Now that both the 2008 NFL regular season and, more importantly for the sake of this blog, the 2008 fantasy football regular season are in the books, it is time to pass out some hardware.

Every season, players come out of nowhere to make a name of themselves in both league circles and fantasy circles. Fantasy waiver wires are scoured for hours upon hours every week as fantasy owners search from the next diamond in the rough.

The 2008 Wonders will be given out by The Hazean to the one player at each of the fantasy skill positions who found his way from the bottom of the wire to the top of fantasy rosters. This week’s award goes out to the running backs of the NFL who went undrafted in most fantasy leagues, only to become the hottest of commodities during the 2008 regular season.

The nominees

Pierre Thomas, Saints: Everyone’s favorite sleeper heading into the season took a while to develop. So long, in fact, the Thomas quickly found his way off fantasy rosters just a few short weeks into the season. But it did not take too long after that to watch the effect that shouldering the load took on teammate Reggie Bush as he began to suffer setbacks and ultimately a season-ending injury. Enter the fresh legs of Thomas, who powered his way back onto fantasy rosters after midseason with a flurry of studtastic stat lines, including during the fantasy playoffs.

Steve Slaton, Texans: Slaton went undrafted in a vast majority of fantasy leagues only to become one of the season’s biggest surprises. It took a short while for the Texans to realize that Ahman Green no longer can be trusted to stay healthy enough to carry the load, and when they went to Slaton he got the job done. Almost the best rookie running back in this class according to our Rookie Report, Slaton’s fantasy value heading into 2009 has skyrocketed the young ball carrier up into the 2nd round.

Chris Johnson, Titans: Another surprising year from a rookie running back. Johnson first turned heads last spring when he ran a 4.24 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, then again during the Titans’ preseason games as he ripped off long run after long run. Splitting time with LenDale White hurt his touchdown totals early in the season, but Johnson became the feature back of the Tennessee offense as the season progressed which helped him find paydirt a little more often.

Le’Ron McClain, Ravens: It was not clear what McClain’s role would be at the beginning of the season. Built like a fullback, most fantasy owners figured he would plow the way for Willis McGahee and rookie Ray Rice. But when the Ravens put Lorenzo Neal at fullback and kept McClain on the roster, it became a little more clear that they intended to use him in short-yardage situations. He was so effective at short-yardage plays, in fact, that he began to steal more and more time away from the other two ball carriers. By the end of the season, McClain had become the most consistent fantasy starter of the bunch.

Mewelde Moore, Steelers: Moore stepped in for not one but two injured Pittsburgh running backs during the first half of the season and put down some fantastic stat lines. But Moore’s production waned as the season wore on, due in large part to the return of Willie Parker to the lineup. With Parker and Rashard Mendenhall back in Pittsburgh next year, Moore’s time to shine may have come and gone. Unless, of course, those two backs in front of him on the depth chart succomb to injury once again.

Cedric Benson, Bengals: Who would have thought that Benson would gain fantasy relevance in Cincinnati? It took several weeks after signing on with the team, but Benson began to look like the first-round pick he became a few years ago for Chicago. His down-the-stretch production likely landed him a nice new deal with the Bengals this offseason to come back as the starter next year. Otherwise, he could jump ship to land an opportunity elsewhere.

Dominic Rhodes, Colts: Joseph Addai owners especially can vouch for the worthiness of Rhodes on this list after an injury-riddled season to the former first-round fantasy pick. Addai’s value took a big hit this year, which became a gain for Rhodes. He played well as both the starter and the complement to Addai, and that should make him a must-draft handcuff for Addai owners in 2009.

Derrick Ward, Giants: Wind, of the now famous Earth (Brandon Jacobs), Wind (Ward) and Fire (Ahmad Bradshaw) Giants’ trio, threw down solid, consistent fantasy stats for owners most of the season. Now he gets to cash in during an offseason in which he will become a free agent, which also should make him a hot commodity on fantasy markets next season — that is if he gets a starting gig. Ward was the perfect complement to Jacobs: A light-moving, swift back with decent speed, good hands and elusivity in the open field. Ward’s value next season will depend entirely on his landing spot, but he could be a little over-valued in fantasy drafts since he likely will not be running behind that Giants’ offensive line in 2009.

Felix Jones/Tashard Choice, Cowboys: One guy played most of the first half of the season while the other play most of the second half, which is why both of the Cowboys’ rookie running backs count as one nominee. Had Jones stayed healthy, Choice likely would never have seen the field. But he created an opportunity for the Georgia Tech rookie and when Marion Barber went down, Dallas was down to one back. Both of these guys performed well, but I give the edge to Choice as the better back because he did his damage late in the season against some of the best run defenses in the league.

Tim Hightower, Cardinals: Hightower gets a mention on this list because of his nice touchdown totals for 2008. But the yardage was not there for the rookie runner, despite getting the reigns to the starting job around midseason. Perhaps another offseason of preparation and training will help Hightower improve the yardage output in 2009, but he will carry decent fantasy value into 2009 as long as he continues to be the goal line back in Arizona.

Peyton Hillis, Broncos: Had it not been for a season-ending injury, Hillis could have seriously contended for this award. A full back by trade, Hillis got the opportunity to start at runningback for the Broncos after the other 800 starting running backs they tried this season fell to injury. His upside for next season is limited, especially with Mike Shanahan out the door, as he likely will fall back into the full back role. But the Broncos know they can trust him with the football, which could make him a rosterable full back at some point next season.

And the winner is …

Steve Slaton.

No running back came more out of left field than Slaton in 2008. Chris Johnson got serious consideration for this award with a dominant fantasy season of his own, but he was drafted far more often in every type of league compared to Slaton.

The diminutive Houston running back became a household name pretty earlly in the season. After the Texans’ second game was postponed due to Hurricane Ike, Slaton posted one of his best games of the season against one of the league’s best defenses. With 18 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans, Slaton became the most popular add in fantasy leagues in the season’s early weeks.

Slaton went on to score double-digit fantasy points in all by four weeks on the season, finishing as the seventh-best fantasy running back in standard leagues. His small stature may hinder his fantasy stock a little next year, but Slaton more than proved in 2008 that he can be a first-round fantasy talent.

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