'Tis the Season for Well-Earned Superlatives; Recriminations, Too

With the fantasy page done after this installment, we'll look at this season's fantasy bests and busts today. That leaves two games for owners to consider whether disappointments such as Jamal Lewis, Julius Jones and Kevin Jones are worth a second look as high fantasy picks for next season. Don't expect those players to make much of a case for themselves.

Fantasy MVP: Shaun Alexander. Ranked first on this draft board before the season, Alexander is in the midst of a career season with 1,668 yards and 24 touchdowns. He is 29 yards from his best rushing season and four touchdowns from setting an NFL single-season record. In real life, Alexander is the leading contender to win league most valuable player.

The runner-up race at running back is razor thin between LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson. Tomlinson has 22 total touchdowns and 1,323 rushing yards and could challenge Alexander for the overall touchdown title, but Johnson is No. 2 on this fantasy MVP ballot because of his torrid finish.

Since Johnson became the Chiefs' featured runner Nov. 6, he has seven straight games of at least 107 yards and has scored 12 touchdowns. That production is enough to carry most owners to a fantasy title, assuming they have a No. 2 back who generates reasonable numbers.

Fantasy Flop: Kevin Jones. No race has been closer than this, with Lewis, Julius Jones and Andre Johnson right there, but the Lions running back is the biggest disappointment with 586 yards, no 100-yard games, five touchdowns and two inactives. Coming off a season in which he ran for 1,133 yards, including three games of more than 100 yards in his final five, Kevin Jones soared to the top dozen -- if not the top 10 -- of many draft boards this year. He began this season with 87 yards in the opener. That performance is his season high.

Overall, many fantasy running backs selected in the first round have been mediocre to bad. The struggles of Kevin and Julius Jones and Lewis have been among the most discussed fantasy topics this season. Willis McGahee was rated among the top six or seven backs on many draft boards, but his numbers (1,068 yards, five touchdowns) hardly warrant that status. Curtis Martin broke down after 12 games, sporting five touchdowns and 3.3 average per carry. Ahman Green did not score a touchdown in five games before a season-ending injury.

Those frustrating seasons likely will have fantasy owners puzzled as to which running backs they ought to draft with their first picks in 2006. Stay tuned for next season's fantasy draft primer for the answer.