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Joey Pollizze ranks the greatest seasons ever produced by fantasy football quarterbacks. Which quarterbacks make the list? Where do Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes rank?
Quarterbacks remain the most important position in the NFL. They are also just as key in fantasy football as they usually score the most points every year, more than any other position. Securing a top-three fantasy quarterback could sometimes be the difference in a fantasy championship.
There have been some big fantasy quarterback seasons over the years, especially from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Both quarterbacks have finished as the top fantasy option in five of the past six seasons. The only year neither didn't was in 2019 during Lamar Jackson's MVP season.
Does any three of these quarterbacks make the all-time list for the greatest fantasy season? Let's dive in and find out which players make the list.
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Best Fantasy Football Quarterback Seasons of All Time
Having an elite quarterback is sometimes a cheat code in fantasy. They will get you anywhere from 25-30 fantasy points every game, which is sometimes the difference between winning a certain week. If you drafted Allen this year in fantasy, chances are you were extremely happy with his production. But his 2023 season didn't even land him in the top 10 for the best quarterback performances of all time.
Here are the top 10 best fantasy quarterback seasons of all time. This whole list will include recent quarterbacks because the game has changed drastically over the years. Quarterbacks are running more, and there is of course way more scoring on offense.
Honorable Mention: Tom Brady (2007)
Stats: 4,806 passing yards and 50 touchdowns
Imagine showing up on draft day and taking a flier on Tom Brady in fantasy in the later rounds because his 2006 season was mediocre (3,529 yards, 24 touchdowns, 12 interceptions). Well, if you did, Brady put together one of the best fantasy performances of all time.
He threw at least three passing touchdowns in 10 straight games to start the season, including 11 passing touchdowns in a two-game span in Week 5 and Week 6. Brady was unstoppable through the air with his top option Randy Moss in New England. The three-time MVP finished with 398 points during that season while averaging 24.88 fantasy points to complete the perfect 16-0 regular season.
#10. Cam Newton (2015)
Stats: 3,837 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 636 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns
Like Brady, Cam Newton was coming off a mediocre season and likely fell in fantasy drafts the next year. Someone out there just took a chance on the Auburn quarterback because of his "upside." That pick turned out to be one of the greatest of the season, as Newton put together one of the best fantasy quarterback seasons in history.
Newton scored 399.1 fantasy points while averaging 24.94 points per game thanks to his rushing upside. He scored 45 total touchdowns -- which to put it into context -- is more than Josh Allen's 44 total touchdowns this season in one fewer game. In 2015, the Panthers quarterback couldn't be stopped. He scored over 30 fantasy points in five of the last nine games of the year and likely carried fantasy managers to a championship.
#9. Patrick Mahomes (2022)
Stats: 5,250 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 358 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns
If you want to talk about the best fantasy quarterback seasons of all time, Mahomes should always be included. This one comes from last season, where he was unstoppable in fantasy. He finished with 429.4 fantasy points, which is the most points scored by a quarterback in fantasy history. However, with the 17-game rule change, there are other quarterbacks who put up better fantasy numbers.
Still, his 2022 campaign was one of the best fantasy quarterback seasons ever. He averaged 25.26 fantasy points per game and finished as a top-seven fantasy quarterback in 14 of 17 games last year. Mahomes was a reliable QB1, and his numbers show it. He scored above 19 fantasy points in 14 of 17 games as well.
#8. Josh Allen (2020)
Stats: 4,544 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 421 rush yards, eight rushing touchdowns
Like Mahomes, in any list talking about the best fantasy seasons of all time, Allen has to be a part of the conversation. He has been the almost unanimous QB1 over the years. He has finished as the top quarterback in three of the past four years with Mahomes' 2022 season spoiling the streak. Allen's 2022 fantasy season is also on this list, checking in at #5.
It's his first QB1 finish in 2020 that helps Allen land at eight on this ranking. Not many people knew what the Bills quarterback could do in fantasy, and I remember drafting him as a backup in the second to last round in one of my fantasy drafts. He went on to have an unstoppable season, averaging 25.4 fantasy points per game and 406.1 fantasy points in 15.5 games that season.
Allen helped many fantasy managers down the stretch, totaling over 29 fantasy points in five of the last seven games. He was well on his way to another 30-point performance in the final week, too, before being pulled at halftime to prepare for the playoffs. If the 2020 season was a 17-game schedule, he would have only needed 23.5 fantasy points to break the record for most fantasy points in a season.
#7. Drew Brees (2011)
Stats: 5,476 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns
What a season Drew Brees put together in 2011 with the New Orleans Saints. He threw for a career-high 5,476 pass yards and 46 touchdowns en route to his best fantasy finish. He finished with 405.6 fantasy points on the season and averaged a whopping 25.35 fantasy points per game. Brees was unstoppable through the air that year, and his fantasy numbers show that as well.
Brees threw for over 300 yards in 13 of 16 games in 2011, including in seven straight games to end the season. During that seven-game span, the future Hall of Fame quarterback threw 25 touchdowns. He also scored 34 fantasy points, 27 fantasy points, and 35 fantasy points in the fantasy playoffs.
#6. Jalen Hurts (2022)
Stats: 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 760 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns
Jalen Hurts' 2022 season might go under the rug in fantasy sometimes because he missed two games in the fantasy playoffs and then wasn't efficient in his final game of the season in Week 18 -- scoring just 9.5 fantasy points. But, it was a historic fantasy season for Hurts. He finished with 384 points in 15 games while averaging 25.6 fantasy points per contest.
The Eagles quarterback was almost unstoppable in 2022, especially in fantasy. He finished as a top-four fantasy quarterback in 10 of 15 weeks. Hurts also finished as a top-two fantasy option in four straight weeks from Week 12 to Week 15. He was as automatic at the quarterback position in fantasy ever, scoring over 27 points in more than half of his games played. His sixth spot on this ranking is worthy.
#5. Josh Allen (2022)
Stats: 4,316 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 776 rush yards, seven rushing touchdowns
Allen makes his second appearance on this list after a spectacular 2022 season in Buffalo. Despite finishing as the QB2 on the year behind Mahomes, the Bills quarterback did have the better fantasy year. The Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals that was canceled was a large reason for his lower finish.
Still, he scored 409.5 fantasy points during the 2022 season (seventh-best all time) while averaging 25.6 points per game -- .34 more than Mahomes. If the Week 17 game was played, all Allen needed was just 22.72 fantasy points to overtake Mahomes for the QB1 finish and the most points scored by a quarterback in fantasy football history. The odds of that happening were great, considering he scored above that mark in 11 games that season.
#4. Peyton Manning (2013)
Stats: 5,477 passing yards and 55 passing touchdowns
If you rostered Peyton Manning during the 2013 season, he likely carried you far into the fantasy playoffs. Manning finished with 420 fantasy points while averaging 26.25 fantasy points. His 420 fantasy points during the 2013 season with the Denver Broncos is the fourth-most ever by a quarterback in fantasy football. So, it makes sense to see him here at the fourth spot on this list.
#3. Patrick Mahomes (2018)
Stats: 5,097 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns, 272 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns
It was hard to rank the best three quarterback performances of all time. But Mahomes' 2018 campaign officially checks in on the list. This was his first season as the Chiefs starting quarterback after backing up Alex Smith during the 2017 season. What the young quarterback was able to do during 2018 was astonishing to see, especially in fantasy.
He finished with the second-most fantasy points ever by a quarterback (429.1) and averaged the third-most points per game in fantasy history (26.82) during that season. In 2018, Mahomes was impressive from the start, scoring over 27 fantasy points in eight of the first 12 games of the year. Since this was only a 16-game season, his 2018 fantasy season is more impressive than his 2022 campaign, which featured 17 contests.
#2. Aaron Rodgers (2011)
Stats: 4,643 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns, 257 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns
Aaron Rodgers didn't even finish as the number one quarterback in fantasy during the 2011 season. That went to Brees, who is featured at number five on this list. However, a large reason for that was due to Rodgers sitting out a meaningless Week 17 game against the Detroit Lions. He only scored 2.2 fewer points than Brees on the season. However, the Packers quarterback had not only a better year than the Saints quarterback -- hence his MVP award -- but also a better fantasy season.
Rodgers averaged the second-most fantasy points per game by a quarterback ever in 2011 with 26.89 fantasy points. His numbers won't wow you this season, but this might have been the most consistent quarterback fantasy season ever.
He scored above 20 fantasy points and threw for at least two passing touchdowns in 14 of 15 games that season. He did only score above 30 fantasy points four times in 2011, which might not look like a lot. However, he was a quarterback who was producing consistent 25+ fantasy points every week, something most fantasy managers would love from their signal-caller nowadays.
#1. Lamar Jackson (2019)
Stats: 3,127 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns, 1,206 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns
It's crazy to believe that Lamar Jackson's 2019 fantasy season was the best of all time. But the numbers don't lie, especially considering he put up 43 total touchdowns and 4,333 total yards in just 15 games. 2019 was another 16-game season, and Jackson also sat out a meaningless Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If you rostered Jackson during this season, you know how awesome he was to have on your fantasy team. He put up the third-most fantasy points by a quarterback ever with 421.7 points while playing two fewer games than 2022 Mahomes (429.4) and one less game than 2018 Mahomes (429.1). The Ravens quarterback did, though, average the most fantasy points per game by a fantasy quarterback in history at 28.1.
Unlike Rodgers, Jackson put up big numbers almost every week, which is why I gave the Ravens quarterback the edge in this ranking list. He scored over 30 fantasy points seven times in 2019, including four in the final seven weeks of the season. The MVP also averaged over 30.1 fantasy points over his final eight games of the season.
The 27-year-old had a heroic season and certainly the best by a fantasy quarterback in history. Could Allen or Mahomes ever top Jackson's 2019 season in a 17-game schedule?
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