Top Five Greatest Fantasy Seasons: Kansas City Chiefs

February 25, 2023

The Kansas City Chiefs have a proud tradition stemming from the American Football League to the National Football League. Here are the five best fantasy seasons by a Kansas City Chief.

The Kansas City Chiefs were established in 1959 as the Dallas Texans. In 1963, the Texans renamed their organization to the Chiefs and relocated to Kansas City. The franchise won AFL Championships in 1962, 1966, and 1969 before the AFL-NFL merger.

Since then, Kansas City has added victories in Super Bowls IV, LIV, and most recently, Super Bowl LVII to their collection. Aside from those achievements, they’ve won three AFC championships, all within the last four years, and 15 division titles. The Chiefs have entered the playoffs 25 times, including each of the last eight seasons.

With over six decades of existence, some of the best American football players in history donned the Kansas City uniform for most of their careers. They are not only some of the franchise’s best but also some of the most iconic athletes in the NFL. Here are the five best fantasy seasons to come from a Kansas City Chiefs player.

#5 Travis Kelce (2020)

Stats: 105 catches, 1,416 yards, and 11 touchdowns 

2020 marked the fifth consecutive season that Travis Kelce led all fantasy tight ends in scoring. Kelce averaged 17.4 points per game and scored 35 more points than Darren Waller, the next closest tight end, despite sitting out in Week 17.

If you look at the game log, Travis Kelce's season was head-to-toe consistently great. Kelce had just two weeks outside the top-six tight ends in fantasy. He went over 18.8 points in 10 of the 15 possible games. He caught at least seven balls in each of the last eight games of the regular season, closing off a phenomenal stretch of dominance that would be interrupted by Mark Andrews' 2021 breakout season.

#4 Priest Holmes (2003)

Stats: 320 carries, 1,420 yards, and 27 touchdowns, plus 74 catches for 690 yards

So nice, I had to include him twice. Priest Holmes made it back-to-back seasons as the top-scoring player in fantasy football when he broke the 400-point plateau in 2003. Though Holmes failed to score any touchdowns via the receiving category, he scored a jaw-dropping 27 times on the ground.

LaDanian Tomlinson closed the gap between Holmes and the field this year, finishing less than 20 points behind Kansas City's workhorse. The former Texas Longhorn scored at least one touchdown in all but three games during the 2003 season. He scored multiple touchdowns in ten games throughout the season. Another historically great season from a Kansas City running back.

#3 Jamaal Charles (2013)

Stats: 259 carries, 1,287 rushing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns, plus 70 catches for 693 yards and 7 receiving touchdowns

Jamaal Charles' 2013 fantasy campaign doesn't get mentioned enough when discussing the greatest fantasy seasons by a running back in recent memory. Charles averaged 22.9 points per game and outscored everyone at the position by 38 points despite being inactive in Week 17.

The former Texas Longhorn averaged 132 scrimmage yards per game and led the league with 19 total touchdowns. Many remember Charles' 55.5-point historical showing in Week 15 against the Oakland Raiders. The Kansas City great caught four touchdowns and ran in a fifth one against the divisional rivals. Charles finished as a top-12 running back in all but two weeks during his 2013 campaign.

#2 Priest Holmes (2002)

Stats: 313 carries, 1,615 yards, and 21 touchdowns, plus 70 catches for 672 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns

Before Jamaal Charles and Larry Johnson, Kansas City had Priest Holmes. Holmes started his career slowly with the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore siding with Jamaal Lewis and allowing Holmes to land in Kansas City in 2001 was the best thing that could've happened. In his second year as a Chief, Holmes crushed everyone in fantasy.

He was the only player to score more than 345 points in 2002 – He finished with 405.7 points in 14 games. His 29-point-per-game average ranks inside the top-three seasons all-time for a running back. Holmes led the league in scrimmage yards and total touchdowns, putting on a dominant display throughout the season.

#1 Patrick Mahomes (2018)

Stats: 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 272 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns 

NFL defenses were not prepared for Kansas City's gunslinger in 2018. Mahomes' elite arm talent matched with elite playmakers Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce was a nightmare scenario for opponents. The lack of familiarity with Patrick Mahomes allowed the quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, the second quarterback to ever complete both features in a season.

Mahomes topped 25 points ten times during the 2018 season. He averaged 26.1 points per game and outscored all other quarterbacks by over 60 points. With just three games below 20 points, none fewer than 15.8, Patrick Mahomes' first year as a starter was a fantasy blessing to owners.

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