2013 Fantasy Football: 6 Pro Bowl Snubs Who Were Fantasy Studs
2013 Fantasy Football: 6 Pro Bowl Snubs Who Were Fantasy Studs
Many, many fans, players and media members think that the NFL Pro Bowl is a complete joke. The league has heard the complaints and has made format changes in an attempt to address the lack of support, and for that, I give them credit. I applaud the fact the league abolished the conferences and are now going with the best players at the position. They got that one right. I disagree with giving the fans as much control of the voting process as they did, essentially turning the vote into a popularity contest. If fans will continue to get a vote, I would like to see something along the lines of pro scouts or coaches getting a vote as well. I also have a problem with voting concluding prior to the end of the regular season. How can we completely judge a season when the season has not been fully completed?
When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Friday, there was bound to be some backlash. Player X should have gotten in over Player Z, for example. I wasn’t surprised to see fans venting via Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets about whom they thought should and should not have gotten selected. I was slightly surprised about the media’s reaction. We all know the Pro Bowl is a joke, so why is everyone surprised and worked up at yet another one where some of the best players got omitted?
For the most part, I think the rosters are pretty much right. However, there were a few fantasy football studs who for some reason, got left off the Pro Bowl rosters. I understand that fantasy football and “real life” football are different things, but if a player is a fantasy stud, odds are he is a real life football stud as well. With that being said, I present to you six Pro Bowl snubs on players who were fantasy football studs in 2013.
Jordy Nelson
75 receptions, 1,153 yards, 8 touchdowns
Jordy Nelson doesn’t have the high yardage or touchdown totals like some of the other wide receivers on the roster and was torpedoed by the loss of Aaron Rodgers. With Rodgers under center, Nelson was averaging 5.57 receptions, 92 yards and one touchdown per game. When Rodgers was lost, Nelson managed to only add 36 catches for 504 yards and a single score. He was a victim of an offensive game plan that focused more on the run than the pass. Had Rodgers managed to play a full season, Nelson’s numbers projected out to 89 catches, 1472 yards and 16 touchdowns, all of which would have ranked in the top five in the current top five.
Muhammad Wilkerson
10.5 sacks, 1 interception, 3 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, 62 total tackles
Muhammad Wilkerson was an underrated force on the defensive end this season. Lost in the circus that is the New York Jets, Wilkerson very easily could have been a Pro Bowler. He is fourth in fantasy scoring among defensive linemen, he out produced Cameron Wake in almost every statistical category yet somehow was left off the roster. This could be one of the times that the popularity voting public got it wrong.
Knowshon Moreno
235 attempts, 1015 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 55 receptions, 507 yards, 2 receiving touchdowns
Knowshon Moreno had the unfortunate luck of running (no pun intended) against some very good campaigns in 2013. Moreno’s 12 total scores currently rank fourth in the league. His 1,522 all purpose yards are fifth. For the record, I can’t really argue with any of the running backs who made the team, but I am confused as to what criteria are used to get in. The wide receivers selected all seemed to make the roster based on their touchdown totals more than yardage. Moreno had both the yardage and the touchdown numbers, but there were just too many outstanding running back performances this season.
Ben Roethlisberger
4,082 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, 12 interceptions
Like the running backs selected, I think the quarterbacks are pretty spot on. Tom Brady doing what he did with what he had was pretty impressive, and it could have gone either way between him and Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben actually has four more total scores than Brady, but less passing yardage and two more interceptions. The fact that Roethlisberger had the season he did while dealing with the loss of center Maurkice Pouncey is just about as impressive as what Brady did with his young and injured receiver corps. This one really could have been a coin flip.
Lavonte David
6 sacks, 5 interceptions, 9 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, 137 total tackles
Lavonte David is perhaps the most underrated linebacker in football. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been slightly more competitive this season, David could be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. He is ranked as the number two outside linebacker by Pro Football Focus trailing only Von Miller. David just didn’t get the attention because he doesn’t rush the quarterback and instead plays more on the second level, thus losing votes to linebackers who do the opposite. I would have liked to see David get in before Terrell Suggs or Ahmad Brooks.
Alshon Jeffery
86 receptions, 1,341 yards, 7 touchdowns
I don’t get how Alshon Jeffery was left off this roster. He has more receiving yards than Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas and more touchdowns than Andre Johnson. Clearly his seven touchdowns weren’t enough to get the nod. It is hard to argue with 11 touchdowns (Marshall) but I would have liked to see Jeffery take the spot that Johnson got.
Read more from Dustin here.
2013 Fantasy Football: 6 Pro Bowl Snubs Who Were Fantasy Studs
Many, many fans, players and media members think that the NFL Pro Bowl is a complete joke. The league has heard the complaints and has made format changes in an attempt to address the lack of support, and for that, I give them credit. I applaud the fact the league abolished the conferences and are now going with the best players at the position. They got that one right. I disagree with giving the fans as much control of the voting process as they did, essentially turning the vote into a popularity contest. If fans will continue to get a vote, I would like to see something along the lines of pro scouts or coaches getting a vote as well. I also have a problem with voting concluding prior to the end of the regular season. How can we completely judge a season when the season has not been fully completed?
When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Friday, there was bound to be some backlash. Player X should have gotten in over Player Z, for example. I wasn’t surprised to see fans venting via Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets about whom they thought should and should not have gotten selected. I was slightly surprised about the media’s reaction. We all know the Pro Bowl is a joke, so why is everyone surprised and worked up at yet another one where some of the best players got omitted?
For the most part, I think the rosters are pretty much right. However, there were a few fantasy football studs who for some reason, got left off the Pro Bowl rosters. I understand that fantasy football and “real life” football are different things, but if a player is a fantasy stud, odds are he is a real life football stud as well. With that being said, I present to you six Pro Bowl snubs on players who were fantasy football studs in 2013.
Jordy Nelson
75 receptions, 1,153 yards, 8 touchdowns
Jordy Nelson doesn’t have the high yardage or touchdown totals like some of the other wide receivers on the roster and was torpedoed by the loss of Aaron Rodgers. With Rodgers under center, Nelson was averaging 5.57 receptions, 92 yards and one touchdown per game. When Rodgers was lost, Nelson managed to only add 36 catches for 504 yards and a single score. He was a victim of an offensive game plan that focused more on the run than the pass. Had Rodgers managed to play a full season, Nelson’s numbers projected out to 89 catches, 1472 yards and 16 touchdowns, all of which would have ranked in the top five in the current top five.
Muhammad Wilkerson
10.5 sacks, 1 interception, 3 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, 62 total tackles
Muhammad Wilkerson was an underrated force on the defensive end this season. Lost in the circus that is the New York Jets, Wilkerson very easily could have been a Pro Bowler. He is fourth in fantasy scoring among defensive linemen, he out produced Cameron Wake in almost every statistical category yet somehow was left off the roster. This could be one of the times that the popularity voting public got it wrong.
Knowshon Moreno
235 attempts, 1015 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 55 receptions, 507 yards, 2 receiving touchdowns
Knowshon Moreno had the unfortunate luck of running (no pun intended) against some very good campaigns in 2013. Moreno’s 12 total scores currently rank fourth in the league. His 1,522 all purpose yards are fifth. For the record, I can’t really argue with any of the running backs who made the team, but I am confused as to what criteria are used to get in. The wide receivers selected all seemed to make the roster based on their touchdown totals more than yardage. Moreno had both the yardage and the touchdown numbers, but there were just too many outstanding running back performances this season.
Ben Roethlisberger
4,082 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, 12 interceptions
Like the running backs selected, I think the quarterbacks are pretty spot on. Tom Brady doing what he did with what he had was pretty impressive, and it could have gone either way between him and Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben actually has four more total scores than Brady, but less passing yardage and two more interceptions. The fact that Roethlisberger had the season he did while dealing with the loss of center Maurkice Pouncey is just about as impressive as what Brady did with his young and injured receiver corps. This one really could have been a coin flip.
Lavonte David
6 sacks, 5 interceptions, 9 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, 137 total tackles
Lavonte David is perhaps the most underrated linebacker in football. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been slightly more competitive this season, David could be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. He is ranked as the number two outside linebacker by Pro Football Focus trailing only Von Miller. David just didn’t get the attention because he doesn’t rush the quarterback and instead plays more on the second level, thus losing votes to linebackers who do the opposite. I would have liked to see David get in before Terrell Suggs or Ahmad Brooks.
Alshon Jeffery
86 receptions, 1,341 yards, 7 touchdowns
I don’t get how Alshon Jeffery was left off this roster. He has more receiving yards than Brandon Marshall and Demaryius Thomas and more touchdowns than Andre Johnson. Clearly his seven touchdowns weren’t enough to get the nod. It is hard to argue with 11 touchdowns (Marshall) but I would have liked to see Jeffery take the spot that Johnson got.
Read more from Dustin here.
