Fantasy Football Hall of Fame 2012-2013

This weekend was Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement weekend for 7 well-respected former NFL stars: Cris Carter, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson, Larry Allen, Bill Parcells, Curley Culp, and Warren Sapp. So to get in the spirit of football being back, I thought it only appropriate to make a Fantasy Football Hall of Fame class of 2012-2013. These players are being enshrined for unique and noteworthy achievements that they racked up during last year’s Fantasy Football season.

The first inductee is Adrian Peterson. It has been stated numerous times how amazing his season was last year. He tore his ACL near the end of the prior season and for a running back to rehab from that sort of injury and play Week 1 is remarkable in and of itself. But he did more; he came back like a beast. Before the season people were worrying about whether or not he was worthy of a first round pick coming off the injury. To prove his doubters wrong, all he did was put up 2,097 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 297 fantasy points. To put that in perspective, the next closest running back was Arian Foster who had a typically monster season of 248. That means Peterson put up 20% more points than the closest guy! Only 6 players scored more points than him and they were all QBs. Peterson is more than worthy to be in the Hall.

The next inductee is Alfred Morris. We’ve all heard his story. A 6^th round pick out of Florida Atlantic, Morris came into town as the 4^th string running back. But after injuries to Tim Hightower, Roy Helu, and Evan Royster, Morris stepped up and never gave back. Nobody knew who he was going into the season. His Average Draft Position (ADP) was 144.8. He ended up scoring the 5^th most fantasy points for a running back with 230. Morris was a great story in the 2012 season and helped me win my league. NO one will overlook him this season.

The next inductee is Doug Martin. Doug Martin had a great season. He blasted on to the fantasy scene as a rookie, 1,926 total yards, 12 total touchdowns, and 248 total fantasy points. He was the third ranked RB and as a rookie, that alone is a reason to be on this list. But he is on the list for one reason. Week 9. Oakland Raiders. 25 carries. 251 rushing yards. 4 rushing touchdowns. 51 fantasy points. This was one of the most amazing performances by a fantasy player ever. If you had him this week, you won. Unless your name is Michael and you’re a staffer for ChunSports, in which case you  lost that week, 100 to 102.

The next inductee is the Bears D/ST. The Bears defense but up massive point this season. They scored 215 points and led all fantasy defenses. The next highest scoring defense was the Seahawks at 172, the Bears total was nearly 25% than that. That is dominance. They scored 8 defensive touchdowns in a six week period and over that period put up 23, 23, 28, 15, 11, and 26 points. They slowed down towards the end of the season, but their amazing streak and dominance is worthy of the Hall.

The next inductees are Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas. I have these guys in the Hall because of how much they grew. Dez Bryant entered the year as the 18^th ranked wide receiver. His first two years in the league he had put up 145 and 90 fantasy points failing to live up to the first round pick the Cowboys expected him to be. But last year he was 3^rd ranked wide receiver with 201 points and goes into the season as the 4^th ranked WR. Thomas entered the year as the 23^rd ranked wide receiver. Having been drafted the same year as Bryant, he put up 79 and 36 points. He shattered expectations with 191 points as the 5^th ranked wide receiver. He goes into the season as the 7^th ranked wide receiver. These guys deserve recognition for filling their shoes and becoming great third year players.

The last inductees are Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden, and Phillip Rivers. These guys are in the Hall for what they didn’t do. MJD entered the year 8^th ranked running back with and ADP of 14.4. He started strong but caught the injury bug, missing the last 9 weeks of the season and ending with 56 points as the 50^th ranked running back. People thought that McFadden could stay healthy and produce, which is why he was ranked 9^th amongst running backs with an unusually high ADP of 6.4 McFadden only missed 4 weeks, but was ineffective all season, scoring only 101 points and ending the year as the 28^th ranked running back. Rivers entered the year as the 9^th ranked quarterback and left as the21st ranked QB. He only put up 200 points and was a bust all season. These three players have talent but their massive busts should be remembered for the 2012 season.

These players and moments made the 2012 season fun. This year will undoubtedly have its own stories and heroes. This season will produce a brand new set of Hall of Famers.