time to give some awards for those fantasy stars

By Martin Richardson

Now that we are halfway through the season, I thought it would be good to have a look at who have been some of the players that have gone under the radar. Now that might not mean that I’m picking out players like Jaleel Mclaughlin or Alexander Mattison, but players who perhaps had a higher upside and it may have gone unnoticed that they have not performed; or those players who were those mid to late round picks who have become must starts every week in your fantasy lineups.

Let’s take a look at the first of the Under the Rader Awards of the season.

UNDER THE RADAR QB AWARD:

BO NIX

I wrote about him recently, and irrespective of the Ravens loss, as there is no shame there in my opinion, I think I am becoming a very big fan of what Nix has done this season. No one expected him to be a top ten fantasy QB, and when the Broncos traded away Jerry Jeudy, didn’t really have a TE that is an offensive threat and a running back room that was too inconsistent to be considered dangerous, it appeared as though Nix would struggle.

And to be fair, he did at first, with several tough interceptions but since then, he has become a source of fantasy points for everyone. I didn’t think he would rush for 4 touchdowns and catch one, as well as have 8 touchdowns to his name. He’s thrown for nearly 1800 yards and could be on for a great end to the season.

If anyone took a gamble and drafted him, well played. You deserve the points he’s been getting you and I hope he’s lead you to a few wins along the way. If you managed to pick him up on waivers, keep him and use him when you can, he’s going to be a vital piece down the stretch.

UNDER THE RADAR RB AWARD:

TRAVIS ETIENNE

I wish I could keep it all positive, but in this case, the most surprising running back is:  Travis Etienne Jr. Another player who was tipped to be a breakout star, with second round projections and numbers for fantasy players everywhere. but Etienne just can’t get it going down in Jacksonville at all. With two touchdowns to his name all season, players who have scored more than him include back up to Derrick Henry, Justice Hill; back up to James Cook, Ray Davis; back up to Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet and Jonathan Taylor who has missed three weeks with injury!

It wouldn’t shock me at all if Etienne is kicking about on waivers, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if you decided to avoid him. You just can’t trust him to be productive and make any positive contributions to your fantasy team.

On the back of this, it takes a big man to admit his mistakes, and I believe I wrote in an article that the Jags needed to stop trying to make Tank Bigsby a thing. We all make mistakes, just like the jags have tried to keep Etienne around for as long as they have. See what I did there? I spun my apology back around on Etienne like it was his fault and not really mine.

UNDER THE RADAR WR AWARD:

BRIAN THOMAS JR

Can I go on record and say I love this guy. I think he will be a star. I really do. He has been incredible for the Jags this season, especially considering that most of the Jags have been beyond woeful for most of the season.

At the moment, Thomas is in the top ten for most touchdowns this season (5), as well as being a top ten fantasy wide receiver as well. With nearly 500 yards already well this season, when Thomas Jr has got that separation, he has scored big, with long runs of 50+ yards in three games, and that is what you want for someone who was projected to be drafted a lot lower than his former LSU WR partner, Malik Nabers. His average yards per carry sits at 17.0 yards and that is incredible given that he has less than ten targets per game. What that tells me is that when he does get the ball, he is making the most of it and that can only be a good thing for your fantasy matchups down the stretch.

UNDER THE RADAR TE AWARD:

TUCKER KRAFT

I love when a name just creeps up the charts week after week and just cements themselves as a top talent in fantasy football. Enter Tucker Kraft. Given the fact that Jordan Love appears to be made of marshmallows and held together by pre-used sticky tape, Kraft has somehow managed to establish himself as a top fantasy TE this season. He has 5 touchdowns already, two against the Rams, but he also has chunks of yards that lead to points to help your fantasy matchups. What is clear is that even with the committee of WR that appear to being used in Green Bay, Kraft is still managing 3-6 receptions per game, so he has a big part to play in their success this season. He has games to come against the mean 49ers defense as well as the Lions. But he also has the chance to continue that good form against the Saints and Bears (twice) before the of the season.

UNDER THE RADAR BEST ROOKIE AWARD:

JAYDEN DANIELS

I feel as though it can only go to one person and that is Jayden Daniels. He has surpassed what anyone thought would happen in Washington in his first year as their signal caller. He hit the ground running against the Buccaneers with two rushing touchdowns. Daniels continued this solid start with five consecutive games with over 200 yards in the air, amassing those fantasy points along with multiple touchdowns against the Bengals, Cardinals and Ravens. He currently has nearly 2000 yards this season as well as 9 passing touchdowns and 4 more rushing one to add to his impressive start. He also has only 2 interceptions this season, which is incredible when you think that Drake Maye has 4 and played a lot less.

Daniels has been able to develop as the weeks go on and show that he can be the main man in Washington and with the Commanders sitting at 7-2, they have a real chance of not only making the playoffs, but dare I say it, being a contender for the number one seed in the NFC. And if they make it to the playoffs, they are exactly the type of berserker team that could cause all kinds of playoff chaos.  

UNDER THE RADAR- MOST DISAPPOINTING AWARD:

Anyone from the Dallas Cowboys?

No, I’m just joking.

This was tough, but when you take out the injuries that players have had (as that skews the numbers) there were still some big names that have disappointed this season. Firstly, I was tempted to go with Rachaad White, very few touchdowns and points so far, but that would have been far to bitter and personal, but with Bucky Irving on the up and up, White does seem like his time in Tampa won’t even be half of what he did last season. Then I kept it in division and looked at Chris Olave, as he is always someone is projected to be drafted high but doesn’t deliver. Some may say a lack of Derek Carr has had an impact, but he has had one touchdown all season and 400 yards. He is averaging a mere 5 points a game and just hasn’t cut it. However, what I will say about Olave is that he has been injured in game so many times this season that it looked like he was done for weeks at a time, but he hasn’t missed a game. He’s been missed when you’ve needed him in fantasy football matchups.

But, the Under the Radar Most Disappointing player so far goes to:

Sam laporta

This might seem harsh as he may have been dealing with an injury for a week or two, but even before then he was not being utilized in a way that was befitting all the hype that was thrown his way in the preseason. He had three targets and 13 yards against the Buccaneers, two targets for 25 yards against the Vikings, and 28 yards from three targets against the Packers. At the moment, LaPorta is not even a top 10 Fantasy TE. Packers TE Tucker Kraft and Buccaneers TE Cade Otton are far more productive than he has been. He has only two touchdowns this season, against the decidedly average Dallas Cowboys and the terrible Tennessee Titans, and his highest total yardage was 53 against the hit and miss Seahawks.

Was I sucked in by the hype surrounding him? A little. But as the season progresses, I’m wanting to see more from LaPorta as we get to the business end the season. He does have games against the Colts and Jags as well as the Bears twice, which could be an opportune moment for him to get some more points on the board for fantasy managers.

I wouldn’t be shocked if he is benched in some leagues and you see the likes of Otton and Kraft being flexed in to make more of an impact.

UNDER THE RADAR MVP:

CHUBA HUBBARD

This is exactly what I wanted from these articles, a player who no one thought would be anything more than a back up or bye week streamer who becomes a must start player every week. Some people had him being drafted as low as the 12th round in some drafts and had his ADP as the 43rd best RB in the league, behind his injured RB teammate Jonathan Brooks.

With 6 total touchdowns, 700 total yards and most games having over 15 carries, Hubbard has become one of the shining stars in an otherwise terrible Carolina Panthers season. To the point that the front office locked him in with a new deal worth a potential $37m dollars. I think he deserves it as he has cemented himself as the lead back for the Panthers and that top ten fantasy RB this season.

I know people like Thomas Jr and Daniels may well have been a flashier pick here, but I love that until about week 4 or 5, Hubbard would have been on most league’s waivers just waiting to be picked up. The whole point of being under the radar is exactly what Hubbard has done so far this season and probably will do because he is not the most notable name of Jonathan Taylor or Kenneth Walker.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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