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Arizona Cardinals
- Kyler Murray took a step forward as a passer but wasn’t used nearly as much as a runner. He also got hurt and faded down the stretch again, at least with an excuse when DeAndre Hopkins went down.
- Hopkins wasn’t the clear-cut #1 target with the addition of A.J. Green and a larger role for Christian Kirk, Hopkins' time as an elite fantasy receiver might be waning.
- James Conner was a touchdown scoring monster, and like during his time in Pittsburgh, he was a very productive lead back before wearing down after Chase Edmonds went down. Edmonds was efficient but didn’t make a good case to be signed as a lead back in his upcoming entry into the free-agent market.
- The team wanted to make Rondale Moore a thing, but except for a busted-play long touchdown, he didn’t have a sustained impact.
- Maxx Williams actually revived the tight end position in the pass offense for fantasy but went down early in the season, so the team traded for Zach Ertz, who was able to establish red-zone chemistry with Murray in short order. Kirk, Green, and Ertz are all free agents.
Heroes: First-half Kyler Murray, James Conner, Christian Kirk, Zach Ertz the Cardinal
Zeroes: Second-half Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins
You Might Have Missed: Hopkins had two games with 70+ yards receiving
Biggest Offseason Questions: Who are the team’s running backs? Who are the team’s receivers after Hopkins and Moore? Will they attempt to bring back Ertz?
Bottom Line: Did this offense disappoint? Or did it just miss Hopkins?
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Los Angeles Rams
- Cooper Kupp became the fourth triple crown receiver and was arguably the NFL and fantasy football MVP.
- Matthew Stafford was productive enough for fantasy minus a couple of second-half skids and found his way to his first Super Bowl.
- Robert Woods faded into the background for fantasy before going down. The team brought in Odell Beckham, who was productive and put Cleveland behind him even if he didn’t regain his peak form. Van Jefferson had extended opportunities at times but looked more suited to be a complementary receiver at this point in his development.
- Tyler Higbee was mostly a fantasy disappointment even though he didn’t have to contend with Gerald Everett.
- Darrell Henderson lived up to his injury-prone reputation, so Sony Michel took over the backfield down the stretch in a straight-ahead run game before Cam Akers made a miraculous return in December from his summer Achilles tear.
Heroes: Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, Sony Michel, Odell Beckham as a Ram
Zeroes: Darrell Henderson, Robert Woods, Tyler Higbee
You Might Have Missed: Stafford was the #5 fantasy quarterback through five games.
Biggest Offseason Questions: Will the team bring back Beckham? How will they replace Andrew Whitworth if he retires?
Bottom Line: Stafford is good for Kupp’s fantasy value.
San Francisco 49ers
- Deebo Samuel took a huge step forward as a receiver and was fully integrated as a highly productive runner, vaulting into the fantasy elite.
- Third-round pick Trey Sermon was behind sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell all along. Mitchell, along with Cordarrelle Patterson was the waiver wire pickup of the year.
- Raheem Mostert was lost for the season in Week 1.
- Jimmy Garoppolo held off Trey Lance, who looked a bit overwhelmed when he did get on the field. Garoppolo came within a drive of his second Super Bowl and rehabilitated his stock for a likely offseason trade.
- George Kittle had a few huge games, but wasn’t a consistently featured part of the pass offense and probably didn’t win over fans among fantasy players in a bumpy campaign.
- Brandon Aiyuk came on after starting the season in the doghouse and his development is on track.
Heroes: Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel
Zeroes: George Kittle (kinda), Brandon Aiyuk (at first), Trey Lance, Raheem Mostert
You Might Have Missed: Samuel had 981 receiving yards in the first eight games of the season.
Biggest Offseason Questions: Who trades for Garoppolo, and what do they give the 49ers? Will the team make any significant additions in the backfield?
Bottom Line: Samuel is everything we could have hoped for and more
Seattle Seahawks
- Russell Wilson once again started strong and faded as the season went on, with more troubling stretches of poor play. Expect another offseason of speculation about his future with the team.
- Chris Carson was strong and productive until he got hurt, again. Rashaad Penny finally became the back the team thought they were getting in the first round in 2018 right on the eve of free agency.
- Tyler Lockett was more consistent in the second half of the year after posting his usual handful of week-winning scores in the first half of the year.
- DK Metcalf was a touchdown machine early in the season but lost some trust in fantasy circles in the second half of the year before helping deliver titles with three scores in Week 17.
Heroes: Tyler Lockett, Rashaad Penny, DK Metcalf (mostly)
Zeroes: Gerald Everett, Chris Carson, Russell Wilson
You Might Have Missed: Penny averaged 134 yards a game over the last five weeks of the season.
Biggest Offseason Questions: Will Wilson get traded? Will the team bring back Penny?
Bottom Line: As long as Pete Carroll is around, Wilson won’t truly take off in fantasy leagues, but Penny might.
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