The 2023 fantasy football season was the most difficult and challenging campaign that fantasy managers have ever endured. We saw the statistical fall of several big-name quarterbacks, a litany of injuries to the position that saw backups thrust into prominent roles, and other injuries to fantasy superstars including a number of elite-level wide receivers when fantasy managers needed them the very most.
Regardless, we made our way through another 18 weeks and took the challenges head on, hopefully en route to a league title. So, now’s the time to hand out a little online fantasy hardware with my annual Fabby Awards here at Sports Illustrated.
Because after all … it’s all about the gold!
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
McCaffrey was the highest-scoring fantasy player regardless of position, racking up 391.3 PPR points. He scored 21 total touchdowns, compiled over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and recorded 20-plus points in 12 of his 16 games. Maybe the most impressive stat for CMC is that he outscored the second-best running back, Travis Etienne, by over 120 points! He’ll be the consensus No. 1 pick in 2024 drafts.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Williams was a true league winner. In fact, an argument can be made that he could have won more than half of the Fabby Awards this year. He was barely drafted, with an average draft position of 204.2 in the first week of September based on the NFFC database. While he finished fifth in points among runners, Williams ranked second behind only CMC on a points-per-game basis. He’ll be a first-rounder in 2024.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
White started the season off slowly, scoring fewer than eight points in three of his first five games. That’s when he found his stride, scoring 15-plus PPR points in 10 straight games and averaging almost 20 points per game in that time. The RB23 based on NFFC ADP data, White finished sixth in points among running backs and was third in scrimmage yards. He led a lot of managers to a championship berth.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
Stroud was barely on the redraft radar, finishing with an ADP of 245.5 on NFFC. The rookie went on to score 19-plus points six times, including a 41.8-pointer in a Week 9 win over the Buccaneers. Stroud is also the first rookie quarterback to score more than 250 fantasy points without either rushing for at least 200 yards or rushing for at least four touchdowns. He’ll be a top-12 quarterback in 2024 drafts.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Much like Kyren Williams, Nacua qualifies to win several Fabby Awards this year. He was the highest-scoring rookie during the fantasy season, posting 284.4 points on his 101 catches, 1,445 yards and five touchdowns. That’s not bad for a player who was drafted behind receivers like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Alec Pierce and Isiaah Hodgins. Nacua also scored 120 more points than teammate Cooper Kupp.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
It sure is strange to write this blurb, as Mahomes has long been a fantasy star. But this season, the consensus top quarterback drafted in the NFFC (ADP – 19) put up career lows across the board. In fact, he scored 7.1 fewer points per game than he did last season. He also failed to score more than 16.7 points in each of his final five games. In all, Mahomes was a disappointing QB14 based on points per game.
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
No one was projecting Mostert to be a top-30 running back, no less the third-best back in fantasy football, this season. He was drafted, on average, as the RB39 in the first week of September based on NFFC ADP data, behind Dalvin Cook, Zach Charbonnet and Jamaal Williams. Mostert finished with 21 total touchdowns, which is more than he had in his first seven NFL seasons combined! That’s a great value.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
This could be any number of players, including Kyren Williams and Nacua, but I like to spread out the awards, so I went with Rice. The WR61 based on NFFC ADP data from September, he finished the fantasy season 21st in points ahead of the likes of Garrett Wilson, Calvin Ridley and Jaylen Waddle. He was also a star down the stretch when managers needed him, finishing as the WR4 in Weeks 12-17.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Is this me being a Cowboys homer? Maybe, but Prescott was still the comeback fantasy player of the year based on the numbers. After throwing 15 interceptions in 12 starts last season, Prescott posted 34 total touchdowns and threw just eight picks in 16 starts in 2023. He also finished the fantasy season fourth in points among quarterbacks, trailing only Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson.
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase didn’t meet expectations this season, finishing the fantasy season 10th in points among wideouts while averaging three fewer points than he did in 2022. He did have the best fantasy stat line in a single game, however, as he recorded 15 catches, 192 yards, three touchdowns and 52.2 fantasy points in a Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals. That was just 0.7 more PPR points than Amari Cooper scored in Week 16, when he posted 51.5 fantasy points against the Texans.
