The 10 Biggest 2011 Fantasy Football (Positive) Surprises

10.
Matthew Stafford
, QB, Detroit

2011 stats: 421/663, 5,038 yards, 41 TD

We’ve seen glimpses of what Stafford is capable of in previous seasons, but we never got to see the whole picture until this season.  He has been one of the most reliable quarterbacks in fantasy football (that sounds weird) and is worthy of Top 5 fantasy quarterback status.

9.
Laurent Robinson
, WR, Dallas

2011 stats: 54 receptions, 858 yards, 11 TD

Robinson seemingly came out of nowhere en route to his surprising fantasy season. Injuries to fellow Cowboys’ receivers Dez Bryant and Miles Austin gave Robinson the opportunity to prove he deserved to play every game.

He rewarded head coach Jason Garrett, quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys and fantasy owners, who most likely grabbed him off waivers, with a double-digit touchdown season.

8.
Tim Tebow
, QB, Denver

126/271, 1,729 passing yards, 12 TD; 660 rushing yards, 6 TD

Keep in mind that Tebow didn’t start a game until Week 6 against Miami when the Broncos were 1-4. He became close to a must-start every week for fantasy owners because of his versatility and, for the most part, did not let his owners down.

7.
Antonio Brown
, WR, Pittsburgh

2011 stats: 69 receptions, 1,108 yards, 2 TD; 1,062 return yards, 1 TD

Brown is a surprise because he came from doing next to nothing in 2010 to being one of the league leaders in all-purpose yards in 2011. His total touchdowns (three) aren’t too attractive but the yards made up for it. Brown can do everything and is arguably quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite target going into next season.

6.
Reggie Bush
, RB, Miami

2011 stats: 1,086 rushing yards, 6 TD; 43 receptions, 296 yards, 1 TD

Remember when Bush was only supposed to get around 10 carries per game for the Dolphins this season? Rookie running back Daniel Thomas showed he wasn’t quite ready to be the featured back in Miami, and Bush gladly took over the role.

He quickly returned to his old ways of racking up yards (his 1,086 rushing yards were a career high) and scoring touchdowns (seven total) as he did in New Orleans. Ladies and gentlemen, Reggie Bush is fantasy relevant again.