Playoff Monster: Kirk Cousins ended the season with back-to-back four touchdown performances.

Sorting Through Week 16...

Anyone who didn't see the New Orleans-Jacksonville game as a fantasy owner's paradise hasn't been a reader of this article over the course of this year. Even with a significant foot injury, Drew Brees still found a way to throw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns while Blake Bortles countered with over 300 and four TDs. The lack of defensive prowess in this game allowed Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Brandin Cooks to all post top-five scoring numbers for the week at the WR position. In addition, Tim Hightower was the top RB in Week 16. Think about that for a minute. What kind of odds would you have gotten before the season that Tim Hightower would be the best RB to own on the last week of the season? Hightower hadn't even played since 2011 prior to a few weeks ago. If anything illustrates how crazy this season has been, that is the ultimate illustration. Congrats to all that capitalized on this game. Sometimes, you can see the storm coming on the horizon and so it was in New Orleans on Sunday…

Another big Week 16 story involved the red-hot pitch and catch duo of Kirk Cousins and Jordan Reed on Thursday night. It is such a huge advantage to have the hottest TE in the league during the final month of the season and I would guess Reed's contributions won't soon be forgotten by those who rode him to a championship. Cousins has been a stud, too, and this time he didn't need a home game to get it done. On Championship Week, most of the action boils down to Sunday of course, but Saturday night's game gave Cousins and Reed owners a leg up to be sure. What a December combo they were this year!

Going the other way, the biggest surprise of Week 16 was that Pittsburgh's passing offense could not capitalize on an ideal matchup vs. a beat up Ravens defense. Yes, DeAngelo Williams was a stud as has been the case all year, racking up 153 yards and 2 TDs. But, Ben Roethlisberger didn't throw for a single touchdown, which means Antonio Brown didn't catch one despite hauling in seven catches overall. At least Brown salvaged a decent day, unlike Martavis Bryant as owners who placed faith in him were bitterly disappointed with one catch for 6 yards. Brown still deserves all the possible accolades (see below) for a tremendous season, but the performance of all those associated with the Pittsburgh passing game was shocking nevertheless.

Biggest Surprises of 2015:

1. Desert Storm- From Carson Palmer, to David and Chris Johnson, to Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona's offense was a hotbed of fantasy production.

2. Gary Barnidge- Any list that doesn't include Barnidge is irrelevant. Totally off the radar when the season began.

3. The Aerial Attack of the Jaguar- Blake Bortles took a huge leap forward this year with both Allens (Robinson, Hurns) along for the ride.

4. Devonta, D-Mart, & DeAngelo- Did anyone think of Freeman, Martin, and Williams as top five RBs when the season began? Not a chance.

5. The Jet Revolution- Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker were unstoppable in the red zone & Chris Ivory had some big games, too.

6. Doug "Touchdown Maker" Baldwin- When Jimmy Graham went down with an injury, Baldwin went wild.

7. Emerging Tight Ends- Reed, Eifert, Walker, and Ben Watson didn't rise to the shocking heights of Barnidge, but they turned plenty of heads just the same.

8. Todd Gurley- Gurley’s talent is not a surprise; that anyone could do anything productive in the Rams putrid offense is.

Biggest Disappointments of 2015:

1. Andrew Luck & Aaron Rodgers- Certainly, Luck was the more disappointing of the two, but the consensus top 2 preseason QBs fell way short of expectations.

2. "Franchise" Running Backs- Eddie Lacy, DeMarco Murray, C.J. Anderson, Marshawn Lynch- first round draft picks all of them...and all of them non-factors for most of the season.

3. Disappearing Dez- It was just a lost year for Dez Bryant due to injuries and the revolving door at quarterback.

4. The Anti-Gurley- As good as Todd Gurley turned out to be, Melvin Gordon was just the opposite in his rookie campaign.

5. No Country for Old Men- Peyton Manning, Andre Johnson and Roddy White will go down as great career fantasy performers. But, their time is (sadly) up.

6. Old Saint, New Saint- Jimmy Graham wasn't the same player without Drew Brees. C.J. Spiller, unfortunately was.

7. Epidemic Running Back Injuries- Probably should have topped the list. The list of ball carriers sent to IR in 2015 is too numerous to mention.

8. Matt Ryan- Ryan's drop-off was hard to comprehend given that he had a healthy Julio Jones all year long.

MVP: As for the MVP of fantasy football in 2015, I am going to give the nod to Antonio Brown whose 123 catches, 1,675 yards, and 9 TDs through 16 weeks makes him worthy and then some. The award could have gone to Cam Newton, certainly, or possibly Carson Palmer, Julio Jones, or Odell Beckham, Jr., but in the end, Brown's explosiveness and consistency won this author over. The running back position was devoid of top-notch performers (only four RBs have run for 1,000 yards this season through 16 weeks) and no tight end had the kind of surreal year that warrants such consideration. So, Brown it is. Runner-up for MVP? How about Brandon Marshall who gets an award of his own…

Comeback Player of the Year: We'll give the nod to Marshall here as he edges out running backs Doug Martin and Darren McFadden. Philip Rivers was headed for this award at the halfway point of the season, but losing half of his receiving corps impacted his second half effectiveness.

Rookie(s) of the Year: This was a two-man race between Todd Gurley and David Johnson. Both are great dynasty/keeper prospects as well. Johnson's late surge pulled him even with Gurley- so much so that we'll call it a tie. Look for both to be first round redraft picks next season with Gurley having a slight edge due to less competition for carries.

The “Dirty Dozen” Heading Into 2016: So, who are the top 12 players in a redraft next August based on what we know now? In non-PPR leagues, there will still be a few RBs included on that list, but the list is probably more WR-heavy than ever. We'll go non-PPR and roll with...

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Antonio Brown
3. Odell Beckham Jr.
4. Le'Veon Bell
5. Julio Jones
6. Todd Gurley
7. Rob Gronkowski
8. David Johnson
9. DeAndre Hopkins
10. Doug Martin
11. A.J. Green
12.Cam Newton

A lot can and will change between now and August, but there's a jumping-off point for you. One thing is for sure: The age of the running back has passed. The age of those affiliated with the passing of the ball is intensifying. There was no bigger theme in 2015.

And so we come to a close here at the Buzz. It's been a fun and wild ride this season. Sometimes, we steered you in the right direction. Other times, we missed the boat. Here's hoping you make the Buzz a part of your weekly fantasy football intake in 2016.

Happy New Year everybody!