This was a surprising and great season in so many ways.  From the unbelievable turn-arounds of the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins to an 11-5 Patriots team missing the playoffs to the first 0-16 team in league history, the 2008 NFL regular season was one for the history books.

One of the more pleasant surprises this year was the contributions NFL teams received from their 2008 rookie draft picks.  There were too many great rookies this season for all to make the Rookie Report’s final top five.  Eddie Royal, DeSean Jackson, Jonathan Stewart, Donnie Avery and Tim Hightower are a few of the uber-talented rookies who graced this list at some point this season, but didn’t quite make the final five.

The best of the best, including The Hazean’s pick for Fantasy Rookie of the Year, are as follows:

5. Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens - Flacco led his Ravens to a 11-5 record and a berth in the AFC playoffs.  He had 2,971 yards passing with 16 total touchdowns.  He didn’t deliver the goods in the fantasy playoffs, but I believe he earned a spot in the final five after a fairly consistent season.

4. Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons - Ryan won the NFL offensive rookie of the year, but his stats weren’t great enough to win fantasy rookie of the year.  That is to be expected for a rookie quarterback, so just cracking this list is impressive in and of itself. He threw for 3,440 yards with a total of 17 touchdowns.  Ryan even threw down a 25-point effort during the first round of most leagues’ fantasy playoffs, but still could not be relied upon to be an every-week fantasy starter. Those days are on the horizon for the young gunslinger.

3. Chris Johnson, RB, Titans - Johnson showed a lot of potential in the Titans’ running game.  He was able to come in his rookie year and immediately steal the starting job from incumbent LenDale White.  Johnson totaled 1,488 total yards with 10 touchdowns and had solid performances in the fantasy playoffs.

2. Steve Slaton, RB, Texans - Slaton posted 1,659 total yards with 10 touchdowns in 2008.  That’s good enough for second place, but not enough to get over the hump.  He made a strong run with four impressive performances during the fantasy playoffs, but it wasn’t quite enough to take home the hardware.

1. Matt Forte, RB, Bears - Forte is this year’s big winner.  He was consistent for his fantasy owners all year long and his numbers were the most impressive of all his rookie counterparts.  He finished with 1,715 total yards and 12 touchdowns as the workhorse back for the Chicago Bears.  Had he not put up such consistant numbers during the fantasy playoffs, Slaton and his hot finish would have passed Forte and won the trophy.

It’s not too late to join The Hazean’s Fantasy Playoff Challenge. To sweeten the pot a little bit The Hazean will give away a free movie DVD not to exceed $20 of the winner’s choice if the group reaches 30 members. Right now we are at 15, so tell your league mates!

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