Just the other day I dropped my Biggest Busts of the Fantasy Football Season, so why not lighten the mood this time around? Let’s have a little fun. Let’s smile and laugh at our fantasy football glory. Here come the most pleasant surprises of the season…
Quarterback Surprises – We all knew Geno Smith would be a Hall of Famer
Runner-up: Justin Fields
Biggest surprise: Geno Smith
I spent the last piece ragging on Russell Wilson, so I have to dovetail by praising the almighty Geno Smith. As a lifelong Jets fan, I know Mr. Smith rather well and I’ll be honest with ya – he did always flash the talent. Geno always had the physical skills and attributes – good height, athletic, a surprisingly soft touch – but a sucker punch incident sent everything off the rails, permanently.
If you’ve been following this season’s interviews and media coverage closely, you’ll know that Geno has been quick to point out that he had a perfect QB rating in his final start as a New York Jet. He wants us to know – this talent has always been there. And now, finally getting the opportunity he believed he deserved, Geno’s the No. 8 quarterback in fantasy football, shockingly ahead of Tom Brady, Justin Herbert and Aaron Rodgers, just to name a few.
It’s the feel-good story of the season, and I’m on board with it. I hope Geno finds a way to shock the world and win league MVP.
Running Back Surprises – The Raiders suck, but this guy doesn’t
Runner-up: Rhamondre Stevenson
Biggest surprise: Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs flew way under the fantasy radar this offseason. But why, I wondered? Was it because Davante Adams, Josh McDaniels and Chandler Jones were stealing all of the Raiders’ offseason headlines? Was it because Davante and Darren Waller were viewed as the “sexier” fantasy options within Las Vegas’ (supposedly) high-powered offense?
Well whatever the reason, Jacobs didn’t even make our top 20 RBs prior to the season. In direct and obvious contrast to that fact, he currently sits as the No. 7 overall running back in fantasy football. If you’ve seen the tape or watched him live this season, you’ve seen a lean, mean, defense-shredding machine. Jacobs has been an absolute horse for Las Vegas, mirroring his famous high school days where he ran for a bazillion yards and seemingly scored a TD every time he touched the ball.
The Las Vegas Raiders might be the biggest disappointment in the NFL this season, but do we care in fantasy? Nah. Josh Jacobs is out here leading us to the freakin’ playoffs.
Wide Receiver Surprises – A rookie takes the cake and eats it
Runner-up: Curtis Samuel
Biggest surprise: Chris Olave
It’s supposed to take a while for rookie receivers, right? Lot of plays to memorize, route trees, blocking assignments, etc. And what about when you have an inexperienced head coach (Dennis Allen) and two veterans initially ahead of you in the pecking order (Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry)?
None of that has mattered in the case of impressive youngster Chris Olave, who is currently the No. 19 WR in all of fantasy. We had him as the No. 118 player heading into the season, and he’s vastly outperformed that as No. 68 in the game, ahead of preseason darlings like Michael Pittman Jr., Terry McLaurin, Mike Williams and Deebo Samuel. Olave has been wise beyond his years, making himself available in the open field to Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill.
You might be interested to know that he’s been targeted more than superstars Jaylen Waddle, A.J. Brown, Austin Ekeler and DK Metcalf. Olave has done everything but waste those opportunities, turning himself into one of the more surprising rookies we’ve seen in recent years.
Tight End Surprises – I can’t believe I’m picking this guy as the surprise of the year
Runner-up: Taysom Hill (if eligible as a TE in your league, obviously)
Biggest surprise: Tyler Conklin
Seriously… how the hell is Tyler Conklin the No. 7 overall tight end in fantasy right now? He came into the season as the expected backup to veteran C.J. Uzomah – whom my Jets poached from the AFC champion Bengals – and Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and Corey Davis were all looking pretty good on paper. A lot of mouths to feed, indeed – and don’t forget we’re talkin’ about lowly Joe Flacco and Zach Wilson tossin’ the rock around, here.
Still, Conklin has pushed his way through the impediments, turning his 50 targets – 8th-most among tight ends – into roughly 70 fantasy points and a ranking above George Kittle, Kyle Pitts and Tyler Higbee. He’s been a check-down and flat king, providing his most value in full-point PPR as opposed to half-point or Standard. (Wait, do Standard leagues still exist at this point?) Any way we slice it, Conklin has been a fantasy surprise I simply didn’t see coming.
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 18 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things football throughout another action-packed season.
