As we approach the halfway point of the NFL season, it's time for a reality check for most fantasy teams. You have a good idea of whether you'll be a player in your league this season, and you know which players you have to thank ... or blame.
Unless you're mired at one or two wins, there's no reason to give up on making the playoffs. With eight teams getting playoff spots in most 12-team leagues, a 2-4 team will get in just by playing .500 ball the rest of the way. And as the Marlins have shown, once you're in the playoffs, a hot team can trump a strong regular-season record any day.
Here are our midseason awards, based on fantasy contributions. Disagree? Send us an e-mail and give us your picks.
MVP: Steve McNair, Titans. The league's top fantasy scorer has accounted for multiple touchdowns in six of eight games while passing for an NFL-best 1,978 yards. He has stayed healthy and is showing no signs of letting up; he still has games against three of the NFL's six weakest pass defenses. Runner-up: Peyton Manning, Colts.
BEST RUNNER: Priest Holmes, Chiefs. Starting where he left off, Holmes leads the league in total offense (1,103 yards) and touchdowns (12). You could make a case for Holmes as MVP, and preseason concerns about his hip and the threat of rookie Larry Johnson now seem ridiculous. Runner-up: Ahman Green, Packers.
BEST ROOKIE: Domanick Davis, Texans. Could be this year's William Green as a late bloomer who starts to carry his team's offense on his back. Davis' past two weeks: 52 carries for 238 yards and 16 receptions for 97 yards, with two touchdowns. If David Carr is injured, that just means more of a role for Davis. Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin hasn't scored a touchdown or had a 100-yard game since his impressive 227-yard, two-TD debut in Week 1, but he has done enough to rank 11th among fantasy receivers.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Stephen Davis, Panthers. It's surprising only because few put Davis among the league's elite runners. Davis is flourishing in Carolina in his eighth NFL season, ranking second in the league in yards (839) to go with five touchdowns. He was the 17th running back taken in ESPN.com leagues but is in the top five in scoring. Runner-up: Marc Bulger, Rams.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Has to be Donovan McNabb, often the first quarterback taken, who has three touchdown passes and nagging injuries. At this point last season, he'd accounted for three touchdowns in four different games. Not to be outdone, Kurt Warner is back on the Rams bench.
BEST DEFENSE: The Chiefs have more fantasy points than even the Bucs, and before you laugh at drafting defenses before the 10th round, consider this: the Chiefs defense has more fantasy points than Ricky Williams, Clinton Portis or Shaun Alexander, all top-five picks in most leagues.
BEST UNKNOWN WITH THREE TOUCHDOWNS: It's a tossup among Seahawks tight end Itula Mili, Chargers receiver Eric Parker, Rams receiver Dane Looker and Raiders fullback Zack Crockett.
BEST PLAYERS WITH FEWER THAN THREE TOUCHDOWNS: Another tough call, but take your pick from Tiki Barber, Laveranues Coles, Eric Moulds, Curtis Martin, Plaxico Burress, William Green and Jeremy Shockey. Don't forget Jerry Rice, who entered the season with 192 receiving touchdowns but hasn't found the end zone.
TIP SHEET: No-name rookie running backs Arlen Harris (Rams) and Brock Forsey (Bears) combined for 53 carries and three touchdowns last week, but their 15 minutes might be up. Both are third-stringers when their teams' starters are healthy, as Marshall Faulk and Anthony Thomas should be this week. ... In two weeks, injured stars such as Chad Pennington, Michael Bennett, Willis McGahee and Michael Vick could be contending for spots in starting fantasy lineups. ... He gets the Bucs Sunday and again in five weeks, but New Orleans' Aaron Brooks is heating up, with an NFL-best seven touchdown passes in his past three games while throwing one interception. Receiver Joe Horn has four of those scores.
- If you have a fantasy comment or lineup question, send an e-mail to staff writer Greg Auman at auman@sptimes.com
