Patrick Mahomes had plenty to smile about in the 2018 season.

When it comes to selecting fantasy teams, it’s always easier to go for the established players. You can check their form, comb through their stats and make a considered decision. Drafting a big-name quarterback is usually the safe choice, with the likes of the Packers’ Aaron Rogers or the Patriots’ Tom Brady being expensive choices, but usually offering plenty of bang for your buck.

Rewarding the risk takers
It takes real guts to take a risk on a rookie quarterback with just one NFL start under his belt; but those who did just that last year, with the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahones, were richly rewarded. Mahones was the breakout star of the 2018 season and almost sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. He not only broke several records, and scored plenty of points for his fantasy football faithful, but he also collected a bunch of awards.
Mahones was named in the Pro Bowl, made first team All-Pro and was the NFL Offensive Player of the year. To top all that, he was voted the NFL MVP, perhaps the most coveted accolade in the game. What’s more, he is widely predicted to do the same again this season.

A spectacular season
Mahones’ 2018 season stats make remarkable reading—he amassed a total of 5,097 yards and 50 touchdown passes in the regular season and a further 573 yards in his two post-season games. He more than earned his reported $16.42 million contract by opening his account with 256 yards and four touchdown passes against the Los Angeles Chargers. From there he went two better, with six touchdown passes (and 326 yards) against the Pittsburgh Steelers—and that’s without a single interception in either game. But this was no flash in the pan. Mahones was the real deal, and he was out to prove himself as one of the greats, throwing a season-record 478 yards against the Rams in week 11 and ending the year as only the second player in history to throw 5000 yards and 50 TDs in a single season.
For those who did their Ma-homework, he was a real find and a bargain buy. But while there is no doubt that he will be throwing and scoring freely again this season, his price tag for 2019 will surely reflect this. You can always try to dig out the next big thing, but the chances of finding another Patrick Mahones are pretty slim.