Ballot is out for fantasy surprises, busts

It's that time of year again. Time to vote for the good, bad and the ugly of the fantasy football world.

Whether you are in the playoffs or not, now is the time to vent a little frustration on players who ruined your season, or to heap praise upon those who have helped you reach the promised land.

Remember, however, to stay objective.

Just because Shaun Alexander was on your team doesn't mean he should win the Biggest Bust award. Think about the players on that list and vote for who would have messed up a person's season the most.

And since the MVP, Rookie of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year are all locks, I had a good suggestion to change things up a bit. We're expanding the Biggest Surprises and Busts to each position -- QB, RB and WR.

E-mail me at jdietz@dailyherald.com with your votes, make some comments, and the best will make this column in two weeks. Deadline for submission is Dec. 18.

Biggest surprise QB

• The Browns' Derek Anderson. Twenty-nine touchdowns from a guy nobody even thought about on draft day? Amazing.

• Packers QB Brett Favre. Considered a fantasy backup in September, the rejuvenated Favre has eclipsed the 300-yard mark seven times and has thrown for 24 TDs.

• Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. After three years of giving us 18-20 TDs, Big Ben has 28 total TDs with three games remaining.

• Cowboys QB Tony Romo. If it weren't for Tom Brady and Randy Moss, Romo (37 total TDs, seven 300-yard games) would be in the MVP race.

Biggest surprise WR

• Browns Braylon Edwards. With 13 TD catches and 1,106 yards, Edwards is the No. 3 receiver in fantasy football.

• Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. With everybody taking teammate Chad Johnson first, it's Housh (96-996-11) who has shocked us.

• The Packers' Greg Jennings. Here's a guy who has missed two games and still has 11 TDs.

• The Patriots' Randy Moss. Considered a huge risk at fantasy drafts, Moss (82-1,264-19) has made teams instant title contenders.

Biggest surprise RB

• The Vikings' Adrian Peterson. Taken around the fifth through seventh rounds, Peterson (1,200-230-11) is neck-and-neck with Joseph Addai for third place in fantasy points among RBs.

• The Browns' Jamal Lewis. Wasn't Lewis suppose to be washed up? Well, he didn't get the message and has shocked his owners with 9 TDs and a pair of 100-yard games the last six weeks.

• The Bucs' Earnest Graham. With 9 TDs and over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, the no-name Graham has surely led teams into the playoffs.

• The Packers' Ryan Grant. Since taking over as the featured back in Week 8, Grant has 717 rushing yards and 5 TDs.

Biggest bust QB

• Rams QB Marc Bulger. A top-six QB on draft day, Bulger has just 6 TD passes and 9 interceptions in nine games.

• The Lions' Jon Kitna. He got off to a good start, but since Week 4, Kitna has just 7 TD passes and 9 interceptions.

• Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. Eight of McNabb's 14 TD passes came in two games.

• The Titans' Vince Young. Some fantasy owners took a chance on Young, thinking his legs might make him an every-week starter. Wrong. Young has 7 passing TDs, 3 rushing and a whopping 16 interceptions.

Biggest bust RB

• Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander. The 2005 MVP has fallen off the face of the earth. One TD since Week 2? Brutal.

• Niners RB Frank Gore. The fourth overall pick in some drafts, Gore has scored in just one game since Week 2.

• Rams RB Steven Jackson. The second or third overall pick in most drafts, Jackson is playing better but still has just 4 TDs and one 100-yard game.

• Chiefs RB Larry Johnson. You'll have to decide if you want to give Johnson (4 TDs) a pass for missing the second half of the season due to injury.

• Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew. MJD has gone over 55 rushing yards just three times and didn't live up to his high draft status.

Biggest bust WR

• Bills WR Lee Evans. Aside from three good outings, Evans has averaged 38 yards per game with no TDs.

• Bengals WR Chad Johnson. Amazingly, Johnson is ranked eighth among receivers. But we aren't fooled -- most of that is due to a blazing start. Like Gore, he's scored in just one game since Week 2.

• Panthers WR Steve Smith. No TDs and 42 yards per game since Week 6? Brutal.

My teams: Both were off last week thanks to first-round byes. My semifinals won't be easy, though. Despite going a combined 19-7 in my two leagues, I am 0-3 against the teams I face this weekend.

Good bets

• Niners RB Frank Gore vs. Cincinnati. The Bengals have allowed a rushing TD in nine of their 13 games.

• Ravens WR Derrick Mason vs. Miami. It's not difficult to look good against the woeful Dolphins.

• Browns RB Jamal Lewis vs. Buffalo. Over the last five weeks, the Bills have given up 8 rushing TDs.

• Titans RB LenDale White vs. Kansas City. White has been infuriating lately, but he should find running room against a Chiefs defense that was gutted by the Broncos last week.

• Cardinals QB Kurt Warner vs. New Orleans. If Atlanta's Chris Redman and Tampa Bay's Luke McCown can both throw 2 TD passes and approach 300 yards, what is Warner capable of? Figure 325-plus yards and at least 3 TDs.

• Giants defense vs. Washington. I'd be stunned if the Redskins score over 14 points.

• Vikings WR Sidney Rice vs. the Bears. Rice is a risky play, but if you get bonus points for long TDs, he's worth a look against a sieve-like Bears defense.

• Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander vs. Carolina. Whoever thought Alexander would be a sleeper good bet? I can see him scoring a TD (maybe 2?) in what should be a Seattle blowout win.

Bad bets

• Redskins RB Clinton Portis vs. the New York Giants. With Todd Collins starting at quarterback, the Giants can focus on shutting down Portis (47.5 rush yards per game, 1 TD last four).

• Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Santonio Holmes vs. Jacksonville. Big Ben hasn't gone over 200 passing yards since Week 10 and has just 4 TD passes over that span.

• Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew and WR Reggie Williams vs. Pittsburgh. This is a no-brainer bench game for Jones-Drew against a defense that has allowed 3 rushing TDs all season. As for Williams, he's been hot but this is a tough matchup.

• Panthers WR Steve Smith vs. Seattle. Smith's last productive game came in Week 6.

• Bears RB Adrian Peterson vs. Minnesota. Stay far, far away from Peterson this week.

• Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski vs. the New York Jets. If the snowstorm that is forecast for the East Coast is in full swing during this game, stay away from Gostkowski.