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Back Page 2001 quarter-season fantasy awards
By Bob Harris, Special to CNNSI.com With a full quarter of the NFL season now under our collective belt, it's time break out with the first round of my 2001 Fantasy Awards. These awards honor those players who have, for better or for worse, distinguished themselves above all others over the period in question in the following categories: Fantasy MVP: Awarded to the player who performed above and beyond the expectations of Fantasy owners, an impact player who regularly made the difference between winning and losing. Fantasy Flop: Awarded to the player we believe came the furthest from meeting the preseason expectations of Fantasy owners. This award is based solely on performance. Players missing significant time due to injury do not receive consideration. Ambush Award: Awarded to the player turning in the most surprising Fantasy performance based on preseason expectations, or more precisely, the lack of same. Top Comeback Player: Awarded to a player who overcame past non-productivity and/or ineffectiveness due to injury, a weak supporting cast or other adversities to surpass the lowered preseason expectations resulting from their previous problems. The Candy Bone Award: The "Crown Jewel" of these awards! Given to the player who above all others failed to meet preseason expectations due to injury. So, with the preliminaries out of the way. My 2001 Quarter-Season Fantasy Award winners are:
Fantasy MVP: Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis Rams Warner was especially impressive in the Rams' Sept. 30 win over the Dolphins when he completed 24 of 31 passes for 328 yards with four touchdowns and a 150.3 quarterback rating. The bottom line here says Warner has answered the bell in a big way this year.
Fantasy Flop: Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota Vikings It goes without saying, his 15-catch, 243-yard, one-TD performance over the first four games this year has been a major disappointment. I'm no math whiz, but even I can tell you that at his current pace, Moss will finish the season with four touchdown catches. Impossible you say? Maybe so. But I would have argued the same a month ago if somebody tried to tell me Moss would head into Week 5 with just one TD to his name.
Ambush Award: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, San Diego Chargers Well, after gaining 102 yards against Cleveland last Sunday, Tomlinson is indeed the league's leading rusher with 412 yards on 103 carries. In addition to averaging a more than respectable 4 yards per carry, the rookie out of TCU has also put the ball in the end zone six times -- leaving him tied for the league lead in that category, too. So how surprising is his performance? Consider this: Four games into his rookie season, Tomlinson already has 28 more yards than the Chargers leading rusher -- Terrell Fletcher -- racked up in 16 games last year.
Top Comeback Player: Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers After four games this season, the three-time NFL MVP has completed 87 (tied for fifth-best in the league) of 133 passes for 1,062 yards (ranks fourth in the league) with nine touchdowns (tied for second-highest in the league) and six interceptions. His current passer rating -- 93.6 -- ranks sixth in the league. At his current pace, Favre will throw 36 TD passes after finishing the last two seasons with 23 (1999) and 20 (2000). And by golly, that's more than enough to lock him in as my first-quarter Comeback king.
The Candy Bone Award: Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars Whatever the case may be, the bottom line here says: Taylor has yet to make it through a full 16-game schedule after four years as a pro. ... Better luck next year -- sissy! There you have it. ... Remember: I'll revisit these awards on a quarterly over the remainder of 2001 regular season before announcing my final 2001 Full Season Fantasy Award winners following Week 17. Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications.
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