Sunday Wrap-Up: Arian Foster Wraps Up the Rushing Title

A year ago it was Arian Foster, who used Week 17 to stake his claim for a starter in the Houston offense, rushing for 119 yards and two TDs on 20 carries. Who would it be in 2010? How about Arian Foster again?

Arguably the fantasy MVP of 2010, Foster closed his season out with a bang, rushing for 180 yards on 31 carries, adding 10 receiving yards and scoring two TDs. For the second straight year, Foster has just won fantasy championships across the world in leagues that compete in Week 17. The difference this season is that he's the guy that got teams to the championship as well. After his big Week 17 performance, Foster ends 2010 with 1,616 rushing yards, 604 receiving yards and 18 total TDs. Quite a season for a guy picked outside the top 40 of most drafts. He's a top-three pick heading into next year.

Two years ago the Week 17 Hero of the Championship was Michael Bush. The talented back piled up 183 yards on 28 touches and scored two TDs in the 2008 season finale. He's been called upon to carry the offense when Darren McFadden has been inactive, and he received the opportunity again this Week 17. He produced yet again, racking up 171 yards on 29 touches and scoring a TD in Oakland's win over Kansas City.

The big back tops four yards per carry for the third straight year with this impressive performance. As a free agent, he has the opportunity to move on to a place where he can become an integral part of the offense. I could see him replacing Ronnie Brown in Miami or Marshawn Lynch in Seattle if he doesn't return to Oakland.

Championship Heroes

Ryan Mathews
The No. 12 overall pick certainly played like he had something to prove in Week 17, and maybe he did. After consistently being outplayed by Mike Tolbert this season, the Chargers' first-round pick needed to show himself worthy of being the lead back in San Diego next year. He came through with 120 yards and three TDs on 26 carries, adding 19 yards on three receptions. He didn't reach 150 yards like I predicted, but I don't hear anyone complaining. Coming into Sunday, Mathews' best day came all the way back in Week 1 (20 carries, 78 yards). I'd say he has a leg up on the starting RB job next season.

Joe McKnight
Also making waves on Sunday was Joe McKnight. With Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson inactive, McKnight was expected to receive a lion's share of New York's offensive looks. He finished with 173 yards on 34 touches, proving capable of a bigger load in 2011 should the Jets move on from Tomlinson. McKnight isn't worth drafting in 2011, unless you play in a deep PPR league, but this big day merits we keep our eye on him moving forward.

Jamaal Charles
The shifty Charles was looking to put pressure on Arian Foster for the rushing title in this game, and while he wasn't able to receive a ton of carries with Kansas City falling behind quickly, he did manage 87 rushing yards, 100 total yards and one score. Charles finishes his incredible season with 230 caries, 1,467 rushing yards, 45 receptions, 468 receiving yards and eight TDs. Last year at this time, we wondered whether Charles was worth a top-five pick in 2010. At this point, he looks likely to be a high first-round pick in 2011.

Tom Brady
The clubhouse leader for NFL MVP made for a risky play this week with he Patriots locked into the No. 1 seed. Those fantasy teams that played him anyway were rewarded with 199 yard and two TDs on Brady's ten completions. We named Michael Vick the fantasy MVP this year, but Brady also had an amazing season, throwing 36 TDs and only four interceptions to go with his 3,900 yards. And that was with two slot receivers (Wes Welker and Deion Branch) and two rookie tight ends (Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski) as his primary weapons. Amazing stuff from Brady.

Tim Tebow
He might not be much of a passer, but Tebow is now on the fantasy map heading into 2010. For his third straight start, the rookie rushed for a TD and threw for a TD (two actually), adding 205 passing yards and 94 rushing yards. Thanks to his rushing numbers, he actually had the best fantasy day of any QB in Week 17. Congrats to anyone with the cojones to play him in their championship. If he winds up being the starter in Denver next season, he's an intriguing QB2 and well worth being selected late in fantasy drafts.

Roddy White
The extremely talented White completed his breakout season with a six-catch, 62-yard game in Week 17 that also saw him score his 10th TD of the season. He set the Falcons' franchise record with 115 catches and added 1,389 yards in 2010. With Andre Johnson dealing with injury issues, Larry Fitzgerald dealing with quarterback issues and Randy Moss completely falling off the map, White has entered the discussion to be fantasy's first-picked wide receiver in 2011.

Brian Westbrook
Frank Gore's injury has allowed Westbrook to have a bit of a renaissance, and he turned in a very nice 93-yard, two-TD effort in an easy matchup against the Cardinals in Week 17. As far as last gasps go -- and there's really no guarantee that this is the last we see of Westbrook -- this was pretty good.

Championship Zeroes

Matt Cassel
Coming into the day with a 27:5 TD:INT ratio, Cassel clearly had a great season, one of the most underrated you'll ever find at the quarterback position. Unfortunately, on the heels of the Charlie Weis-to-Florida news, Cassel and the Kansas City offense struggled, with the QB completing just a third of his passes while throwing two interceptions and no TDs. We hope you took our advice and sat him.

Adrian Peterson
Having to deal with injuries this year, Peterson may have turned in a little bit of a disappointing season for fantasy owners. He closed this season with a whimper, totaling 29 yards on 16 touches and ruining many owners' championship bids. Still, one can't complain too much about All Day's 1,639 yards and 13 TDs. He'll be a top-three pick again in 2011, and he's in discussion for your league's top pick overall. It would be nice for his fantasy prospects for Minnesota to find an answer at QB this offseason.

Jonathan Stewart
The Panther back has really come on in fantasy leagues after returning from injury to find DeAngelo Williams out for the season. He totaled 341 rushing yards in three games leading into Week 17 but found nowhere to run this week, rushing for just 31 yards on 13 carries. One would think that Stewart showed enough late in the season to earn lead-back status in 2011, but his fantasy stock next season will largely depend on the players Carolina adds on offense, especially at QB.

Brandon Jackson
Billed as the waiver pickup of the season back in Week 1 after Ryan Grant's injury, Jackson did nothing but underwhelm all season. Fittingly, he wrapped up the 2010 season by rushing for 19 yards on seven carries and adding just 16 yards on two receptions. He's squandered his opportunity to be a feature back in the NFL after this season, and he deserves no consideration in 2011 drafts.

Ahmad Bradshaw
Coming into Week 17's must-win game against Washington, Bradshaw had over 1,500 total yards on the season in 15 games. It doesn't take a genius to figure out he's been averaging over 100 yards a game. Against a bad Washington team, Bradshaw managed just 30 yards on 17 touches in the season finale, submarining fantasy championships in the process. Still, he's proven himself a more than capable RB2 in fantasy leagues, and he'll be drafted as such next year.

Kevin Kolb
I dubbed Kolb the best option of all potential Week 17 fill-ins. I was wrong. Philadelphia trotted out a second-string offensive line, a big no-no against the Cowboys. Kolb was running for his life all day, suffering six sacks and throwing three interceptions against a bad Dallas secondary. I don't know if any team is willing to give Kolb a look as a franchise QB after this sorry performance.