Since the season has come to a close, we can look back at the many surprises that made up the 2013-14 football season. Due to injury and inconsistency, many players had a tough time putting up the numbers that they were expected to produce. Thankfully for fantasy owners, there were some diamonds in the rough that filled the void left by the unexpected letdowns. The following players shocked many fantasy owners with either their impressive or downright awful play, making for another interesting season.
1. Zac Stacy, STL:
The Rams running back situation in St. Louis was a mess from the beginning, but Zac Stacy stepped up and thrust himself into the starting role. Originally third on the depth chart behind a less than impressive Daryl Richardson, and the troubled Isaiah Pead, Stacy wound up proving himself to be a more than capable every down back.
Despite only playing in 14 games, the late fifth round draft pick was able to rack up 973 rushing yards and 8 total touchdowns (7 on the ground). With the Rams picking second in the upcoming draft, they could provide Stacy with a little more running room by snagging OT Jake Matthews from Texas A&M. Stacy’s fantasy stock is on the rise heading into next season.
2. Josh Gordon, CLE:
Josh Gordon was one of the few bright spots for the Cleveland Browns this season. Along with 9 touchdowns, Gordon led the league with 1,646 receiving yards. Due to a 2-game suspension to start off the year, Gordon was only able to play 14 games, but made the most of his time on the field.
The second year wideout had some remarkable stretches during the 2013 season, including a 4 game streak of 125 yards and a touchdown or more, including back to back 200 yard contests. Despite having to deal with 3 different quarterbacks, Gordon was able to satisfy his fantasy owners with constant production, but next year has the possibility of being one with even more success.
With the 4th overall pick in the draft, the Browns will most likely draft a quarterback in Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, Blake Bortles of the University of Central Florida or Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater. Consistency at QB will allow Gordon to build rapport and give him the potential to beat his receiving totals of 2013.
3. C.J. Spiller, BUF:
Spiller had an unsuccessful 2013 campaign in comparison to his coming into the starting role in 2012. The 4th year running back saw a decrease in both rushing yards and touchdowns, but this isn’t necessarily a trend that will carry over into next season. Despite failing to break 1,000 yards, Spiller was able to get to an impressive average of 4.6 yards per carry. With fellow running back Fred Jackson being 32 years old, his role in the offense will most likely diminish which should allow Spiller to obtain a heftier workload.
At 26 years old, Spiller should be entering the prime of his career and should be expected to surpass 1,000 yards once again. The one concern that fantasy owners might have about C.J. Spiller is that he does not get the red zone carries, as they instead go to Fred Jackson, and it is yet to be seen if he can take over in that department.
4. Doug Martin, TB:
Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin was unable to stay on the field due to injury, not allowing him to build off of his powerhouse rookie season. Durability may be an issue for the young running back, but what is just as conceding is how poor his play was while he was still healthy. In 6 games, Martin was only able to muster up 456 yards and 1 touchdown, only breaking 100 yards once. He just did not look like the same player that rushed for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns in his 2012 rookie season.
There is a lot of uncertainty following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in that they still have not made public who will be their starting quarterback for 2014, and the debacle with Doug Martin only makes their team situation that much more difficult. Expect Martin to come back strong for 2014 as Tampa Bay decided to shut him down for the season after he tore his labrum, allowing him more than enough time to get himself healthy. He should be taken as a strong RB2 with RB1 upside as the season progresses.
Touring the Capitol 