Let\u2019s turn our attention back to the season that was \u2014 a simpler, more innocent time before the injuries, the benchings, the group-chat meltdowns and that first-time manager who somehow won it all on autopilot. Welcome to the Fifth Annual Fantasy Billboard Awards, where we honor the NFL players who carried our fantasy teams to glory, torpedoed them into shame or showed up out of nowhere like Bruce Springsteen at a N.J. block party.<\/p>\n
BILLBOARD BESTS<\/p>\n
Trevor Lawrence, QB<\/a> \u2014 Josh Allen finished as QB1 in 2025, but his 6.9 points in Week 16 sent all his owner\u2019s championship dreams to the woodchipper. Conversely, Lawrence averaged a stellar 33 points in the fantasy playoffs, leading many to mansions of glory. He finished the season just 25 points behind Allen.<\/p>\n Christian McCaffrey, RB<\/a> \u2014 One could argue for Jonathan Taylor, but he averaged just 10 points in his last seven games. CMC was the boss all year with just 3 games under 10 points. Enroute to the fantasy playoffs, CMC had explosive games of 29, 30 and 32 points. Managers who ignored the August injury fearmongering were rewarded with a weekly workhorse who ran like a man trying to escape from Badlands.<\/p>\n Puka Nacua, WR<\/a> \u2014 This one wasn\u2019t close. Nacua missed his customary two games and parts of two others, but his no retreat, no surrender play garnered the highest totals of any WR in fantasy. He averaged 15.5 points per game, leaving big names like Chase and St. Brown in the dust. Honorable mention goes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but four games under eight points is the fantasy equivalent of brilliant disguise.<\/p>\n Trey McBride, TE<\/a> \u2014 McBride easily repeats as the best TE in fantasy, accumulating almost 65 points more than his nearest competitor, Dallas Goedert. Accomplishing this with passes from Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissett was proof that even wrecking ball quarterbacks can feed an elite tight end.<\/p>\n BILLBOARD BUSTS<\/p>\n Lamar Jackson, QB<\/a> \u2014 The second QB off the board in most drafts, Lamar had 1,600 yards and 22 total TDs less (a 50% drop) in 2025 than in 2024. He had disastrous games of 4.4, 8.7 and 7.2 points. He had seven total TDs and seven turnovers in his last eight games. 19 QBs has better point totals than Jackson. If you rode Lamar all year, you weren\u2019t born to run, you were dancing in the dark.<\/p>\n Bucky Irving, RB<\/a> \u2014 A second-round pick in most drafts, Bucky was stellar in Weeks 1-4 (18 points per game) before he went down with a mysterious foot injury. When he came back just in time for the fantasy playoffs, Bucky was sucky, averaging eight points per game against weak sisters Carolina, Atlanta and Miami. We wanted the promised land, but we were sold up the river.<\/p>\n Brian Thomas Jr., WR<\/a> \u2014 There was a darkness on the edge of Jacksonville. Ranked the ninth-best WR before fantasy drafts, Thomas was a bust beyond comprehension, finishing as WR44. He was so bad, he finished the season as the third-best WR on his own team, behind Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers.<\/p>\n Jonnu Smith, TE<\/a> \u2014 Leave it to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to ruin a man\u2019s career. Smith was the TE4 last year, with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight TDs in Miami. But glory days were behind him this season with Coach Smith in Pittsburgh. Jonnu crashed and burned with 38 receptions for 222 yards and three TDs.<\/p>\n BILLBOARD WAIVER WIRE GOLD<\/p>\n Joe Burrow, QB<\/a> \u2014 Given up for dead after Week 2 with a torn toe ligament (aka turf toe), most fantasy teams cut Burrow after the Bengals announced he was likely done for the season. But savvy owners workin\u2019 on a dream swooped in Week 12 and were rewarded with four games between 24-35 points to end the season.<\/p>\n Kyle Monangai, RB<\/a> \u2014 This season lacked the thunderbolt RB breakout star like days of old when waiver gems Priest Holmes and C.J. Anderson led teams to fantasy titles. But Monangai was born to run, logging games of 17, 22 and 26 points after Week 7 to finish as the RB29.<\/p>\n Michael Wilson, WR<\/a> \u2014 When Marvin Harrison went down with an injury in Week 10, the Cardinal offense didn\u2019t miss a beat thanks to Wilson. Daring DBs to \u201ccover me,\u201d Wilson was on fire with 60 receptions for 775 yards and six TDs. He recorded his first 1,000-yard season and was the lone bright light for the fade away Cardinals.<\/p>\n