With the Whipsnakes celebrating their second championship in as many years, it marks an end to the fantasy lacrosse season. It’s time to take a look at some of the top performers and biggest busts of the 2020 PLL fantasy lacrosse season.
Top Performers
Joseph Nardella, FO, 106 points
Joe Nardella was far and away the most valuable player in the fantasy world this season. His domination at the dot made him not only an irreplaceable key to the Whipsnakes’ second title, but made him the best pick in fantasy lacrosse in all of 2020.
Matt Rambo, A, 82 Points
The reigning MVP followed up his first act with an equally impressive second one. Matt Rambo led the PLL in points and was the highest producing field player of 2020. Rambo probably went in the first round of your leagues draft and he backed up the selection.
Zed Williams, A, 79 Points
Zed Williams had a dream first season in the PLL. The fifth pick in the PLL Entry Draft made the first four teams regret not selecting him. Leading the league in goals in his first season and an electric six-goal performance in the championship game made Williams a household name among PLL fans.
Grant Ament, A, 72 Points
Grant Ament was expected to have a big season joining a talented offense as the first overall pick in the College Draft. He backed up the hype. Ament quickly adjusted to playing with stars in Will Manny and Tom Schreiber and took advantage of their scoring abilities to dish and dazzle his way to a memorable rookie campaign.
Drew Simoneau, FO, 62 Points
Drew Simoneau was also a bit of a surprise. The Waterdogs figured to primarily run their faceoffs with waiver wire pickup Jake Withers, but Simoneau was a surprisingly effective choice for the Waterdogs as well. While most people were taking Jake Withers, Simoneau put together a solidly productive season.
Biggest Surprise
A face off guy leading the league in scoring
The scoring system was tough to read coming into the draft. It rewarded faceoff guys that had elite days, but didn’t take into account just how dominant Joe Nardella would be. Nardella averaged 72% on faceoffs during the tournament, which was an unexpected level of brilliance. Nardella not only leading the league in fantasy scoring, but doing so in a completely dominant way was quite a surprise.
Steal of the Draft
Zed Williams, A, 79 Points
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This one was fairly obvious. Not many expected Zed Williams to step in and be the top scorer he became. While some savvy box fans in your league may have taken Williams earlier than in many leagues, to step in and become the league’s top goal man is an incredible feat. Whoever got Williams in your league had to be smiling.
Biggest Disappointments
Garrett Epple, D, 54 Points
Garrett Epple put up big numbers a year ago. His point total made Epple the ideal defenseman for fantasy lacrosse. Huge turnover numbers and equally impressive ground ball numbers made him the top defensive pick in the league. Yet, Epple’s numbers took a big dip and he missed a game due to suspension. If you used the top pick on Epple, as some did, you were in for a disappointment.
Zach Currier, M, 40 Points
Disclaimer, I had Zach Currier as the number one pick this year. On paper, he was everything you’d want in a fantasy lacrosse player. Defense, offense, groundballs; he’s a true two-way middie. Unfortunately, it didn’t come together for Currier or the Waterdogs. A concussion and slow start doomed Currier for the fantasy season. Expect him to still be a high pick next season.
Ryder Garnsey, A, 25 Points
Ryder Garnsey had a rough PLL Championship Series. He was often tasked with trying to be the initiator from X that Jules Heningburg was for the Woods and was often not up to the task. Garnsey never quite got comfortable and had a fairly unproductive season as a result.
It was an exciting season of fantasy lacrosse and congratulations to all of the champions! We’ll keep talking fantasy here at Pro Lacrosse Talk so stay tuned all offseason!
