2022-23 fantasy football year in review: Takeaways and busts

Make no mistake, Najee Harris did not live up to his anticipated fantasy football production this season. And he certainly didn’t deliver first-round value despite his top-eight average draft position. 

But at least he played every game, right? And he performed OK, even if it wasn’t RB1 standards? Well, that kind of made it worse. He was always available, so fantasy managers were always inclined to use him. So he dragged down your team all season. 

When you take a player that high, you are expecting excellence, not pedestrian numbers — just two top-10 weeks all season. But it can get worse. 

The consensus top-overall fantasy pick in 2022 was Jonathan Taylor. Now, he did get injured and is out for the season. And you’re right, players whose seasons were ruined by injury aren’t candidates for the Madman’s Bust of the Year ignominy. But here’s the thing: Taylor’s season was ruined long before his season-ending injury. 

With even a higher draft cost than Harris, Taylor turned in similar numbers — just two top-10 weeks, six weeks in the first 15 when he fell outside RB2 status. Now, he did miss some games in that span (Weeks 5-6 and Week 9). 

When he got back on the field in Week 10, he looked “fixed” — 147 yards and a touchdown, good enough for RB1 that week. And he followed that with weeks in which he ranked 13, 12 and 19 among RBs. Not great, but much better than the 38, 57, 48, etc., he sprinkled across the first eight weeks. 

Then Taylor left early in Week 15 with an ankle injury, and that was the end of his 2022. His 13.3 PPR average at that point ranks just 19th on the season. He was in and out of your lineup for most of the year, spreading his disappointing year into the start of the fantasy playoffs. 

That is enough to earn Taylor the disgrace of the Madman’s Bust of the Year. 

Dishonorable RB mentions: Harris, D’Andre Swift (Lions), Alvin Kamara (Saints), Cam Akers (Rams). 

QB Bust 

Russell Wilson, Broncos — Look, we weren’t expecting the world, but as the 10th QB drafted, most fantasy managers anticipated being able to cash in on his relative cheap draft cost the way they had Matthew Stafford or Aaron Rodgers the year before. Boy, did Russ disappoint. He ranks as QB18 and had just one week during the fantasy regular season when he finished in the top 12, before two strong games in the fantasy playoffs long after teams that had him had either dropped him or been eliminated. 

Dishonorable QB mentions: Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Tom Brady (Buccaneers), Derek Carr (Raiders). 

WR Bust 

Allen Robinson II, Rams — Yeah, we know, he has been out since Week 12 with a foot injury. But he was drafted WR21, 57th overall. Before his injury, he was WR54 with just two games when he scored in the top 24. 

Dishonorable WR mentions: Courtland Sutton (Broncos), Brandin Cooks (Texans). 

TE Bust 

Kyle Pitts, Falcons — Another for whom injury played a factor, but he was so bad before his season ended in Week 11. The third tight end drafted on average, he cracked the top 12 just three times and was TE22 on average. 

Dishonorable TE mention: Mark Andrews (Ravens). He was drafted as the TE2 and delivered a TE3 season. That is nothing to complain about. The problem is, the vast bulk of his production came in the first half of the year. After Week 6, he was averaging 19.1 in PPR and ranked behind only Travis Kelce. Since then, he is TE15 at 8.4 per game.