Is anyone else’s fantasy football team already cooked?
In fairness, I’m in 3 leagues and only in one am I dead in the water. I’m middle of the pack in another and in the Whiskey Riff league, well, I’ll just stay quiet to not disrupt anything…
We’re headed into Week 4 this week, and there were a few big performances in Week 3 that I’m sure saved a bunch of fantasy season’s out there, but it got me thinking:
What are the greatest fantasy football performances of all-time?
Surprisingly, there’s not a lot of good lists out there, so I decided to put one together myself. We’re using ESPN’s PPR rules for this list. If you’re one of those weird purists that want a standard scoring list, do it yourself then do us a favor and join the 21st century. Also, only games after the 1970 merger are included, so I apologize if you still remember that one Mike Ditka game your grandpa told you about, it didn’t make the cut.
Obviously, these games were in different seasons and weeks, but theoretically if you were to have all of the top performers on your roster and they had their best game on the same day, you would have racked up an astounding 490.9 points…
Here’s the best fantasy football performances for each position:
Quarterback
Michael Vick – November 15th, 2010 – 49.3 Points
The Monday Night Massacre… Michael Vick was in the midst of his career resurgence when he dropped the greatest fantasy football performance by a quarterback of all-time against the Washington Redskins, leading the Eagles to a dominant 59-23 victory on Monday night. On the first play of the game, Vick hit Desean Jackson for an 88 yard strike and then kept a heavy foot on the gas.
Passing: 20/28, 333 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing: 80 yards, 2 TDs
Other Notable Performances
Mark Rypien (11/10/1991): 48.1 Points – 16/31, 442 yards, 6 TDs, 1 Rush TD
Peyton Manning (9/5/2013): 46.3 Points – 27/42, 462 yards, 7 TDs
Aaron Rodgers (10/2/2011): 45.9 Points – 29/38, 408 yards, 4 TDs, 2 Rush TDs
Running Back
Jamaal Charles – December 15th, 2013 – 59.5 Points
In his prime there was no one more electrifying than Jamaal Charles and it’s time he gets his flowers. Perhaps the greatest long run threat in recent history, Charles’ speed and ability to find the endzone kept him in the league for 11 seasons, 3 of which ended with an All-Pro award. This is admittedly where the PPR scoring system changes the list, as Charles had practically no success on the ground this game but turned in one of the most impressive pass catching performances in history.
Rushing: 8 attempts, 20 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: 8 rec, 195 yards, 4 TDs
Other Notable Performances
Clinton Portis (12/7/2003): 57.4 Points – 218 yards, 5 TDs, 2 rec, 36 rec yards, 1 rec TD
Alvin Kamara (12/25/2020): 56.2 Points – 155 yards, 6 TDs, 3 rec, 17 rec yards
Shaun Alexander (9/29/2002): 56.1 Points – 139 yards, 4 TDs, 3 rec, 92 rec yards, 1 rec TD
Wide Receiver
Jerry Rice – October 14th, 1990 – 65.5 Points
Would you expect anyone but Jerry Rice to be here? He actually turned in two performances worthy of mentioning on the list (see below section) but his performance against the Atlanta Falcons in 1990 will probably never be matched. Joe Montana also set franchise and personal records during this game but games like this are why many believe Jerry Rice is the GOAT.
Receiving: 13 rec, 225 yards, 5 TDs
.@JerryRice set the standard for wide receivers.
Happy 60th birthday to the 🐐 WR! pic.twitter.com/SajJYxA81c
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) October 13, 2022
Other Notable Performances
Jimmy Smith (9/10/2000): 62.1 Points – 15 rec, 291 yards, 3 TDs
Jerry Butler (9/23/1979): 60.7 Points – 10 rec, 255 yards, 4 TDs, 12 rush yards
Jerry Rice (12/18/1995): 59.9 Points – 14 rec, 289 yards, 3 TDs, 10 rush yards, 1 fumble
Tight End
Kellen Winslow – November 22nd, 1981 – 57.4 Points
When it comes to tight ends, most people think Gronk, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Travis Kelce, but Kellen Winslow deserves to be placed near the top of the list immediately. The guy lead the league in receptions two times, made 4 total All-Pro teams, and turned in the two greatest fantasy performances for a tight end of all time, including one that, for my money, is the most unlikely to be broken of all the records on this list except for Defense… Against the Raiders in 1981, Winslow turned in a ridiculous 5 touchdowns on 13 receptions and 144 yards, giving him nearly 10 points more than the next highest on the list (which is also one of his games).
Receiving: 13 rec, 144 yards, 5 TDs
At 6-foot-5 and 250-pounds, few tight ends in the 1980s were more of a force than the @chargers Kellen Winslow, a member of the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. #GoldJacketSpotlight pic.twitter.com/vYeXLx2JWQ
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) February 8, 2023
Other Notable Performances
Kellen Winslow (12/11/1983): 48.2 Points – 14 rec, 162 yards, 3 TDs
Shannon Sharpe (10/6/1996): 46.3 Points – 13 rec, 153 yards, 3 TDs
Shannon Sharpe (10/20/2002): 45.4 Points – 12 rec, 214 yards, 2 TDs
Defense
Browns – September 10th, 1989 – 50 Points
Okay, this was by far the hardest one to find numbers for but it quickly became clear that no team ever had as suffocating of a defensive performance as the 1989 Cleveland Browns in their season opener against my Pittsburgh Steelers… In a 51-0 blowout, the Browns nearly had more points than yards allowed.
So yeah, I don’t think this fantasy record is ever going to be broken…
Defensive Stats: 0 points allowed, 3 defensive touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 5 fumble recoveries, 6 sacks, 53 total yards allowed
@VintageBrowns Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 10th, 1989 #NFL #Cleveland pic.twitter.com/KxQzrR4sue
— Alex Carter (@Dark305Knight) March 28, 2022
Other Notable Performances
Broncos (11/9/1997): 44 Points – 0 points allowed, 4 TDs, 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 4 sacks, 147 total yards allowed
Seattle (12/9/2012): 39 Points – 0 points allowed, 2 TDs, 4 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 sacks, 154 total yards allowed
Bears (11/17/1985): 32 Points – 0 points allowed, 2 TDs, 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recoveries, 6 sacks, 171 total yards allowed
Kicker
Rob Bironas – October 21, 2007 – 29 Points
Rob Bironas is the only kicker to ever made 8 field goals in a game, and despite most of them being quite short, volume and a 52 yarder to open the game was good enough to make this the best fantasy performance for a kicker. Bironas made attempts of 52, 25, 21, 30, 28, 43, 29, 29 yards, the last being a game winner as time expired on a 38-36 win for the Tennessee Titans over the Houston Texans.
Sadly, Rob passed away in 2014 at the young age of 36 in a drunk driving accident. While his death is tragic, it’s a good reminder to not drink and drive.
Kicking Stats: 8/8 on FGs, 2/2 on PATs, 6 FG less than 40 yards, 1 FG 40-49 yards, 1 FG 50 to 59
Titans at 25 presented by @budlight — Craig Hentrich relives Rob Bironas' record breaking game against the Texans in this special episode of Titans All Access, available now on YouTube
For all your Titans moments and more go to NFL+ pic.twitter.com/OKjewhDgRp
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 4, 2023
Other Notable Performances
Jay Feely (12/12/2010): 28 Points – 5/6 FG attempts, 4/4 PATs, 2 FG under 40 yards, 2 FG 40 to 49 yards, 1 FG 50 to 59, 1 Rush TD
Billy Cundiff (9/15/2003): 27 Points – 7/8 FG attempts, 2/2 PATs, 2 FG under 40 yards, 2 FG 40 to 49 yards, 1 FG 50 to 59 yards
Matt Gay (9/24/2023): 24 Points – 5/5 FG attempts, 1/1 PATs, 1 FG under 40 yards, 4 FG 50 to 59 yards
