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Who really had the best fantasy football season of all time? Cooper Kupp made his case in 2021 but what about the past greats? Robert Lorge evaluates the top choices in a tournament format.
In recognition of Cooper Kupp’s all-time great season and with March Madness right around the corner, what better time to look at who had the greatest fantasy season of all time in a tournament-style competition?
To do so, there will be 32 contestants entered into the pool. They will be seeded and you, the voters, will decide who will move on to the next round.
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Rules
There’s no point in trying to decide who had the very best statistical fantasy season of all time. It’s LaDainian Tomlinson back in 2006 when he racked up 31 touchdowns and over 2,300 scrimmage yards. He outscored the RB2 that season by 82.7 points and the RB10, he had by an absolutely insane 242.7 points. He actually out-scored the RB10 by more points than the RB10 scored himself. He is the King.
That much isn’t up for debate, but who is the No. 2? The top-five? That’s really what we’re going to be trying to decide here with this series.
Now, there are some ground rules. For starters, the running backs will be using half-PPR scoring, while the receivers and tight ends will be in full-PPR. The reason for this is if it’d be full-PPR, we’d have nothing but 32 running back contestants for the most part. This is a way of trying to level the playing field, as running backs have all but dominated the top-end of the fantasy football landscape for years.
It’d be easier to put up their total fantasy points scored and we’d all just vote on who scored the most points. That’s easy, but let’s try to add a little context here, shall we? With each contestant, you’ll find how much they dominated their positional group. How many more points did they score compared to the RB2 or WR2? What about their score vs QB10 or TE10?
Context is important. As the league has changed, a quarterback scoring 400 points in 2021 isn’t as crazy or as dominating as it would’ve been in 2010. For example, Josh Allen scored 405 points in 2020. He only outscored QB10 by 63. Aaron Rodgers however, scored 397 points in 2011 and outscored QB10 by 160. So really what we’re trying to answer here is not only who had the best fantasy season of all time, but whose season was the most impactful at the time? Let’s meet the contestants.
Quarterbacks
Peyton Manning, 2013
As a member of the Denver Broncos, Manning went all scorched earth on the rest of the league en route to the most passing touchdowns in a single season. He finished with 5,477 yards passing and 55 touchdowns. He also had one rushing touchdown for good measure. He finished with 410 points.
He outscored the QB2 that season by 52.3 points and the QB10 by 149.1 points.
Lamar Jackson, 2019
Jackson set the league on fire this season and became the first quarterback to record a 1,000-yard rushing season. Fantasy managers got an elite quarterback and a very good running back, all in one pick. You put them together and it was simple domination. The 2019 MVP finished with 3,127 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. He also racked up 1,206 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. He finished with 421.7 points.
He outscored the QB2 by 72.9 points and the QB10 by 139.3.
Patrick Mahomes, 2018
Before there was Lamar Jackson, there was the former Red Raider. Mahomes went absolutely bonkers and fantasy managers rejoiced as he just kept piling up the points in record fashion. He finished with 5,097 passing yards with 50 touchdowns. He also chipped in 272 rushing yards and two scores. His final point total was 417.1 points.
He bested the QB2 by 63.2 points and the QB10 by 131.2.
Tom Brady, 2007
We certainly can’t talk about the best quarterback seasons of all-time without mentioning the one season we got to witness with Brady throwing to Randy Moss. He threw for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns while also having 98 rushing yards and two scores. He ended up with 390 points.
He outscored the QB2 by 94.7 points and the QB10 by 179.6.
Aaron Rodgers, 2011
Rodgers was simply unstoppable in 2011 and it’s arguably one of his best seasons ever. He accumulated 4,643 passing yards and 45 touchdowns. He only had six interceptions, in typical-Rodgers fashion. He also had 257 rushing yards and three scores. He finished with 397.4 points.
While he barely outscored the QB2– more on him in a second – besting him by just 3.8 points, he did end up 160.5 points ahead of the QB10.
Drew Brees, 2011
It’s true, Brees was not even the QB1 this season, as we’ve already established, so you could make an argument for Cam Newton in 2015 or Josh Allen in 2020, but Brees was no slouch. He threw for a ridiculous 5,476 passing yards and had 46 touchdowns. He also had 86 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground. He finished with 394 points.
While he wasn’t the QB1, he finished just 3.8 points behind Rodgers. He had 23.7 points on QB3 and 156.7 on QB10. He out-scored QB3 by a wider margin than Allen out-scored the QB2 in his 2020 season. Brees also outscored QB10 by 55.1 more points than what Newton did in 2015 and 93.4 more points than Allen in 2020. Context or the benefits of being the article’s author – you decide. Moving on to running backs.
Running Backs
Priest Holmes, 2002
Holmes simply dominated fantasy football for two years. If he was on your team in 2002 or 2003, you were likely in the championship game. He made taking second place seem not so bad because he made any team he was on damn near unbeatable. In 2002, he had 1,615 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. That’s amazing by itself, but he also provided 70 receptions, 672 receiving yards and another three scores. He ended with 405.7 points.
He outscored the RB2 by 72 points and RB10 by 162.7.
Priest Holmes, 2003
A repeat performer! And in consecutive seasons no less. He was unreal and astonishingly, actually got better. He had 1,420 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. He also had another strong receiving stat line, finishing with 74 receptions, 690 receiving, and a very surprising zero touchdowns. He finished with 408 fantasy points.
He bested the RB2 by 14.2 points and the RB10 by 167.4.
LaDainian Tomlinson, 2003
One of the few repeat performers to be on this list and LT earned his way on it a second time. It wasn’t nearly as dominating as his 2006 campaign and even though he came in as the RB3 to Priest Holmes, Tomlinson still deserves mention here. He finished with 1,645 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He was a major factor in the passing game, coming down with 100 receptions, 725 yards and four scores. He ended up with 393.8 points.
While he finished 14.2 points behind Holmes, he bested the RB3 by 33.8 points and the RB10 by 153.2.
Shaun Alexander, 2005
None other than Mr. Touchdown himself. The Seahawk had one of the best pure rushing seasons in the history of the NFL in 2005. He finished with 1,880 yards and an unbelievable 27 rushing scores. He also had 15 receptions, 78 receiving and one touchdown. He wrapped up the campaign with 369.3 points.
He outscored the RB2 by 30.7 points and the RB10 by 165.7.
Christian McCaffrey, 2019
He may have struggled with injuries the past two seasons, but there’s no taking away what he did in 2019. He never busted – ever – not when you rack up 116 receptions and the ceiling was always in play. Simply put, if he was in your lineup, you were going to win. It really was that simple. He racked up 1,387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, but where he really made his mark was in the passing game. He finished with 116 receptions, 1,005 yards and four touchdowns. Just his receiving work alone would’ve landed him as the WR16 in full-PPR. His final point total was 413.2 points.
He destroyed the field this season, besting the RB2 by 122.9 points and RB10 by 195.1 points.
Marshall Faulk, 2000
The MVP and Hall of Famer put together an all-time great season for the greatest show on turf. Opposing defenses didn’t have an answer to him all year and it resulted in the former Ram finishing with 1,369 rushing yards and 18 scores. He also had 81 receptions, 830 yards and an additional eight touchdowns. He finished with 419.4 points.
He outscored the RB2 by 55.6 points and the RB10 by 143.5.
Emmitt Smith, 1995
The Cowboys were the team back in the 1990s and Smith was the bell cow of the offense. He has the most rushing yards and touchdowns in NFL history. He’s an NFL icon and he was never better than he was in 1995. He finished with 1,773 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. He also had 62 receptions and 375 yards and unfortunately, no receiving scores. He finished with 383.8 points.
He outscored the RB2 by 103.6 points and the RB10 by 155.4.
O.J. Simpson, 1975
Simpson holds the trophy for having the oldest season on this list. The next closest is Rice and Smith back in 1995, but he no doubt deserves mention in regards to the greatest fantasy season of all-time. Simpson topped 2,00 scrimmage yards finishing with 1,817 rushing and 426 receiving yards. He had 28 receptions and finished with 23 total touchdowns, seven of which came through the air. He ended up with 369.3 points.
He outscored the RB2 by 36.7 points and the RB10 by 195.7.
Steven Jackson, 2006
Unfortunately for Jackson, Tomlinson was having the greatest fantasy season of all-time in 2006 when he was putting up a pretty crazy campaign of his own. I hate to talk about LT in Jackson’s space, but LT’s 2006 season deserves as much recognition as we can give it. Despite Jackson having 2,334 scrimmage yards with 90 receptions and 16 total touchdowns, LT still outscored him by 82.7 points, which is the equivalent of 13.8 more touchdowns. Jackson finished with 370.4 points.
While he still trailed LT by a wide margin, he outscored the RB3 that season by 20 points and the RB10 by an impressive 160.
Terrell Davis, 1998
Davis was never known as a receiving back, but in 1998 he didn’t need to be – not when you’re scoring 21 touchdowns and rushing for 2,008 yards. He still gave fantasy managers 25 catches for 217 yards and two more scores just for good measure though. He scored 369 total points.
He outscored the RB2 by 47.3 points and the RB10 by 152.5.
Chris Johnson, 2009
C2K ended up breaking the 2,000-yard barrier in 2009 when he finished with 2,006 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had 50 receptions, 503 yards and two more scores through the air. He finished with 367.9 points.
He outscored the RB2 by 70.9 points and the RB10 by 148.6.
David Johnson, 2016
Who can forget Johnson’s dominance in 2016? He disappeared from the fantasy landscape almost as quickly he appeared, but fantasy managers will always have 2016. He had one of the best dual-threat seasons the position has ever seen finishing with 1,239 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns, while also securing 80 receptions and turning them into 879 yards and four receiving scores. He finished with 367.8 total points.
He outscored the RB2 by 58.4 points and the RB10 by 152.2.
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp, 2021
A big kudos to the man who started this project. Kupp had one of, if not the best, fantasy season of all-time for receivers. And to best, Jerry Rice is one hell of a feat. He was unstoppable this past season. He dominated in every facet, racking up 145 receptions and finishing with 16 touchdowns. He finished with 1,947 receiving yards and 439.5 points.
He outscored the WR2 by 95.2 points and the WR10 by 180.4.
Jerry Rice, 1995
It took 25 years for a receiver to finally break his all-time fantasy scoring record, but fantasy managers cannot forget how dominating Rice was. Simply put, he was the greatest receiver of all time and 1995 may have been his masterpiece. He finished with 122 receptions, 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had another touchdown on the ground. He finished with 414 points.
He outscored the WR2 by 37.2 points and the WR10 by 164.6.
Randy Moss, 2003
Before there was the Tom Brady to Randy Moss connection, fantasy managers had the Daunte Culpepper to Randy Moss show. And put on a show, he did in 2003. He racked up 111 receptions for 1,632yards and 17 touchdowns. He had 376 fantasy points.
He outscored the WR2 by 16.9 points and the WR10 by 142.3.
Randy Moss, 2007
The Brady to Moss connection didn’t need any time warming up, the chemistry seemed automatic. After a few down years in Oakland, Moss transformed back into the best receiver in the game. The Raiders have a way of doing that to players, bringing out their worst. And on the flip side, Brady has a way of bringing out their best. He finished with the most receiving scores in a single season when he caught 23 of Brady’s 50 scores. He finished with 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 385.3 fantasy points.
He outscored the WR2 by 75.3 points and the WR10 by 140.8.
Antonio Brown, 2014
Before going off the deepest part of the deep end, Brown was simply unguardable and was arguably the best receiver in the game when he was in his prime. He could get open at will and racked up receptions at an insane rate. In 2014, he finished with 129 receptions, 1,698 yards and 14 touchdowns en route to 380.9 fantasy points.
He finished 64.9 points ahead of the WR2 and 135.8 ahead of WR10.
Antonio Brown, 2015
Just like Priest Holmes in 2002 and 2003, AB dominated his position in consecutive seasons just the same. In 2015, it was more of the same when he finished with 136 receptions, 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished with 382.2 points, just barely outproducing his 2014 campaign.
He ended up just 7.1 points ahead of WR2 and 113.3 points ahead of WR10.
Calvin Johnson, 2011
There are other receivers who scored more points than Calvin Johnson in 2011, most notably Julio Jones’ 2006 campaign, but the former Lion finished solidly ahead of the pack during one of his best seasons of all time. It’s a damn travesty he only had five touchdowns when he had 122 catches and 1,964 yards in 2012 otherwise Kupp may have only secured the No. 2 spot among receivers. In any case, in 2011 Johnson had 96 receptions to go along with 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns. He finished with 359.2 points.
He finished 71.9 points ahead of WR2 and 126.5 ahead of WR10.
Marvin Harrison, 2002
Harrison’s reception total was the NFL’s best for 17 years until 2019 when Michael Thomas would go on to break it, but at the time, his 143 receptions helped ascend him to the No. 1 spot among receivers. He also had 1,722 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished with 384.2 total points.
He outscored the WR2 by 47.1 points and the WR10 by 148.8.
Michael Thomas, 2019
Thomas destroyed the field in 2019 in a way we haven’t seen too many receivers do. In fact, he outscored the WR2 by 98.5 points, which is the biggest difference between WR1 and WR2 on this list. He finished with 149 receptions, 1,725 yards, 9 touchdowns and 374.6 total fantasy points.
He outscored the WR2 by 98.5 points and the WR10 by 128.1.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce, 2020
Despite scoring like a top-five receiver in 2020, Kelce didn’t easily take the No. 1 spot amongst tight ends. That’s because Darren Waller had his own season for the ages, although he didn’t qualify for the top-32. Kelce had 105 receptions, 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns to finish with 312.8 points.
He finished 34.2 points ahead of the TE2 and 163.7 ahead of TE10.
Rob Gronkowski, 2011
This is the most points ever scored by a tight end in fantasy football and scoring 17 touchdowns will surely help you do so, but Gronk didn’t just score touchdowns. He also reeled in 90 receptions and had 1,327 yards. The icing on the cake was the rushing touchdown he managed to score too. He finished with 330.9 points.
Still, he finished just 36.9 points ahead of the TE2 – we’ll get to him in a bit – and 152.4 points ahead of TE10.
Jimmy Graham, 2011
Graham was the reason Gronk didn’t annihilate the tight end field in 2011 and he did his best to keep things close, but ultimately touchdowns ended up being the difference. Graham only scored 11 touchdowns but did have 99 catches and 1,310 yards. He finished with 294 points.
He finished 75.5 points ahead of the TE3 and 115.5 ahead of TE10.
Jimmy Graham, 2013
Graham is the lone tight end to make this list twice and his second showing, like Holmes and Brown before, got even better. This time, he found the end zone 16 times. He also had 86 receptions and 1,215 yards. He finished with 303.5 points.
He was 116.5 points ahead of the TE2 and 167.1 ahead of TE10.
Mark Andrews, 2021
Kupp wasn’t the only player having an all-time great season this past year. Andrews put up the fourth-most fantasy points ever among tight ends. He did manage to finish the season with the most receptions in a single season – 107 – of any tight end in the history of the league. He also had 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns, which resulted in 301.1 points
He finished 38.3 points ahead of the TE2 and 138.8 points ahead of TE10.
The Bracket
How to Cast Your Vote
Below you'll find the Twitter thread of all the first-round matchups. Each matchup's voting will be open for five days. Once the voting is closed, a new article will be created, as well as a new Twitter thread of the following rounds so we can determine who really had the greatest fantasy football season of all time.
In recognition of Cooper Kupp's all time great season and conjecture with March Madness, @RotoBaller and I are going to look at what player had the greatest fantasy season, ever! Now, truth be told that mantle belongs to LaDainian Tomlinson (2006). 1/4
— Rob (@RobFFSlayer) March 5, 2022
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