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The Final Four is coming up but why let only bucketheads have the fun? In recognition of Cooper Kupp’s all-time great season and with March Madness upon us, let's continue our look at the greatest fantasy football seasons of all time in a tournament-style competition!
We began with 32 contestants in the pool, seeded accordingly. The voters (you) decide who will move on to the next round. To see all the participants who made the initial field, click here.
Once you're done reading below, circle back to make your Final Four choice by Voting here!
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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 outscored 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 see the remaining contestants.
Quarterbacks
There are no quarterbacks left standing. Not surprisingly, Tom Brady's great 2007 season made it the furthest.
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.
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.
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp, 2021
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.
Tight Ends
No one is left standing.
How to Cast Your Vote
Best #FantasyFootball Season of All-Time is in The Final Four Stage @RotoBaller. Vote for who should be in the championship.
No. 1 Marshall Faulk ('00) - 413.2 total points (+122.9 points on RB2 & +195.1 on RB10)
No. 3 Preist Holmes ('02) - 405.7 (+72 on RB2 & +162.7 on RB10)
— Rob (@RobFFSlayer) March 29, 2022
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