ray Rice. He hardly played in the most important game of the year because of the game plan?  That’s worrisome.

I’d be worried if I thought Ben Tate was just going to set the world on fire next year.

I’d be worried if I have Percy Harvin. He looks kind of expensive at the moment.

I’d be worried if I have Trent Richardson or Doug Martin. There are Sophomore slumps, but that was ridiculous. Remember, Martin averaged 3.6 yards per carry before his injury.

I’d be worried if I’m banking on any New York Giant running back at the moment.

I’d be worried if I have Stevie Johnson. He disappeared quickly this year.

I’d be worried if I have Matthew Stafford. For all his great stats, he sure does have some flaws.

I’d be worried if I have MJD. He just didn’t look the same.

I’d be worried if I’m counting on Reggie Wayne in the future. Injuries and age are a bad combination.

I’d be worried if I have Mark Ingram. It’s just kind of over.

I’d be worried if I have Michael Vick. He was a sell if we ever saw one.

I’d be worried if I own Alfred Morris. He had another great year, but was he a Shanahan zone running wonder? I don’t think so, but we’ll soon find out.

I’d be worried if I have Stevan Ridley. Your guess is as good as mine.

I’d be worried if I have Eric Decker. He’s great, but who knows where he plays next season.

I’d be worried if I didn’t have Alshon Jeffery or Josh Gordon.

I’d be worried if I’ve forgotten about Marcus Lattimore.

I’d be worried if I’m banking on any receiver from the Raiders.

I’d be worried if I have Rob Gronkowski. No explanation needed.

I’d be worried if I’ve left Jerrel Jernigan on the waiver wire.

I’d be worried if I own Hakeem Nicks. Wow, that was terrible.

I’d be worried if I’m counting on Dwayne Bowe. It’s not his fault, but it’s just not working for him in KC.

I’d be worried if I have Lamar Miller. He was another huge disappointment this season.

I’d be worried if I have Justin Blackmon. If your league scores points for being a knucklehead, congrats on your league title.

I’d be worried if I’m still holding on to the Greg Little pipe dream.

I’d be worried if I have Jake Locker as my developmental quarterback.

I’d be worried if I own Julio Jones. Let’s hope this isn’t chronic.

I’d be worried if I have CJ Spiller. That was another major buzzkill.

I’d be worried if I own Darren McFadden. That was actually predictable.

I’d be worried if  you were the one writing this column, because I could seriously go on with this section for another hour.

…and most of all

I’d be worried if I’m giving up on any of my rookies after just one season.

I’d be worried if I’m trading away proven players for rookie picks. Have we taught you nothing!

I’d be worried if you think DLF doesn’t kick it into high gear again this off-season. Remember, we don’t have an off-season.

You can follow Ken on twitter@DLF_KenK.

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