Building your fantasy football team can take loads of planning and a bit of luck thrown into the mix – whether that luck be good or bad. An ACL tear can send your top-tier QB to the IR for the rest of the season, or, on the other hand, that rookie running back you picked up in the late rounds may wind up being your fantasy go-to RB.
Here are the biggest steals from the 2017-2018 NFL season.
Steals in the NFL as a Whole
The biggest steal of the year was New Orleans rookie running back Alvin Kamara. His average pick by fantasy owners was 170 (the equivalent of being undrafted) and he wound up being a super fantasy freak – ending the regular season with 320.4 points. He amassed 728 rushing yards and 826 receiving yards, which made him a rock solid choice for fantasy owners and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.
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Dion Lewis was another huge fantasy steal. The New England running back rewarded his owners handsomely with 203 fantasy points (and helped his team reach the Big Game when they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC championship).
Running Away With Fantasy Points
There were plenty more fantasy steals to be had in the running back world. In addition to Kamara and Lewis, there were other players who racked up fantasy points despite not garnering high-pick positions, like Minnesota’s fourth-year man, Jerick McKinnon, who scored 178.1 fantasy points.
Derrick Henry, the Heisman Trophy-winning Tennessee Titan, was another fantasy steal last year. The big man had an overall average pick of 135.9 but rumbled his way to 135 fantasy points for his owners.
Wideouts Rackin’ Up Points
There were plenty of steals among wide receivers. First-year wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster had a solid rookie campaign for the Pittsburgh Steelers, racking up 917 receiving yards and 197.7 fantasy points – despite his propensity to go undrafted.
Adam Thielen was another fantasy steal. The wide receiver had an average pick of 101.5 but netted 239.7 fantasy points in his fourth season (along with 1,276 receiving yards).
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Quarterbacks Throwing Deep for Fantasy Points
Philip Rivers was a great fantasy pickup for the 2017 season. His average pick was 131.7 and he fetched his owners 270.4 points over the course of the season. Rivers has no problem putting up big numbers (he’s gone over 4,000 yards more often than not) and knows how to find fellas in the end zone.
Another AFC West quarterback that was a fantasy steal was Alex Smith, who had the best season of his career in Kansas City, throwing for over 4,000 yards for the first time and having a stellar TD/INT ratio (26/5). His average pick was 88, and he earned his owners 295.2 fantasy points.
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Fantasy Wins Totally Count
If you’re a fantasy football player, you follow each player’s every move and cross your fingers every time one steps onto the field – you’re hoping for tons of fantasy points and pray that he doesn’t go down with an injury that will keep him out of the game. No matter what team (or guy) you’re rooting for, make sure you’re outfitted in the coolest gear from Fanatics, where you’ll find tons of authentic NFL gear.
