Ok, so while the NFL season might not be over yet, the fantasy football season sure is, and unless you play in a poorly managed fantasy league, you've just had your playoffs. Here is a little fantasy football wrap-up by position for the season, NFL Draft Blitz style:


Quarterbacks:

MVP: Carson Palmer
Carson was heralded as breakout-material coming into the season and his offense clicked perfectly. The former Heisman Trophy Winner and #1 overall draft pick showed his abilities all season long, and was easily the best quarterback in fantasy this season, bar none.

Bust of the Year: Daunte Culpepper
I don't care if he was injured or not, this guy was a first round draft pick in tons of leagues, and the teams that took him were doomed from the start. 15 turnovers compared to 7 touchdowns leaves a lot to be desired. Was this really the same guy who had 42 touchdowns last year?  The S.S. Viking captain wins this award in a landslide.

Steal of the Year: Matt Hasselbeck
Carson Palmer could also win this award, but I'm going to give it to Hasselbeck solely on his efficiency and consistency throughout the entire season. Matt threw at least one touchdown pass in each game since week 3, and never really had a bad game all year. His continued fantasy success definitely pleased the lucky owners who drafted him later than expected.


Running backs:

MVP: Shaun Alexander
Anytime a player scores over 20 touchdowns, its gravy. But when he ties the all-time scoring record with 27, he's a godsend. Shaun put together one of the best seasons in the history of football, and he was the best that fantasy football had to offer.

Bust of the Year: Willis McGahee
Coming off a stellar season where he scored 13 touchdowns, Willis was primed for a huge season this year, and so were his owners. He started the season strong with four touchdowns in six games, but from weeks 10-16, McGahee averaged a bleak 49 yards rushing a game, with only one touchdown in that span. Considering that's the most crucial time of the season for fantasy owners, Willis was a major bust. This guy called himself the best back in the league right? I wonder if his owners agree.

Steal of the Year: Mike Anderson
With Willie Parker being more of a pickup of the year candidate (okay, I don't have that award), and Larry Johnson still being drafted high in leagues with the demise of Priest Holmes imminent, the steal of the year has to go to Mike Anderson. Many wrote Anderson off as a goal-line only back after being switched over to fullback at the start of last season. Nobody would've guessed Anderson would put up well over 1,000 yards and 10+ touchdowns this season with Tatum Bell in town. Anderson was easily a top seven back this year, and was a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners all season.


Receivers:

MVP: Chris Chambers
Sure, Santana Moss and Steve Smith had huge years, but they weren't nearly consistent enough to win this award. On the other hand, Chris Chambers was not only consistent, but he was an absolute S-T-U-D during the fantasy playoffs. His six touchdowns from weeks 13-16 were tops in the league, and gave his lucky owners a shot at a fantasy title.

Bust of the Year: Brandon Stokely
I severely hope you didn't buy into the record setting season. Stokely absolutely killed fantasy owners who had hoped Brandon's of the numbers he had last year. Tough luck. This guy killed fantasy owners all season long, and everybody will remember that when next year rolls around.

Steal of the Year: Terry Glenn
Getting reunited with his good buddy Drew Bledsoe in Dallas was the best thing that could've happened to Terry. He posted his third career 1,000 yard receiving season (all with Bledsoe) and made some huge clutch catches for the Boys. Glenn was viewed as a borderline fantasy starter before the season started and finishes as one of the biggest surprises of the season.


Tight Ends:

MVP: Antonio Gates
If you lost in week one because of Gates then I offer you my sincere apologies. It's a crying shame that you were treated to over 1,000 yards and 10+ touchdowns by this guy. Gates was the best tight end in football last season, and he produced like a fantasy star again this season.

Bust of the Year: Tony Gonzalez
After posting career highs in catches and yards last season, Tony was the first tight end drafted in many leagues. His yardage numbers were fine, but fantasy football isn't won with yardage. Tony failed to hit at least six touchdowns for the first time since the 98-99 season and might not even be considered a top ten tight end this season. For Tony Gonzalez, that's just unfortunate for his owners considering he's been the best tight end around for the past few years.

Steal of the Year: Chris Cooley
There's a good chance you had no idea who this guy was coming into the season, but the draft site you are at had him on their list, so you took him. With four touchdowns in weeks 15 and 16, Cooley was the hottest tight end in the playoffs, when it counted the most. With some leagues giving him RB eligibility, Chris was a nice surprise for


So while the fantasy season might be over, the real-life one still exists and there's plenty of good football still left to be played. Here's hoping you have a huge fantasy football trophy to stare at until September, and if not, then there's ALWAYS next year (and the year after that).