Top 10 Fantasy Surprises of 09

Top 10 Fantasy Surprises of 2009

10)  Thomas Jones- This 31 year old running back was not high on draft boards, mainly due to his age. Thomas Jones proved his worth in fantasy football in 09 and has already surpassed his rushing total from last season with 1324 yards and still one game to go. If Jones can punch in a TD on Sunday he will match his rushing touchdown total with 13 from a year ago.

9) Hines Ward- One of two players we recommended in our draft article: 5 Fantasy Players You’ll Overlook For A Rookie . Ward continues to impress lucky fantasy owners who drafted him late with his solid performance. Ward has racked up 1106 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns this year with still a game to go.

8 ) Brett Favre-  A fan favorite no doubt, but the average fantasy football fan held Favre’s value as their second quarterback after what happened to him in New York last year. Who knew? The old timer rolls out of the pocket with a quick burst and has arm strength that can still compete with the best of them. Favre is only 114 passing yards away from cracking 4000, he has been a weekly starter for most fantasy owners and has a great touchdown to INT ratio.

7) Steve Smith (NYG)- Smith was not looked at as the number one receiver at one point of the year, but after 97 rec and a game to go it’s safe to say he is a reliable target. 

6) Vernon Davis- A huge sleeper that jumped into the top fantasy weapons of the season. Davis has been a great red zone target and averaged a little shy of a touchdown per game throughout the season.

5) Jonathan Stewart- Fantasy owners can thank Stewart for stepping in the last couple weeks and being a huge sleeper during most peoples league playoffs. Stewart may create an interesting offseason for the Panthers as his value along with D. Williams gives this team almost too much talent in the backfield. Most teams would kill for just one of these talented running backs.

4) Cedric Benson- The Bengals surprised many people this season, and Cedric Benson was a big part of Cincinnati’s success. Benson had more than a few large fantasy days and was regarded as a fantasy late round gem.

3) DeSean Jackson- This Eagles receiver was drafted higher in fantasy pools where punt and kick return yards were counted as an individual effort as opposed to defense points. But either way, what a huge fantasy weapon in an offense that never used to have a number one target.

2) Ricky Williams- When Ronnie Brown went down with an injury, many thought the season was over. Ricky Williams was looked at as a second choice RB that wouldn’t fill the shoes of Brown, but Dolphins fans were thrilled to see the yardage continue to be racked up. With a game to go Ricky Williams has 1090 yards and 11 touchdowns including another 260 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Williams hasn’t had a season like this since 2004.

1) Miles Austin- If you said you saw this coming, you’re a liar. A lot of pressure and expectations were put on Austin’s shoulders to fill in for lost yardage after T.O. was let go, but no one expected this. After being under drafted and having such small fantasy numbers in his first three seasons with Dallas, Austin has exploded onto the scene with his fantasy value. It’s safe to say he is one of the most popular players this year in Dallas and for good reason.

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